New York City or the “city that never sleeps” is a popular destination for a pre or post transatlantic cruise. Passengers can also use the New York ports for cruises to Bermuda, New England and the Caribbean. Cruisers won’t want to miss an opportunity to take a bite out of the ‘Big Apple’ and a visit provides a kaleidoscope of this cross-culture melting pot.
Wherever you go you won’t be far from a street, a bar, a store or a historical site referenced in a classic piece of literature.
THE PORTS
Some people may be surprised to find that there isn’t a large number of ports and cruise terminals available in the New York area but there are in fact, three.
The first is the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, which is owned by the city of New York, has five 1000 foot long berths and is located near Times Square. The second major cruise port is the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, which is located in Red Hook, the third largest cruise market in the USA and is 182,000 square feet long. The third cruise port is the Cape Liberty Port in Bayonne, New Jersey.
MANHATTAN CRUISE TERMINAL
The Manhattan Cruise Terminal is one of the most modern cruise terminals in the world. The terminal has received many awards, including “best homeport in the United States”.
This operation contains many new facilities such as modern gangways that are easier to adjust as well as expanded pier aprons that allow passengers to disembark quicker. You can easily walk to the centre of the city from the ship. The Manhattan Cruise Terminal is the main port for Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America, Carnival and Regent Seven Seas.
BROOKLYN CRUISE TERMINAL
The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was opened in 2006 and soon became very popular. The terminal has over 200 thousand square feet of space along with special embarkation and debarkation zones to reduce waiting times. In its first year alone, the terminal had more than 40 ships arrive. Buses and subways are an easy transportation option into the city.
The terminal is located close to the Red Hook section of Brooklyn in which Cunard, Oceania and Princess call home.
CAPE LIBERTY CRUISE PORT
The Cape Liberty Cruise Port has recently celebrated its 12th birthday and can handle more than 320,000 passengers per year.
Cape Liberty offers easy access to and from your ship via trains and buses into Manhattan. The port is on the other side of the river from New York City and boasts great views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Cruise lines such as Azamara, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises sail from this port.
THINGS TO DO
A great advantage that visitors to New York have is the large amount of things to do.
Here you can find some of the best museums in the world with art and visiting collections abound. The Metropolitan, Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim, Modern Art and many other galleries throughout the city offers wonderful experiences for art lovers. To avoid the masses head to the less crowded Whitney Museum.
Some of the world’s foremost collections of twentieth-century American art are found there. The Cloisters overlooks the Hudson River and is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Broadway, Off Broadway and the Lincoln Centre feature performing arts ranging from musicals, stage shows, concerts and ballet. The 92nd Street Y and Tisch Center for the Arts is a community of cultural interests. Offerings include lectures with guest speakers, literary readings, dance performances and more.
Between the first class museums and skyscrapers, New York is also considered the ‘fashion centre of the Americas’. A good tip is to shop like a New Yorker and explore Manhattan department stores, as they have sales seemingly every week. It is not unusual that these sales go unadvertised, so you will find deals spontaneously at places such as Macy’s known as the World’s Largest Store and famous for their parades and firework displays.
You could also spend an afternoon amongst Central Park’s charming oasis. It is hard to imagine that you are in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
In New York, you can try your hand at ice skating, kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, flying on a trapeze, sailing a miniature schooner, roller blading and even fishing in the river.
This city really does have it all!
Written by Veronica Shine
