Parking Manhattan terminal

[wpas1]

Is there ever a time when the parking lot is full?  Do I need to have a second option just in case?  

[138east]

5 hours ago, wpas1 said:

Is there ever a time when the parking lot is full?  Do I need to have a second option just in case?  

There have been no reports of the Manhattan cruise terminal parking being full. The worst that has happened is that folks are parked on a different terminal roof from the one they leave from or arrive at. 

 

What is your sail date, where are you coming from, and what time do you expect to arrive?

[wpas1]

Departure is March 8, 2019, on the Gem.  It arrives at port at 10am and we depart at 4pm.  My plan is to be coming from Connecticut unless weather gets in the way and then I will be coming from Michigan.     Good to know I don’t have to worry.

[Noxequifans]

Morning traffic into Manhattan can easily slow one down. Just be prepared for delays .... given your departure time you still have a good amount of time.

[138east]

Try to avoid the intersection of I95 & I87. Check Waze to see how the traffic is. 

 

I recommend avoiding I95 through NYC.  Here are directions for the cars only route to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal:

 

If you come down I95 there is a cutover to the Merritt at Milford CT exit 38. At Rye NY there is another cutover to the Hutchinson River Parkway South exit 21 immediately after exit 2 in CT (no exit 1).  This cutover is just a bit longer than the one at Milford and involves getting off onto I287 West and following the signs to the Merritt/Hutch. You get off onto a service road, go through one or two lights and take the turn for the Hutch south.

The Merritt Pkwy becomes the Hutchinson River Pkwy at the NY/CT line. From the Hutch take exit 15 in New Rochelle to get on the Cross County Pkwy. Stay in the middle left lane, which will become the left lane when the road "scrunches". This leads directly onto the Saw Mill River Pkwy South which becomes the Henry Hudson Pkwy at the NYC line ($6 toll - if no EZPass they will bill you in the mail and you need to pay it!).  The toll is worth every penny to avoid the I95 & I87 intersection.  The Henry Hudson Parkeay takes you directly to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. 

[neilkear]

One month ago on Oct 16th, the Breakaway 11 night to Eastern Caribbean with return to NYC. I arrived at terminal rooftop parking at 11am, and was waved on by New York's finest, parking was full and the rooftops were closed! Everything I had read said there was always parking, a ship comes in and passengers get in their cars and leave thus opening up parking spaces, right, wrong!!!! What I failed to take into account was that The Breakaway had not left from NYC, it was arriving on a trip that started in Copenhagen! Not one of the disembarking passengers had a car on the rooftop parking, but the Gem and Escape that used the same pier within the previous week did, resulting in a full and closed condition. I was lucky and found a lot on the corner of 12th and 51st that charged the same as I would have paid on the rooftop, I just had to lug my bags a couple of blocks.

Edited November 15, 2018 by neilkear

[njhorseman]

19 hours ago, wpas1 said:

Is there ever a time when the parking lot is full?  Do I need to have a second option just in case?  

 

In addition to the what was reported by the previous poster, I have also cruised from Manhattan on a day when the lots filled and later arriving passengers...perhaps those arriving after 12 noon... had to park elsewhere. In my case it was mid summer on a day when a larger than usual number of ships were departing from Manhattan. I was there by 10 am or so as I normally am and spaces were available at that hour.

 

The good news for you is that you're not going encounter either of the circumstances that caused the parking problems. You're cruising in March on NCL when only the NCL Gem and Escape will be using the terminal so there won't be an overload of demand caused by a large number of ships. In addition both ships will be doing round trip cruises from NY so parking spaces will be vacated by departing passengers and you won't encounter the situation the previous poster had to contend with.

 

[wpas1]

Thanks for all the info.  I am just not going to worry about it and try to arrive at the terminal around 10:30.