Cruises From Philadelphia

Philadelphia sails from one building, the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal at 4 Atlantic Avenue. The address says Philadelphia, but PhilaPort puts it “in Tinicum Township, Delaware County, adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport.” It’s built for mid-size ships of about 3,000 passengers, per PhilaPort, on a site trade press puts at 16 acres.

It’s new. Norwegian Jewel brought cruising back to the city on April 16, 2026 — the first cruise line here in 15 years, Norwegian says. The terminal wasn’t ready, so passengers first checked in at the Clarion Hotel by the airport, Cruise Industry News reported in April. PhilaPort’s ribbon-cutting release is dated August 27, 2026. Other dates are in print, so treat the exact day as unsettled.

Don’t follow old directions to the Navy Yard. The Philadelphia Cruise Terminal there opened in 1998 and closed in 2011, per Wikipedia, and nothing sails from it now. Norwegian’s own releases call the new site the SouthPort Marine Terminal Complex — PhilaPort calls it the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal. Same place.

Every card below opens our page for that port, with its shore-excursion guide underneath where we have one. Bermuda is the backbone — Jewel in 2026, Pearl from spring to fall 2027, Gem from 2028. The Bahamas and the Caribbean belong to Pearl’s winters, and Canada & New England to the fall.

Common, not guaranteed. The stops on any sailing depend on the ship and the season. Check your own itinerary before you plan a port day around this list.

Three stops aren’t carded, because we don’t have port pages for them yet. Charleston, South Carolina, comes up on some of Jewel’s 2026 Bermuda sailings. Norfolk, Virginia, is on Pearl’s 2027 and Gem’s 2028 Bermuda sailings, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic on Pearl’s Eastern Caribbean, per Norwegian.

PhilaPort Cruise Terminal, 4 Atlantic Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153 — use Entrance A.

Coming down I-95 South, PhilaPort says to use Exit 14, Bartram Avenue and Essington Avenue, through 2027. Northbound, it’s I-95 North Exit 15.

PhilaPort says guests “should not arrive before 9:30 AM” and should come in the check-in window they picked in MyNCL. Come early and you may be asked to leave and return. Online check-in runs from 21 days to three days before you sail.

Drop-off is directly in front of the embarkation area. Bags go in outside, before security. Print and attach your own luggage tags, because PhilaPort says they aren’t mailed. Inside, it’s security screening, then check-in. Keep documents and medication with you.

The terminal is fully accessible, PhilaPort says. Wheelchair assistance is there if you ask — waits can vary with the crowd.

Disembarkation generally runs from 7:00 to 9:30 AM, per PhilaPort. Allow extra time for your bags and the terminal.

Uber, Lyft, a taxi or a private car all pick up at 4 Atlantic Avenue — the same address you used for drop-off. Don’t book it early. PhilaPort asks that you’re off the ship, with your luggage, before you request the car.

“There is no passenger parking available at the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal,” PhilaPort says. Its lot is Park & Jet at the Clarion Hotel, 76 Industrial Highway, Essington, at $16 a day per vehicle, with a free shuttle between the hotel and the terminal. It’s on the far side of the airport, about 7.2 road miles from the terminal by our routing. So the shuttle is the point, not an extra.

PhilaPort recommends prepaying by phone, 610-521-9600, from 9 AM to 3 PM any day. Park & Jet’s own site prints $13.95 a day for its airport web bookings, reservation only, and went cashless on August 24, 2026. Ask which rate a cruise gets.

Philadelphia International is the airport you want, and it’s next door — PhilaPort calls the terminal adjacent. By road it’s a drive, not a walk — about 5.4 miles and 14 minutes from Terminal B by our routing.

For a cab, go to Zone 5. The PPA’s $32 flat fare covers PHL to Center City, not the cruise terminal. So the meter runs — about $22 from Terminal B by our arithmetic, before tip. The full fare math is on the airport page.

Uber and Lyft pick up at Zone 7, and hotel shuttles at Zone 4. Norwegian sells its own airport transfers between PHL and the terminal; PhilaPort sends you to Norwegian for the price.

Newark and BWI work if the fare is right and you don’t mind the drive. We found no official distance from either. Our routing gives about 92.5 road miles from Newark and about 103.5 from BWI.

The SEPTA Airport Line runs every 30 minutes between the airport terminals and Center City, about 25 minutes, per SEPTA. 30th Street Station is on the way, for Amtrak and NJ Transit. Regional Rail fares run $5.00 to $13.00.

It’s a train for the city, not the ship. No official page describes any transit to the terminal, so plan a cab or rideshare for the last leg.

Norwegian’s April 2026 Philadelphia blog post points you at the old city. Its list runs from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to Elfreth’s Alley, the Betsy Ross House, Christ Church and Carpenters’ Hall, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Longwood Gardens further out. PhilaPort links to Visit Philly for the rest.

On the Delaware itself, City Cruises runs lunch and dinner cruises — Viator lists the dinner cruise from US$95 for two and a half hours.