Everything You Need to Know About NY/NJ Cruises if You Live in Connecticut
The first thing you need to know about NY/NJ cruises is that the departure day is one the days you’ve paid for to be on the ship. Getting to the port last minute is similar to paying for a day in a hotel and only arriving a few hours before you have to check out.
Why wait until the last minute to board, when you can have plenty of time to check in, have lunch, relax and explore the ship?
There are three major passenger ship cruise terminals located in NYC metro area.
The Manhattan Cruise Terminal belongs to the City of New York. It is operated by Ports America, the largest U.S. terminal operator.
The Terminal has five berths that are 1,000-foot-long each and are capable of accepting the world’s largest cruise vessels.
The Terminal is located on the West Side of Manhattan, on 12th Avenue between 46th and 54th streets. As you can imagine, getting to the West Side of Manhattan and finding parking is not for the faint-hearted. The Terminal does have its own parking, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to find a spot. Cruise ship tickets do not come with parking spots.
You need to arrive at the street level of the Terminal where the cruise ship is berthed. Terminal pillars have signs on them indicating the closest ship. You can get to the customs by using one of two passenger elevators located at the head of each pier.
Brooklyn Terminal is located in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. It has a designated embarkation area where you will be dropped off.
Both Brooklyn and Manhattan Terminals do not recommend arriving before 11 am, even though baggage processing begins at 9:30 am.
Boarding times vary based on your cruise line schedule. For both Brooklyn and Manhattan Terminals boarding usually begins between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm.
Cape Liberty Cruise Port is situated in Bayonne, New Jersey. It is the second largest passenger port by volume among Mid-Atlantic and Northeast ports. Cape Liberty has stunning views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
Cape Liberty Cruise Port opens at 10:30 am. It hosts ships for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara cruises. If you are departing from this port, you will have a recommended arrival time on your ticket.
Every cruise company has its own latest arrival time that you can find in your travel documents. Arriving closer than 2 hours to your latest arrival time is a really bad idea.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recently announced new regulations for cruise lines. These regulations require all cruise lines to provide final passenger manifests 60 minutes prior to departure from a port. At Cape Liberty Cruise Port Terminal doors close 90 minutes prior to scheduled ship sailing time. All passengers who arrive late are denied entry.
On the day when your cruise begins you will probably have a lot of stress and things to do. You will need to pack your bags, say bye to your friends, and make sure all your travel documents are in order. Driving to a cruise terminal and finding parking can be very stressful, too.
Why drive yourself, to your NY/NJ Cruises when you can have KEE Limousine take you to your destination with a piece of mind and comfort? We can get you there early enough to enjoy every moment of your first day of the cruise and pick you up relaxed from your days at sea to deliver you home safely and stress free.
