Manhattan Cruise Terminal - Recent Embarkation Experience?

[lx200gps]

If anyone has embarked onto a Bermuda-bound ship at the MCT, in the last week or two, how was your experience? A month ago, it was apparently a disaster,  due in part to issues with the Bermuda Travel Authorization and people not having the correct paperwork needed to get on the ship. We'll be boarding the Joy in a few days and I'm hoping things have improved and that embarkation won't take hours, given that Bermuda has loosened the requirements a bit by not requiring the uploading of test results.  Thanks in advance...

[Mike A]

Just got off the Joy this AM. It appears they got their act together.  Arrived 5/29 at 9:00. The line at security was not bad. They opened security at exactly 9:30. Once through security, waited on line for 15 minutes to verify Covid-19 and Bermuda TA paperwork. Next was check-in. YES, there was a separate Lattitudes Priority check-in section. We had 2 cabins. When finished we had a separate Lattitudes Priorty section to wait next to gangway. Special Needs and Haven started boarding at about 10:45. As soon as the special needs boarded we boarded and we stepped onto the ship at exactly 11:00AM. No Delays and Ropes were dropped at exactly 4:00. 
Easy Peasy !!!

Mike A

 

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Mike A

[lx200gps]

20 minutes ago, Mike A said:

Just got off the Joy this AM. It appears they got their act together.  Arrived 5/29 at 9:00. The line at security was not bad. They opened security at exactly 9:30. Once through security, waited on line for 15 minutes to verify Covid-19 and Bermuda TA paperwork. Next was check-in. YES, there was a separate Lattitudes Priority check-in section. We had 2 cabins. When finished we had a separate Lattitudes Priorty section to wait next to gangway. Special Needs and Haven started boarding at about 10:45. As soon as the special needs boarded we boarded and we stepped onto the ship at exactly 11:00AM. No Delays and Ropes were dropped at exactly 4:00. 
Easy Peasy !!!

Mike A

 

 

Outstanding, thanks Mike.  We have no priority at all, so to minimize the amount of time spent in the waiting area, we were thinking about only entering the terminal around the time the boarding begins, or maybe just after the initial rush have boarded.  And literally as I was writing this, our Final Approvals came through from Bermuda.

Edited June 5, 2022 by lx200gps

[UKstages]

the other strategy to avoid crowds is to arrive late and breeze through.

 

i walked by he terminal at 2 PM  today and here was nobody there. now, there could have been a crowd upstairs, but, generally, if there is nobody at street level, including porters, it's all over but the shouting.

 

glad to hear they have made some progress in clearing up the mess that is the MCT departure experience!

[lx200gps]

5 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the other strategy to avoid crowds is to arrive late and breeze through.

 

i walked by he terminal at 2 PM  today and here was nobody there. now, there could have been a crowd upstairs, but, generally, if there is nobody at street level, including porters, it's all over but the shouting.

 

glad to hear they have made some progress in clearing up the mess that is the MCT departure experience!

That's definitely our fallback option. Losing a couple of hours of drinking and exploring would be a small price to pay for a very simple and fast check-in and boarding.

[ChiefMateJRK]

26 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

That's definitely our fallback option. Losing a couple of hours of drinking and exploring would be a small price to pay for a very simple and fast check-in and boarding.

Well, we all have our own priority systems.....  🤣

[CleverUserNameHere]

We just got off the Joy May 29th sailing and I can confidently say it was the worst embarkation experience I ever witnessed out of 5 cruises. To be fair, we arrived an hour later than we wanted to with our 9:30 boarding time (10:30-10:45). There were so many lines and not even enough capacity for the people in line. After we waited in line for security, there was the bermuda travel authorization line, then the covid test for my 2 year old, then the check in line. We didn't walk onto the ship until 1:30-2:00. And we actually got to skip the majority of the security line because of our stroller.

 

I wouldn't say it was disorganized but there definitely was not the capacity, even in that giant terminal, to handle the additional lines. As we were disembarking there were people arriving around 8:30 and there was no line. We said next time we need to be extra sure to arrive much earlier.

 

That being said, disembarking and customs was a breeze. From walking out of our cabin to getting into our car was about 45 minutes. They didn't use luggage carousels and the bags were easy to spot and grab.

