Tips for Getting thru Cape Liberty Quick

[Project-College]

A question to Veteran Cruisers who have recently sailed thru Cape Liberty.....

What are the best tips to make the process easy and quick?

I have already been 'counseled' to arrive close to the check-in time but what else makes the process more effective/quick.

 

The last time I went out of NY.... when we returned back I had a Porter take our bags thru customs and we were done really fast!!!  

 

We will be driving to Port for 8/5 sailing.

[Corby114]

Try to arrive before 10:30AM when the larger crowds start showing up. Get in line and drop off your luggage with the porters. Then see if there allowing you to park your vehicle in the parking garage next to the terminal or do you have to park further away. On June 9th when I cruised on the Adventure Of The Seas the only vehicles allowed in the garage were handicapped passengers. We parked at one of the abandoned warehouse lots that is a short ten minute walk back to the terminal. After we arrived at the terminal we got on the long line. The entire process took approximately one hour from dropping off luggage to finishing the entire check in process. Having an earlier check in time didn’t make a difference and all passengers were on the same long line.

[badaple92]

Kinda snarky but one tip Cape Liberty is in New Jersey.

[Project-College]

12 minutes ago, badaple92 said:

Kinda snarky but one tip Cape Liberty is in New Jersey.

what the heck does that mean?  I'd need more than 'tips' if I didn't know it was in NJ...like me!

[Project-College]

15 minutes ago, Corby114 said:

Try to arrive before 10:30AM when the larger crowds start showing up. Get in line and drop off your luggage with the porters. Then see if there allowing you to park your vehicle in the parking garage next to the terminal or do you have to park further away. On June 9th when I cruised on the Adventure Of The Seas the only vehicles allowed in the garage were handicapped passengers. We parked at one of the abandoned warehouse lots that is a short ten minute walk back to the terminal. After we arrived at the terminal we got on the long line. The entire process took approximately one hour from dropping off luggage to finishing the entire check in process. Having an earlier check in time didn’t make a difference and all passengers were on the same long line.

Thanks.... I thought the earlier the check-in the better the process?

[Bound4Bermuda]

I just went through Cape Liberty this past week. Going in was a madhouse! As was mentioned, there was one long line to get into the terminal, and they didn't seem to be checking the arrival times at all. (That being said, I was within my window, so perhaps once I got to the front I would have been turned away if I were early? Don't know.) However, it really didn't take THAT long to get through the because they had a ton of people working the check-in process.

 

Leaving was a breeze! The luggage was organized by numbers--and they really broke it down into small increments--unlike searching through a large room of luggage in years past or at other terminals. Then at the exit, they just scan your face, so we didn't have to show our passports at all. Be sure to pay for your parking ticket right outside the exit! They have people there to help take your ticket and credit card into the payment kiosk to keep people from fumbling around and wasting time. Leaving the lot, people who missed paying at the kiosk were funneled into a separate line, so those who payed at the kiosk zoomed right out. 

[Project-College]

3 minutes ago, Bound4Bermuda said:

I just went through Cape Liberty this past week. Going in was a madhouse! As was mentioned, there was one long line to get into the terminal, and they didn't seem to be checking the arrival times at all. (That being said, I was within my window, so perhaps once I got to the front I would have been turned away if I were early? Don't know.) However, it really didn't take THAT long to get through the because they had a ton of people working the check-in process.

 

Leaving was a breeze! The luggage was organized by numbers--and they really broke it down into small increments--unlike searching through a large room of luggage in years past or at other terminals. Then at the exit, they just scan your face, so we didn't have to show our passports at all. Be sure to pay for your parking ticket right outside the exit! They have people there to help take your ticket and credit card into the payment kiosk to keep people from fumbling around and wasting time. Leaving the lot, people who missed paying at the kiosk were funneled into a separate line, so those who payed at the kiosk zoomed right out. 

Thanks for the details... If I might ask, what check-in did u have?  We have the first so we thought maybe the 'going in', as u phrase it, might nor be as bad????  Thoughts?

[Bound4Bermuda]

6 minutes ago, Project-College said:

Thanks for the details... If I might ask, what check-in did u have?  We have the first so we thought maybe the 'going in', as u phrase it, might nor be as bad????  Thoughts?

I had 10:30. There was a huge, disorganized mob waiting outside the terminal. There was also a LOT of people who had gotten off the ship waiting for rides, so perhaps the groups leaving/coming on seemed to make it look worse than it was since there were people everywhere. I think they must have just opened the doors late (maybe they arrived late, too?) because once we started going into the terminal, the line moved pretty swiftly.

