Short cruises from Philadelphia: 3-day, weekend and 5-night cruises

A short cruise from Philadelphia takes five nights. When we checked on 3 November 2026, nothing shorter was on sale, and the 5-night trips were Norwegian Pearl's round trips to Bermuda with no other stop.

This guide answers the 3-day, 4-day and weekend questions first, then covers the 5- and 7-night trips and how they fit your days off. The table at the end lists the shortest sailings on the schedule, with today's fares.

Are there 3-day cruises from Philadelphia in 2026?

No. When we checked on 3 November 2026, the schedule we track had no 2-, 3- or 4-night cruise from Philadelphia in 2026 or later. The shortest trip of any kind is 5 nights, and the 3 5-night trips to Bermuda are the nearest thing to a long weekend away.

Every cruise on the schedule is Norwegian. PhilaPort's release of 27 August 2026 described Norwegian Pearl's voyages from the city as ranging "from five to 14 days".

Why are there no 3- or 4-night cruises from Philadelphia?

The sailing times show how far away everything is. On Cruisebound's itinerary for Norwegian Pearl's 18 December 2026 trip, she leaves Philadelphia at 4:00 PM on a Friday and docks in Bermuda at 10:00 AM on Sunday, about 42 hours later by our arithmetic. The way back takes about 40 hours.

Out and back, that is about 82 hours of sailing, more than three full days, before any time ashore. A 5-night trip leaves about 29 hours docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Every trip also starts on the river. PhilaPort gives the Delaware River's main shipping channel, from Philadelphia Harbor to the mouth of Delaware Bay, as 102.5 miles, and a ship leaving Philadelphia follows that channel out to the Atlantic.

The Caribbean is farther. On Pearl's 28 November 2026 itinerary she spends three days at sea before Tortola, and on her 8 December 2026 trip two days before Puerto Plata. Those trips run 10 nights or more.

What are the 5-day cruises from Philadelphia?

They are Norwegian Pearl's 5-night round trips to Bermuda, which cover six calendar days. The schedule we track lists 3, from 18 December 2026, at $719 to $889 per person on 3 November 2026, for the cheapest cabin listed, two sharing, with taxes and fees included. Each sails to the Royal Naval Dockyard and back with no other stop.

These were the three trips on Cruisebound's itineraries on 3 November 2026:

Leaves Philadelphia at 4:00 PM	Docked in Bermuda	Back in Philadelphia	Weekdays away, by our count
Friday 18 December 2026	Sunday 10:00 AM to Monday 3:00 PM	Wednesday 23 December, 7:00 AM	4, Friday and Monday to Wednesday
Thursday 2 September 2027	Saturday 10:00 AM to Sunday 3:00 PM	Tuesday 7 September, 8:00 AM	3, Thursday, Friday and Tuesday, plus Labor Day
Wednesday 8 December 2027	Friday 11:00 AM to Saturday 2:00 PM	Monday 13 December, 7:00 AM	4, Wednesday to Friday and Monday

The September trip is the one built around a long weekend. The Office of Personnel Management lists Labor Day 2027 as Monday 6 September, so with that day off the trip uses three weekdays.

The Bermuda guide has more on these trips, and the fare comparison further down shows how they price against a full week.

Are there weekend cruises from Philadelphia?

No. When we checked on 3 November 2026, no cruise from Philadelphia started and ended inside a weekend. Some leave at the weekend: Pearl's Saturday Bermuda trips in fall 2027, the Friday 5-night trip of 18 December 2026, and several Friday and Saturday Caribbean and Bahamas trips. Each lasts at least five nights.

Our weekend departures page lists every sailing that leaves on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and the cruise length page groups the rest by number of nights.

How does a 7-night cruise from Philadelphia fit a week off?

A Thursday departure takes in six weekdays. Norwegian Pearl in 2027 and Norwegian Gem in 2028 leave Philadelphia for Bermuda at 4:00 PM on Thursdays and are back at 8:00 AM the next Thursday, so the trip uses both Thursdays, the Friday and Monday to Wednesday. Pearl's Saturday trips in fall 2027 use five.

