Philadelphia to Homeport First Cruise Ship in 15 Years as Port Expands

 

After more than a decade without a cruise ship, Philadelphia will homeport its first modern cruise ship in 2026. The return of cruising to the port is part of an industry trend begun two decades ago to position cruise ships closer to large population centers and aligns with plans by PhilaPort, the state agency that operates the Port of Philadelphia, for expansion of the operations.

Norwegian Cruise Line will be the first major cruise line to homeport in Philadelphia and the first cruise ship in the port since 2010. The line’s Norwegian Jewel (93,500 gross tons) will operate from Philadelphia between April and October 2026 with 24 calls offering cruises to Bermuda and Charleston, South Carolina during the summer months and fall cruises between Philadelphia and Canada.

Port officials are saying the addition of cruising to the port has the potential to provide a major economic benefit. “If growth continues among this segment,” port officials predicted by 2028, “this industry could generate over 2,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs and over $40 million in annual country and state tax revenue.”

Homeporting around the United States has become a popular trend making cruising more accessible to travelers. Galveston, Texas for example emerged as one of the largest homeports growing to rival South Florida the traditional base of cruise operations in the United States. Philadelphia officials highlight that the 30 million people live within 100 miles, or a two-hour drive, of the port. 

Philadelphia, however, currently lacks the facilities to handle a large modern cruise ship. They report plans to invest over the next 18 months at the Southport Marine Complex to develop capacity for embarking passengers as well as luggage handling and the required support services. The Norwegian Jewel, built in 2005, is one of the brand’s smaller ships accommodating 2,330 passengers and over 1,000 crew. It is 965 feet in length.

PhilaPort released a master capital investment plan in 2022 for the port that envisioned expansion of all the port’s facilities. The plan calls for an estimated capital investment of $3.5 billion and includes deepening the Delaware River to 50 feet to handle larger vessels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working on the plans for deepening the Delaware River shipping channel.

In 2021, the port received a $49 million federal grant from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program as part of the planned development of a $130 million new multi-use berth at Southport. The Southport Berth Development project was designed to support further expansion of Philadelphia’s Ro-Ro vehicle terminal which opened in 2019. 

Port officials highlighted more than $500 million invested in the port’s infrastructure, warehousing, and equipment between 2016 and 2022. The port received a further $20 million federal grant in 2022 for a new 100,000-square-foot warehouse at the Tioga Marine Terminal. 

The investments helped the port to accommodate the largest vessel to ever call in Philadelphia. In March 2024, the CMA CGM Marco Polo (187,625 dwt) arrived at PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The containership is 1,300 feet in length with a capacity of 16,020 containers.

Port and city officials are very optimistic about the addition of cruise ships back into the port’s operations. They highlight the strong attractions for tourism and hope to turn Philadelphia into a year-round cruise home port.