First peer at Red Hook Piers

[Jeanne S]

As many of you seem to be visiting or familiar with the area of Red Hook and Pier 12, could someone please give me directions?

I am sailing in on the QM2 on April 29th and realized it will not be into Manhattan. I have someone picking me up, and being from New Jersey, Brooklyn might as well be Egypt! :(

QUOTE]

 

I read on another post that you will be staying in Central NJ, then it would make sense to go via Staten Island.

 

 

Jeanne

[Jeanne S]

Juest tell him to watch it when he goes under the bridge. I understand there's this REALLY BIG ship which ALMOST scraped the bottom of the bridge when she goes under. The Queen something or another. <G>

 

Karie, who was amazed at how close it was and how quickly it slipped by.

 

There is a 12 foot clearance in high tide, the bridge is in no danger of being hit from beneath by the ship.

[travel-to-go]

There is a 12 foot clearance in high tide, the bridge is in no danger of being hit from beneath by the ship.

 

Ahh! But you missed the great big <G>!!!

 

Actually I thought it was closer to 3 meeters (or metres for or British friends) which is close to ten feet/ All I know is standin out in the icy cold freezing wet on January 3rd on the topmost deck, it certainly looked incredible to me!

 

Karie, who has "been there, done that!"

[Jeanne S]

Ahh! But you missed the great big <G>!!!

 

Actually I thought it was closer to 3 meeters (or metres for or British friends) which is close to ten feet/ All I know is standin out in the icy cold freezing wet on January 3rd on the topmost deck, it certainly looked incredible to me!

 

Karie, who has "been there, done that!"

 

My sister, who has been on many sea voyages out of NYC still insists on running up on deck every time the ship passes under the VN to view the optical illiusion that is the ship about to hit the bridge. Even on the 56,000 ton Zenith, it appearsthat way. She has not been on the QM2 yet or even VOS, so I can imagine how she would be gaga viewing that.

 

We are sailing on the small ship NCL Crown (34,000) this summer and she will be up there on deck, rain, wind or storm......

[cruiserking]

From the Canadian News Wire:

 

Queen Mary 2 Drops Anchor in Brooklyn

 

On April 15, Cunard Line Moves to New Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

 

VALENCIA, Calif., April 3 /CNW/ -- On Saturday, April 15, Queen

Mary 2 makes New York City's brand-new $52 million Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

her berth-of-choice, marking an exciting new chapter in the company's

illustrious history. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and a host of other

dignitaries will be on hand to welcome the world's most famous ocean liner as

she sails into New York and docks in Buttermilk Channel to celebrate the

official opening of the new full-service facility at Pier 12 in Red Hook.

 

"From stunning views of the iconic Manhattan skyline and close-by Statue

of Liberty to the streamlined embarkation and disembarkation process,

traveling through Brooklyn will create a truly memorable start and end to a

legendary Cunard voyage," said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.

 

The Red Hook facility will be used by Carnival Corporation's Cunard Line

and Princess Cruises. In April 2004 the Bloomberg Administration reached a

historic agreement with Carnival that calls for the company to support the

City's investments in cruise facilities in Brooklyn and Manhattan through port

charges in exchange for berthing rights. In its first year of operation, the

182,000-square-foot Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is expected to welcome

approximately 40 ships, including the new Crown Princess launching in June

2006. The Terminal adds 330 new, permanent jobs to the Brooklyn waterfront.

 

"Investing in industries poised for growth and job creation is one of the

best ways for us to diversify the economy, and the investments we're making in

New York City's booming cruise sector is the latest example," said Mayor

Bloomberg. "The completion of the spectacular Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and

arrival of the QM2 will be major milestones not only in the expansion of New

York City's cruise industry, but also in the growth of Brooklyn's working

waterfront."

