Passengers anticipating an inaugural cruise out of Tinicum will still sail as scheduled, despite delays in constructing the new PhilaPort Terminal, writes Nydia Han and Cheryl Mettendorf for 6abc.
Norwegian Cruise Line and PhilaPort say the inaugural voyage will happen from a temporary facility.
“There will be no delay for cruise passengers,” according to a PhilaPort statement. ”The first scheduled sailing of the Norwegian Jewel will depart Philadelphia as planned on Thursday, April 16.”
PhilaPort said extreme winter weather conditions affected construction of the new Terminal near Philadelphia International Airport, and that the embarkation process for the initial sailings will operate from a temporary facility.
Norwegian Cruise Lines will communicate to guests how to board and disembark as soon as that information becomes available, which it anticipates will be within the next week.
One of the booked passengers, Robert McNutt from Toweamencin, Pennsylvania, was surprised to see only construction at the Terminal, but he’s not worried.
“They’ll get it done. I’ve gone on another cruise where they had to put a tent up for us to get checked in through ….other ships and other companies have handled it well,” said McNutt.
Read the full statement from Norwegian Cruise Line at 6abc.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on DELCO Today in March 2026.
