JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ahoy, mateys! The Norwegian Gem cruise ship dropped its anchor in Jacksonville on Friday, giving cruise lovers another option to set sail from the River City, and making history as the first Norwegian cruise ship to call Jacksonville home.

Norwegian Cruise Line said the Gem will be homeport in Jacksonville from November to April every year through 2028 , offering seasonal cruises to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean.

NCL said they decided to add Jacksonville to the list of its homeports because of the growing demand to cruise to and out of the city.

The Gem, built in 2007, is roughly the same size and capacity of the Carnival Elation, which currently sails from JAXPORT. It is 956-feet-long, is in the 'Jewel-class' of Norwegian's fleet, and can accommodate 2,394 gu

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