MSC Out of New York

[js]

Hi.

 

I've only sailed Seaside YC out of Florida with my mom in years past and our "nightlife" is having drinks

in the lounge at night and then back to the cabin around 10-11.

 

For next summer, my dh is thinking about trying Meraviglia YC out of NY. We sail Haven NCL together and really enjoy the nighttime

on the waterfront, drinks, listening to music, etc. 

How is the nightlife for two mid 50s couple, New Yorkers, leaving out of NY? Is it a different crowd than what I've experienced with Florida?
Is it more New Yorkers? I'm torn on what to book.

 

We won't be booking the Haven for next summer, I do not want to spend that money since we have other trips planned but I can do a balcony on NCL Joy

or MSC YC on Meraviglia for next July.  I thing the YC product is superior to Haven but I think the nightlife on NCL may be superior to MSC but

I really don't know since I haven't really experienced it other than outside of the YC.

 

Can anyone help me? I think this is just a me decision LOL
 

Thank you!

 

[Morgsmom]

Well DH and I are snuggly back in our cabins by 9 - 9:30 so I cannot at all speak on nightlife.  (Though you'll see us walking the decks at 6:00am so I can give guidance on that 🤩). 

I do not think that MSC has sailed out of New York before (though I could be wrong) but I would imagine that there will be a lot of local tri-state folks on the cruise which would infuse a certain New York ambiance.  (Whether it's Upper East side or Bridge & Tunnel is another story...)

 

To me, Yacht Club on MSC > a balcony on NCL.  But that's my personal opinion as we really enjoy staying in the bubble of the YC.  

[js]

53 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

Well DH and I are snuggly back in our cabins by 9 - 9:30 so I cannot at all speak on nightlife.  (Though you'll see us walking the decks at 6:00am so I can give guidance on that 🤩). 

I do not think that MSC has sailed out of New York before (though I could be wrong) but I would imagine that there will be a lot of local tri-state folks on the cruise which would infuse a certain New York ambiance.  (Whether it's Upper East side or Bridge & Tunnel is another story...)

 

To me, Yacht Club on MSC > a balcony on NCL.  But that's my personal opinion as we really enjoy staying in the bubble of the YC.  

Thank you. Yes we also enjoy the bubble of YC and Haven it’s leaving the bubble at night that has me in a pickle lol

Edited June 23, 2022 by js

[CruisingFox27]

Meraviglia sailed from NYC several times in late 2019. The passenger demographic was considerably mixed, people from various parts of the world on our sailing. There are Bars with music and nightlife or quiet bars. TSL is always fairly quiet late evening, if you're looking for a night cap in peace. 

[MsTabbyKats]

46 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Meraviglia sailed from NYC several times in late 2019. The passenger demographic was considerably mixed, people from various parts of the world on our sailing. There are Bars with music and nightlife or quiet bars. TSL is always fairly quiet late evening, if you're looking for a night cap in peace. 

Yes, I was on one of those cruises and loved it so much that I booked the same cruise for 10/2020 the day after we got home.  That didn't happen, but we're booked for 4/2023!

 

I'm a native NYer, a Manhattanite.  The crowd was international....lots of Europeans, lots of South Americans.  Not really many "locals".

 

The entertainment was superlative....much better than NCL.  Because of language issues, no comedy shows....just lots of singing and dancing!  Very professional cast..........

 

The passengers, as a rule, were...let's just say a bit more sophisticated.  Better dressed, better groomed (I don't mean dressed up...just a better sense of style).

 

The food...meh....except for the famous pizza (as a native NYer in my 70's I'm a connoisseur of fine pizza!).

 

I do recall a lot of music in the evening.  We aren't drinkers, so I cannot comment of "the bar life".  I don't remember exactly what we did, but whatever it was...it wasn't boring.

One of the highlights was the staircase in the atrium....completely made out of Swarovski crystal.  If bling's your thing....you'll love it.

[mushroom]

We're booked for August of 2023 and I'm already anxious to put all the itinerary together. Does Meraveglia leave from the New York port (Manhattan) or the New Jersey port (Cape Liberty)?  

[emmas gran]

In 2019 it was docked near Intrepid 

[dolphin1313]

2 hours ago, mushroom said:

We're booked for August of 2023 and I'm already anxious to put all the itinerary together. Does Meraveglia leave from the New York port (Manhattan) or the New Jersey port (Cape Liberty)?  

When I was looking at MSC out of NY, I thought that it said it left from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

[cruiseguyinorl]

Yes. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is correct.

