Norwegian Cruise Ship Arrival to Begin Boston Cruise Season

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The summer cruise season will kick off in Boston today with the arrival of Norwegian Pearl, the first ship to sail from the port in 2022.

The ship will arrive at approximately 10 a.m. this morning, officially opening the Massachusetts Port Authority’s cruise season, and her first passengers will begin embarkation shortly thereafter in preparation for a 3 p.m. departure.

First of Many Ships for 2022

Norwegian Pearl is the first of 125 ships from 19 cruise lines expected to visit Flynn Cruiseport Boston this year.

This is slightly below the record-setting 2019 schedule, when the port saw 138 visits from 34 ships, representing 21 cruise lines, but is still a strong return to passenger cruising as travel demand continues to rise across the cruise industry.

The cruise port saw no passenger traffic during the industry shutdown in 2020, and had an abbreviated season in 2021 that began when Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony set sail from Boston on August 23, 2021. The Boston cruise season typically lasts from April through November.

Each visit supports the local economy, as many cruise passengers either travel to the port early or visit for several days after sailing, enjoying the rich history and culture of the region. The peak cruise season for the port is in September and October, when fall foliage tours are at their most colorful.

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
Photo Credit: Ian_Stewart / Shutterstock

Norwegian Pearl is scheduled to dock at berth T2, and will be setting sail on a 4-night Bermuda cruise. The ship will remain homeported in Boston until early November, offering primarily 7-night sailings to Bermuda that will also visit Bar Harbor, Maine.

In September and October, during the peak of fall foliage sailings, the ship will offer 7-night one-way sailings between Boston and Quebec City, Canada.

Norwegian Pearl is part of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel class of ships, weighing in at 93,530 gross tons and measuring 965 feet long and 106 feet wide. The ship features 16 decks and a double occupancy passenger capacity of 2,394 guests with 1,100 crew members.

The best viewing spots to watch the ship’s arrival this morning as well as her departure this afternoon include Deer Island in Winthrop and Castle Island, in South Boston.

In addition to Norwegian Pearl homeporting in the city, two other Norwegian Cruise Line ships will visit Boston this year as a port of call. Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Breakaway will both bring visitors to Boston during the peak fall season.

Many Cruise Lines Scheduled

Norwegian Cruise Line is not the only line that will offer cruises departing from Boston this year. According to Flynn Cruiseport Boston’s schedule, the following ships will all offer sailings with Boston as the embarkation port:

Cruise Ships Docked in Boston
Cruise Ships Docked in Boston (Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock)
  • Celebrity Summit will sail 10-12 day Boston, Maine, and Canada sailings from late August through mid-October.
  • Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas will sail a short series of 7-night Canada sailings in September and October.
  • Nieuw Statendam from Holland America Line will offer four departures – to Iceland and Canada – from August through October.
  • Zaandam, also from Holland America Line, will begin offering one-way 7-night voyages to Canada from the end of May, with longer voyages to different destinations later in the season.
  • Luxury expedition line Vantage will offer a single Boston departure aboard Ocean Explorer, a 10-day one-way sailing to Nassau, leaving Boston on October 29.
  • Windstar Cruises will take advantage of the fall foliage season with two 11-day one-way sailings of Star Pride from Boston in October, one to Montreal and the other to San Juan.

In addition to enjoying Boston as a departure port, many other cruise lines will visit the vibrant city as a port of call, including Royal Caribbean International, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Oceania Cruises, TUI Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn, Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Viking Cruises, and more.

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