 

Now the third largest cruise market in the U.S., New York City has

experienced tremendous growth in the cruise industry. The industry had an

economic impact of $600 million and supported 3,200 jobs in 2004. Those

numbers are expected to reach $900 million and 5,000 jobs by 2012, according

 

to New York City Economic Development Corporation estimates.

The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is the first in the New York area to be

designed specifically to accommodate today's larger cruise ships. In addition

to deepening the channel, reinforcing moorings and upgrading the gangway, the new facility includes traveler-friendly improvements such as improved signage, landscaping, a tourist kiosk and more attractive glass exterior and canopy.

 

Cruiserking

[LunchCompanion]

1.maybe I will take a water taxi

2A.or maybe I will stay at the Brooklyn Marriott

2.I could walk over the Bayonne Bridge from my home here in New Jersey and wind up in Slappin Island. I havent been able to get directions, yet, from Cunard about using the Verazany Bridge

2C.or maybe the QM2 will anchor off of New Jersey and send a little boat to get me;)

[guernseyguy]

In its first year of operation, the 182,000-square-foot Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is expected to welcome approximately 40 ships

 

Let me see.....365 - 40 = 325 days empty.....

 

Even the Normadie got more utilisation than that! Ah, well, early days!

 

Peter

[garycarla]

re: getting directions from Cunard. Not sure I would put too much hope in that.

 

Between those directions provided by the port authority and maps.google.com you should be able to get there?

[travel-to-go]

Boy!

From that press release, Carol Marlow should be working for a politician.

Talk about your SPIN!

 

Karie,

Who is finally being lead kicking and screaming to hate Cunard for taking away EVERYTHING one goes on a Cunard cruise for, by bringing her ships to Brooklyn

[Jeanne S]

The Red Hook Pier looks lovely today with the snow - yes its snowing in NYC in April - falling.

[smeyer418]

Boy do I disagree with some of the directions. From LGA or the Brooklyn Bridge, get off at the atlantic avenue exit Left at the Bottom of the exit.

 

and then make the first right...believe me you'll save 10 minutes in traffic....

 

Also if the belt parkway from Kennedy labeled as the BQE? I don't think so....I think they mean the Van Wyck....I don't think who ever posted the directions ever drove in NYC...

[ESLO]

Boy do I disagree with some of the directions. From LGA or the Brooklyn Bridge, get off at the atlantic avenue exit Left at the Bottom of the exit.

 

and then make the first right...believe me you'll save 10 minutes in traffic....

 

Also if the belt parkway from Kennedy labeled as the BQE? I don't think so....I think they mean the Van Wyck....I don't think who ever posted the directions ever drove in NYC...

 

Welcome to Brooklyn, NY the Garden Place of America.

 

Read recently in the NY Times about Redhook. The article admits that it will be quite sometime before the area around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will be established and well developed with many interesting ideas. Unfortunately the passengers of the Carnival, Cunard and Princess Lines will have to wait till this is to be seen. Until then we will be shuttled thru this area to a safehaven passed the gates to board the ultimate Queen of the Seas.

 

Following this story......

:confused: ESLO

(Ed & Bev)

[smeyer418]

Welcome to Brooklyn, NY the Garden Place of America.

 

Read recently in the NY Times about Redhook. The article admits that it will be quite sometime before the area around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will be established and well developed with many interesting ideas. Unfortunately the passengers of the Carnival, Cunard and Princess Lines will have to wait till this is to be seen. Until then we will be shuttled thru this area to a safehaven passed the gates to board the ultimate Queen of the Seas.

 

Following this story......

:confused: ESLO

(Ed & Bev)

 

Yes it will have to be developed. Have you been to Bayonne? There is nothing there and nothing close. Actually Red Hook has been slowly developing over the last ten years. There are a couple of restuarants and there are a couple developments that will be completed in the next 5 years. All dock areas are that way. People say that about the West side cruise terminals as well. There is nothing unsafe about the area. I love Brooklyn....

[transatlantic fan]

Any idea how long it should take by taxi to get the other side of the battery tunnel from the pier?

[ESLO]

Any idea how long it should take by taxi to get the other side of the battery tunnel from the pier?

 

Hello Transatlantic Fan,

Having used the tunnel for decades I can honestly say about 10-15 minutes from the World Trade Center to Hamilton Ave Exit in Brooklyn.

This should be true if the tubes are open exiting towards Brooklyn especially during evening rush hour.

 

Morning Rush Hour starts about 6AM to 10AM when there are three lanes towards NYC from Brooklyn and one lane towards Brooklyn from the city.

 

It does take about a half an hour for the tunnel after rush hour to return it back to two lanes each way when the Tunnel Officers change the inside directional light to green.

 

If you are asking about using the tunnel during typical embarkation time (12-4PM), the tunnel should be Clean & Green to Brooklyn!

 

Regards,

:) ESLO

(Ed & Bev)

[transatlantic fan]

Hello Transatlantic Fan,

Having used the tunnel for decades I can honestly say about 10-15 minutes from the World Trade Center to Hamilton Ave Exit in Brooklyn.

This should be true if the tubes are open exiting towards Brooklyn especially during evening rush hour.

 

Morning Rush Hour starts about 6AM to 10AM when there are three lanes towards NYC from Brooklyn and one lane towards Brooklyn from the city.

 

It does take about a half an hour for the tunnel after rush hour to return it back to two lanes each way when the Tunnel Officers change the inside directional light to green.

 

If you are asking about using the tunnel during typical embarkation time (12-4PM), the tunnel should be Clean & Green to Brooklyn!

 

Regards,

:) ESLO

(Ed & Bev)

 

Thanks for the help Eslo ,get in on July 3rd will be doing self help so hope to be off by about 7-30-8 am and need to get up to the Holiday Inn on west 57th.

Then coming home on the 8th July

[ESLO]

Thanks for the help Eslo ,get in on July 3rd will be doing self help so hope to be off by about 7-30-8 am and need to get up to the Holiday Inn on west 57th.

Then coming home on the 8th July

 

Hi Transatlantic Fan,

Glad to assist you with the information.

 

We are going on the 4th July QM2 Cruise too with my parents from RedHook Terminal. I am registered on the 7/3 Roll Call also and didn't recognize your name, but very glad too assist you.

 

Coming from Mass is not too far away. Not knowing that you were coming in on that cruise, I forgot to tell you. You will be coming in on what is to be type of holiday weekday. With many people starting the holiday on Thursday or Friday prior, this will be a long extended weekend. So, Monday should be very light in the whole city traffic wise. West Street in Manhattan and the tunnel should be very passable unless there is scheduled construction.

 

It would be a pleasure to meet you onboard. Don't know if there will be a Meet & Greet onboard this voyage.

 

Till we do the Document Dance........

 

Regards,

:) ESLO

(Ed & Bev)

[transatlantic fan]

Hi Eslo,

Looks like i will miss you, Leave Southampton 27th June Arive New York 3rd July, then having 5 nights in New York, then go back home to England on the 8th July sailing.

Done the same in 2004 a great way to see New York without the flying.

Love New York ,this will be my 10th time in your Great city.

Hope you have a wonderfull trip and a great holiday.:)

 

Kevin

[Paul NH]

Here is a fairly informative set of frequently-asked-questions, particularly on the logistics between the parking area and the terminal entrance ... 200 to 300 yards.

 

http://www.nycruiseterminal.com/documents/BCTFAQ.pdf

[garycarla]

Seems like a fairly straightforward group of questions and answers. I think they were delicately trying to say DO NOT take public transport, but instead take taxis.

 

I might question the answer about calling Cunard for group transport though. Based on what they charge for local transport in England, it is insane, especially for a group. I think cabs will still be cheaper.

[Paul NH]

From Newsday.com ...