[vacation44]

1 hour ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

We just got off the Joy May 29th sailing and I can confidently say it was the worst embarkation experience I ever witnessed out of 5 cruises. To be fair, we arrived an hour later than we wanted to with our 9:30 boarding time (10:30-10:45). There were so many lines and not even enough capacity for the people in line. After we waited in line for security, there was the bermuda travel authorization line, then the covid test for my 2 year old, then the check in line. We didn't walk onto the ship until 1:30-2:00. And we actually got to skip the majority of the security line because of our stroller.

 

I wouldn't say it was disorganized but there definitely was not the capacity, even in that giant terminal, to handle the additional lines. As we were disembarking there were people arriving around 8:30 and there was no line. We said next time we need to be extra sure to arrive much earlier.

 

That being said, disembarking and customs was a breeze. From walking out of our cabin to getting into our car was about 45 minutes. They didn't use luggage carousels and the bags were easy to spot and grab.

I remember you had a suite so was there any priority boarding for you as there were supposed to be?

[CleverUserNameHere]

8 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

I remember you had a suite so was there any priority boarding for you as there were supposed to be?

 

We did have the family suite and I asked at the start of every line if this is where the priority boarding started and every time I was told that there was only priority boarding for Haven 😕 

 

There wasn't priority disembark/embarkment in Bermuda either. We did get priority luggage delivery from what I could tell though.

 

Honestly the only thing that showed that the room was a "suite" was the Nespresso machine in the room which actually 100% made our mornings better. The bath amenities were nice too, I actually used the ones in the rooms rather than the ones I packed (including about half the bottle of lotion after a sunburn thanks to our day at Tobacco bay...)

[lx200gps]

1 minute ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

 

We did have the family suite and I asked at the start of every line if this is where the priority boarding started and every time I was told that there was only priority boarding for Haven 😕 

 

There wasn't priority disembark/embarkment in Bermuda either. We did get priority luggage delivery from what I could tell though.

 

Honestly the only thing that showed that the room was a "suite" was the Nespresso machine in the room which actually 100% made our mornings better. The bath amenities were nice too, I actually used the ones in the rooms rather than the ones I packed (including about half the bottle of lotion after a sunburn thanks to our day at Tobacco bay...)

We are also in one of the non-Haven Suites, (SC category, I believe, so not the family suite you had) and do understand there are virtually to perqs that come with it. The principle reason we chose it was because, from the photos and videos we have seen, they are significantly larger in floor area than a standard balcony cabin. Was that not the case with the suite cabin you had?

[UKstages]

10 minutes ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

I was told that there was only priority boarding for Haven 😕 

 

i've mentioned this in a few other threads regarding the MCT priority boarding process, but i'll repeat myself here. i traveled in the haven in april out manhattan and there was nothing "priority" about the boarding until after security and after the document check line. took a little over two hours until anybody could get to what passed for "priority" boarding for latitudes, CAS or haven.

[CleverUserNameHere]

5 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

We are also in one of the non-Haven Suites, (SC category, I believe, so not the family suite you had) and do understand there are virtually to perqs that come with it. The principle reason we chose it was because, from the photos and videos we have seen, they are significantly larger in floor area than a standard balcony cabin. Was that not the case with the suite cabin you had?

 

Actually we chose the family suite because of the space, not because it was a suite, and we were very happy with the cabin. My mother in law had her own room and bathroom, and we were able to have breakfast in the main living space most mornings which was really nice. I think it was about 500 square feet and had a virtual balcony. I would book that room again in a heartbeat (although I may reconsider if they eliminate the Nespresso machine lol)

[vacation44]

11 hours ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

 

We did have the family suite and I asked at the start of every line if this is where the priority boarding started and every time I was told that there was only priority boarding for Haven 😕 

 

 

Thank you for your update on the priority boarding situation (or lack of).   When you asked if this was were priority boarding started and they said only for Haven, did you try to correct them and said that suites were entitled to priority boarding also?    

 

I have been told that NCL is working to correct the problem, but apparently nothing has been done yet.   

Love the Nespresso machine also!

[DKLI]

11 hours ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

 

Actually we chose the family suite because of the space, not because it was a suite, and we were very happy with the cabin. My mother in law had her own room and bathroom, and we were able to have breakfast in the main living space most mornings which was really nice. I think it was about 500 square feet and had a virtual balcony. I would book that room again in a heartbeat (although I may reconsider if they eliminate the Nespresso machine lol)

Did you order room service for breakfast?  And did they charge you?  I've seen conflicting reports about charges for room service in the family suite.  We have one book in July and can't wait to experience it...was a real struggle to give up a balcony for it...lol.  Thank you.