Leaves	Back	Weekdays away, by our count	When
Thursday, 4:00 PM	The next Thursday, 8:00 AM	6, both Thursdays, Friday and Monday to Wednesday	Every week from April to August, Pearl in 2027 and Gem in 2028
Saturday, 4:00 PM	The next Saturday, 7:00 AM	5, Monday to Friday	Pearl in late October and November 2027, and on 21 November 2026

Count the first and last days as travel. PhilaPort asks guests not to arrive before 9:30 AM, and it expects disembarkation to run from about 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM.

These ships sail the 7-night trips:

Ship	Leaves on	7-night trips	Dates listed	Lowest fare
Norwegian Pearl	Mostly Thursday, Saturday in fall 2027	27	21 November 2026 to 2 April 2028	$549
Norwegian Gem	Thursday	19	20 April 2028 to 24 August 2028	$899

Fares are the lowest on 3 November 2026, per person for the cheapest cabin listed, two sharing, with taxes and fees included. Across both ships the lowest 7-night fare was $549, or $78 a night. The 7-night cruises page lists every one by date.

What does a 7-night Bermuda cruise from Philadelphia look like?

There are two kinds of week. The Thursday trips spend about 30 hours docked in Bermuda and add a day in Norfolk, Virginia. Pearl's Saturday trip of 30 October 2027 sails to Bermuda and back with no other stop and stays about 52 hours, by our arithmetic from Cruisebound's itinerary times.

These are the itineraries Cruisebound showed on 3 November 2026:

	Thursday 22 April 2027	Saturday 30 October 2027
Day 1	Leaves Philadelphia, 4:00 PM	Leaves Philadelphia, 4:00 PM
Day 2	At sea	At sea
Day 3	Bermuda from 10:00 AM	Bermuda from 11:00 AM
Day 4	Bermuda until 4:00 PM	Bermuda all day
Day 5	At sea	Bermuda until 3:00 PM
Day 6	Norfolk, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM	At sea
Day 7	At sea	At sea
Day 8	Back in Philadelphia, 8:00 AM	Back in Philadelphia, 7:00 AM

Not every Saturday trip matches. Cruisebound's itineraries for 6 and 13 November 2027 show one night in Bermuda. Pearl's 13 May 2027 trip calls at Boston instead of Norfolk, and Gem's 11 May 2028 trip at Portland, Maine. The Bermuda page lists every date.

Is a 5-night cruise from Philadelphia cheaper than a 7-night one?

Not when we wrote this. On 3 November 2026 the lowest 5-night fare was higher than the lowest 7-night fare, and higher than the lowest 10-night Caribbean fare too, so the shortest trip did not save money. Per night the gap was wider still.

These were the lowest fares on 3 November 2026, per person, two sharing, with taxes and fees included:

Length	Sailings	Lowest fare	Lowest per night
5 nights	3	$719	$144
7 nights	46	$549	$78
8 nights	6	$819	$102
10 nights	11	$609	$61
11 nights	12	$1,029	$94
12 nights	2	$899	$75

Each figure is the lowest at that length, so they come from different months and routes. The cheap and last-minute guide compares fares in more detail.

Are there day cruises or dinner cruises in Philadelphia?

Yes, but they are a meal or a sightseeing trip on the Delaware River, not an ocean cruise. City Experiences, which sells them as City Cruises, lists dinner, lunch and brunch cruises in Philadelphia on its own site, and says its sightseeing cruises depart from Penn's Landing.

Norwegian's ships board at the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal at 4 Atlantic Avenue, not at Penn's Landing. We do not list these river cruises or their fares, so check times and prices with City Experiences.

What if you have more than a week for a cruise from Philadelphia?

Then the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Canada open up. Pearl's Bahamas trips are 8 nights and leave in February and March, her Caribbean round trips run 10 to 12 nights from November to March, and the Canada and New England trips run 9 to 11 nights in late summer and fall.

The Caribbean and Canada trips are all on our cruises of 9 nights and up page, by date. The Caribbean and Bahamas guide compares the winter trips, and our cruise season guide shows what leaves in each month.