Fernandina to host Super Bowl cruise

[Jason]

By Alison Trinidad, Nassau Neighbors staff writer

A mid-sized cruise ship chartered by the Jacksonville Jaguars will dock at the Port of Fernandina for Super Bowl XXXIX, which will be played in Jacksonville Feb. 6.

The M/S Regatta, flagship of Miami-based Oceania Cruises, is scheduled to be docked in Fernandina Beach from Friday, Feb. 5, to Monday, Feb. 7, said Val Schwec of Nassau Terminals, which operates the port.

The 600-foot ship has room for 684 passengers and 400 crew members.

It's one of seven cruise ships signed on thus far to dock in the Jacksonville area for the Super Bowl, but the only one in Fernandina Beach, which is about 35 miles away from downtown Jacksonville.

"Unlike the other ships that have to dock in the port area of Jacksonville, we can go into Fernandina Beach because our vessel is smaller and has a shallower draft," cruise-line spokesman Tim Rubacky said. "She can get much closer and won't have to dock in an outlying area."

Schwec said other cruise outfits have asked to dock at the port, but the Regatta will be the only cruise ship there that weekend. The port works primarily with cargo ships and only occasionally allows cruise ships to dock. There will be enough space to handle incoming cargo on Super Bowl weekend, Schwec said.

"We didn't want to tie up all the berths," he said. "For the last 18 years, cargo ships have paid our bills. We have to take care of our cargo ships all the time."

Fernandina Beach Fire Chief Danny Leeper, who also is a Port Authority commissioner, said that the ship's passengers will be shuttled to Jacksonville, but those details still are being arranged.

"We're in the process of developing a security plan," Leeper said. "There still are a few logistics [to work out]."

City officials and representatives from the Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee Chamber of Commerce are planning to coordinate events and services during the Super Bowl to ensure safety and efficiency, Leeper said.

Cruise ship passengers likely will check in their luggage and pass through security on off-port property owned by Nassau Terminals, Leeper said. The property is on Friendly Road, north of Florida A1A just east of the Shave Bridge. Leeper said off-site check-in and parking should prevent traffic congestion on Centre Street, which is scheduled to host an outdoor shellfish festival that weekend.

The Regatta was chartered by Jacksonville XXXIX, an agency that Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver created to sell ticket packages to business groups for the game. The agency received 7,500 tickets in an NFL deal to help pay for upgrading Alltel Stadium, Jaguars vice president of development Tim Connolly said.

Corporate ticket packages, which cost between $3,800 and $9,500 each, include one Super Bowl ticket, room accommodations for three or four nights and on-site game-day hospitality.

A three-night stay in Fernandina Beach on the Regatta is a ticket-package option.

"I feel it's one of the best options," Connolly said. "Folks can walk off the ship ... and the [shellfish] festival is kind of like having their own celebration right there. We felt that was a big attraction. ... They get golf, they get beach. Overall, it's a nice package."

Connolly said about half of the Regatta packages have been sold.

The Regatta was built in 1998, but received a $12-million renovation last March, Rubacky said. Its ports of embarkation include Miami, Los Angeles and several European ports. Rubacky said the ship spends most of its time in Europe.

"She's not one of those huge mega-ships," Rubacky said. "She's got more of the feel of an upscale European-boutique hotel, very much like The Ritz-Carlton. ... It's very old world, but not stuffy."

The ship will be arriving after a six-day voyage through the Panama Canal from Los Angeles to Miami. It's scheduled to depart for another cruise from Miami on Feb. 8.

Schwec said the Super Bowl is an opportunity for Nassau County to shine.

"It's a major event that we should be a part of," he said. "I think the community has embraced it and we're trying to be a part of that. The Jacksonville Jaguars have been great to this whole region, and we're proud to be part of their big event."