Azamara from Manhattan Cruise Terminal

This an Azamara specific question, but I asked it on the Azamara board first and didn’t get much response.

We live quite close to NYC and have boarded ships - mostly Carnival- at the Manhattan Cruise terminal many times. I’m wondering if Azamara or any of the smaller cruise companies do anything differently. We will also be coming into Manhattan (I hope) on Viking later next year.

Usually we are boarding there with 3000 or more of our “closest friends,” so it’s a bit like a cattle call. Total mob scene.

I’m hoping with only 600 or so, that the experience will be a bit more sedate [emoji41]. We boarded a Viking ship in San Juan recently and it was the easiest, quickest boarding I’ve ever done - even in a building that was only half open due to hurricane damage.

Have any of you boarded an Azamara ship or any small ship like Viking in Manhattan?

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Never took a small ship but understand the three piers of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal can have 2 ships each (sometimes more depending on size) so if your ship is docked at Pier 88 with an NCL Breakaway size ship you will be mixing it up with 4,000 other jealous friends.

I did board a Carnival ship Pier 90 and there was a smaller ship on that pier that wasn't on a port of call, post-security they directed you to the proper side for processing.

Your experience may differ.

I don't see the Azamara on the current Manhattan/Brooklyn schedule to see if other ships are in port on the same date. When do you sail?

https://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

Never took a small ship but understand the three piers of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal can have 2 ships each (sometimes more depending on size) so if your ship is docked at Pier 88 with an NCL Breakaway size ship you will be mixing it up with 4,000 other jealous friends.

I did board a Carnival ship Pier 90 and there was a smaller ship on that pier that wasn't on a port of call, post-security they directed you to the proper side for processing.

Your experience may differ.

 

I don't see the Azamara on the current Manhattan/Brooklyn schedule to see if other ships are in port on the same date. When do you sail?

https://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

The cruise isn't until April of 2019. We just booked it, recently and I'm not very familiar with Azamara. I understand they usually use Cape Liberty, but this is PerryGolf related cruise, so I'm guessing that is the reason - or part of it - that they are leaving from Manhattan. My TA checked twice to make sure.

Hoping if there is another ship it's not the Breakaway or the new one that's even bigger! :eek:

We're used to Pier 90 and I have seen other smaller ships, but no sign of their passengers. I'm just an OCD planner - who mostly plans to fill in the time until the cruise. And I have to know everything ;p

It looked like OP's ship will be docking on a weekday - where odds are, NCL and/or Carnival ships won't be next berth over ... NCL Escape will be replacing the Breakaway, essentially the same mega-class ship.

For 4,500+ pax, it does tend to overwhelm facilities & resources, ground transportation & traffic outside the pier on 12th Avenue is a guaranteed mess. The mid-sized NCL Dawn/Gem ships with 2,500 pax are much easier and those usually quite smooth ... we've disembark quite a few times over the last 20 years to know.

If multiple ships are scheduled, like when the Aida ship doing an overnight port of call, smaller ship get "bumped" to Pier 90, Aida was actually on the other side of #90 - don't really recall Pier 92 being used since Sandy's storm hit in 2012.

With 600 or so pax on the Azamara, it should be smooth, quick & easy - demographics are also different vs. the Carnival crowd ... the unknown is whether CBP will "adjust" and downsize their staffing level with the expected passenger count to "manage" the flow. I know last November, when we walk off the Breakaway with supposingly Priority Disembark, it was still a zoo (circus) inside the luggage hall going toward the inspection booth for the exit. As we often do, DW has no patience for it, we flag a porter to haul our 2 rollerboards, 1 backpack, 1 cabin/train tote - and breeze to the street corner via their exclusive bypass ... took all of 10 minutes once we got downstairs.

But, as lucky as we thought we're & tipping for the services, it was NYC Marathon that Sunday & the car service driver had trouble ... to make a long story short, we walk across 12th Avenue & waited less than 5 minutes into a yellow taxi. I'll skip the rest of that trip history.

