Taxis at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

Hi, Does any one if there any taxies available after we get off QM2 at the Brooklyn cruise terminal(or near By)to go to Penn Station in NYC? Thank you

Hi rix, There is no problem getting a taxi at the cruise terminal. When you walk out of the terminal just cross the street and they are lined up waiting to take you wherever you want to go. There will be no problem going to NYC. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I have never had a problem and always need a ride to where I want to go. Enjoy your cruise.

S.

Hi, Does any one if there any taxies available after we get off QM2 at the Brooklyn cruise terminal(or near By)to go to Penn Station in NYC? Thank you

I would suggest you use:

Arecibo

170 5th Ave Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States

+1 718-783-6465

They are local, quick and very reasonably priced. For example, a couple on months ago, a taxi ride from Red Hook to Mid Town, Manhattan, cost $29. Penn Station is listed at $27.

Exit the terminal and turn left. Look for the number on the fencing, then call them with your location. Usually they will be there in about 5 mins.

Stewart

I am wondering when you are getting off the ship. If you are doing the self checkout and getting off early, taxis are scarce. I have seen one or two keep pulling in after the ship docks when walking around deck 7. (Yes, I paid attention because this discussion has been held before). Things pick up sometime before 10am when cabs are bringing new passengers to the terminal. There is usually a very long line for taxis - I was grateful for the limos lined up out there one time when it was snowing to beat the band and we were able to hop right in. A year ago, in a taxi on the way to the ship, the driver's dispatcher was almost begging his drivers to go to the terminal - my driver stated they hate to go there, too much congestion. You will of course, eventually get a cab, but it probably will be a wait. No problem being taken to Penn Station............Sorry to contradict the other poster, what they described is not my experience........................

I am wondering when you are getting off the ship. If you are doing the self checkout and getting off early, taxis are scarce. I have seen one or two keep pulling in after the ship docks when walking around deck 7. (Yes, I paid attention because this discussion has been held before). Things pick up sometime before 10am when cabs are bringing new passengers to the terminal. There is usually a very long line for taxis - I was grateful for the limos lined up out there one time when it was snowing to beat the band and we were able to hop right in. A year ago, in a taxi on the way to the ship, the driver's dispatcher was almost begging his drivers to go to the terminal - my driver stated they hate to go there, too much congestion. You will of course, eventually get a cab, but it probably will be a wait. No problem being taken to Penn Station............Sorry to contradict the other poster, what they described is not my experience........................

That's why we always phone the local company, Arecibo. Hopefully a 5 min wait isn't too long. They operate 24/7.

Another reliable car service is "The 7's" We have disembarked twice in Red Hook, both times mid-morning, and there were plenty of taxis available.

Hi rix, I see that there are numerous suggestions regarding car services to NYC. I live in New York, outside of the city, and I take early walk off, aka self checkout. I have never found a problem getting a taxi even in a snowstorm. Sometimes people line up ahead of me and there is a two minute wait. I have been on more than 15 cruises with Cunard. Princess sometimes leaves out of the same terminal and I have never had a problem. That has been my experience but the use of a car service is your decision. If you do use a taxi just be sure to ask the different rate for a metered taxi or the flat rate. It is something new, a scam actually, that we discovered after our Canadian cruise in late September. We found a metered rate was better for our destination. Compare before you enter the cab.

S.

I am wondering when you are getting off the ship. If you are doing the self checkout and getting off early, taxis are scarce. I have seen one or two keep pulling in after the ship docks when walking around deck 7. (Yes, I paid attention because this discussion has been held before). Things pick up sometime before 10am when cabs are bringing new passengers to the terminal. There is usually a very long line for taxis - I was grateful for the limos lined up out there one time when it was snowing to beat the band and we were able to hop right in. A year ago, in a taxi on the way to the ship, the driver's dispatcher was almost begging his drivers to go to the terminal - my driver stated they hate to go there, too much congestion. You will of course, eventually get a cab, but it probably will be a wait. No problem being taken to Penn Station............Sorry to contradict the other poster, what they described is not my experience........................

Keuka: I agree with you about getting a taxi to the ship. That could be a problem but that was not the question posed. Sorry I disagree with you about the wait for a taxi. Never a problem no matter when I leave the ship.

S.

