Embarkation at Manhattan Cruise Terminal

[7Trainguy1951]

Sailing on the Escape this September and was wondering how difficult it is to walk from the gangway onto the ship. My wife and BIL have some difficulty walking up stairs or ramps. Can someone tell me what deck you enter the ship and if the ramps are real steep? Thanks for any help.

[JandC_Cruising]

@7Trainguy1951Boarding the Escape in NYC will be onto deck 7.  Here is a video I found that you can see the whole boarding ramp.  You can see if it is too steep for your needs.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by JandC_Cruising

[goldmom]

It is not that far, but generally there's one or two turns and the ramps are definitely inclined and for people with mobility issues it can be a struggle.  Your best bet would be to contact NCL special needs department and request a wheelchair assist.  It will take them from the terminal to the ship.  It's been super helpful for my DH.

The only thing is you may have to wait a little while for a wheelchair to become available.

[JGmf]

Yes, it's not an easy walk for mobility-challenged individuals.  At least a 20%+ grade.

[www3traveler]

49 minutes ago, goldmom said:

It is not that far, but generally there's one or two turns and the ramps are definitely inclined and for people with mobility issues it can be a struggle.  Your best bet would be to contact NCL special needs department and request a wheelchair assist.  It will take them from the terminal to the ship.  It's been super helpful for my DH.

The only thing is you may have to wait a little while for a wheelchair to become available.

I agree   Best way to go  With the Escape being as large as it is, you might consider a lightweight travel wheelchair.  I have friends that travel all the time with one.  Smaller and easier to handle than power scooters you can rent.  Just a thought

[7Trainguy1951]

Thank you all for your help. I'll contact NCL and assistance onto the ship.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, 7Trainguy1951 said:

Sailing on the Escape this September and was wondering how difficult it is to walk from the gangway onto the ship. My wife and BIL have some difficulty walking up stairs or ramps. Can someone tell me what deck you enter the ship and if the ramps are real steep? Thanks for any help.

You board at Deck 7,,, which is not important since you do not walk up from Deck 1 which is below water level. You enter the upper level of the terminal which has security, check-in and the waiting area. You probably are at about a Deck 6ish level (determined by the tide level) and walk up the gangway to the ship. 

 

Before you get to the long security line, there is a place to request assistance all the way to the right. 

 

And once through security, there is a check in line for people requiring assistance. New York uses two check in areas based on your deck. I think that all special assistance passengers check in the area just beyond security. 

 

The gangways at New York are no better or worse than other ports. The gangways are inclined and the flooring is uneven due to the joints in the moving gangway structure. I would strongly suggest that you get assistance boarding the ship. 

 

When we boarded our cruise in Manhattan last year, the tide was low and after walking up the zig-zag gangway, there was actually a slight downward slope to enter the ship. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by BirdTravels

[JandC_Cruising]

2 hours ago, JGmf said:

Yes, it's not an easy walk for mobility-challenged individuals.  At least a 20%+ grade.

Agree that it may be a challenge, but it is definitely less than a 20% grade, which is steep!

Passenger Ship guidelines for ramps are 1:8 or 12.5%

ADA ramp guidelines on land are 1:12 or 8.3%. 

My guess is that it cannot be greater than 12.5%, but may be as low as 8.3% to ensure they are ADA compliant in the terminal.

If there is any concern at all, you should arrange a wheelchair.

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Agree that it may be a challenge, but it is definitely less than a 20% grade, which is steep!

Passenger Ship guidelines for ramps are 1:8 or 12.5%

ADA ramp guidelines on land are 1:12 or 8.3%. 

My guess is that it cannot be greater than 12.5%, but may be as low as 8.3% to ensure they are ADA compliant in the terminal.

If there is any concern at all, you should arrange a wheelchair.

In the video it looked like most passengers were taking about 40 steps on each of the inclined portions of the gangway.  That would amount to at least 80 feet on each of two ramps, or a total length of more than 160 feet.  The total climb was about ten feet, so 10/160 = 6.25% grade at the very most.  Nowhere near 20%, or as my dad used to say, "no hill for a stepper."

[JandC_Cruising]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

In the video it looked like most passengers were taking about 40 steps on each of the inclined portions of the gangway.  That would amount to at least 80 feet on each of two ramps, or a total length of more than 160 feet.  The total climb was about ten feet, so 10/160 = 6.25% grade at the very most.  Nowhere near 20%, or as my dad used to say, "no hill for a stepper."

Are you an engineer?!?!?!🤣

Did you take into account the age and height of those on the video?  My son was 22yo and  6'4" when we were there last year, and he did that ramp in about 20 steps....But he was Very Excited for the cruise!

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Are you an engineer?!?!?!🤣

Did you take into account the age and height of those on the video?  My son was 22yo and  6'4" when we were there last year, and he did that ramp in about 20 steps....But he was Very Excited for the cruise!

Yes I am.  Yes I did.  I also have walked up that same ramp on several previous occasions and have a fairly good recollection of its dimensions.  That memory was reinforced by viewing the video, comparing the heights of the passengers in the film to the dimensions of the gangway, and applying plane geometric calculations.  While it certainly is possible that other ships, on other days, with other tidal levels, might require steeper inclines, the circumstances depicted in that video of that ship on that day at that cruise terminal yield a gradient of approximately 6%.

[mking8288]

It also vary depending on tides - outside metal ramp on the dock, typically crew members only at an incline 

 

Our SIL does use a walking cane and/or rollator-walker these days, after recovering from metal rods surgery into her once compound fractured upper thigh - requested & confirmed wheelchair assistance in a # of weeks boarding MCT at Pier 88 (embarkation & disembarkation on ship's return)   Mega ships like the BA, GA and Escape ... typically (as noted above) board on Deck 7 (lifeboat deck) - could be the Fwd or Aft gangway.  

 

Perhaps, these visuals can help OP