[goldmom]

I have found in the MCT that when we have a non-haven suite on the Jewel class ships, I just tell the staff that we're in the Haven.  They check their clipboard and our suite number is there and away we go.

The staff at the terminal does not understand that there are Haven and non-haven suites.

Not sure if the non-haven suites on the Joy would work the same as some of those suite categories are in a class of their own.

[lx200gps]

17 minutes ago, DKLI said:

Did you order room service for breakfast?  And did they charge you?  I've seen conflicting reports about charges for room service in the family suite.  We have one book in July and can't wait to experience it...was a real struggle to give up a balcony for it...lol.  Thank you.

We're about to board the Joy in a few days, in the balcony version of your family suite (so same perqs, etc). At least on the Joy, there definitely was confusion over the room service charges for these suites. NCL shows that these suites get two free room service deliveries, which some, including myself, assumed meant that we could order room service twice for free, but pay the standard $9.95 for any other room service deliveries. As I now understand things, the two "free" room service deliveries are actually two little plates of finger food canape deliveries THEY send to your room for free; if you want to order room service for yourself, choosing your own food, the delivery charge applies.

[BklynBorn47]

12 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

i've mentioned this in a few other threads regarding the MCT priority boarding process, but i'll repeat myself here. i traveled in the haven in april out manhattan and there was nothing "priority" about the boarding until after security and after the document check line. took a little over two hours until anybody could get to what passed for "priority" boarding for latitudes, CAS or haven.

We also were boarding in April (Escape on the 25th) and I confirm the above post.  We arrived at 2:30 at the pier - our first time in the Haven.  We would have boarded faster if we had NOT been "priority."  
The Intercoastal crew "ran out of numbers" and put us in a separate section until they would get the recycled boarding numbers.  It NEVER happened!  They would give the recycled numbers as they became available to the people arriving later.  There were 8 couples in our situation and appeals to those in charge got nowhere. "We would have to wait"  AND wait we did until about 6:30 as the absolute last people to board the ship.  The loud pounding music gave me such a headache I started our B2B2B in a horrible mood.

We even missed dinner. 

Fortunately, the rest of our first Haven experience was wonderful and in time I dismissed our time in "Haven Holding Hell" as one of those unexpected things that happen.

[Topdog52]

14 hours ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

We just got off the Joy May 29th sailing and I can confidently say it was the worst embarkation experience I ever witnessed out of 5 cruises. To be fair, we arrived an hour later than we wanted to with our 9:30 boarding time (10:30-10:45). There were so many lines and not even enough capacity for the people in line. After we waited in line for security, there was the bermuda travel authorization line, then the covid test for my 2 year old, then the check in line. We didn't walk onto the ship until 1:30-2:00. And we actually got to skip the majority of the security line because of our stroller.

 

I wouldn't say it was disorganized but there definitely was not the capacity, even in that giant terminal, to handle the additional lines. As we were disembarking there were people arriving around 8:30 and there was no line. We said next time we need to be extra sure to arrive much earlier.

 

That being said, disembarking and customs was a breeze. From walking out of our cabin to getting into our car was about 45 minutes. They didn't use luggage carousels and the bags were easy to spot and grab.

Can you still get covid testing at the pier just incase some can not do the 48hr test at home?  

[Mike A]

14 hours ago, CleverUserNameHere said:

We just got off the Joy May 29th sailing and I can confidently say it was the worst embarkation experience I ever witnessed out of 5 cruises. To be fair, we arrived an hour later than we wanted to with our 9:30 boarding time (10:30-10:45). There were so many lines and not even enough capacity for the people in line. After we waited in line for security, there was the bermuda travel authorization line, then the covid test for my 2 year old, then the check in line. We didn't walk onto the ship until 1:30-2:00. And we actually got to skip the majority of the security line because of our stroller.

 

I wouldn't say it was disorganized but there definitely was not the capacity, even in that giant terminal, to handle the additional lines. As we were disembarking there were people arriving around 8:30 and there was no line. We said next time we need to be extra sure to arrive much earlier.

 

That being said, disembarking and customs was a breeze. From walking out of our cabin to getting into our car was about 45 minutes. They didn't use luggage carousels and the bags were easy to spot and grab.

