Yesterday, as Jessica and I drove home from Jacksonville to Charlotte after our Halloween weekend cruise aboard Norwegian Gem, a thought struck me somewhere along Interstate 95: it has been 17 years since I last drove to and from a cruise port. The last time was in 2008, when I sailed from Charleston aboard Norwegian Majesty — a ship retired the following year. Charleston now has no homeported cruise ships at all.
And that made me wonder: could Jacksonville eventually face the same fate?
The Bridge That Defines the Port
The Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, better known as the Dames Point Bridge, is both an engineering icon and Jacksonville’s biggest limitation. Its 175-foot clearance restricts the size of any ship that can reach the city’s cruise terminal upriver.
That means every one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer ships (Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, Bliss, Joy, Encore, Escape, Prima, Viva, Aqua, and the upcoming Luna) are too tall to pass beneath it.
The current Norwegian Gem, part of the mid-sized Jewel class, clears the bridge with only a few feet to spare. A slightly older ship Norwegian Dawn will replace the Gem next season. But those vessels, built in the early 2000s, are among the last of their generation still in service. When they retire, the bridge could literally close the door on Jacksonville’s cruise business.
More Than a Bridge Problem
Beyond the bridge itself, Jacksonville’s cruise infrastructure remains modest. The current terminal, built in 2003 as a “temporary” facility, has one berth, limited passenger space, and a surface-only parking lot that holds a few hundred cars.
By comparison, Miami International Airport has more than 130 gates and connects globally; Jacksonville International has about 20. Miami’s port handles multiple megaships simultaneously. Jacksonville can handle one.
Still, geography gives Jacksonville an advantage: it’s roughly 160 miles closer to most of the U.S. population than Port Canaveral and sits right off I-95 and I-10. For drive-market cruisers, that’s ideal — but only if the city expands parking capacity and develops more pre-cruise hotels to match that convenience.
The Charleston Warning
Charleston once hosted regular sailings by Norwegian Majesty and Carnival Fantasy. But as ships grew taller and wider, the city’s downtown harbor couldn’t accommodate them. Combined with local opposition and a lack of expansion space, Charleston quietly exited the cruise business in 2024 when Carnival Sunshine departed.
It’s a textbook example of what happens when port infrastructure stands still while ships evolve. Unless Jacksonville looks ahead, it could follow the same trajectory.
Charting a Sustainable Course
To thrive beyond the 2020s, Jacksonville should:
- Build a new terminal downriver from the Dames Point Bridge with deep-water access and expansion potential.
- Add structured parking and nearby hotels — a “cruise village” concept to support larger passenger volumes.
- Leverage its drive-market advantage, promoting Jacksonville as the closest, easiest homeport for millions in the Southeast and Midwest while ensuring getting from the interstate to the port is a easy as possible.
If those steps happen, Jacksonville could emerge as the premier regional alternative to Port Canaveral — a convenient, less crowded embarkation point for mid-sized ships.
If not, it risks fading the same way Charleston did — a once-viable cruise homeport outgrown by the industry.
A Final Thought
Standing on Norwegian Gem’s top deck as we glided under the Dames Point Bridge, I couldn’t help thinking how perfectly symbolic that moment was: a proud ship passing under the very structure that defines the limits of her homeport.
For now, Jacksonville’s cruise future looks bright — but its long-term success depends on a few feet of clearance and a few decades of foresight.