Philadelphia’s Philaport marked its official opening as the city’s permanent cruise port on August 27, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Mayor Cherelle Parker.
Norwegian Cruise Line returned to Philadelphia for the first time in 15 years this April, offering itineraries to Bermuda and an array of other destinations, operating from a temporary port.
PhilaPort, located on 16 acres in South Philadelphia adjacent to the Philadelphia Airport, was originally slated to open in the spring, but construction delays caused by extreme weather pushed back its debut.
Since April, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,300-passenger Norwegian Jewel has been operating from a temporary facility, NBC 10 Philadelphia reported.
Early on August 27, the Norwegian Jewel docked at the new cruise port, which is expected to generate 2,185 new direct and indirect jobs and add “$300 million in economic output for the Commonwealth,” port officials said.
A second Norwegian Cruise Line ship, Norwegian Pearl, is scheduled to debut Bahamas and Bermuda itineraries from the port in November.
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