By Kharisma McIlwaine

For years the Spirit of Philadelphia has been a major landmark in Philadelphia.

Year-round, Philadelphians and visitors are greeted by the massive vessel at Penn’s Landing. Originally built in 1988 and located at 401 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd, the Spirit of Philadelphia provides a unique dining experience, combining delicious food and live music as guests cruise the Delaware River.

Now, the Spirit of Philadelphia celebrates 40 years on the Delaware Waterfront. Ryan O’Connor, general manager of City Cruises Philadelphia, spoke with the SUN about the history of Spirit of Philadelphia and the upcoming 40th anniversary celebration.

O’Connor first joined the City Cruises team as an intern in Virginia.

“My journey actually started when Spirit Cruises had their corporate office in Norfolk, Virginia,” O’Connor said. “I started as a sales and marketing intern with the company my spring semester of senior year of college. I had a full-time internship in their corporate office.”

Originally from the Philadelphia area, as a native of Delaware County, O’Connor was able to make the transition with the company to work in his hometown.

“It was a natural fit to come back,” he said. “They hired me full time after I graduated from Virginia Wesleyan University. I started my career down there and then they moved me back to Philadelphia, which is my hometown. So, it was nice to come back. Around 2004, I came back and I’ve been back as the general manager of City Cruises Philadelphia for eight years now. It’s been about 12 years with the company, and I know it well. It’s a wonderful place to work and a great company.”

Philadelphia was one of the first cities that City Cruises chose to start a dinner boat operation. Since then, Spirit of Philadelphia continues to provide unique experiences for guests while cruising on The Delaware River. Those experiences include two-hour brunches, two and a half hour dinner cruises and live entertainment with a DJ and dance floor on board.

In 2019, Spirit of Philadelphia underwent a $1M renovation to further amplify the experiences of everyone on board.

“You’ll see a beautiful refreshed, modern vessel — it’s very clean,” O’Connor said. “We completely painted the exterior of the vessel and really just invested our money in the aesthetics and the looks of the inside. There’s new carpet, new tile and beautiful refacing of the bars with marble bar tops.”

“We know that the Spirit of Philadelphia operating in Philadelphia is a staple and we knew that we wanted to invest money into her to make her look really beautiful and make her be that wonderful venue for any occasion,” O’Connor said. “Whether you’re getting married or celebrating your anniversary, we really strive to create that amazing experience.”

Countless Philadelphians have had wonderful experiences aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia. Those fond memories are sure to continue with the milestone celebration of 40 years on the Waterfront.

“40 years on The Philadelphia waterfront has been spectacular,” O’Connor said. “It truly is a staple in Philadelphia. The amount of people that come up to me when they find out what I do, that have told me that they have been to a wedding on board, a corporate function or that their 8th grade graduation luncheon was on Spirit of Philadelphia — I love hearing all those stories. We have thousands of [crews] out there that have also stepped on board Spirit of Philadelphia and worked with us that we keep in the family. It’s a wonderful experience.”

“Getting ready for the 40th, we have our kick-off event on Thursday, May 12,” O’Connor said. “We’re excited to kick off the season, and we’ll be celebrating the 40th anniversary throughout the entire year. So [there’s] plenty of opportunities for our guests to come on board for brunch cruises. We have bottomless mimosa brunches on Saturdays and Sundays and dinner cruises throughout the week and weekend.

There will be plenty of opportunities to come out and celebrate this milestone with us.”

In addition to the ongoing 40th year celebration, City Cruises Philadelphia is offering an early brunch, a midday brunch and a dinner cruise for Mother’s Day. For more information on City Cruises Philadelphia, visit: www.cityexperiences.com/Philadelphia where you can research the variety of signature cruises offered and book the cruise of your choice. Also be sure to follow @citycruises across social media platforms.