[Project-College]

Thanks... I forgot all about those getting off!!!!  The last two cruises we never had that impact as on NCL Bliss (they were helicoptering someone off so dembarkation was late) and on Anthem, something (though they never told us) caused a 2 hour relased slowdown.  In both, we were inside before the 'masses' came out. 

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, Project-College said:

The last time I went out of NY....

 

1 hour ago, badaple92 said:

Kinda snarky but one tip Cape Liberty is in New Jersey.

 

55 minutes ago, Project-College said:

what the heck does that mean?  I'd need more than 'tips' if I didn't know it was in NJ...like me!

Their comment was based on what you wrote in your OP.

[mimi217]

just got back on Friday as well.  Our check in time was 10:30 . After dropping off our bags( which is very organized..porters directing you where to go) we parked in the garage,  From the time we got in line to walking on the ship it was 20 minutes.  We did the muster maybe another 10 minutes  DONE

and we were a family of 8.  Easy peasy🛳⚓❤

[Sunshine3601]

Do they still have the person with megaphone calling out check in times?    This was done earlier this year for a couple of our cruises.

We didn't have to stand in line outside since we arrived at the time our check in was being called to enter.

[Jerseygirl1416]

And do they have a separate suite line starting outside? I never saw one last September. It always looks so disorganized outside.

[Seannie]

1 hour ago, Corby114 said:

Try to arrive before 10:30AM when the larger crowds start showing up. Get in line and drop off your luggage with the porters. Then see if there allowing you to park your vehicle in the parking garage next to the terminal or do you have to park further away. On June 9th when I cruised on the Adventure Of The Seas the only vehicles allowed in the garage were handicapped passengers. We parked at one of the abandoned warehouse lots that is a short ten minute walk back to the terminal. After we arrived at the terminal we got on the long line. The entire process took approximately one hour from dropping off luggage to finishing the entire check in process. Having an earlier check in time didn’t make a difference and all passengers were on the same long line.

Is there a required fee for using the porters or is it tip based?  Or is this included in order for RCL to gather everyone’s checked luggage?

[Seannie]

39 minutes ago, mimi217 said:

just got back on Friday as well.  Our check in time was 10:30 . After dropping off our bags( which is very organized..porters directing you where to go) we parked in the garage,  From the time we got in line to walking on the ship it was 20 minutes.  We did the muster maybe another 10 minutes  DONE

and we were a family of 8.  Easy peasy🛳⚓❤

How does the luggage drop off work?  
 

Are you driving and see a sign that says  “luggage drop off”  and then you stop, unload your trunk of bags to be checked and then you get back in your car to drive to the parking area?  
 

With your large family, did the driver drop the rest of you off at the terminal and then drive to the parking lot by himself and meet up with you in line?

[Jerseygirl1416]

12 minutes ago, Seannie said:

Is there a required fee for using the porters or is it tip based?  Or is this included in order for RCL to gather everyone’s checked luggage?

Tip based.

[Jerseygirl1416]

1 minute ago, Seannie said:

How does the luggage drop off work?  
 

Are you driving and see a sign that says  “luggage drop off”  and then you stop, unload your trunk of bags to be checked and then you get back in your car to drive to the parking area?  
 

Yes this is exactly the way it works at Cape Liberty.

[Corby114]

The longshoreman are the employees that handle luggage service at the terminal. They fill up the carts and then roll them over to the ship where machine operators place them on the ship. In most cases I give them a tip of two dollars per bag. Once the carts are on the ship, the luggage is separated by crew members and delivered to the proper cabins.

[Corby114]

This process is done at every embarkation port in the world. Longshoreman are union workers that have strict rules and regulations that they must follow. There salaries are very generous and they also have excellent benefits. 

[robmtx]

On at least two occasions this summer, Oasis has had to leave the pier during boarding, and wait in the river to allow other marine traffic to transit.  This causes all boarding to stop for about 2 hours. Once checked in, you'd be shuttled to a waiting area...people may be a little grumpy here, so watch out! We saw a grown woman crying and yelling at a pier worker because she was being delayed access to the ship!! 

 

Also, on at least one occasion this summer, the computer system in the terminal went offline (during an Adventure boarding day), and the lines quickly backed up.

 

[loudbmw]

48 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

And do they have a separate suite line starting outside? I never saw one last September. It always looks so disorganized outside.

Unless you are Star Class, you wait with everyone until you get through the main door.  After that there is a separate line for Suites/Pinnacle starting at the security checkpoint.

Edited July 24, 2022 by loudbmw

[sunlover2]

Following

[timfan27]

Does anyone know if there is a key line inside?

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, Project-College said:

What are the best tips to make the process easy and quick?

Go after 2PM.

[Alexxussss]

Anyone know where to go for Covid testing at the port (Cape Liberty) for my 2 year old (unvaccinated)? I heard there was a separate line.

 

Thank you!