A record number of passengers – more than 185,000 – traveled through the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal in 2009 to take 78 voyages aboard the Carnival Fascination.

Since launching in Jacksonville in 2003, the cruise business has added hundreds of jobs to our city’s economy. Much of the economic impact derives from passengers, many of whom stay in Jacksonville before or after their cruise, and from the ship’s crew, many of whom spend money while in port making purchases at area stores, eating at local restaurants, renting cars, taking taxis, and using area services.

While a ship is in port, dozens of workers play a role in preparing the cruise terminal, supplying the ship, helping passengers park and board the vessel, and providing security. To get a sense of what happens at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal when a ship is in port, we’re publishing a few raw videos during the next couple of weeks, so you can see the action behind the scenes. You can watch here as more videos are added, we’ll post them here on our site. Or, you can watch and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/jaxport.

Ship arrival

Prepping the terminal