Cruise Route

Experience Philadelphia's highlights with a panoramic view.
Your Spirit cruise departs from Penn's Landing where Columbus Boulevard meets Lombard Circle. Your excursion covers the Delaware River with spectacular views of the Philadelphia and Camden skylines. No trip to Philadelphia is complete without a view from the deck of our festive ship. And while you're enjoying all the highlights, you can dine, dance and have a great time, too.

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1. Spirit of Philadelphia Docked at Penn's Landing
   History says this is where William Penn, Philadelphia's founder, first touched ground. Today, Penn's Landing serves as the dock for Spirit of Philadelphia and is a riverside park where Philadelphians gather to hear music in the summer and usher in the New Year on December 31.

    

2. Shot Tower
   It looks like a smoke stack with a lid on top, but it's really America's first shot tower built in 1808. Shot towers revolutionized the making of musket balls and other solid projectiles based on the principle that molten lead will form perfect round balls when poured from a high place.

 

3. Old Swedes Church
   This church hosts the oldest, active congregation in the country. It was founded in 1643 and is presently known as Gloria Dei Church.

 

4. Philadelphia Skyline
   As we cruise, don't miss the breathtaking view of history blended with modern times. Be amazed at the transformation on the New Jersey side of the river, and, on the Pennsylvania side, amidst all the new tall buildings, don't forget to look for William "Willy" Penn who still stands on top of City Hall today. At one time it was the rule that no buildings could be any taller than this one.

 

5. Sports Complex
   A large complex used for sporting events, concerts, and other entertainment. This facility is comprised of 4 large stadiums. These are home to the 76ers Basketball, Flyers Hockey, Philadelphia Eagles Football and Phillies Baseball Teams.

 

6. Naval Shipyard
   The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first Naval Shipyard in the nation. It ceased operations on September 27, 1996. Many decommissioned ships are still docked there to view. Today, this site is an embarkation point for ocean-going cruises.

 

7. Red Bank Battlefield
   This historic location was home to Fort Mercer which was built during the Revolutionary War as a defense for the city of Philadelphia. The Battle of Red Bank resulted in heavy losses to the British and provided a much-needed morale builder to George Washington's army.

 

8. Walt Whitman Bridge
   The Walt Whitman Bridge is named after Philadelphia's famous poet and boasts a 2,000-foot span. It was opened to traffic in 1957 and connects Philadelphia to Gloucester City, NJ.

 

9. Adventure Aquarium
   Located in Camden, NJ, the aquarium features over 1500 fabulous fish and sea life in a 760,000 gallon open ocean tank, one of the largest in America.

 

10. USS Becuna
    The Sub Becuna was commissioned in 1944 to serve as the submarine flagship of the Southwest Pacific Fleet under General Douglas MacArthur. The guppy-class Becuna was credited with destroying thousands of enemy naval and merchant ships including a battleship. The Becuna became a training submarine at New London, Connecticut, and was decommissioned in 1969.
    

     

11. Gazela
    The Gazela is a 177-foot-long square-rigged vessel built in 1883. In her first incarnation, she was a Portuguese fishing boat still operating as recently as the 1960s. She was the oldest tall ship to participate in the OpSail Tall Ship Festival in 1976, and also took part in the Statue of Liberty's 100th birthday celebration in New York Harbor in 1986.

 

12. Ben Franklin Bridge
    The Ben Franklin Bridge was the largest single-span structure in the world when it opened in July 1926, and is still the largest suspension bridge in the United States. It is brilliantly illuminated at night, with special laser lights that "perform" as the high speed line train crosses over from one city to the other.
    

 

13. Old Christ's Church
    The church is one of America's most historic shrines and as such Philadelphians have always revered it. The church's steeple, at 196-feet high, is a visible landmark from many parts of the city. It is referred to as the "200-foot steeple" by guides. One can only wonder what it meant to those ships of two centuries past coming up the Delaware river after months at sea.

 

14. Flagship Olympia
    The Flagship Olympia is the oldest steel-hulled American warship afloat and served as Commodore George Dewey's flagship during the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898.

 

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