self disembarking NYC

[winterstar]

Can someone please explain the steps involved in self-disembarking off the QM2 in NYC? Is there a specific time when self-disembarkers have to line up to get off the ship or can we leave at any reasonable time? We are Canadians. Can we get an estimate on how long it will take to get through immegration/ how long to wait for a taxi into Manhattan? Is there a particular time when the queues are shorter?

Thanks!

[2moose]

Can someone please explain the steps involved in self-disembarking off the QM2 in NYC? Is there a specific time when self-disembarkers have to line up to get off the ship or can we leave at any reasonable time? We are Canadians. Can we get an estimate on how long it will take to get through immegration/ how long to wait for a taxi into Manhattan? Is there a particular time when the queues are shorter?

Thanks!

yes self help as it is called is the first to leave and the ship requires a pass or color coded tag since you are the 1st to leave i think you will not have a long wait(less than 1 hour including getting a cab) however once the masses leave the ship you are in for a real treat as taxis are toUgh to get and the immigration lines are long.The last time i was on the qm2 self help left at I believe 8:15am GOOD LUCK!!!EH!!!!

[Jim Avery]

Self help disembarking means carrying all your bags. Be sure you can schlep all the bags a relatively long way. Only problem we have had is that sometimes you are off the ship so quickly that there are no cabs. NY cabbies do not show up until they expect a "target rich environment". We marched, bags and all, two blocks inland to get a cab. What a thrill. Good Luck.

Jim.

[merryecho]

Don't know about the QM, but when we disembarked from a Crystal cruise, there were lines of cabs waiting for us- we were one of the first off the ship though.

[garycarla]

The answer will depend on which cruisedocks you are at. Check the other thread going that is talking about Red Hook. When you are sailing would have alot to do with this as well.

[winterstar]

Thanks for the additional info! We will be sailing wb Transatlantic dep. April 23. We will be arriving in Red Hook, as far as I know. I understand it will still be a learning experience. We won't have too much luggage as we will be coming off a coach tour where we can only have 1 bag per person (and they are on wheels)! Anyway....that's what I bring the hubby for :D

I didn't know about signing up ahead of time or being called...etc, so I still know more now than I did. Thanks again!

[Sirwinston]

Self help debark is great if you can swing it! I did it on the QE2 winter crossing in January of this year. Just make sure you have 2 bags per person or less. I was traveling with my 10 year old son. We had one large bag that we shared and two "carry ons" Instead of waiting for hours to leave the ship and the horror of trying to find bags on the peir we were able to spend several hours with a friend in N.Y. before our late afternoon flight. I have no idea what the experiance in "Red Hook" will be like....

I did do self help on the 3 day Mexico QM2. I was on my way home by 9:00 But for the 11 day Hawaii with the spouse we brought way too much stuff and I had to do normal check out. Boy is it fun to sit in a lounge for hours before they call your debark tag color. Because we were on lowly 5 deck and had not booked Cunard connections or flights we were next to last. (beacuse we were local we parked on the pier)

I have also done it on other cruise lines and if the cruise is short and you do not have a pile of luggage it is the way to go.

[bobby1119]

Self-help is the way to go. I have used it whenever I can manage to tend to my luggage alone. I was off QE2 most times within 15 minutes of docking. I was off Queen Mary my first time by 7:15 am. Last year I did not use self help after a Queen Mary cruise and we waited, waited and waited for more than 2 hours in the Queen's Room before disembarking... then the nighmare of finding luggage, getting porters and getting a cab. It's everyone's guess what the Red Hook experience will be.

 

Good luck.

[Ribble]

Self-help is the way to go. I have used it whenever I can manage to tend to my luggage alone. I was off QE2 most times within 15 minutes of docking. I was off Queen Mary my first time by 7:15 am. Last year I did not use self help after a Queen Mary cruise and we waited, waited and waited for more than 2 hours in the Queen's Room before disembarking... then the nighmare of finding luggage, getting porters and getting a cab. It's everyone's guess what the Red Hook experience will be.

 

Good luck.

 

We have "transfer" from the Fourth of July cruise which is provided by Cunard back to LaGuardia. Faster? Slower? No way to tell?