Manhattan Cruise Terminal Parking

[BCahill315]

Hello fellow cruisers! I found out the other day that Manhattan cruise terminal now offers reserved parking. We drive in from Eastern Long Island. I tried to reserve a spot but they are all booked. I cruised last summer from there and as usual just drove in, paid and parked. So now I am freaking out. I am cruising with 2 disabled adults, 2 other adults and 2 children ages 6 and 9. Can you still just pull in, pay and park or are all spots reservation only? I know there are plenty of parking garages close by but 2 of my party can not walk that far and there are 7 of us each with a luggage bag. Do they run out of parking spots ever? I have never had this issue and I have cruised out of there 4 times. Thank you in advance for any information.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, BCahill315 said:

Hello fellow cruisers! I found out the other day that Manhattan cruise terminal now offers reserved parking. We drive in from Eastern Long Island. I tried to reserve a spot but they are all booked. I cruised last summer from there and as usual just drove in, paid and parked. So now I am freaking out. I am cruising with 2 disabled adults, 2 other adults and 2 children ages 6 and 9. Can you still just pull in, pay and park or are all spots reservation only? I know there are plenty of parking garages close by but 2 of my party can not walk that far and there are 7 of us each with a luggage bag. Do they run out of parking spots ever? I have never had this issue and I have cruised out of there 4 times. Thank you in advance for any information.

They only reserve some of the parking spaces, but I can't say what percentage of the total. The rest are available on the day of the cruise on a first come, first served basis.

 

While it's rare for them to run out of parking spaces it has happened once in a while. The best way to ensure they'll be space available is to arrive early...but not before passengers from the previous cruise have disembarked. Between 10 and 11 is usually good time to arrive.

 

Even if they were to sell out you could just drop your car's passengers and luggage at the entrance door to the cruise pier and then park the car at an off site garage. That way no one but you will have any additional walking to do.

Edited July 15, 2023 by njhorseman

[mjkacmom]

We’ve always shown up around 9 am and found plenty of parking.

[Got2Cruise]

Don’t worry. Even in the very unlikely event there are no spaces, everyone but the driver can be dropped off at the entrance with the luggage. Then the driver walks back the 1 or 2 blocks. 
 

I’d plan on arriving around 10:30. This gives the disemarking passengers time to leave the occupied parking spaces. 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Got2Cruise

[BCahill315]

Thank you all for the replies. I figured it would be business as usual. I just got a little nervous and wanted to be sure. 

[Nitemare]

Lots of existing threads. Do skim them and you will clear your worries away

[josephine678]

Hi fyi maybe helpful info, I received email back from MCT that they are not and did not take reservations for my cruise on August 6. They did not commit to having spots only that it opens at 8 and first come first serve. 

[BCahill315]

4 hours ago, josephine678 said:

Hi fyi maybe helpful info, I received email back from MCT that they are not and did not take reservations for my cruise on August 6. They did not commit to having spots only that it opens at 8 and first come first serve. 

I also received an email reply yesterday stating the same thing. 🙂 Thanks.

[navybankerteacher]

18 minutes ago, BCahill315 said:

I also received an email reply yesterday stating the same thing. 🙂 Thanks.

Has anyone ever actually credibly heard of people being turned away at MCT parking due to lack of space ?

[josephine678]

Also any advice on pick-up at the terminal if you have someone drive you and pickup instead of parking. I have my senior mom with us and I read several post that the pick-up ramp is sometimes closed to private cars and limos. Do you think a problem if we leave the ship early? (walk off) We have use the terminal parking in the past with no problem and also car service with no problem. But with my 88 year old mom this year trying to decide best way to go. She refuses to have me rent a wheelchair. 

[njhorseman]

38 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Has anyone ever actually credibly heard of people being turned away at MCT parking due to lack of space ?

Yes. It's happened on two cruises I was on a few years ago. In one case I had a conversation at the Meet and Greet with someone who was turned away.  In the the other case the passenger posted about it on our Roll Call.

