The Southeast’s drive-to cruise: Nassau in four nights, no airport.
Jacksonville is the closest cruise port to Georgia, the Carolinas and the Florida Panhandle, and the easiest: one terminal under the Dames Point bridge, parking at the door, and Carnival sailing year-round on 4 and 5 night Bahamas runs to Nassau, Bimini, Celebration Key and Half Moon Cay, with a few longer Caribbean weeks. SmartCruiser shows every sailing leaving Jacksonville, prices each one with taxes and fees included, and puts the sailings with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit at the top.
Three ways to sail from Jacksonville
Jacksonville keeps it simple. Pick a length and a weekend, and we find the sailing with the most included.
4 night Bahamas weekends
- Thursday to Monday: a sea day, Nassau or Bimini, and a day at Celebration Key or Half Moon Cay
- The lowest fares in the Southeast; a balcony here costs what an inside does from Miami
- Load the car Thursday morning, park at the pier, sail by 4 pm
Best for: first cruises, long weekends, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette groups.
5 nights with two islands
- Monday to Saturday: Nassau plus Half Moon Cay or Bimini plus Celebration Key, with two sea days
- Freeport or Princess Cays on some loops
- Five nights is the sweet spot for a first cruise with kids
Best for: families on a school break, couples who want one more sea day.
7 to 9 night Caribbean
- A handful of sailings each year reach Grand Turk, Amber Cove and the Eastern Caribbean from Jacksonville
- They sell out early because North Florida and Georgia cruisers rarely want to fly
- Same ship, same parking, twice the ports
Best for: drive-to cruisers who want a proper vacation without an airport.
Jacksonville deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every sailing leaving JAXPORT, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the public price. Below them, every other sailing from Jacksonville with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery sailing from Jacksonville
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where ships from Jacksonville sail
Pick a destination and the list above filters to the Jacksonville sailings that go there.
Which line from Jacksonville?
Carnival is the only line based here. If you want another brand, Port Canaveral is a two and a half hour drive south; we show those options too.
When to go
Jacksonville sails every week of the year. Prices follow Georgia and Florida school calendars.
Jacksonville cruise questions we answer every day
How much is parking at the Jacksonville cruise terminal?
The JAXPORT lot is right at the terminal on Dames Point and charges $17 a day including tax, paid by cash or card when you arrive, so a 4 night cruise is $68 and a 5 night $85. It is an open lot of about 600 spaces, not a garage; reservations are optional but worth making in fall and winter. A few private lots nearby charge about $10 to $15 a day with a shuttle.
How far is Jacksonville airport from the port?
About 10 miles and 15 minutes down I-295 to the Dames Point terminal; a taxi or rideshare typically runs about $30 to $40. Jacksonville International is a small, easy airport with nonstops from most of the East Coast and the Midwest. Carnival sells an airport transfer as well.
Should I stay in Jacksonville the night before?
If you are driving more than five hours, yes. Hotels along the Southside and near the airport are 15 to 20 minutes from the terminal, and several near Dames Point offer park-and-cruise packages that save you the port lot. Jacksonville Beach is 30 minutes away if you would rather start the vacation on the sand.
Do I need a passport to cruise from Jacksonville?
On a closed-loop cruise that starts and ends in Jacksonville, US citizens can sail with a government photo ID and an original or certified birth certificate; children under 16 need only the birth certificate. We still recommend a passport, since you cannot fly home from Nassau without one, and it makes rebooking far easier if anything goes wrong.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses, per person, double occupancy. Gratuities, drinks packages, excursions and parking are extra.
What is the Jacksonville ship like?
Carnival keeps Carnival Elation, one of its smaller, 2,000-guest ships, here year-round, which suits the port: embarkation takes minutes, the terminal is a single building, and you are on board for lunch. You get the waterslides, the comedy club, Guy’s Burger Joint and the Serenity adults-only deck, just not the roller coaster of the newest ships. For a 4 or 5 night Bahamas run, it is exactly the right size.
Talk to a Jacksonville cruise specialist
Tell us your weekend and who is coming, and we price every Jacksonville sailing with the fares you qualify for and the bonus credit included. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.