Hurricane Melissa forced cruise lines to change itineraries for some voyages but it hasn’t affected the expected arrival this week of a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel in Jacksonville for the long-awaited launch of its seasonal service.
The Norwegian Gem is on track to arrive in Jacksonville on Oct. 31 when it will will be the second cruise line serving Jacksonville along with Carnival Cruise Line.
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane on Oct. 28 and continued to Cuba as a still strong Category 2 storm. The projected storm path doesn’t show it hitting Florida as it moves to the northeast.
The Norwegian Gem is coming to Jacksonville from the opposite direction of Hurricane Melissa. Norwegian Cruise Line is shifting the boat from Boston for the service out of Jacksonville so the Gem is sailing south down the East Coast from Boston.
Here’s what to know about Norwegian Gem’s upcoming cruises from Jacksonville.
The Norwegian Gem cruise ship will provide seasonal sailings from Jacksonville, Fla. between November and April each year starting in November 2025 and continuing through 2028.
When will Norwegian Gem sail from Jacksonville?
The Gem will sail from Jacksonville on cruises between November and April of each year through 2028, according to an agreement in February 2024 between Norwegian Cruise Line and JaxPort for use of the cruise terminal off Heckscher Drive.
What destinations will Norwegian Gem have?
The Gem will depart Jacksonville on a series of 4-day and 5-day cruises bound for the Bahamas over the coming months. Those cruises will include stops at Great Stirrup Cay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas.
The Gem also will offer a new addition to Jacksonville’s cruise scene of longer 11-day and 12-day voyages that will go to the Bahamas and continue to the Eastern Caribbean with stops in the Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
How can people track the location of the Gem?
The web site Vessel Finder tracks the location of vessels and offers updates on the Norwegian Gem for its location at any given time.
When will people see the Norwegian Gem on St. Johns River?
The ship is slated to arrive in Jacksonville on the morning of Oct. 31, which is this Friday.
Based on the current schedule, the Gem will make its way up the St. Johns River between 4:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on its way to the cruise terminal.
Some spots where the public can catch a sight of the cruise ship arriving on the north side of the St. Johns River are the Joe Carlucci Sisters Creek Boat Ramp and Huguenot Memorial Park.
On the south side of the river, public viewing places include Fulton Boat Ramp, Helen Cooper Floyd Park “Little Jetties,” Mayport Waterfront Park and the Mayport Boat Ramp.
![The Norwegian Cruise Line Ship Norwegian Gem heads West down the Saint Johns River as it passes under the Dames Point Bridge Wednesday May 27, 2020. The Norwegian Gem and the Norwegian Sky have been in Jacksonville since the cruise ship business was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic and have been moored different places around Jacksonville's port facilities. [Bob Self/Times-Union]](https://www.newsbeep.com/us-fl/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/52cba5e1fb411b3c5a21de0465c1d550.jpeg)
The Norwegian Cruise Line Ship Norwegian Gem heads West down the Saint Johns River as it passes under the Dames Point Bridge Wednesday May 27, 2020. The Norwegian Gem and the Norwegian Sky have been in Jacksonville since the cruise ship business was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic and have been moored different places around Jacksonville’s port facilities. [Bob Self/Times-Union]
How big is the Norwegian Gem?
Described by Norwegian Cruise Line as one of its mid-sized ships, the boat is 965 feet long and weighs 93,530 tons. It and has a capacity for 2,344 guests and a crew of 1,070.
The boat was built in 2007 and refurbished in 2022.
Cruise boats departing from Jacksonville must be able to go under the Dames Point bridge to reach the JaxPort terminal so the bridge span limits the size of cruise ships that can call on Jacksonville compared to other ports.
What features are on the Norwegian Gem?
Norwegian touts its “world-class spa experience” that has more than 50 treatments. The boat also has a variety of dining options, a casino, a climbing wall and swimming pools among its on-board entertainment options.
Bob.Self@jacksonville.com–5/2/16–The main stack of the Carnival Elation with the Dames Point Bridge and Jacksonville’s port facilities in the background. The Carnival cruise ship Elation has started cruise service from JAXPORT’s cruise terminal, replacing the Fascination on the 4 and 5 day Bahamian cruises. Photographed May 2, 2016. (The Florida Times-Union/Bob Self)
How does Gem’s arrival affect Carnival Cruise Line?
Carnival Cruise Line has had a ship sailing out of Jacksonville since 2004, currently with the Elation ship to the Bahamas. It will continue to do its sailings on year-round. When Norwegian does its seasonal sailings, the Gem and the Elation will operate on schedules that enable them to rotate use of the JaxPort cruise terminal.
Doubling down: Jacksonville will get a second cruise ship when Norwegian Cruise Line joins Carnival
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JaxPort CEO Eric Green has said Carnival is the cruise line “that got us to the dance” and will continue to be a mainstay of the city’s cruise business.
“It was always a question of whether or not we could host two cruise lines at the same time, but we’re able to do it,” he said when JaxPort and Norwegian signed their agreement.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Norwegian Cruise Line’s new service set to start in Jacksonville