Parking at the port in Philadelphia

[doglover3]

We are on a cruise leaving out of Philadelphia, boarding at 3pm next Saturday, and we're planning on parking at the port. I've read in some posts from prior years that there can be long lines to get into the port for parking, so arrive early. Does anyone have more recent experience? If there are still long lines during peak times, does it diminish at some time in the afternoon? Any other information or advice would be welcome.

 

Thanks for your help.

[megr1125]

not many ships sail from Philly so I am not sure how recent any info will be....

 

IMO is is always best to arrive a little early. Boarding will most likely start well before 3 PM as well.....so you may want to plan to arrive around noon...

 

I tend to think that the ship will be cruising empty from Baltimore to Philly so they should be ready for early boarding......

[doglover3]

Thanks for your reply. You're absolutely right. The Majesty will be sailing empty from Baltimore, but according to NCL, the ship won't arrive in Philly until around 1pm. They said it would take about an hour to get it ready, so they might board around 2 at the earliest. I was just wondering if it would be easier to wait until later in the afternoon to avoid the early crush. Maybe there are so few ships leaving out of Philly, so no one has recent experience, but if we might be the only ship, will there still be lines for the parking lot?

[megr1125]

Hmmmmmm...interesting. Well....when do you sail??? (time i mean?)

 

i don't think there will be a huge crowd......granted, philly always has traffic (heck , you're from DC..YOU above all others should be used to traffic....I spend too much time sitting on the beltway for no actualy reason! HAHAHAHA! i feel your pain...here in jersey, traffic rots too!)

 

I would allow time to get stuck in whatever mess is on 95 north this week!:eek::D

 

if you sail at say 5, i would show up sooner......hopefully someone else will pop on with info.......

 

(the pier workers might be a little rusty too, if this is the 1st cruise out of Phil in a while!)

[doglover3]

The ship doesn't sail until 7pm, but we want to have dinner on board, and have time to relax and start our vacation. Maybe we'll aim for around 3 and then, whatever happens, happens. I don't think we'll miss the boat!

 

We'll be monitoring the traffic on 95 and allow some extra time for unforeseen problems.

 

Thanks.

[smeyer418]

The ship doesn't sail until 7pm, but we want to have dinner on board, and have time to relax and start our vacation. Maybe we'll aim for around 3 and then, whatever happens, happens. I don't think we'll miss the boat!

 

We'll be monitoring the traffic on 95 and allow some extra time for unforeseen problems.

 

Thanks.

 

 

I was on the first sailing from Phily last year(in September). the ship got in around 12. It sails crew only from Baltimore the night before. I was on the ship by 2. The only reason it took so long is they had a terrible time with the computers the first day... Say hello to the Concierge for me.....

Parking was extraordinarily easy...they have trolleys going back and forth from the parking area that is within 150 yards of the pier.

Sid Meyer....

[doglover3]

I was on the first sailing from Phily last year(in September). the ship got in around 12. It sails crew only from Baltimore the night before. I was on the ship by 2. The only reason it took so long is they had a terrible time with the computers the first day... Say hello to the Concierge for me.....

Parking was extraordinarily easy...they have trolleys going back and forth from the parking area that is within 150 yards of the pier.

Sid Meyer....

 

 

Sid,

 

Thanks so much. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I think we'll aim for 2, which should work out well for our driving distance.

 

Since the parking is so close, I'm surprised people don't just walk to the terminal. Maybe they don't like people walking around the port.

 

Lauri

[smeyer418]

Sid,

 

Thanks so much. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I think we'll aim for 2, which should work out well for our driving distance.

 

Since the parking is so close, I'm surprised people don't just walk to the terminal. Maybe they don't like people walking around the port.

 

Lauri

I walked back and from the ship to get my car. I think there are also a couple of remote lots that the trolleys make sense but I was in the close by lot.

