Philadelphia, which hasn’t been an active cruise port for over a dozen years, is getting a new cruise terminal and cruises to use it.
The new terminal is in Tinicum Township, near Philadelphia International Airport, and has signed up Norwegian Cruise Lines as its first tenant. The deal between PhilaPort Cruise Terminal and NCL calls for about 40 cruise calls a year and runs through 2033. The first cruise will be in April.
For NCL, which also includes Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas, it will be the first new homeport in several years; the first ship assigned is Norwegian Jewel, whose initial itineraries include stops in Charleston and Bermuda.
While the new port’s most obvious draw is for the Philadelphia area market, the terminal also hopes to draw others attracted by the proximity to the airport.