We disembarked in Red Hook in 2008 & 2009, and at the time (late in the debark process) there were no cabs and a long line of people.

It seems, depending on the person reporting and the time involved, either no problem at all, or a long wait.

Luckily then, as now, we had arranged for a pickup with a local livery service. Since then, I've changed preferred providers (we visit NY roughly annually) but still recommend a livery service.

Someone recommended "The 7's" which is the ubiquitous service I use (Dial7 212-777-7777, http://www.dial7.com)

Other friends prefer Carmel (866-666-6666, http://www.carmellimo.com)

I don't know about Uber these days. I've read reports of slowdowns at the entrance gates designed to inhibit ride sharing services, but no verifiable accounts either way.

You can't go wrong with a hired car. It'll likely be about the same price as a cab - and more comfortable and convenient.

Generally there are taxis and car service (limos) available. The taxis run by meter and make sure when you get in and tell the driver where you wish to go he/she starts the meter as they pull out. Last time I came off the QM2 and took a cab, the driver was about a 1/2 mile down the road before I noticed he had not started the meter. When I called him on it he tried to tell me the fare was a set $50 to Penn Station. I told him it might be $50 for a limo but the taxis ran on meters and he had best start his. Now of course he is annoyed and is muttering something about (swear word) cheap New Yorkers. Long story short, the ride on a Sunday with tip (My bags were in the trunk so I figured a tip was ransom for the bags) came to $20 even.

So just be prepared and enjoy.

we disembarked about a year ago from Deck 11 which gave us a little priority.

However, even with a bit of a head start there were only a few taxis and a huge line. A nice porter helped us grab a car service… which is what I would arrange if I do another trip.

we disembarked about a year ago from Deck 11 which gave us a little priority.

However, even with a bit of a head start there were only a few taxis and a huge line. A nice porter helped us grab a car service… which is what I would arrange if I do another trip.

June crossing

first off

ton of taxi and hire car .....

Ugh - All I can say I will never take another taxi (hopefully anywhere!!) let alone New York.

Uber Uber Uber!!!

Self debarkation - October 11th in Brooklyn, I hit the Uber app as I walked out of the terminal...3 minutes away...and about 2 minutes and there was my Uber driver - in a nice Ford Escape Hybrid. $22.30 to East 9th St just past China Town so we could pick up our rental car there. He gave us advice on the best way out of the city, and helped with our luggage. No cash (except for a small tip) because payment is handled through the Uber app. Uber is - in general - cleaner, more polite, more knowledgeable and far more helpful than almost any cab I have ever taken. I am sure there will be occasional exceptions, but - if you get a bad review on Uber, you lose customers. People have a choice. It's a good system. So load the Uber app and give it a try.

I'm sure your ride into Manhattan would be fine with Uber. However we've had some problems with Uber in San Francisco where some drivers come in from out of town to make quick money and have no knowledge of the city. So one has to give them driving instructions. And the peak-hour pricing system sometimes makes the ride less than affordable.

I would suggest you use:

Arecibo

170 5th Ave Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States

+1 718-783-6465

 

They are local, quick and very reasonably priced. For example, a couple on months ago, a taxi ride from Red Hook to Mid Town, Manhattan, cost $29. Penn Station is listed at $27.

 

Exit the terminal and turn left. Look for the number on the fencing, then call them with your location. Usually they will be there in about 5 mins.

 

Stewart

We used Arecibo in the last two weeks to take us from the Crowne Plaza on Broadway at Times Square to to Red Hook. I called them at 1015 for a 1115 pickup at the hotel. They said, no problem we'll be there. They weren't and finally turned up at 1230. I kept telephoning them, they were always two minutes away, but still didn't arrive. Every time I questioned them on why they didn't arrive if two minutes away I variously got, they had gone to the wrong hotel, we weren't there when they arrived (not true we were at agreed pickup point) and they had broken down.

Arecibo are based in Brooklyn and they do know their way to Red Hook which most cab drivers don't. I would be more confident using them from Red Hook rather than trying to get them to pick me up in Manhattan if going to the ship and you have a time constraint.

Has anyone else had this problem with Arecibo please?