Edited July 18, 2023 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

18 minutes ago, josephine678 said:

Also any advice on pick-up at the terminal if you have someone drive you and pickup instead of parking. I have my senior mom with us and I read several post that the pick-up ramp is sometimes closed to private cars and limos. Do you think a problem if we leave the ship early? (walk off) We have use the terminal parking in the past with no problem and also car service with no problem. But with my 88 year old mom this year trying to decide best way to go. She refuses to have me rent a wheelchair. 

Unfortunately at times the police will not allow private cars and limos to drive into the terminal complex to make a pick up. It's happened to us once or twice and we had to cross 12th Ave to be picked up across the street . There isn't a way to predict when it will happen...it's a function of the traffic volume and the whim of the police on duty that day. 

 

Probably disembarking early, before there are a lot of arriving passengers, will be your best bet. 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by njhorseman

[navybankerteacher]

41 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Yes. It's happened on two cruises I was on a few years ago. In one case I had a conversation at the Meet and Greet with someone who was turned away.  In the the other case the passenger posted about it on our Roll Call.

That is concerning— particularly because the lot is only likely to be completely filled late in the day, after most passengers have parked and boarded, leaving very little time for the late-arriver to locate an alternative facility, get his car there, and get back to the terminal in time for boarding.  It would seem unfortunate if it is true that the facility will not take reservations— which creates the risk for anyone not focusing on arriving early.

 

Perhaps the MCT facility is not properly designed to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers which the accommodating of increasingly larger ships entering service generates. They ought to get their act together.

Edited July 18, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[navybankerteacher]

26 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Unfortunately at times the police will not allow private cars and limos to drive into the terminal complex to make a pick up. It's happened to us once or twice and we had to cross 12th Ave to be picked up across the street . There isn't a way to predict when it will happen...it's a function of the traffic volume and the whim of the police on duty that day. 

 

Probably disembarking early, before there are a lot of arriving passengers, will be your best bet. 

 

This indicates a serious need for the management of the facility to address it as an important issue.   Getting folks on board a ship is not the only purpose of the MCT - there is a need for there to be some coherent and consistent procedures for handling debarking passengers.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

This indicates a serious need for the management of the facility to address it as an important issue.   Getting folks on board a ship is not the only purpose of the MCT - there is a need for there to be some coherent and consistent procedures for handling debarking passengers.

I think it's largely an NYPD decision as to whether empty private vehicles are permitted into the cruise terminal to make pick ups.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Perhaps the MCT facility is not properly designed to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers which the accommodating of increasingly larger ships entering service generates. They ought to get their act together.

The cruise terminal wasn't designed to handle today's behemoths with passenger capacities over 4,000 . The New York-Newark, NY, NJ, CT and PA combined statistical area has a population of over 23 million people, all of whom are within an easy drive of the cruise terminal.

 

There's no space to expand the cruise terminal facility, so what's the solution?

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The cruise terminal wasn't designed to handle today's behemoths with passenger capacities over 4,000 . The New York-Newark, NY, NJ, CT and PA combined statistical area has a population of over 23 million people, all of whom are within an easy drive of the cruise terminal.

 

There's no space to expand the cruise terminal facility, so what's the solution?

1) Limit the total carrying capacity of all the ships permitted in on any day to a number which can be accommodated.

 

2) Acquire nearby piers to be converted to parking areas.

 

3) Raise the parking fees to a level which will force cruisers to find other parking facilities.

 

3) In any case, not just acknowledge that there is a problem which is only going to get worse. This facility is presumably managed by folks capable of doing the job.

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

That is concerning— particularly because the lot is only likely to be completely filled late in the day, after most passengers have parked and boarded, leaving very little time for the late-arriver to locate an alternative facility, get his car there, and get back to the terminal in time for boarding.  It would seem unfortunate if it is true that the facility will not take reservations— which creates the risk for anyone not focusing on arriving early.

