Norwegian Jewel Units Sail from Philadelphia, Ending 15-12 months Cruise Drought

Philadelphia’s waterfront noticed a milestone second Thursday night, April 16, 2026, when Norwegian Jewel departed the Port of Philadelphia because the solar started to set over the Metropolis of Brotherly Love.

It’s the first usually scheduled cruise crusing from the town in additional than 15 years.

The departure marks Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) return to the Mid-Atlantic port and indicators the restart of homeport cruise operations in Philadelphia after greater than a decade with out them.

Metropolis and state officers gathered earlier within the day aboard the ship for a ceremony recognizing the return of cruise exercise to the port, and presenting the ship’s captain with a duplicate of the Liberty Bell, considered one of Philadelphia’s most recognizable symbols.

The occasion included Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, and management from PhilaPort.

“It is a defining second for The Port of Philadelphia,” mentioned PhilaPort government director and CEO Jeff Theobald. “The arrival of Norwegian Cruise Line and Norwegian Jewel indicators the start of a brand new chapter for our port, our metropolis, and the whole area.” 

Cruise operations from the town had largely disappeared within the early 2010s, leaving cruisegoers within the area to sail primarily from ports resembling New York, Baltimore, or Florida.

NCL mentioned restoring departures from Philadelphia provides friends within the Mid-Atlantic one other handy homeport choice.

“Norwegian Cruise Line’s return to Philadelphia marks an thrilling and significant milestone for us and the area,” mentioned Marc Kazlauskas, president of NCL. “For the primary time in over 15 years, vacationers within the Mid-Atlantic space will as soon as once more be capable to sail from their very own yard with us to expertise all the pieces NCL is thought for.”

Kazlauskas highlighted each Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl, which can be arriving later in 2026, for offering the cruise line’s “distinctive experiences our friends know and love.”

The cruise line is working with PhilaPort and native officers on a brand new cruise terminal meant to assist passenger operations and streamline embarkation and disembarkation within the coming seasons.

Nevertheless, a harsh winter delayed development on the brand new terminal, requiring passengers on the primary cruise and a number of other subsequent voyages to make the most of a close-by resort as a makeshift terminal, busing to the ship for boarding, and delaying the unique scheduled 4 p.m. departure by three hours.

Bermuda Crusing Launches New Itineraries

The historic crusing is a 7-night roundtrip Bermuda itinerary, with Norwegian Jewel touring alongside the Delaware River to succeed in the Atlantic Ocean. The 93,502-gross-ton, 2,368-passenger vessel will arrive at Kings Wharf in Bermuda on April 18.

The ship will stay in port in a single day earlier than departing Bermuda on April 19. The itinerary then continues to Charleston, South Carolina, the place the ship is scheduled to reach on April 21.

The cruise concludes with the ship returning to Philadelphia on the morning of April 23. NCL plans to function further Bermuda sailings from Philadelphia via August 2026.

After that, Norwegian Jewel will shift to Canada and New England itineraries to coincide with the autumn foliage season.

Starting in late 2026, Norwegian Pearl, carrying as much as 2,344 passengers, will substitute Norwegian Jewel and return NCL friends to Bermuda, in addition to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

Scheduled to stay based mostly in Philadelphia via April 2028, sailings will embody calls at NCL’s non-public island within the Bahamas, Nice Stirrup Cay, which is present process a multi-million improve.