Boarding Norwegian Jewel at PhilaPort's New Cruise Terminal

The PhilaPort Cruise Terminal and Philadelphia International Airport sit nearly across the road from each other. You could almost throw a deck chair from one and hit an airplane at the other. Getting between them is still a drive of several miles, some of it through land that hasn't been developed yet.

Roxan and I sailed Norwegian Cruise Line® from there on Sep 26, 2026, boarding Norwegian Jewel® for our 35th anniversary, the northbound run to Quebec City I wrote about before we left. We sailed in a suite, so we checked in through The Haven.

Book the ride before you need it

We spent the night before at an airport-area hotel about five miles from the terminal. Close, but not close in the way the map suggests.

Don't count on your hotel running a shuttle to the ship. Book your Uber ahead of time.

Drop-off took about a minute

It was raining that morning, not heavily, but enough to matter. In New Orleans, where there's little room to wait while the sailing ahead of yours clears out, it would have made for an unpleasant morning.

We pulled up to a crowd of cars at the drop-off, and it moved quickly. Porters had our bags out of the Uber, and we were walking up the ramp into the terminal within a minute.

A metal barn that doesn't sound like one

Security went smoothly, and past it the lines split for general boarding and The Haven. Walking through, what struck me was the noise level. For what's essentially a metal barn on a concrete slab, it never got unbearable. There was plenty of seating, some of it full, and I never saw a spot that felt uncomfortably crowded.

The Haven lounge was the weak spot

The Haven waiting lounge underwhelmed me. I wasn't expecting luxury. The staff were efficient, they had a lot of guests to look after, and they got everyone through with more ease than general boarding did. They were also hurried, and it showed.

Once we were aboard, the same crew members were gracious, patient, and good company. I put the lounge down to the bustle of turnaround day, not to the people. If you're in The Haven, expect boarding to be quick and orderly, and expect the patient version of the same team once you're on the ship.

Competent, and that's becoming a theme

Getting on the ship was nothing out of the ordinary. If you've read my recent thoughts on Norwegian, you'll recognize that: a competent experience, without a moment that stood out.

PhilaPort is a step up from New Orleans and about even with San Diego. Seattle and Miami still rank ahead of it for me. Would I sail from PhilaPort again? Certainly.