[CTGirl74]

Yes. It's the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. We're sailing MSC Meraveglia out of Brooklyn for the NE & Canada cruise in October 2023. We're in mid-CT so I'm trying to decide if we should drive the two hours and park, or take Uber all the way. Brooklyn terminal looks like an interesting drive, and the parking lot looks small on Google Maps.

[jimbri]

We sailed on Meraveglia in October 2019 out of NYC.  We were docked in Manhattan. Good to know they are leaving from Brooklyn now. We took Metro North down and then a cab from Grand Central to the pier in Manhattan. We live in NYC.  Beautiful ship. People from all over.

[Hlitner]

Ok, so folks want to know what to expect out of NYC when MSC has yet to do any of those cruises.  So who knows.  We have often cruised out of NYC on other lines (Celebrity, HAL, Cunard, RCI) and it is just like a similar length cruise out of Florida except you will probably have a more folks from the Northeast.  But being MSC you will also likely get many Europeans since air connections between NYC and Europe are excellent.  And many Europeans will want to spend some time in the NYC area (pre/post cruise)/

 

As to cruising out of Brooklyn, the port is single pier located in the Red Hook area.  The outdoor parking lot is adjacent to the pier and we have never had a problem getting a spot on our cruises out of that port.  Driving to the port is a little tricky because of some one-way streets so if you are driving it is wise to have a GPS to give you some help.  With a large ship the traffic into the port can back up a few blocks so give yourself some extra time to get into the port.   You will get a pretty decent view of the Statute of Liberty from the Starboard side as you leave Red Hook.  In the past we have had some resistance by NYC Yellow cab drivers to go to Red Hook because they generally will not be able to get a return fare.  But if a taxi says no the next one will likely say yes.  Uber is also a good option, but their fares really vary depending on the time of day (Surge Fares).

 

Hank

[Cruiser933]

I would also check private car services like Carmel Limo.

[CruisingFox27]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Ok, so folks want to know what to expect out of NYC when MSC has yet to do any of those cruises.  So who knows.  We have often cruised out of NYC on other lines (Celebrity, HAL, Cunard, RCI) and it is just like a similar length cruise out of Florida except you will probably have a more folks from the Northeast.  But being MSC you will also likely get many Europeans since air connections between NYC and Europe are excellent.  And many Europeans will want to spend some time in the NYC area (pre/post cruise)/

 

As to cruising out of Brooklyn, the port is single pier located in the Red Hook area.  The outdoor parking lot is adjacent to the pier and we have never had a problem getting a spot on our cruises out of that port.  Driving to the port is a little tricky because of some one-way streets so if you are driving it is wise to have a GPS to give you some help.  With a large ship the traffic into the port can back up a few blocks so give yourself some extra time to get into the port.   You will get a pretty decent view of the Statute of Liberty from the Starboard side as you leave Red Hook.  In the past we have had some resistance by NYC Yellow cab drivers to go to Red Hook because they generally will not be able to get a return fare.  But if a taxi says no the next one will likely say yes.  Uber is also a good option, but their fares really vary depending on the time of day (Surge Fares).

 

Hank

MSC has sailed a number of times from NYC, we were on a 2019 Canada and New England itinerary aboard Meraviglia. 

 

The sail away as you've stated, is fantastic. 

[CTGirl74]

On 6/27/2022 at 11:38 PM, Hlitner said:

Ok, so folks want to know what to expect out of NYC when MSC has yet to do any of those cruises.  So who knows.  We have often cruised out of NYC on other lines (Celebrity, HAL, Cunard, RCI) and it is just like a similar length cruise out of Florida except you will probably have a more folks from the Northeast.  But being MSC you will also likely get many Europeans since air connections between NYC and Europe are excellent.  And many Europeans will want to spend some time in the NYC area (pre/post cruise)/

 

As to cruising out of Brooklyn, the port is single pier located in the Red Hook area.  The outdoor parking lot is adjacent to the pier and we have never had a problem getting a spot on our cruises out of that port.  Driving to the port is a little tricky because of some one-way streets so if you are driving it is wise to have a GPS to give you some help.  With a large ship the traffic into the port can back up a few blocks so give yourself some extra time to get into the port.   You will get a pretty decent view of the Statute of Liberty from the Starboard side as you leave Red Hook.  In the past we have had some resistance by NYC Yellow cab drivers to go to Red Hook because they generally will not be able to get a return fare.  But if a taxi says no the next one will likely say yes.  Uber is also a good option, but their fares really vary depending on the time of day (Surge Fares).

 

Hank

 

Thanks so much for the information about the terminal! My biggest concern was parking since the lot looked small on Google Maps. And good to know we'll have a good view of the Statue of Liberty since our cabin is on the starboard side. We've been in CT our whole lives and have never seen her.