 

A terminal grows in Brooklyn

 

 

 

BY ERIC MARX

SPECIAL TO NEWSDAY

 

Even if there isn't a cruise vacation in your future, you may want to find your way down to Red Hook next Saturday. That's when the Queen Mary 2 -- nearly four football fields long and as tall as a 23-story building -- sails into the new Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at Pier 12.

 

Wherever she sails, people are bound to notice. Indeed, ever since the QM2 first took to the waters in 2004, the 150,000-ton hulk has turned more than a few heads here in New York, though usually along the Hudson River when pulling into midtown Manhattan's New York Cruise Terminal, this country's fourth-busiest cruise terminal.

 

On Saturday, after maneuvering a 360-degree spin that will have her front end pointing toward the Upper Bay, she'll back herself into the lone slip off Pier 12 and, in the process, usher in a new era of luxury cruise line service.

 

For now, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will be used exclusively by four Carnival Corp. ships: Cunard's QM2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 and Princess Cruises' Crown Princess and Star Princess. More than 300,000 passengers are expected to pass through in this inaugural year, with 38 departures scheduled over the next nine months. (Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Lines will continue operating out of Manhattan as that facility undergoes an extensive renovation and expansion project. Passenger numbers are expected to grow from 845,000 in 2004 to approximately 1.17 million by 2010 -- a 6.4 percent annual growth rate.)

 

Boarding procedure

 

Upon arrival, curbside baggage handlers will greet passengers, after which they'll walk through a large glass opening into a semicircular entrance hall. A security room on the right will lead to 40 check-in slots and a newly constructed tower building from which two glass gangways will usher the passenger onto the waiting ship.

 

While a VIP room and 800- seat waiting area will afford the traveler some potential downtime, the boarding process is focused on speed and efficiency, said David Alvarez of the New York City Economic Development Corp., which manages the terminal on behalf of the city.

 

"There won't be any Internet bays or coffee stations," he said.

 

Alvarez made the remark during a media tour of the 16- acre site on a late March afternoon three weeks before opening day. While the rebuilt steel shed's white paint glistened in the sunlight, inside the 180,000-square-foot cavernous space remained bare amid uncoiled wires, naked bulbs in plastic mesh encasements and a crew of workers in the process of laying down carpet squares atop a gray concrete floor.

 

Alvarez assured the assembled group that all would be ready on time, focusing attention, instead, south, in the direction of the Statue of Liberty, west across the narrow Buttermilk Channel to Governors Island and north to the Lower Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

 

In addition to these spectacular views, passengers will have a chance to gaze out upon Red Hook and southern Brooklyn, although it's doubtful many will take the opportunity to tour the surrounding neighborhoods, given the terminal's home port status. Still, with mega-ships such as the QM2 employing nearly 1,300 onboard personnel, Red Hook shopkeepers are anticipating an upturn in foot traffic.

 

Hoping for some spin-off

 

"Ships staff upwards of a thousand people," said Renato Poliafito, co-owner of Baked, a style-conscious coffee shop and bakery on Van Brunt Street, "and if a hundred of them would come by, that would change our business considerably."

 

But much of Red Hook's waterfront remains abandoned, owing to the advent of modern container shipping in the 1950s, when the East River piers became obsolete and longshoreman jobs hemorrhaged out to New Jersey. Destination stores like the forthcoming Ikea and Fairway promise to bring in much-needed investment but may also draw away from the neighborhood's unique maritime character.

 

"There's a beauty here already, and you have to pay attention to it," said Florence Neil, an artist and curator of the Kentler International Drawing Space. Neil welcomes the terminal, as does David Sharps, a longtime resident and president of the Waterfront Museum.

 

Sharps, 49, came of age working as a juggler on Carnival Cruise Line ships, and he now sees an opportunity to reclaim Red Hook's once-thriving maritime tradition, though he notes it will be of a significantly different orientation. "I've had an exciting front-row seat," said Sharps of his museum's location on Pier 44 off Conover Street, "and it will be fun to see Carnival Cruise Lines docking in my back yard."

