What to expect Disembarking at Manhattan Cruise Terminal

[cruzemaven]

We will be disembarking from our ship Oceania’s Insignia on the same morning as The Escape disembarks. Realizing that there will be thousands of passengers leaving the ships, what should we expect as far as crowds going through customs? Do we need to walk across 12 th Avenue in order to meet our car service or can the car pull up to the terminal? Are we better off leaving our ship as early as possible or should we wait as long as allowable? Would appreciate any suggestions that would help make departure as easy as possible, thanks.

[Son of a son of a ...]

From a prior Escape experience, hiring a porter appeared to put you through customs and immigration faster.  They had a separate line.

[MJSailors]

I think you will have to cross 12th Ave to get to the car service.

The service can drop you off for embarkation in front of the terminal,but it needs to be quick as the traffic officers keep the cars moving. I do not think the car service can wait for you there at disembarkation.

We disembarked the Breakaway after a cruise in July a few years ago. Disembarkation was crowded.  Breakaway passengers were being filtered into the baggage claim area. We had a porter,but it took a good amount of time to get to the street. We were texting our driver as we went through the process. He had to park on a side street to wait for us and he eventually picked us up on the side street across from the terminal.

You could check with the car service as to how they pick up disembarking passengers.

[trish1c]

Ask your car service where they want you to meet them.  It may be your 1st time doing this but it's not theirs. 

[mking8288]

Odds are, the Escape with 4,500+ pax and the Insignia with 700+ pax will be docked/berthed at different piers within the MCT on the same day, and cruise terminal traffic will likely be jammed ... for gettting out and security has been pretty tight & strict, mostly enforcing no pickup - either upstairs or downstairs, YMMV (of course.)  Has OP asked Oceania what is their protocol for disembarkation in Manhattan ?? 

 

One time, the porter took us next to the spots where NCL transfer buses were parked/waiting downstairs - but our car service driver gave up after 20+ minutes with a massive traffic jam ... we ended up backtracking, crossing 12th Avenue & took a yellow taxi.  

 

P.S.  NY City's DOT has made changes to 11th Avenue this month, turning part of it one-way only, between 42nd Street and 57th Street, making it WORST for drivers not familiar with or confused about no turns around or going around those long city blocks, etc. 

 

[Greenpea2]

When we have used car service, we called or texted once we were through customs. The driver, who had been waiting somewhere a block or two away just pulled up to the doors to pick us up. Just be sure you understand which level--we didn't and it caused confusion.

 

[HowardK]

6 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

P.S.  NY City's DOT has made changes to 11th Avenue this month, turning part of it one-way only, between 42nd Street and 57th Street, making it WORST for drivers not familiar with or confused about no turns around or going around those long city blocks, etc. 

 

Hello thanks for posting-, what direction does  11th street then head? Is it downtown or uptown?

I found typically to get a cab or uber I've always needed to cross 12th street- one one occassion I walked a block to get a uber to the port authority.

 

OP- good question- definitely something to ponder-I noticed while waiting to get on the ship, less people getting off in the 10-11am hour. Note that anyone being dropped off either has to be dropped off across the street or up on the second level of the pier.  I find the distribution of people leaving from my experience is a bell curve- less in the beginning and less in the end with the crowding in the middle.

Remember, if you are getting off the ship 730 or 8 am you have less people arriving to the pier that hour for the subsequent week.

Sometimes its a pain getting the perfect dropoff/pickup spot and does depend on the knowledge of the driver.

[mking8288]

51 minutes ago, HowardK said:

Hello thanks for posting-, what direction does  11th street then head? Is it downtown or uptown? I found typically to get a cab or uber I've always needed to cross 12th street- one one occassion I walked a block to get a uber to the port authority ... 

 

Going to post this at the East Coast destination forum here but just not sure exactly how to best alert folks ... CC's search function not being the best.  

 

Short answer - it's heading downtown, southbound, it will run all the way down from W. 57th Street down to 42nd. Street - 4 lanes of traffic that will probably bottleneck together as nobody will yield but try to merge/cut into the entrance for the Holland Tunnel ... at least on weekdays, in the name of easing traffic management.  

 

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/06/24/11th-ave-construction-resumes/

https://pix11.com/2019/06/24/commuter-alert-road-work-on-11th-ave-resumes-monday-morning/

 

Another reason that, as a native NY'er, I hate driving into Manhattan these days ... probably become another ticketing bliss & trap for unsuspecting drivers, making a turn or going the wrong way, etc.  Dedicated bike lanes are coming next to 11th Avenue ... welcome to evasive driving in NYC with delivery & commercial trucks doing their double parking routines and city buses stopping 3 to 5 ft. from the curbside bus stops.