[smilz]

The line is long but moves pretty fast. You drive up to an area first where porters remove the bags from your trunk. You do not get out of your car. BEWARE IF YOU HAVE CARRY-ONS. THEY WILL TAKE THEM OUT IF YOU DON'T TELL THEM!!!! Be sure your luggage tags are on before you go. You are then directed to the parking area. The area where you check in may be smaller than you've seen elsewhere but it is a historical building. Take a moment to appreciate it. The ramp up to the ship can be quite steep depending on the tide. It takes a long time to get down the river. About 7 hours I think. It is a difficult river to navigate.The stores and casino are not open until you are 1 mile out in the ocean so plan accordingly. You will pass under several bridges which will look like there's no way you can fit under them! Neat experience. The Cape May Lighthouse will be on your left as you enter the ocean. It will be dark but the light is very bright. The pool will be empty until the following morning. Have a great trip!

[megr1125]

The area where you check in may be smaller than you've seen elsewhere but it is a historical building. Take a moment to appreciate it. The ramp up to the ship can be quite steep depending on the tide. It takes a long time to get down the river. About 7 hours I think. It is a difficult river to navigate.The stores and casino are not open until you are 1 mile out in the ocean so plan accordingly. You will pass under several bridges which will look like there's no way you can fit under them! Neat experience. The Cape May Lighthouse will be on your left as you enter the ocean. It will be dark but the light is very bright. The pool will be empty until the following morning. Have a great trip!

 

great info.................maybe one day we will sail from Philly....only 38 miles from home.....thanks!

[njhorseman]

great info.................maybe one day we will sail from Philly....only 38 miles from home.....thanks!

 

 

We usually sail from NY or Bayonne, but chose to sail to Bermuda on the Norwegian Majesty this year in October.

 

Unfortunately, when the Majesty leaves the NCL fleet at the end of October, that will mark, at least for now, the end of cruising from Philadelphia. I'm not aware of any other ships scheduled to homeport there.

[doglover3]

The line is long but moves pretty fast. You drive up to an area first where porters remove the bags from your trunk. You do not get out of your car. BEWARE IF YOU HAVE CARRY-ONS. THEY WILL TAKE THEM OUT IF YOU DON'T TELL THEM!!!! Be sure your luggage tags are on before you go. You are then directed to the parking area. The area where you check in may be smaller than you've seen elsewhere but it is a historical building. Take a moment to appreciate it. The ramp up to the ship can be quite steep depending on the tide. It takes a long time to get down the river. About 7 hours I think. It is a difficult river to navigate.The stores and casino are not open until you are 1 mile out in the ocean so plan accordingly. You will pass under several bridges which will look like there's no way you can fit under them! Neat experience. The Cape May Lighthouse will be on your left as you enter the ocean. It will be dark but the light is very bright. The pool will be empty until the following morning. Have a great trip!

 

Smilz,

 

Thanks for all the useful information. We usually spend a lot of time out on deck as we leave or enter any port and now I'm really looking forward to the trip down the Delaware. I fear we may be asleep by the time we pass Cape May, since we don't leave until 7pm. That's too bad - I would have loved to see the lighthouse at night. Maybe, if we're up late enough on the night before we return to port, we can see it on the trip back up the river. At least we'll be able to enjoy the bridges, as we've done leaving out of New York.

 

We'll be sure to take a look around at the port. I had heard a few other mentions about historic buildings, but not much in particular. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

I think we won't worry about the lines. After all, we're on vacation and lines usually move faster than you think as long as you're patient. Your info will help us be patient.

 

Thanks so much.

[Philly Steve]

Last September we decided to wait until after 1:30 pm to depart for Pier One (we're about 15 minutes away by cab) and we wound up in big line. This year, we're planning to leave late morning.

 

Welcome to Philly and Bon Voyage! :)

[sjcruiser]

Hopefully we'll get newer, larger, longer, ships, sailings and itineraries besides the Majesty in Sept/Oct. Until then it's off to another port. I agree, since the Majesty of leaving the fleet, Philly will be w/o a cruise ship for awhile. I don't think the powers that be in the city are really interested in the cruise ship industry, since their main concern in dredging for larger cargo vessels to sail up the Delaware.