Why does NCL make you cross street to get ride in NYC?

[smeyer418]

...

 

Regarding the poster who wrote never get into a vehicle for hire other than a yellow cab (if not prearranged)...I agree do not get in. They are not supposed to solicit down there and they are more expensive than taking a yellow cab. They may have a nice black town car but having done it once before...I think the crips and the bloods now own nice black town cars...

 

coka

 

I have a lot of respect for Coka sometimes even the hustler is not a bad choice. all ny limo drivers and cars are licensed by the nyc tlc. as long as it has a t or l plate you will be physically safe as long as you pay what you agreed to. make sure the price is per car and not per person. that being said I have rarely done it when a cab is readily available...and I am sure the bloods comment was said in jest but I comment to correct it for some who think that NY is still the wild west of highway robbers...

[PCLMassachusetts]

"Why does NCL make you cross street to get ride in NYC?"

 

Quick question and more importantly - How is the design of the pick up area in the Port of New York NCL's fault and did they have people (actual NCL employees) outside directing you across the street, did their disembarkation instructions tell you to go across the street? If they did then you should never sail NCL again, since they are so thoughtless and unfeeling.

 

Is this kind of like "why did the chicken cross the road"?

 

My question also. How is it NCL making you do anything at a port operated by the city and used by many other lines??

[goose30]

When you embark you are directed to the buffet. However, the MDR is open.

How is this any different from being directed to cross the street when you can go upstairs.

[auntierobin]

The difference is is that NCL employees are not telling you to cross the street in New York City, but NCL employees are directing you on their ship.

 

Bottom line - NCL did not tell him to cross the street, non-NCL personnel did.

[rzdj96]

Irregardless, disembarkation any longer in New York is a fiasco. What's it going to be like when the "Breakaway" arrives? Just my opinion but instead of continuing in NYC, maybe NCL should consider relocating like RCCL did? NYC knows they have a captive audience to raise prices as they wish and they get away with it. Being "herded" across the street isn't pleasant (especially when it's raining or freezing outside). The ship passenger capacities have changed and has overwhelmed the original design purpose. The piers are fine for "visiting" ships but as for a dedicated embarkation/disembarkation port, NCL really needs it's own pier(s) and parking venue. Initially it wouldn't be cheap for them but it'd be better than paying NYC to "gouge" it's passengers. There wasn't even enforcement across the street from taxi's and others double parked and waiting. It reminded me of "asphalt hogs".

[smeyer418]

Irregardless, disembarkation any longer in New York is a fiasco. What's it going to be like when the "Breakaway" arrives? Just my opinion but instead of continuing in NYC, maybe NCL should consider relocating like RCCL did? NYC knows they have a captive audience to raise prices as they wish and they get away with it. Being "herded" across the street isn't pleasant (especially when it's raining or freezing outside). The ship passenger capacities have changed and has overwhelmed the original design purpose. The piers are fine for "visiting" ships but as for a dedicated embarkation/disembarkation port, NCL really needs it's own pier(s) and parking venue. Initially it wouldn't be cheap for them but it'd be better than paying NYC to "gouge" it's passengers. There wasn't even enforcement across the street from taxi's and others double parked and waiting. It reminded me of "asphalt hogs".

 

Actually NCL almost exclusively uses pier 88. They are they largest user of NY City piers(Manhattan)...no one is going to give them an exclusive. They don't want it. Its too expensive in Manhattan and even if you have 2-3 ships each one of the finger piers holds two ships. In fact NCL gets a rebate on the passengers now because they hit certain goals(more than any othe cruise line)....

The Piers have been totally redone and are adequate for the numbers passing through for now. I would almost bet(actually I would bet a drink on it) that the getaway/breakaway will be in BROOKLYN anyway. NCL was present in Brooklyn when the cruise terminal there was open(so was I). the EDC which owns Brooklyn and Manhattan has purchased the rights for two more berths in Brooklyn and the CG has told the cruise lines in no uncertain terms that the Manhattan piers cannot accept(with some rare exceptions) Ships longer than the pier there. The City cannot get approval to extend the Manhattan piers because of the endangered species that habit that area(stripped bass)...

 

BTW did you hear that NCL has ordered a third ship in the Getaway/Breakaway series? To be called the Oyvay and to be based in--you guess it- in NY....

 

The piers in Bayonne are not that nice either. the Brooklyn Pier is the nicest but after all its in Brooklyn- close to where I live.

The move to Bayonne by RC/Celebrity was a wake up call and the NY City EDC has spent well in excess of 250 million dollars on both Brooklyn and the Manhattan cruise terminals....

 

As I said I was there getting off on Sunday and it was NOT a zoo at all....

 

 

http://www.nycedc.com/NewsPublications/Brochures/Documents/NYCruiseBrochure.pdf

 

The NCL Dawn is on the front page of the Brochure and NCL is highlighted throughout....

[shof515]

I agree with smeyer418, i think Breakway is going to use the brookln pier since right now it is not being used that much at all. Currently, the QE2 docks in brookln, and she can hold up to 3,000+ persons

[garycarla]

Why is it Carnival, and HAL never since asked us to cross the street? .. or more like it demanded we do so.. Which I will now say not to.. but seriously.. why only NCL pretty much made us do this.. I am not making this up.. why would I????

 

Please read the posts from NCL passengers that did not have this happen.

 

Maybe you did have some idiot NCL person do this. But, as said, NCL really could care less what you do once you leave the ship.

[smeyer418]

I agree with smeyer418, i think Breakway is going to use the brookln pier since right now it is not being used that much at all. Currently, the QE2 docks in brookln, and she can hold up to 3,000+ persons

 

 

the QE2 is out of service(in a dock in Dubai). Its the QM2 that is bigger but actual doesn't hold as many people as many smaller ships....

 

http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Mary-2/About-Queen-Mary-2/

 

the new Queen Elizabeth now is called the Queen Elizabeth...without a suffix.

[ZoneHPH]

Hmmm...the Brooklyn Terminal, huh? That's still better than having to go to Bayonne for a cruise.

 

That's one more tunnel I'd have to use (Brooklyn Battery Tunnel)...then BAM...you're there.

[booklady26]

As other posters have pointed out, NYC owns the piers and they are operated under contract by Ports America.

 

Traffic patterns are established by Ports America. Because of congestion with embarking and disembarking passengers, they can only allow a few hundred taxis up the ramp to pick up disembarking passengers. They found that having passengers cross the street cuts down on wait times for both the cab drivers and passengers.

 

I have business dealings with Ports America and was told this by an executive of the company. He also told me in February that Disney would sail from NYC next year and that one of the new NCL ships would probably homeport here as well. So he's a pretty reliable source.

 

There are traffic lights on 12th Avenue, so it's not like you have to dodge 2 way traffic to cross the street.

 

Also, keep in mind that the the piers were originally built in the early to mid 20th century when ships carried hundreds not thousands of passnegers.

 

The Brooklyn pier was partially funded by Carnival cruise lines, so I don't think NCL will sail from there anytime soon.