NCL NY embarkation and self-disembarkation: the good, the bad, and the ugly

[shof515]

Does NCL and Carnival use the same pier? When i disembark on carnival, everything was on the same level whereas when i read some posts it looks like once you enter the building you have go downstairs to the lower level. I know theres 3-4 piers, maybe they are all a bit different

[njhorseman]

Does NCL and Carnival use the same pier? When i disembark on carnival, everything was on the same level whereas when i read some posts it looks like once you enter the building you have go downstairs to the lower level. I know theres 3-4 piers, maybe they are all a bit different

 

NCL generally uses Pier 88, which after its recent renovation requires passengers to go downstairs to the ground level in order to retrieve their luggage and clear customs and immigration. You probably disembarked at Pier 90 on your Carnival cruise, which is set up differently.

[Brighton Line]

Yes most times NCL is Pier 88 the southern or downtown Pier nex to the Intrepid and Carnival is the next north Pier 90. Don't know what they do when more then 2 ships are in on the same day, does not happen often but there is a day or two that will happen. Yesterday there was four in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn.

Le Boreal, MSC Poesia, Glory, Norwegian Jewel, Caribbean Princess [brooklyn]

 

You can see what ships on what days in NY (Manhattan and Brooklyn) here:

2011: http://www.nycruise.com/documents/2011_NYCruise_Schedule_8-26-10.pdf

2010: http://www.nycruise.com/documents/AM-00229CruiseCalendar2010.pdf

FWIW

[billys mom]

does anyone know if they have any special arrangements for handicapped passengers to get off of the ship at the end of the cruise? my father uses a wheelchair for travel and it would be difficult to have to get around with large crowds trying to get off.

[mjkacmom]

does anyone know if they have any special arrangements for handicapped passengers to get off of the ship at the end of the cruise? my father uses a wheelchair for travel and it would be difficult to have to get around with large crowds trying to get off.

 

They probably do - and I did see people in wheelchairs bypassing the long customs line.

[Brighton Line]

does anyone know if they have any special arrangements for handicapped passengers to get off of the ship at the end of the cruise? my father uses a wheelchair for travel and it would be difficult to have to get around with large crowds trying to get off.

 

On my cruise on the Jewel anyone that was handicap were directed to the non-US Citizen line which was shorter. I don't know what priority they got on the ship though.

FWIW

[njhorseman]

does anyone know if they have any special arrangements for handicapped passengers to get off of the ship at the end of the cruise? my father uses a wheelchair for travel and it would be difficult to have to get around with large crowds trying to get off.

 

They will ask passengers needing assistance disembarking to meet in a designated lounge at a specific time.

[GriffinAlexander]

We just got back from our first cruise.

 

I was offered priority wheelchair embarkation and disembarkation because I'm disabled w/ 8 bad discs, but I didn't bother with it. I use a cane depending on the day I can get by without it sometimes too, and the line to get on was short w/ CAS.

 

Getting off, for Port of Miami, those of us who live in Fl and drove to the port seemed to have no other options than to lug our own stuff off the ship. I would have liked to tip a porter to get my stuff off. I asked the steward and he said that since we drove to the parking lot, we'd listen for our color coded luggage tags, the same ones we used to embark that have been on our luggage all week to get off the ship on self disembark. It was a long line and tough on my back, but we didn't see another option. Maybe 45 minutes on the Epic all told. No hold up at customs. There were a couple of people in line losing their tempers but there were also others who were good about the line being discombobulated.

 

Did we miss something that our steward should have told us? I would have preferred to walk off with just our iPads and electronics and pick up the other bags downstairs cleared through customs if that is possible.