Parking at Pier in NYC, drop off or park and walk back?

[roveer]

I've read a post or two that said it was much easier to park the car with the family and then trek back to the check-in area. Is this true? We are 4 kids (4-12) and 2 adults. So what's the best thing to do, drop them off and then park and come back or take the whole crew up and come back? As you can see I'm trying to knock off the lasts few things before the trip.

[Turtles06]

If you are physically able to do it, it is much easier to park and then just take your luggage down the elevator and hand it off to the porters on the street. Otherwise, if you drive up to the terminal and hand off your luggage (and family), you will then have to exit the terminal complex and come back around all over again and re-enter to park.

 

That was the advice I'd read on the East Coast embarkation boards. I followed it last month and was happy that I'd done so.

 

When you drive up to the parking lot (which is on the roof of the terminal building), you can, if you want to, pull over near the elevators and take your luggage out and have your family wait there for you while you park. But quite frankly, there are often so few cars in the lot that if you get there early, you won't be very far from the elevator anyway.

 

Have a great trip!

[hateswaterloves2cruise]

I know they have redsigned the drop off/pickup area at the NYC pier so I am glad to get this advice. Last time we were there you could drop off luggage and DH and then go right up the ramp to parking area. Also do you know if they still have the drug sniffing dogs as you enter the parking area? Last time I had to open the trunk for the dog but I had already dropped off my luggage.

[roveer]

If you are physically able to do it, it is much easier to park and then just take your luggage down the elevator and hand it off to the porters on the street. Otherwise, if you drive up to the terminal and hand off your luggage (and family), you will then have to exit the terminal complex and come back around all over again and re-enter to park.

 

That was the advice I'd read on the East Coast embarkation boards. I followed it last month and was happy that I'd done so.

 

When you drive up to the parking lot (which is on the roof of the terminal building), you can, if you want to, pull over near the elevators and take your luggage out and have your family wait there for you while you park. But quite frankly, there are often so few cars in the lot that if you get there early, you won't be very far from the elevator anyway.

 

Have a great trip!

 

This is what I remember hearing. I think I'll follow your suggestions. We are a hearty bunch so I think we'll survive the walk back down. We also plan on getting their early.

[Gregor4500]

I would recommend giving your luggage to the porters first. It's not a big deal driving around again to park. Last time we went the elevator(even though it's only 1 floor) was so slow and busy we took the steps. Tough to do with lots of luggage.

[PurpleLaurie55]

I am thinking of taking the LIRR in and hopping a cab from Penn Station to the Pier. Has anyone done this? Any idea who much the cab fare will be?

[Turtles06]

Responding to questions/comments above:

 

I can only comment on our own personal experience departing on the Jewel in mid-October, which is that it was a piece of cake to take the elevator down from the parking lot. It is a huge, warehouse type elevator, not the type of elevator you'd find in an office building. (I will also add that we got to the terminal on the early side, around 10:15am; maybe the elevators are much busier later, although I have to say that the parking lot was still pretty empty when the Jewel departed.)

 

If you drop off your luggage first and then want to park, you will have to exit the terminal area and again contend with the traffic on West Street, including a really short left turn only light to turn back into the terminal complex in order to park. Since we didn't do that, I can't comment on how bad that might have been, but we did have to wait a bit just to turn in that first time, and we were on the early side.

 

Here's my thinking: for the able bodied, if you can't contend with taking your own luggage down an elevator, you've brought too much!!:)

 

And yes, there was a security officer with a dog who walked around our car up on the parking deck before we were allowed to park, and we did have to open the trunk.

[smeyer418]

i am thinking of taking the lirr in and hopping a cab from penn station to the pier. Has anyone done this? Any idea who much the cab fare will be?

 

$10-12

[hilltoppermom]

I know they have redsigned the drop off/pickup area at the NYC pier so I am glad to get this advice. Last time we were there you could drop off luggage and DH and then go right up the ramp to parking area. Also do you know if they still have the drug sniffing dogs as you enter the parking area? Last time I had to open the trunk for the dog but I had already dropped off my luggage.

 

 

Yes, the drug sniffing dog is still there. We sailed last week and was afraid all the luggage was going to fall out of the hatch when the officer opened it so the dog could sniff around.

[PurpleLaurie55]

$10-12

 

 

Thanks! I figured it wouldn't be too much.

[blazers29]

Parked and took the elevator with luggage last week when we did the jewel.....very easy....big commercial elevator.....got there around 10:30 hardly no cars in the lot.

[RichNY]

I found out the hard way things have changed..:(..10-3 was the bike-a-thon so circling around to re enter the pier was an extra pain.

 

We leave again in December this time the plan is to go the the parking area, drop off my wife and the luggage right near the elevator , then park the car..

 

I wonder what genius came up with the re design...:rolleyes:

 

We do have the LIRR option .

[nybumpkin]

We've done it both ways and we opt to go right to parking and take the elevator. Waiting for the elevator on the pier after parking is nothing in comparison to waiting for the turn signal on 12th Avenue to get back into the terminal complex.:rolleyes: