It is estimated that in 2006 alone, more than 1 million cruise passengers made their way through New York’s cruise terminals, and believe it or not, cruises depart from New York year-round – even during the cold winter season. According to USA Today’s On the Road with Luisa Frey Gaynor, “due to the popularity of year-round cruising from Manhattan, New York City’s west side terminal could no longer can accommodate all the ships and passengers.” So in 2006, NYC opened the $56 million cruise facility in Brooklyn. “Carnival Corporation entered into an agreement with the city of New York and made Brooklyn its New York berth of choice for its Princess Cruises and Cunard Lines.”
Manhattan’s cruise terminal is constantly being upgraded to better accommodate large ships, so “Five berths will be made into three so that mega ships can dock more easily; terminals are being reconfigured so that passengers do not disembark and embark on the same level; and a pedestrian bridge will be built across the West Side Highway to provide better access to taxis and Manhattan’s attractions. Plus tri-state-area passengers can sail from Bayonne, N.J., where Royal Caribbean built its own port facility in 2004.”
New York’s two cruise terminals – Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Manhattan Cruise Terminal – have won many prestigious awards such as:
Best New U.S. Homeport: Brooklyn Cruise Terminal; Porthole Cruise Magazine
Best Turnaround Port: Brooklyn Cruise Terminal; Princess Cruise Lines
Best U.S. Homeport: Brooklyn & Manhattan Cruise Terminals; TravelAge West
Departing from New York is not only popular because of what the city has to offer, but also because of the variety of cruises that depart from the Big Apple. The types of cruises that depart from New York range from three-day mini-cruises to full-blown to 40-106 day (or more) world cruises! In the United States overall, there are currently 326 official ports of entry located throughout the country, with 15 pre-clearance offices in Canada and the Caribbean.
Major cruise lines leaving from New York include: Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Cruise Lines, Holland America Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Princess Cruises. The Terminal also serves as a home port to some of the most prestigious cruise lines in the world, with itineraries to Bermuda, Canada, New England, Europe and the Caribbean.
Carnival Cruise Lines features Eastern Caribbean cruises and Canada & New England cruises leaving from New York as well as Bermuda and the popular 2-day “Cruise to Nowhere,” which explores the waters surrounding New York. Cunard features luxury cruises leaving from New York to places such as Sydney, Santiago, London, and Singapore. Holland America cruises leaving from New York will take you to Rome as well as the Eastern or Southern Caribbean, to name a few, and Norwegian Cruise Line sails to the Caribbean and the Bahamas from New York. You can also travel to Canada & New England, and the Eastern and Southern Caribbean from New York aboard Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess.
New York is homeport to some of Carnival Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Lines ships including: Carnival Conquest, Carnival Legend, Carnival Victory, Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Spirit, and Crown Princess (Princess Cruises).
If you want to book a cruise leaving from New York, contact visit your favorite cruise line’s website to book online or contact your local cruise travel agent. If you want to learn more about New York ports, visit NYCruise.com.