I have used Arecibo going from Penn Station to the Brooklyn Pier and vice versa. I have only had a problem if I called in advance for a pickup later. If I call when I am ready they have arrived in 5 to 10 minutes. Very clean cars and polite drivers. One time they came with a regular car as i had forgotten to request a van as there were 4 of us. The driver called the office and requested the van and waited with us until it arrived. It was 2 a.m. on a deserted dark NYC street and we had 2 young children so felt very safe with him waiting instead of leaving us alone at the curb. And since they are stationed out of Brooklyn they will get you there from Manhattan without getting lost. Kelly

We self-disembarked last time on the QM2 (May 2014) and joined a short queue for a taxi. There was a wait for our turn, but it wasn't anything unreasonable. Five minutes? Seven minutes? And, off we went….

In my opinion, the taxi queue would be much more expedient than trying to find a specific car service in a sea of people and sea of vehicles at the dock.

Have a wonderful voyage!

Was in the walk off line this morning.

Must have been at least fifty cabs waiting.

We had zero wait time.

Was at Penn Station in under thirty minutes with moderate traffic.

The cost was $28 plus tip.

We took the Queen Mary from Southampton to New York in October 2022, and took a cab from the Red Hook cruise terminal to our hotel in midtown.

We disembarked late (10:00 scheduled time, waited in line an hour), and found a huge line for taxis and few taxis arriving.  The line did move slowly, and there was someone pairing up parties to share a taxi (for flat rate/non-meter).  We ended up paying $35 ourselves to to get into Midtown sharing a cab with another group, and the cab driver asked us to tip the guy arranging shares $5.  The cab driver claimed taxis tended not to come to Red Hook because there were better places to find fares.  The ride in was interesting - through Brooklyn, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and up the east edge of Manhattan.

Cunard offered limo rides a few days before arrival for $160 (but also gave you an earlier disembarking time), and also offered bus transfers to airports and Penn Station for $100 I think.  I think I'd seen $60 fares on Lyft, but wasn't familiar enough with Lyft to ensure I'd get a ride with space for our luggage.

If we did it over again, I'd probably try to arrange for a limo myself - the places I'd priced were charging $100.  The places I'd seen online also said they'd only come to pick us up once we were through customs - not surprising considering how long it took to get off the ship.

Robert

1 hour ago, bowdidge said:

We took the Queen Mary from Southampton to New York in October 2022, and took a cab from the Red Hook cruise terminal to our hotel in midtown.

We disembarked late (10:00 scheduled time, waited in line an hour), and found a huge line for taxis and few taxis arriving.  The line did move slowly, and there was someone pairing up parties to share a taxi (for flat rate/non-meter).  We ended up paying $35 ourselves to to get into Midtown sharing a cab with another group, and the cab driver asked us to tip the guy arranging shares $5.  The cab driver claimed taxis tended not to come to Red Hook because there were better places to find fares.  The ride in was interesting - through Brooklyn, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and up the east edge of Manhattan.

Cunard offered limo rides a few days before arrival for $160 (but also gave you an earlier disembarking time), and also offered bus transfers to airports and Penn Station for $100 I think.  I think I'd seen $60 fares on Lyft, but wasn't familiar enough with Lyft to ensure I'd get a ride with space for our luggage.

If we did it over again, I'd probably try to arrange for a limo myself - the places I'd priced were charging $100.  The places I'd seen online also said they'd only come to pick us up once we were through customs - not surprising considering how long it took to get off the ship.

Robert

Thanks for this update we are beginning to look at our next year debarkation in NY.

Cheers

We always use ARECIBO the local taxi company.

On 11/3/2015 at 10:45 PM, MarkBearSF said:

It seems, depending on the person reporting and the time involved, either no problem at all, or a long wait.

Apparently true. When we were departing on May 1, 2022, this was the taxi line. It was the day of the famous Five Borough Bike Tour, so maybe this was unusually bad. The driver of our incoming taxi couldn't figure out how to reach the terminal.

I've always taken Uber or Lyft, ordering as soon as I'm through customs.  While I'm doing that, my wife goes with the porter and persuades him to drop the bags as far from the terminal as possible.  This makes it easier for the driver to reach us (and find us).

6 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

. It was the day of the famous Five Borough Bike Tour, so maybe this was unusually bad. The driver of our incoming taxi couldn't figure out how to reach the terminal.

Having ridden in the 5BBT, it's not too bad. He just had to stay off the southbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE - I-278). When I rode it the northbound was still open.