Norwegian Jewel is Final Call at Charleston Cruise Terminal

The Norwegian Jewel has become the last cruise ship to visit the Union Pier Cruise Terminal in downtown Charleston before the facility permanently closes.

According to the South Carolina Daily Gazette, the Norwegian Cruise Line vessel called at the terminal on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Carrying transit passengers, the ship arrived at the Port of Charleston at 11 a.m. and remained alongside for approximately eight hours.

Union Pier was sold to developers in 2024, and the cruise terminal is now set to close to make way for a major redevelopment project that will include retail outlets, residential properties, and public spaces. Future cruise calls to Charleston will instead use a commercial berth at the nearby Columbus Street Terminal.

Located in an industrial section of the port close to Union Pier, the new facility is expected to accommodate a number of transit cruise calls throughout 2026 and 2027. The Oceania Vista is scheduled to become the first cruise ship to use the new terminal when it arrives in Charleston on July 4, 2026.

Additional cruise vessels expected to visit South Carolina include Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2, Viking Octantis, and *Scenic Eclipse. *

The Norwegian Jewel visited Charleston as part of a seven-night itinerary from Philadelphia that also included calls in South Carolina and Bermuda. Along with its stop in Charleston, the cruise featured an overnight stay at the Royal Naval Dockyard in King’s Wharf.

For nearly 15 years, Union Pier served as Carnival Cruise Line’s homeport in Charleston, with ships regularly sailing to destinations across the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Carnival ended its operations from the port in late 2024, when *Carnival Sunshine *departed on a New Year’s cruise to the Bahamas. Before concluding its Charleston service in early 2025, the 2,964-passenger vessel visited Nassau and Half Moon Cay.