The wait for an official port for cruise ships in South Philadelphia is finally over as municipal officials are expected to cut the ribbon at South Philly’s PhilaPort on Thursday. The move comes about four months after Norwegian Cruise Line returned to Philadelphia to begin offering service fr om the City of Brotherly Love to Bermuda and points beyond. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is expected to join elected officials to cut the ribbon on the new PhilaPort cruise terminal, built on a 16-acre site adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport along Atlantic Avenue, at 11 a.m. on Thursday. PhilaPort was intended to open over the spring, and since April, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel has been operating from a temporary facility after, officials said, extreme weather conditions impacted construction and delayed the opening of the new port. Early Thursday, the Norwegian Jewel, which has the capacity to accommodate 2,300 guests and offers voyages to the island of Bermuda, pulled in to the new terminal. Officials said the new port is expected to create 2,185 new direct and indirect jobs and generate an additional $300 million in economic output for the Commonwealth. Also, later this year, in November, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Pearl will begin to offer voyages to the Bahamas and Bermuda. Another ship, the Norwegian Gem, is expected to set sail from PhilaPort in the summer of 2028. ...read more read less