OP should be fine, I seriously doubt that the porters & pier officials would do anything different ... Traffic this morning on the LIE (anything but) Express... way, I-495 heading into Manhattan was anything but simple or easy with a flip-over, all 3 lanes + 1 on the other side in Queens blocked & shut down for quite some time.

It looked like OP's ship will be docking on a weekday - where odds are, NCL and/or Carnival ships won't be next berth over ... NCL Escape will be replacing the Breakaway, essentially the same mega-class ship.

 

 

 

For 4,500+ pax, it does tend to overwhelm facilities & resources, ground transportation & traffic outside the pier on 12th Avenue is a guaranteed mess. The mid-sized NCL Dawn/Gem ships with 2,500 pax are much easier and those usually quite smooth ... we've disembark quite a few times over the last 20 years to know.

 

 

 

If multiple ships are scheduled, like when the Aida ship doing an overnight port of call, smaller ship get "bumped" to Pier 90, Aida was actually on the other side of #90 - don't really recall Pier 92 being used since Sandy's storm hit in 2012.

 

 

 

With 600 or so pax on the Azamara, it should be smooth, quick & easy - demographics are also different vs. the Carnival crowd ... the unknown is whether CBP will "adjust" and downsize their staffing level with the expected passenger count to "manage" the flow. I know last November, when we walk off the Breakaway with supposingly Priority Disembark, it was still a zoo (circus) inside the luggage hall going toward the inspection booth for the exit. As we often do, DW has no patience for it, we flag a porter to haul our 2 rollerboards, 1 backpack, 1 cabin/train tote - and breeze to the street corner via their exclusive bypass ... took all of 10 minutes once we got downstairs.

 

 

 

But, as lucky as we thought we're & tipping for the services, it was NYC Marathon that Sunday & the car service driver had trouble ... to make a long story short, we walk across 12th Avenue & waited less than 5 minutes into a yellow taxi. I'll skip the rest of that trip history.

 

 

 

OP should be fine, I seriously doubt that the porters & pier officials would do anything different ... Traffic this morning on the LIE (anything but) Express... way, I-495 heading into Manhattan was anything but simple or easy with a flip-over, all 3 lanes + 1 on the other side in Queens blocked & shut down for quite some time.

Thanks for the detailed report! I guess the smallest ship we boarded there was the Carnival Miracle, but that was awhile ago. We boarded the Carnival Sunshine this past September and it wasn’t too bad, but we had priority boarding. We are lowly first timers with Azamara, so no perks [emoji17]

We usually take our luggage on the ship ourselves because we pack light. I think with the Azamara cruise, we will let the porters take them.

I think you’re right about pier 92. Good to know that it’s not likely we will have mega ships to contend with. Not so much worried about disembarking. Not in a hurry then. We only live across the river [emoji41]. So glad not to have flights to deal with.

Looking forward to this cruise. Thanks again.

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Since the arrival of the Azamara is probably not a closed loop cruise, CBP may take a little longer to clear the ship/crew. Your boarding maybe delayed or it may not as those arriving may be delayed while they clear the ship.

CBP usually only crew ending their contract on closed-loop cruises but pay a little more attention to cruises arriving that aren't closed loop.

Since the arrival of the Azamara is probably not a closed loop cruise, CBP may take a little longer to clear the ship/crew. Your boarding maybe delayed or it may not as those arriving may be delayed while they clear the ship.

CBP usually only crew ending their contract on closed-loop cruises but pay a little more attention to cruises arriving that aren't closed loop.

Ours is a closed loop. The cruise before is Miami to NYC via a bunch of Caribbean islands, so I guess we will have to wait and see! Thanks.

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FYI - Here's the NY port schedule so you can see if other ships are in port on your day.

https://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

FYI - Here's the NY port schedule so you can see if other ships are in port on your day.

 

https://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

Thanks!

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FYI - Here's the NY port schedule so you can see if other ships are in port on your day.

 

https://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

Thanks!

 

 

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That's the same 2018 schedule to which a link was provided back at the beginning of the thread in post #2.

The 2019 schedule won't be published on the nycruise.com site until late this year.