Carnival's newest liner debuts in Jacksonville

Jason · March 3, 2004

Tony Quesada - Jville Business Journal, Staff Writer

JACKSONVILLE -- Scott Bayne held his 13-month-old son, Carson, high above his head to give the toddler the best look possible as history passed in front of him.

Bayne, his wife, Stacey, and their son joined about 300 others at the Sandollar Restaurant & Marina on Heckscher Drive to welcome the Carnival Miracle, a 2,124-passenger ship, as it headed toward the Jaxport Cruise Terminal.

"That's a big one, huh?" Bayne said to his son.

The Miracle became the first Carnival "Fun Ship" and the second cruise ship to berth at the Jacksonville Port Authority's new terminal. The Zenith, a 1,375-passenger ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, began sailing from Jacksonville in October 2003.

The Miracle, which was delivered to Carnival on Feb. 9 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, is the cruise line's newest ship. It will operate three-, five- and six-day cruises from the Jaxport terminal through April 17, when it will be replaced by Carnival's Jubilee, a 1,486-passenger ship, for four- and five-day cruises from May 11 through Aug. 26.

After that, Carnival's Celebration, another 1,486-passenger ship, will move here from Galveston, Texas, to begin year-round service in October. The Celebration will make four-, five- and six-day cruises.

While onlookers cheered the Miracle as it steamed by the Sandollar, appreciating the ship's grandeur, restaurant owner Harry Mangini appreciated its potential impact on his business. Mangini said his restaurant has already felt a boost from the Zenith. Not only do passengers often visit the Sandollar before embarking, but their friends and family who see them off frequently stop by afterward to wave bon voyage again as the ship sails by on its way out to sea.

"It's a big plus for the area, a big plus for us," Mangini said.

A study by the Northeast Florida Regional Council estimated that the cruise industry will create more than 700 jobs and have an economic impact on the area by 2005 of more than $36 million.

But beyond jobs and money, many see cruise ships on the First Coast as a matter of prestige.

"Jacksonville needed this for years," said Scott Bayne, a Jacksonville native. "Between this and the Jaguars, Jacksonville has finally gotten itself on the map."

Like Bayne, Jacksonville native Karen Powers compared the Miracle's arrival to the Jaguars.

"It's a big event," said Powers, who was at the Sandollar with more than 20 friends who planned to sail on the Miracle in April. "Anytime Jacksonville gets anything it's a big event. We're growing up, trying to compete with bigger markets."

The festival atmosphere didn't stop at the Sandollar. People, many armed with still and video cameras, parked all along Heckscher Drive in search of a view of the ship. A crowd of about 600 people at the Dames Point Park let out a cheer as the Miracle's horn blew when the ship squeezed under the Dames Point bridge.

Edith Price of Jacksonville brought her grandchildren, Kyley, 6, and Tommy, 5, to watch the spectacle. Price said she's been on cruises and is eager to be able to sail from Jacksonville, perhaps with her grandchildren.

"They said we can't go unless we take them," she said.

Jason · March 3, 2004