Philadelphia Cruisers Must Check In at Hotel Rathe...

Cruise passengers departing on the upcoming Norwegian Cruise Line inaugural crusing from PhilaPort are receiving emails telling them that their trip begins in a resort ballroom reasonably than on the cruise port itself.

NCL is telling company booked on Norwegian Jewel that check-in will truly happen on the Clarion Lodge Philadelphia Worldwide Airport.  The change was because of ongoing construction delays at the permanent terminal.

One passenger on Reddit who obtained the cruise line’s electronic mail mentioned, “you’ll be able to solely verify in on the hotel-do not try to go to the port, you’ll be turned away,” including that parking begins at $16/day.

Whereas the resort is about 6 miles from the cruise port, passengers will likely be shuttled to their ship after the check-in course of is full.

The Non permanent Verify-In Course of

“For our first sailings, the check-in course of will likely be facilitated at a close-by facility supported by considerate operational plans designed to maintain your day flowing from arrival to boarding,” an electronic mail from the cruise line acknowledged.

For these preliminary sailings, the Clarion Lodge in Essington (76 Industrial Hwy) is performing because the official cruise hub. If in case you have airport transfers booked via NCL, they’ll take you straight there.

In the event you’re driving your self, workers will likely be on-site to information you.

When you arrive, you’ll drop your luggage exterior the doorway earlier than heading into the designated ballroom to deal with the paperwork. It’s vital to maintain your necessities like passports, meds, and boarding docs, in a carry-on bag, as you gained’t see your checked baggage once more till it exhibits up at your stateroom later that evening.

Since Norwegian is the one cruise line at present crusing out of Philly, this shuttle is the one approach into the port space. NCL has made it clear that you shouldn’t attempt to go to the port independently, as safety will solely permit official NCL buses via the gates.

On the Pier

Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to reach at 8:00 AM this Thursday after its 10-day journey up from PortMiami.

You’ll most likely see building crews and gear nonetheless engaged on the everlasting terminal constructing close by. Due to this “work-in-progress” setup, NCL is advising everybody to decorate for the climate, as a number of the stroll to the ship is open air.

Upcoming Crusing Itinerary

For the passengers checking on this Thursday, the distinctive resort check-in course of is simply step one towards a week-long getaway. Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to embark from Philadelphia at 4:00 PM on April 16.

The 8-day itinerary contains:

Day 1: Philadelphia, PA (Embark at 4:00 PM)

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda (Arrive 10:00 AM, In a single day)

Day 4: Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda (Depart 3:00 PM)

Day 5: At Sea

Day 6: Charleston, South Carolina (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM)

Day 7: At Sea

Day 8: Philadelphia, PA (Debark at 8:00 AM on April 23)

Disembarkation Plans

Company who bought airport transfers will likely be taken immediately from the ship to the airport. All different passengers will likely be shuttled again to the Clarion Lodge, the place they’ll retrieve their autos or prepare transportation.

Journey-share providers and taxis is not going to be accessible on the port itself, that means cruisers should plan pickups from the resort location as a substitute.

Norwegian is asking everybody to persist with their chosen check-in timeslots to maintain the resort ballroom from getting too crowded. Whereas it’s not the grand terminal opening everybody anticipated, the aim is to maintain issues transferring till the everlasting facility is lastly prepared.