Joy NYC Boarding

[joestein514]

What is the boarding like at Pier 88.

 

We are taking the NCL Joy cruise on August 20.

 

I have heard that the boarding is a mess and that you wait for hours, regardless of when your boarding time is.

 

So - what is the truth?

 

Also - if boarding is a mess, does it make more sense to show up later - like 1pm?

[Pitzel]

We boarded the Prima last month and had no issues at all. We picked a 9:30 arrival time and we were through security and checked in in about 15 minutes. We took a seat in the waiting area and started boarding a bit after 11. I think we were onboard and eating lunch by 11:30 or so. Easy peasy. 
 

I don’t know if the Joy will be the same, but the Prima had several check in areas divided by floor. That seemed to make things much smoother, since there were more places to distribute the guests and fewer key cards at each station. 

[joestein514]

Did you board in NYC?

[luv2kroooz]

I've sailed out of NYC a lot. It has been hit or miss but mostly for reasons outside of NCL control.

The terminals are smack in the middle of an extremely busy city. A lot can depend on whether you are embarking on a weekday or weekend due to rush hour traffic, although traffic is always pretty bad in NYC. Second, it will depend on how many ships are in the port area on the day you board. Some ships may be using NYC as a port of call and it may be turnaround day for others. I have sailed from NYC on a day when NCL was embarking guests and Costa was using the same terminal as a port of call. Yes, both ships were sharing the same terminal. Finally, yes, the terminal buildings in NYC are pretty outdated and were never intended to handle the volume of passengers on ships like Joy. Our preference is to get to the port between 9 and 10, we get our check in handled and then relax in the waiting area. We have priority boarding on NCL, but even if you don't they will give you a boarding number and it usually goes pretty quickly and smoothly once the ship is ready to begin boarding passengers. We have found embarkation to be much smoother than debarkation. Good luck!

[RB9643]

2 hours ago, joestein514 said:

Also - if boarding is a mess, does it make more sense to show up later - like 1pm?

 

Early boarding is almost always a challenge, and a wait. But it has its advantages.

 

If you wait awhile, but get on board early, you can do your muster, book shows, and eat lunch in the MDR rather than the buffet.

 

If you get there at 1:00, you will likely walk straight on board, but still have to do all that stuff and end up in a massively crowded buffet.

 

Your choice, but we'll wait awhile and get onboard as soon as possible.

 

 

[phillygwm]

2 hours ago, Pitzel said:

I don’t know if the Joy will be the same, but the Prima had several check in areas divided by floor. That seemed to make things much smoother, since there were more places to distribute the guests and fewer key cards at each station. 

I boarded the Joy in Manhattan.  It was about 6 months ago but it was pretty smooth, similar to what's described above.  The pier is long, so there's a potential walk for folks.  Bear that in mind if you have mobility issues.  Aside from that, easy peasy.

[Pitzel]

2 hours ago, joestein514 said:

Did you board in NYC?

Yes. The Prima sailed from NYC to Bermuda. 

 

I also sailed on the Bliss out of NYC in 2020, but boarding wasn't as smooth then. I think they have made changes for the better recently.

[js]

Hi. In addition to boarding, how much is parking at the pier. We live about 40 minutes away so we will be driving. 
 

Thank you. 

[shof515]

6 hours ago, js said:

Hi. In addition to boarding, how much is parking at the pier. We live about 40 minutes away so we will be driving. 
 

Thank you. 

45 dollars a day

https://nycruise.com/manhattan-terminal/parking/

[LouChamp]

Aloha. i was born and raised in Manhattan and have been sailing out of NY from time to time since 1971.  It has been and will always be a mess lol. That said, sometimes the process is easier than others depending on many factors such as weather, parades and other city events, day of week,  ship size, etc.  The roof parking at the pier is usually best if the line to go up the ramp and past the terminal entrance is moving along. If you get there as people are still leaving and retrieving their vehicles, it is a mess x2.  Sometimes I have parked in lots on the side streets of 12th avenue. Never had a problem and the rates are comparable and sometimes less. The only caveat is if you have a lot of luggage because you have to cross 12th avenue to get to the terminal area.  Hope this helps. Either way…enjoy!

[joestein514]

SO, I live in NJ and was planning to take an UBER or car service to/from the port.   It doesnt seem to make sense to pay for parking for a 10 day cruise.    

 

Any tips on embarking or disembarking?

[bkrickles1]

59 minutes ago, joestein514 said:

SO, I live in NJ and was planning to take an UBER or car service to/from the port.   It doesnt seem to make sense to pay for parking for a 10 day cruise.    

 

Any tips on embarking or disembarking?

100% doesn't make sense to pay for parking there for a 10 day sailing. $45/day is crazy!

I won't do it for a 7 day cruise.

We took a car service last summer from about an hour away on Long Island and will do the same this summer for our next Joy sailing.

As far as embarking is concerned, I'm an early arrival person. 

My group of 13 will be arriving by 8:30AM. We'll wait a little for security to open and then we'll wait a little to board, but I prefer that so that we get on board as early as possible to get our chores out of the way and to start enjoying the cruise.

[psac]

We’ve done a bunch of cruises out of NY. We’ve actually found the debarkation to usually be much worse than the embarkation. 😁 it gets really backed up. Even more annoying after doing a few sailings out of Bayonne and they handle it better with even bigger ships.  But anyway, our last two sailings out of NY we were delayed coming back, both times not NCL’s fault. So we started debarking 1-2 hours late each time. Of course that would wreck the embarkation for the boarding after ours. 

[JGmf]

I've found boarding in NYC is no worse than other locations I've sailed out of.  Parking is expensive, yes, at $45/day, but it's very intuitive and couldn't be any closer.  The Pier boarding area is super large and manages to get the job done, way more roomy than the pier in Miami, for example.

 

Disembarkation was similarly 'the same' as other cities/piers with respect to waiting, however, the big difference in NYC is the very long walk from the ship, down the ramp, to the elevator/escalator, to customs, and then to the exit. 

 

My family, friends, and I don't have an issue with the walk, but for someone frail or with walking issues getting out of the pier is very long slog.

[joestein514]

How is it getting an UBER in NYC after disembarking?

 

[js]

On 6/1/2023 at 5:58 AM, shof515 said:

45 dollars a day

https://nycruise.com/manhattan-terminal/parking/

Thank you so much!

I'm guessing I will take Uber then LOL
 

[bkrickles1]

2 hours ago, joestein514 said:

How is it getting an UBER in NYC after disembarking?

 

I've never had an issue.