Hurricane Sandy

[gentlemancruiser]

O I wish QM2 would return to the West side piers for good..The piers have been rebuilt and are fine with a great view of the ship..unlike the dark windowless waiting room at Brooklyn..And of course the great sailway down the Hudson..Soon NCL will dock one of their 150thousand tonners at pier 88 so QM2 can return if Cunard wanted to.

 

CruiseNY has invested way too much money into the Brooklyn pier to abandon it.

 

As nice as it is to cruise out the Hudson, the Manhattan piers are just way too congested for these mega ships. If there are embarkation delays the staff cannot handle the 2000+ passenger ships and there is not suffient waiting areas for passengers. In September there were several problems and the Eurodam delayed embarkation by 2 hours. At one point around 12:30pm there was not enough seating inside the waiting rooms and passengers were forced to stand in lines out side on to the curb. At 4:30pm the captain announced because of the earlier delays and backlog there was still over 800 passengers waiting in line to board and the must drilll would be held after 5pm. We didn't leave the pier until 6:30! Many guests didn't even get to the early seating.

 

The QM 2 also doesn't fit into any of the berths at Manhattan.

[capnpugwash]

CruiseNY has invested way too much money into the Brooklyn pier to abandon it.

 

As nice as it is to cruise out the Hudson, the Manhattan piers are just way too congested for these mega ships. If there are embarkation delays the staff cannot handle the 2000+ passenger ships and there is not suffient waiting areas for passengers. In September there were several problems and the Eurodam delayed embarkation by 2 hours. At one point around 12:30pm there was not enough seating inside the waiting rooms and passengers were forced to stand in lines out side on to the curb. At 4:30pm the captain announced because of the earlier delays and backlog there was still over 800 passengers waiting in line to board and the must drilll would be held after 5pm. We didn't leave the pier until 6:30! Many guests didn't even get to the early seating.

 

The QM 2 also doesn't fit into any of the berths at Manhattan.

 

It's fun as she makes that 90 degree turn onto Pier 88, there isn't too much room off the bow.

[guernseyguy]

Soon NCL will dock one of their 150thousand tonners at pier 88 so QM2 can return if Cunard wanted to.

The issue is not tonnage but length - QM2 is 50' longer than the Norwegian Breakaway - that's a lot of hull sticking out into the North River and is regarded as a navigation hazard by the Coast Guard. In addition the pods get quite a bit of wear & tear hanging about in the current while she is docked. I much prefer Manhattan too - but there are good reasons why Brooklyn is a more appropriate dock.

[sfbearcat]

The issue is not tonnage but length - QM2 is 50' longer than the Norwegian Breakaway - that's a lot of hull sticking out into the North River and is regarded as a navigation hazard by the Coast Guard. In addition the pods get quite a bit of wear & tear hanging about in the current while she is docked. I much prefer Manhattan too - but there are good reasons why Brooklyn is a more appropriate dock.

There was talk of adding on to one of the piers for longer ships to dock..it was not done...so yes its still a problem ..thou she can if needed dock at the west side...though a NYPD boat is at her stern when this happens and Im sure Cunard does not like paying for this.!

[sfbearcat]

When were they rebuilt?

About 3 years ago thou its not a total rebuild...they look the same outside ..just cleaned up and pier 88 has the most improvments..pier 92 is not rebuilt and unused...looks like you will see it first hand..And enjoy the rare QM2 sailway down the Hudson!

[capnpugwash]

About 3 years ago thou its not a total rebuild...they look the same outside ..just cleaned up and pier 88 has the most improvments..pier 92 is not rebuilt and unused...looks like you will see it first hand..And enjoy the rare QM2 sailway down the Hudson!

 

The reason that I asked was that I was there in July 2011 and it was a dump. Disembarkation took forever and embarkation was just slightly better. The terminal was tatty and dirty, the taxi queue on the West Side Highway was lengthy. Having said that, sailing up and down the Hudson is an event!:)

[gentlemancruiser]

The reason that I asked was that I was there in July 2011 and it was a dump. Disembarkation took forever and embarkation was just slightly better. The terminal was tatty and dirty, the taxi queue on the West Side Highway was lengthy. Having said that, sailing up and down the Hudson is an event!:)

 

Both 88 & 90 were given a face lift and this has made them look much nicer both on the inside and the outside.

The real problem is they can not really handle the very large cruise ships. As a cruise pier it's wonderful. For turn arounds it's horrible and the shore staff are not the best, infact I'd say worse then Port Everglades. (the QM2's maiden voyage disembarkation in FLL was one the most frighteneing expereince I've seen post cruise).

 

Just be prepared for delays and long waits.

[Andiamo]

Both 88 & 90 were given a face lift and this has made them look much nicer both on the inside and the outside.

The real problem is they can not really handle the very large cruise ships. As a cruise pier it's wonderful. For turn arounds it's horrible and the shore staff are not the best, infact I'd say worse then Port Everglades. (the QM2's maiden voyage disembarkation in FLL was one the most frighteneing expereince I've seen post cruise).

 

Just be prepared for delays and long waits.

 

Fellow Christmas Voyager:

 

I've read enough of these negative reports to now cross my fingers that we go out of the Brooklyn terminal.

 

Jeanne

[capnpugwash]

Fellow Christmas Voyager:

 

I've read enough of these negative reports to now cross my fingers that we go out of the Brooklyn terminal.

 

Jeanne

 

You should get your wish Jeanne:):)