91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Watch CBS News
Local News

Norwegian Jewel cruise ship sets sail from Philadelphia port, the first in 15 years

By
Joe Brandt
Digital Content Producer, CBS Philadelphia
Joe Brandt has been a digital content producer for CBS News Philadelphia since 2022. He is a Temple University graduate and was born and raised in Pitman, NJ.
Read Full Bio
Joe Brandt,
Ross DiMattei
Ross DiMattei
Ross DiMattei comes to Philadelphia from KTNV-TV in Las Vegas, where he anchored and reported for more than two years. He is most proud of his interview with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, extensive reporting on Las Vegas' economic recovery from COVID-19, and breaking news coverage of George Floyd protests in Las Vegas, for which he won a regional Emmy Award.
Read Full Bio
Ross DiMattei

/ CBS Philadelphia

The first cruise ship to sail from the Port of Philadelphia in 15 years departed Thursday evening after arriving in the city earlier in the day.

The Norwegian Jewel docked at the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal early Thursday morning, a key step in the terminal's inauguration.

From now through August, the ship will travel between Bermuda and the City of Brotherly Love. However, the terminal is still under construction. The port is telling passengers that construction will not delay any scheduled trips.

Chopper 3 was there when the ship ventured out to sea around 7 p.m.

cruise-frame-149.jpg
CBS News Philadelphia

"The PhilaPort Cruise Terminal remains under construction; however, the Norwegian Jewel will dock and depart on time, as scheduled," the port's website says.

In true Philadelphia fashion, a group of mummers greeted excited guests as they boarded the first cruise to depart from the city.

"It's coming back to Philadelphia," Chip Critelli of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, said. "We didn't get the chance to cruise out of Philly before, but now that it's back, we're ready."

More than 2,300 passengers are expected as the $50 million project moves closer to completion. The recently refurbished ship features updated dining, entertainment and accommodations.

"Everything from pools to the casino to the beach club, there's games," Sandy Borowsky, owner of Starr Bus Charter and Tours, said. "They can drop their kids off and just enjoy while they're here."

City and state leaders were among those on board to celebrate the return of cruising Thursday, projecting it will provide a big boost to the local economy. Officials say once the cruise terminal is fully ready by early summer, it could generate nearly $300 million for the local economy.

"We are estimating 2,100 new direct and indirect jobs, with the potential for almost $295 million in economic impact in the city of Philadelphia," Mayor Cherelle Parker said. "Yes, this is a big deal."

This fall, Norwegian will offer voyages to Canada and New England from Philly. Port officials said in a news release that they expect to expand service with more sailings and future deployments in the future.

In:

© 2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
const link = doc.createElement('link'); link.rel = 'stylesheet'; link.href = '/fly/fly/bundles/cbsnewscontent/css/cmp-banner.min.css?v=296763317a51cab90faa73f1bb146d5c'; doc.head.appendChild(link); doc.body.innerHTML = CONSENT_MESSAGE; } else { el.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', CONSENT_MESSAGE); } }); } function hidePrivacyMessage() { // Remove from the main document document.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); // Remove from inside any iframes document.querySelectorAll('iframe').forEach(iframe => { const doc = iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; doc.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); }); } function activateGatedScripts() { // Handle both new format (cmp-gated-script) and old OneTrust/Ketch format (optanon-category-4) const gatedScripts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('script.cmp-gated-script, script.optanon-category-4')); // Activate scripts sequentially with a small delay to avoid timing issues let delay = 0; gatedScripts.forEach(function(placeholder, index) { setTimeout(function() { // Skip if already processed if (placeholder.hasAttribute('data-cmp-processed')) { return; } placeholder.setAttribute('data-cmp-processed', 'true'); const newScript = document.createElement('script'); newScript.type = 'text/javascript'; // Try new format first (data-cmp-src), then fall back to old format (data-src) const src = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-src') || placeholder.getAttribute('data-src'); if (src) { newScript.src = src; } else if (placeholder.textContent) { // Inline script - just copy the content newScript.textContent = placeholder.textContent; } // Handle new format attributes (data-cmp-attrs) - for both inline and external scripts const attrs = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-attrs'); if (attrs) { const tempDiv = document.createElement('div'); tempDiv.innerHTML = '
<\/div>'; const tempAttrs = tempDiv.firstChild.attributes; for (let i = 0; i < tempAttrs.length; i++) { // For external scripts, allow defer/async. For inline scripts, skip them (not valid) if (src || (tempAttrs[i].name !== 'async' && tempAttrs[i].name !== 'defer')) { newScript.setAttribute(tempAttrs[i].name, tempAttrs[i].value); } } } // Copy other attributes from old OneTrust format for (let i = 0; i < placeholder.attributes.length; i++) { const attr = placeholder.attributes[i]; // Skip attributes we've already handled or don't want to copy if (!['class', 'data-src', 'data-type', 'data-cmp-src', 'data-cmp-attrs', 'data-cmp-processed', 'type', 'async', 'defer', 'src'].includes(attr.name)) { newScript.setAttribute(attr.name, attr.value); } } placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(newScript, placeholder); // If external script, manually trigger window.onload handlers after it loads // This handles widgets that use window.onload for initialization if (src) { newScript.addEventListener('load', function() { // If page already loaded and script set a new onload handler, trigger it if (document.readyState === 'complete' && window.onload) { const originalOnload = window.onload; window.onload = null; // Clear temporarily to prevent loops originalOnload(); // Execute the handler } }); } }, delay); delay += 500; // 500ms delay between each script to allow full loading }); } cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp) { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (!allowed) { showPrivacyMessage(); } else { activateGatedScripts(); } }); cmp.ot.awaitInitialConsent(function(consent_model) { cmp.ot.addOnConsentChangedHandler(function() { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (allowed) { hidePrivacyMessage(); activateGatedScripts(); } else { showPrivacyMessage(); } }); }); }); });