 

Perhaps the MCT facility is not properly designed to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers which the accommodating of increasingly larger ships entering service generates. They ought to get their act together.

I’ve been on these boards for years and years, that poster is literally the only person I’ve seen who has heard of this happening to anyone (not saying it didn’t happen but it’s very very very very very rare). Please don’t be upset with the MCT, they do a fantastic job and are not know for running out of parking, which is incredible considering it’s in Manhattan. Their act is definitely together. This new reservations allowance is brand new, for decades there haven’t been reservations. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by mjkacmom

[Nitemare]

4 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

1) Limit the total carrying capacity of all the ships permitted in on any day to a number which can be accommodated.

 

2) Acquire nearby piers to be converted to parking areas.

 

3) Raise the parking fees to a level which will force cruisers to find other parking facilities.

 

3) In any case, not just acknowledge that there is a problem which is only going to get worse. This facility is presumably managed by folks capable of doing the job.

1 & 2 won't happen.

 

3A is a decent idea

[mjkacmom]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

1) Limit the total carrying capacity of all the ships permitted in on any day to a number which can be accommodated.

 

2) Acquire nearby piers to be converted to parking areas.

 

3) Raise the parking fees to a level which will force cruisers to find other parking facilities.

 

3) In any case, not just acknowledge that there is a problem which is only going to get worse. This facility is presumably managed by folks capable of doing the job.

There is NOT a problem, I don’t understand what your complaint is, you are borrowing worry for no reason.

[navybankerteacher]

Just now, mjkacmom said:

I’ve been on these boards for years and years, that poster is literally the only person I’ve seen who has heard of this happening to anyone (not saying it didn’t happen but it’s very very very very very rare). Please don’t be upset with the MCT, they do a fantastic job and are not know for running out of parking, which is incredible considering it’s in Manhattan. Their act is definitely together.

The fact remains:  the numbers of cruisers boarding any particular day will continue to increase as ships’ capacities continue to increase.  So the parking problem is just starting to appear —- and will certainly get more serious.  Combine that with the abysmal level of attention paid to handling the picking up debarking passengers, and it is clear that there are holes in the operation of the facility.

[navybankerteacher]

5 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

1 & 2 won't happen.

 

3A is a decent idea

There is no reason to assume that -particularly with respect to #2.  How can you seriously claim that no nearby pier can ever be modified from its current use.  A problem does not have to be easy to be capable of solution - people capable of solving problems are the ones who eventually get (and keep) jobs.

[Nitemare]

Just now, navybankerteacher said:

There is no reason to assume that -particularly with respect to #2.  How can you seriously claim that no nearby pier can ever be modified from its current use.  A problem does not have to be easy to be capable of solution - people capable of solving problems are the ones who eventually get (and keep) jobs.

The demand isn't there to convert other piers for overflow parking that happens only rarely.  Of course they *COULD* do it, but there isn't a need

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, Nitemare said:

The demand isn't there to convert other piers for overflow parking that happens only rarely.  Of course they *COULD* do it, but there isn't a need

So, don’t say it “won’t happen”.  Of course the parking problem has only just cropped up - do you really think that the passenger load - and demand for parking — on given days is not going to increase along with the carrying capacity of the ships using the facility?

[Nitemare]

Just now, navybankerteacher said:

So, don’t say it “won’t happen”.  Of course the parking problem has only just cropped up - do you really think that the passenger load - and demand for parking — on given days is not going to increase along with the carrying capacity of the ships using the facility?

I've seen NYC construction plans for decades.  The issue of overcrowding happens rarely recently.  Once it becomes a bigger problem perhaps a pier will be converted.  But that is YEARS away, when larger ships start calling MCT their home.  Can the MCT even berth a 5000 person ship?

 

Raising prices makes much more sense than a wholesale acquisition, conversion and construction project.

 

Please feel free to have the last word if you wish, I have said all I will about this subject