Norwegian Cruise Lines to set sail from Philadelphia starting in April 2026

Norwegian Cruise Lines will be setting sail from a brand new home port beginning in April of 2026 with the city of Brotherly Love coming into full focus. The cruise liner will begin operating a year-round slate of destinations with Bermuda, Canada, and New England being part of the trip itinerary.

The Norwegian Jewel, which has a capacity of around 2,400 passengers, houses 1,197 cabins, 13 bars, 10 restaurants, and a 1,00+ seat theatre and has been in operation since 2005. The ship has recently been setting sail in the western and southern Pacific with cruises in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the South Pacific countries.

The city of Philadelphia is working to get its ports ready for cruise liners to depart out of PhilaPort as part of the nation's 250 birthday in 2026. The city last had cruises departing from the port in 2011 with the Norwegian Majesty as the main Norwegian cruise ship dating back to 2006. PhilaPort officials stated that the resurgence of the cruise industry returning to Philadelphia could create upwards of 2,000 jobs.

“We’re hoping this is just a launching point for cruises to leave Philadelphia year-round,” Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort’s director of marketing, said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer. The port authority has been in talks with Norwegian Cruise Line for about two years, he said, adding that the company “was bullish on the Philadelphia market and the potential of the cruising public here.”

The first sail will be a seven-day slate with Bermuda and Charleston, South Carolina as excursion stops. The nine-day slate with the same pair of cities will begin in August of that same year. The seven and nine-day cruises will run from April 16 through October 17 in 2026 before switching to the 11-day experience on the U.S-Canadian Atlantic Coast as well as the St. Lawrence River. During the fall, Philadelphia and Quebec City will rotate as home ports and disembarking points for the 11-day cruise.

The Canadian-New England 11-day cruise will start in September 2026 with a grand total of nine ports being part of the experience. The 11-day journey begins in Philadelphia with a stop in Boston before moving on to Bar Harbor(Maine), Saint John (New Brunswick), Halifax (Nova Scotia), Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia), Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island), Saguenay (Quebec), and Quebec City. In total, the 11-day experience will be at sea for two full days of the itinerary and will disembark in Quebec City.

Booking for all three experiences are now available on the Norwegian Cruise Lines website.