First off, I am very sorry that you had such a hassle getting on the ship. The place where there the Latitudes/Priority sign was immediately after the Covid-19/Bermuda TA Documents check in. Could not miss it. It was the line with ropes on the left. However, there were no Latitudes/Priority lines for Security or Documents (Haven Only). Compounding the problem for you was you needed to have the Covid-19 test for your 2 year old. Following the test they should have directed you to the Priority Line and unfortunately they did not. Also if you only said Suite to them not Latitudes or Priority to the employee they probably had no idea what you were talking about. This is where MCT continues to drop the ball.

Regarding boarding, you boarded after embarkation started. Therefore, if you had been able to use the Priority check-in you would have been directed to gangway and walked on. We finished early so we were directed to an unmarked roped in area which was opened to allow boarding after special needs.

 

[Mike A]

18 hours ago, lx200gps said:

Outstanding, thanks Mike.  We have no priority at all, so to minimize the amount of time spent in the waiting area, we were thinking about only entering the terminal around the time the boarding begins, or maybe just after the initial rush have boarded.  And literally as I was writing this, our Final Approvals came through from Bermuda.

I am an early bird so I would recommend getting there at 8:30 to be at front of security line. This should allow you to get a good boarding number at the document line. Once you finish check in you should be one of the first after priority and special needs about 11:00. 

Edited June 6, 2022 by Mike A

[lx200gps]

37 minutes ago, Mike A said:

I am an early bird so I would recommend getting there at 8:30 to be at front of security line. This should allow you to get a good boarding number at the document line. Once you finish check in you should be one of the first after priority and special needs about 11:00. 

Ordinarily (at  least in other ports, like Port Everglades, LA, Seattle, etc) we always arrive very early and are among the very first standing outside even before they open the doors to incoming pax.  This time, however, there's the small matter of a lot of unmasked people in a very tight space, together with a rise in onboard cases and an increase in onboard quarantines. We feel that wearing masks in the terminal and on the ship, together with avoiding sitting in the crowded terminal for a few hours waiting for boarding to start, will at least improve our chances of staying bug-free.  If we do catch the bug, a few days stuck in ship quarantine would pale beside the 2 weeks we would legally have to quarantine after arriving home to Canada COVID positive. So we're planning to arrive at the Pier around 9ish, drop our suitcases then walk mid-town for a few hours and then enter the terminal just after the first crowds are heading into the ship.

 

I have to admit I'm a bit mystified as to why there seem to be  so many "check-in" lines to visit. Apparently you don't just go to one check-in counter as in the other ports, to show boarding pass, passport, vaccination docs, test result and Bermuda Approval to one person and then collect your room card, there are multiple stops for document checks?  Wouldn't this cause delays and slow-downs?

[cmjars]

So we are a party of 13 staying in the Haven going out if NYC Terminal on the 3rd when should we arrive? We have one is our party who has trouble walking.

 

Thank you!

Edited June 6, 2022 by cmjars

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, goldmom said:

I have found in the MCT that when we have a non-haven suite on the Jewel class ships, I just tell the staff that we're in the Haven.  They check their clipboard and our suite number is there and away we go.

The staff at the terminal does not understand that there are Haven and non-haven suites.

Not sure if the non-haven suites on the Joy would work the same as some of those suite categories are in a class of their own.

Thank you.  I think this is a great suggestion for the Joy non-Haven suites at the MCT.     We are currently booked in one and if we decide to stay in one (waiting to see if the Haven prices drop), we will definitely try this approach.   

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, Mike A said:

The place where there the Latitudes/Priority sign was immediately after the Covid-19/Bermuda TA Documents check in. Could not miss it. It was the line with ropes on the left. However, there were no Latitudes/Priority lines for Security or Documents (Haven Only). Compounding the problem for you was you needed to have the Covid-19 test for your 2 year old. Following the test they should have directed you to the Priority Line and unfortunately they did not. Also if you only said Suite to them not Latitudes or Priority to the employee they probably had no idea what you were talking about. This is where MCT continues to drop the ball.

Regarding boarding, you boarded after embarkation started. Therefore, if you had been able to use the Priority check-in you would have been directed to gangway and walked on. We finished early so we were directed to an unmarked roped in area which was opened to allow boarding after special needs.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.     We will be sure to stress priority and not use the word suite when it is our turn.

 

As a side note, I grew up in Wantagh.  

[goldmom]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you.  I think this is a great suggestion for the Joy non-Haven suites at the MCT.     We are currently booked in one and if we decide to stay in one (waiting to see if the Haven prices drop), we will definitely try this approach.   

Good luck.  Hope it works for you.  As I said as long as your suite is listed on their "Haven" list you should be good.  Enjoy!