With the recent announcement from Norwegian Cruise Line that they will begin sailing from the Port of Philadelphia, cruisers who live in New Jersey have even more options when choosing a cruise or a cruise line that won’t involve a flight or a long drive to a port far away. We’ll have the convenience of waking up on cruise day and hopping right on over to the port to begin our cruising adventure!

The opening of the Philadelphia cruise port brings the total number of cruise terminals that are easy to access for people from the Garden State to at least four, and that number goes even higher if you don’t mind a bit of a longer drive to ports like Baltimore or Boston. This eliminates one of cruising’s biggest expenses for those of us living here in New Jersey – pre and post cruise transportation and lodging. With flights to most Florida cruise ports coming in over the $200 mark on a good day with a cheap airline, plus a hotel room for the night before embarkation, you could be looking at tacking on an additional $1000 over the cost of your cruise to get to and from the port. While there aren’t zero expenses to getting to a New Jersey area port, you can definitely do it for way less than the cost of a trip to Florida.

Which Cruise Lines Can I Sail With?

So, which cruise lines will we see within New Jersey driving distance? Just about all of them. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cunard, MSC, Carnival, Oceania, Holland America and more use the ports in our area for at least part of the year. The MSC Meraviglia home ports year round in Brooklyn, and in addition to regular seven night trips to the Bahamas (including their incredible private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve), you’ll find the ship sailing northbound on some trips as well. In September of 2025, Virgin Voyages brand new ship, the Brilliant Lady will set sail from Manhattan, adding to the already growing number of options for us here in New Jersey.

Where Are These Cruises Going?

To be fair, if you’re looking for something tropical and island-y leaving from New Jersey, you may have to commit to a weeklong sailing that goes down the east coast to the Bahamas. It’s a little harder to do the weekend booze cruises to Nassau from Bayonne. But you can get sunshine and beaches on a shorter voyage over to Bermuda, with some cruise lines offering a 5 night cruise from the northeast over to Kings Wharf, Bermuda. The real draw to sailing out of our region is the northeast cruises, visiting Canada and New England during the peak of fall splendor. Another amazing cruising option is the Transatlantic and repositioning sailings that either leave from New York and head to Europe or come back to New York. How awesome would it be after a long trip like that to be home in an hour?

Logistically, how do you get to and from the ports?

Driving and parking is obviously the easiest, and at most ports, parking is super convenient to the ships. The cost, though, may have you thinking a flight to Florida would have been cheaper. Parking in New York will run you $45 per night, and in Bayonne, expect to pay $30. Baltimore is the cheapest at only $13 per night, and it’s a super easy lot to navigate.

But if you’re at all close to the ports, you can find transportation deals with private vehicles, hotels that offer a night’s stay the night before that includes transportation to the port in the morning (have a night on the town in the Big Apple, then head to the port in the morning!), and you can even get coupons and discounts on Uber or Lyft. The train is another great option, depending on what part of New Jersey you are leaving from, and don’t overlook the usefulness of the driving age children you’re leaving your home and stocked refrigerator to while you are on a week long cruise. Use those little broke best friends to be your complimentary Uber service. Also, look for less expensive park and ride options. You may find a less expensive offsite garage that offers a shuttle to the cruise port.

There has never been a better time to be a Jersey cruiser. Keep an eye on our page for information on the Port of Philadelphia as it becomes available, and as always, if you need help booking your cruise, reach out to me at anna@wavesandwandering.com