Cruise ports near Long Island in NYC, Philadelphia and New Jersey
The Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Breakaway, which was christened at a pier on the Hudson River, in New York. Credit: AP/Richard Drew
Long Islanders looking to cruise don't always need to fly to Florida first. Four home ports between New York City and Baltimore offer sailings to Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Canada, all within driving distance of Long Island.
The options are expanding. Disney Cruise Line announced this week that it will return to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in the fall of next year, marking its first sailings from Manhattan since 2023. Plus a new permanent cruise terminal outside Philadelphia opened earlier this month with year-round Norwegian Cruse Line sailings to the Bahamas.
Here are the nearby ports where Long Islanders can set sail without booking a flight.
Manhattan Cruise Terminal
711 12th Ave.; cruise.nyc; 212-641-4440
- Travel time: 1.5 hours by car
- Home port lines: Disney Cruise Line returns in fall 2027; Major operators like Norwegian and Carnival sail year-round.
- Destinations: Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and New England.
- Featured ships: The Disney Wish operates the fall 2027 season.
Disney Cruise Line is bringing the Disney Wish back to Manhattan, its first regular New York season since 2023. The ship will run seven sailings of four to seven nights to Bermuda, Canada and New England between late September and early November. The terminal also serves Norwegian and Carnival year-round, plus seasonal sailings from MSC, Viking, Oceania and other smaller ships.
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
210 Clinton Wharf; cruise.nyc; 718-855-5590
- Travel time: 1.5 hours by car
- Home port lines: Princess Cruises, MSC, Viking, Virgin and Cunard.
- Destinations: The Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, New England and Europe.
- Featured ship: Cunard's Queen Mary 2.
The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook gives Long Islanders another option for sailing from New York without heading to the airport. Cunard's flagship Queen Mary 2 uses Brooklyn as its home port for regular trans-Atlantic crossings to Southampton, England.
Cape Liberty Cruise Port
4 Port Terminal Blvd., Bayonne; visitnj.org; 201-436-2080
- Travel time: 2 hours by car
- Home port lines: Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.
- Destinations: Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Canada and New England.
- Featured ships: Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas.
Just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Cape Liberty is one of the closest cruise ports to Long Island and offers a broad range of itineraries. Royal Caribbean operates from the terminal year-round, with sailings to Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, while Celebrity Cruises offers seasonal voyages to Bermuda, Canada and New England.
PhilaPort Cruise Terminal
4 Atlantic Ave., Philadelphia; philaport.com; 215-686-6490
- Travel time: 3.5 hours by car or 1.5 hours via Amtrak from Penn Station
- Home port lines: Norwegian Cruise Line.
- Destinations: The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
- Featured ship: Norwegian's Norwegian Jewel.
Philadelphia gained a new year-round cruise option with the opening of PhilaPort's permanent cruise terminal earlier this month. Norwegian Cruise Line is the only cruise line sailing out of Philadelphia, with voyages to the Bahamas and Caribbean. The Norwegian Jewel currently sails from the area, and the Norwegian Pearl is scheduled to take over later this year.
Cruise Maryland Terminal
2001 E. McComas St., Baltimore; cruise.maryland.gov; 410-649-1011
- Travel time: 4 hours by car or 2.5 hours via Amtrak from Penn Station
- Home port lines: Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line.
- Destinations: Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, New England, Greenland and Canada.
- Featured ships: Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas and Carnival's Pride.
Baltimore's Cruise Maryland Terminal is worth the drive for longer Bahamas and Southern Caribbean cruises with both Royal Caribbean and Carnival operating year-round from the port. Carnival offers sailings on the Carnival Pride this year, with itineraries that include port calls in the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada. Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas sails to similar destinations plus New England and CoCo Cay, Bahamas.
