JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The cruise line industry is working to rebuild its strength after two years of lockdown and struggle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, the newest cruise ship operating out of JaxPort was set to launch another voyage — the ship’s second since the start of cruise season earlier this month. The vessel, which holds just over 300 passengers, was scheduled to set sail at 6 p.m.
News4JAX was invited to visit the Ocean Voyager as it was resetting for its next trip. The ship had just wrapped up its first one, traveling through seven ports over 12 days.
It is the first liner to operate out of JaxPort since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
For the company and JaxPort, this represents a symbolic return of the cruise industry, which saw an enormous downturn during the pandemic. Now, with COVID-19 tapering off once again, industry officials are more optimistic that this summer will mark the strongest one since 2019.
Ocean Voyager is operated by American Queen Voyages, whose founder and chairman, John Waggoner, said this feels like a homecoming.
“We’ve been in Jacksonville for 25 years because we operate the Mayport Ferry through our ferries division. So for us, it’s like coming back home, and the boats were built here in Jacksonville and Atlantic Marine,” Waggoner said. “So yeah, lots of ties to Jacksonville.”
The atmosphere of the Ocean Voyager was clean and comfortable, and the food was spectacular. Still, the company and the cruise industry at large are working past a crushing drop-off from the pandemic.
“The pandemic, it was just devastating. For us, it really was because it’s the first time in my Marine Creek career that the federal government has ever called us and shut us down,” Waggoner said.
In January 2020, stock prices took a steep downturn for Carnival and Norwegian cruise lines. And the number of passengers deflated after the industry was shut down for months amid the pandemic.
That’s what the cruise industry is hoping to recover from. And as cruise season began on Feb. 11, JaxPort chief operating officer Fred Wong said launching a strong cruise industry ripples across a lot of other ones as well.
“We call it our hidden gem. The local economy here most definitely benefits. But as far as our golfing, our beaches, our restaurants, it is something to be had to be a home for here at JaxPort,” Wong said.
Masks are not required for guests on the vessel, but that’s not to say that there aren’t any COVID-19 safety protocols. To be allowed on board, you need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and get a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure.
Carnival Cruise Line announced that on March 1, the company will only recommend face masks for travelers but not require them.
Florida’s five ports are a big part of the nation’s cruise line industry. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, nearly 60% of cruise ship passengers in 2019 set sail from one of the ports in Florida. That’s around 5 million passengers.
But the economic impact is even more widespread, as the cruise industry supports jobs and props up other industries like hotels, retail and restaurants.