When the Norwegian Jewel arrives in Philadelphia in April, it will be the first cruise ship at the port in 15 years.
Travel professionals say the homecoming is good news for travelers and the cruise industry. Families in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware who have never cruised now have a closer gateway to the experience.
Cruise.com executive vice president of sales and operations Jeanne Wyndrum envisions vacationers saying, "Well, it's easy. I can get there. I've never been on a cruise. Let me just try it."
Philadelphia complements existing port options in the Mid-Atlantic region, Wyndrum said. That includes Baltimore, where Carnival and Royal Caribbean homeport ships, and Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., home to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships. Several lines sail out of New York, including Norwegian Cruise Line.
NCL is the only line that will operate out of the new PhilaPort Cruise Terminal adjacent to Philadelphia's airport, where it is building a small terminal.
PhilaPort executive director Jeff Theobald said, "We are ready and excited to welcome cruise passengers this spring."
NCL has committed to homeporting in Philadelphia through March 2033 with 41 sailings per year, according to the port.
"We are extremely excited to be the first cruise line to commence cruising again from Philadelphia after so many years," said Daniel Farkas, chief development officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. "We believe in providing our guests the freedom and flexibility to plan their dream cruise, and with this lively city becoming Norwegian Cruise Line's brand-new homeport this April, we are making cruising more accessible to guests from the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region."
The 2,368-passenger Norwegian Jewel will sail seven- and nine-day itineraries from Philadelphia starting in April, with overnight stops in Bermuda and a visit to Charleston, S.C. It will transition to 10- and 11-day Canada/New England cruises in the fall.
The Norwegian Pearl will then homeport in Philadelphia starting in November, sailing Bermuda and Caribbean cruises.
American Cruise Lines is also resuming operations in Philadelphia this year, though its small U.S.-flagged ships will dock at the Penn's Landing waterfront area near Center City.
When the Delaware River Port Authority closed cruise operations in 2011, it was in response to the industry's gradual exit.
Just two cruise calls had been booked for 2011, a decline from 2006, when there were 36.
The Delaware Memorial Bridge, with an air draft of 188 feet, prevents the industry's largest cruise ships from accessing the port. But midsize ships are a good entry point for new cruisers, who may find the largest cruise ships "incredibly overwhelming," said Joann McGarvey, who is based about an hour's drive from Philadelphia in Warrington, Pa., and works as a director of agent development for Off to Neverland Travel.
Another family vacation option
There is also an appetite for more family vacation options near Philadelphia, she said. Current go-tos for Pennsylvanians are beach vacations at the Jersey shore and mountain resort stays in the Poconos. But accommodations and dining can get pricey for families, McGarvey said. Attempting to make those trips more affordable means more work, like cooking and packing extra supplies, which she did last year when renting a vacation home in Ocean City, N.J.
"You have to bring your own sheets and your own towels, and I was packing extra dry goods and groceries so that we could make breakfast every morning instead of going out," she said. "I remember saying to my adult children at the end, 'Please, talk me out of this next year.'"
Pennsylvanians also have an appetite for amusement parks, said McGarvey, whose agency has a heavy focus on Disney vacations, and that demographic has high crossover potential for cruises.
While a local ship is an opportunity for new cruisers, plenty of Pennsylvanians already like to cruise, said Fora interim head of cruise Shelley Wise.
"Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in general, is a strong cruise market," she said. "It hasn't been as strong as, obviously, Florida, New York, and L.A., but I think it definitely presents an opportunity."
Though NCL and American Cruise Lines are the only lines with announced plans to sail from Philadelphia, Wise said she wouldn't be surprised if other lines join in.