[guernseyguy]

Paul,

 

Thanks for posting.....

 

after maneuvering a 360-degree spin

Not a lot of point in a 360 degree spin.....

 

While a VIP room and 800- seat waiting area ...

"There won't be any Internet bays or coffee stations,"

 

So, people are going to show up when asked, and there won't be any delays in boarding......2620 / 800 = 3.275......so one seat for every 4 passengers.....and even more when Princess are boarding......ooh fun!

 

Peter

[Paul NH]

Not a lot of point in a 360 degree spin.....

Isn't that funny? I would like to see that maneuver, although it may make the passengers a bit dizzy.

 

The whole statement seems confusing. If the QM2 is facing the upper bay after the maneuver, where is it backing into? Also, if the ship was coming in from the Atlantic, I would have thought she was already facing the upper bay prior to any maneuvering. It is strange that it would need to maneuver at all to face the "upper bay."

So, people are going to show up when asked, and there won't be any delays in boarding......2620 / 800 = 3.275......so one seat for every 4 passengers.....and even more when Princess are boarding......ooh fun!

I will see how this all works out on Saturday. There was no delay last June embarking from Manhattan, so hopefully we will have the same luck this time around in Brooklyn. I am concerned, however, whether traffic is going to be worsened by non-passenger QM2 enthusiasts turning out to see this first-time Brooklyn event. I am guessing the mayor will have departed by the time embarkers show up on the scene.

 

Paul

[travel-to-go]

Isn't that funny? I would like to see that maneuver, although it may make the passengers a bit dizzy.

 

The whole statement seems confusing. If the QM2 is facing the upper bay after the maneuver, where is it backing into? Also, if the ship was coming in from the Atlantic, I would have thought she was already facing the upper bay prior to any maneuvering. It is strange that it would need to maneuver at all to face the "upper bay."

 

Well, I said Carol Marlow did a good job as Spinmeister. I guess now the Captains will, too! You see, there's the PODS- Some are called azipods, because they SPIN.....<G>

 

I, too wondered why they ... Wait a minute. Of course. The ship starts out facing the upper bay, does a complete 360, like a beauty QUEEN, then majestically (Bang, crash, oof) backs into her berth! With absolutely NO chance of further pod damage. After all, Aren't they taking those pesky things off? Maybe using giant outboard motors? Oh yeah, they kind of ARE giant outboard motors. Well, how about great big oars! The return of the REAL steerage! 1000 crew memebrs that Red Hook is looking forward to, dressed in rags while some guy in steel cuffs, a big leather belt and with a great big whp "entices" them to row in unison! And 1 guy to man the rudder and...(dare I say it>?) Steer! Hence...STEERAGE!

 

Ahhh!

Sounds like they will be doing much work over in Manhattan that could make sailing out of there pretty miserable for a while. Maybe we ARE the lucky ones!

 

Karie, who is wondering if I have anything REALLY pressing to do on Saturday! <G>

 

P.S. You mean, the mayor isn't a special guest on board for her MAIDEN voyage to/from Brooklyn

I still say make a trip down to whatever pier I mentioned to get REAL Key Lime Pie!

[ESLO]

Hi All & Travel-to-go,

 

I say BRAVO to your comments about the potential maneuvers that this Super Structure will have to accomplish without further damage to effect the total operation of the vessel.

 

Has anyone thought this one out! This is the Very First Time she will be coming in without even a trail dry run in this area, no less attempting such movements & maneuvers! Was that ever thought about?

They navigated Miami Harbor and see what happened.

 

If anything should happen to delay this ship, do they know what they will do?

 

Not joking. All packed and no place to go, I really do not wish to go home if I came from a far distance, but I really wouldn't want to use the Staten Island Ferry for the rest of my alternate cruise alternative.

 

Please, those in charge, think this out! ! !

 

Concerned,

:confused: ESLO

(Ed & Bev)