Royal Caribbean International will temporarily use the port of Philadelphia for its ship Nordic Empress, to sail to and from Bermuda.
The change is being made as a result of Tuesday's terrorist attack in New York, and its impact on activities at the Port of New York. The Royal Caribbean ship Nordic Empress will arrive in the port of Philadelphia on Sunday, September 16, at approximately 7 a.m., at which time the cruise line will have special staff at the port to assist guests with both ground and air transportation issues.
Royal Caribbean will depart from Philadelphia and continue to monitor the situation at the Port of New York throughout the coming week and make a determination whether the ship will return to New York or Philadelphia.
Transportation will be provided to guests, regardless of where the ship disembarks.
Royal Caribbean's subsidiary, Celebrity Cruises, also plans to temporarily use the Port of Philadelphia for its ship Horizon to arrive in and depart from or its Bermuda sailing this weekend. The Celebrity ship Zenith will arrive from and sail to Bermuda from either Philadelphia or Baltimore, pending berthing availability.
Horizon will arrive in the Port of Philadelphia on Saturday, September 15, at approximately 7 a.m.; Zenith will arrive in either the Port of Philadelphia or the Port of Baltimore on Saturday, September 15, at approximately 7 a.m. The final confirmation of its berthing location will be made Thursday, September 13.