Ships at Norfolk Cruise Port & What’s Planned

Norfolk Cruise Port hosts a mix of homeported sailings, port-of-call visits, and small-ship coastal cruises out of the Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center. This page covers the cruise lines and ships currently using the Port of Norfolk and the deployments that have been announced for upcoming seasons.

Carnival Cruise Line at Norfolk

Carnival Cruise Line has been the primary homeport operator at Norfolk for most of the modern era of the Half Moone terminal. Carnival Sunshine sailed seasonal cruises from Norfolk to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda, making the port a familiar departure point for guests across the Mid-Atlantic. Carnival announced that after its 2024 Norfolk season the line would no longer homeport a ship at Norfolk year after year, shifting Sunshine to other U.S. ports.

Port-of-Call Visits

Beyond homeported sailings, Norfolk Cruise Port regularly welcomes port-of-call visits from major lines including Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and occasional Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ships repositioning along the East Coast. These calls typically run in spring and fall as ships move between New York, Florida, Bermuda, and New England itineraries.

Small-Ship and Coastal Cruises

American Cruise Lines uses Norfolk as a turnaround port for several of its small-ship itineraries along the Chesapeake Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Historic South. Vessels such as American Constellation and American Constitution call at Half Moone as part of multi-night U.S.-flagged coastal voyages, giving Norfolk Cruise Port a steady year-round small-ship presence.

What’s Planned

Information below is current as of early 2025 and will be updated as new schedules are announced.

Following Carnival’s departure as a year-round homeport line after 2024, the City of Norfolk and Nauticus have been actively working to attract replacement homeport deployments and additional port-of-call business. Published schedules show continued growth in port-of-call visits across 2025 and 2026, including spring and fall calls from Norwegian, Princess, Holland America, and American Cruise Lines. Coastal small-ship sailings from American Cruise Lines remain a year-round fixture.

Longer-term plans for the Port of Norfolk waterfront include continued investment in the Half Moone terminal, deeper integration with the Nauticus museum campus, and expanded shore-power and passenger-handling capabilities aimed at attracting a new seasonal homeport line. Specific announcements will be added here as they are released by the City of Norfolk and its cruise partners.