Charleston Cruise Terminal Says Goodbye to Cruise Ships for Good as Norwegian Jewel Sails Away

Charleston, SC has had a somewhat tense relationship with the cruise industry over the last decade or two. But for local residents who wanted to take a cruise vacation, Union Pier was the perfect launch point.

Even after cruise ships stopped using the terminal as an embarkation port, ships were still supposed to dock at Union Pier for quick visits here and there. Now, even those plans have been changed.

Yesterday, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel became the very last ship to ever dock at the terminal.

This decision has caught a lot of cruisers off guard. While we already knew Charleston’s days as a homeport were numbered after Carnival decided to pull its ship out and not renew their contract, the plan was always for the city to keep hosting day-visit ports of call well into 2026 and 2027.

Instead, the timeline got pushed up fast, and the port is shutting its doors to cruise ships ahead of schedule.

The $250 Million Deal That Sped Things Up

The reason Norwegian Jewel became the last ship to use the port comes down to a real estate deal. The South Carolina State Ports Authority has officially handed over the 65-acre waterfront property to Beemok, the family office of local billionaire Ben Navarro.

The old terminal buildings, fences, and industrial docks are all being torn down. The city is turning the space into a brand-new neighborhood with parks, housing, and shops.

Getting rid of the cruise ships permanently was a big part of making that deal happen.

The change is happening so fast that even Oceania Vista, which was supposed to stop at Union Pier on July 4, has already been shifted away to another dock nearby at the Coumbus Street Terminal.

What This Means for Future Charleston Cruises

If you have a cruise booked later this year or next year that stops in Charleston, your trip isn’t canceled, but your day in port is going to look a little different.

This won’t impact very many cruisers though. Besides Oceania Vista, there isn’t another ship on the schedule until October with Scenic Eclipse and Viking Octanis.  In November things pick up a little more with at least 10 visits from American Cruise Line ships in addition to Sapphire Princess.

Most American Cruise Line ships are smaller, with anywhere from 90 to 180 passengers on board. Comparatively, Norwegian Jewel which just visited Union Pier for the last time, carries around 2,400 passengers.

Ships Still Going to Charleston, But a Different Terminal

Moving forward, visiting cruise ships are being sent to an alternative commercial dock, the Columbus Street Terminal.

While Columbus Street is only about a mile and a half up the road, it changes a few things for passengers:

• No More Easy Walk-Offs: Union Pier was awesome because you could step off the ship and immediately walk right into the Historic City Market and the French Quarter.
• An Industrial Setup: Columbus Street is a busy cargo and shipping hub surrounded by train tracks and major roads. You can’t just walk out of the gate and into town. If your ship docks there, you are definitely going to need to grab a 5-to-10-minute shuttle, taxi, or Uber to get down to the historic spots.

Charleston is still a great city to visit, but the days of walking straight off a cruise ship right into downtown are officially over.

According to the developers, the change is all about shifting the city’s focus.

“The end of Union Pier’s cruise ship era coincides with the city taking a new approach to tourism that will better balance the visitor experience with residents’ quality of life,” Navarro’s Beemok group of companies said in a news release.