Pier 88 — Attraction in New York

Not great. We joined our Norwegian Cruie Line (NCL) cruise from this pier, the Manhattan cruise terminal, which is too small and outdated for the modern cruise ships of today. It's dated and very utilitarian.

We joined our cruise ship on a Sunday morning, late February. The pathway from the drive that leads to the terminal is cracked and crumbling in places, with few places with dropped kerbs to pull your cases up onto. The pathway was also 'chocked' full of cases. Once inside the terminal, upper level, it's not too bad, this bit was quite organised. From our arrival at the terminal to actually getting onto the boat was about 90 minutes.

We arrived back into the same terminal nearly two weeks later. We elected a 9.15 colour based departure. Despite our boat arriving back into the terminal nearly ten hours early (due to a cancelled island visit due to apparent bad weather, thanks NCL, great value, not) we didn't end up getting off until gone 10am, and this was in part due to the long queues getting off the boat and getting into the terminal. Passengers couod leave the boat by both the front and aft, but eventually these two long queues merged into one entering the upper level of the terminal, a small, dark and tiny space with two elevators leading down to the luggage pick-up area. This was a real pinch-point, which caused congestion right back onto the boat.

Once down to the luggage area we found our luggage easy enough but then we had to join another queue to go through security.

So from leaving our cabin at 8am to getting out of the terminal the best part of three hours had past. The front of the terminal on the ground floor is disorganised, there's so little space and the signage isn't great. We crossed the main road at the front and then organised an Uber, which was the smoothest part of our departure.

Would we get another cruise from this pier and terminal? Definitely not.

We also weren't impressed with NCL. We originally booked a twelve day cruise of the Carribean, 5 days in total at sea and 7 visits, including St Martin and St Lucia. But NCL cancelled St Lucia before the start of January, and we were told by our tour operator that we couldn't cancel without losing our deposit, and then our sixth and final day, a visit to St Marrin was cancelled the evening before due to bad weather forecast on our return to New York; but i don't think the bad weather ever materialised and I've experienced worse weather going across the English Channel to France. We were told that visits are regularly cancelled by NCL; so a combination of two cancelled days and the time taken at the terminal really took the edge off our holiday. So not only would we not take a cruise from this terminal we almost certainly wouldn't go with NCL again.

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If I would’ve had the time to stay and properly deal with this ignorant worker Friday morning I would’ve. But I had a ride to catch. My family and I got off the cruise and we’re headed home Friday morning when this worker decided to comment in on a conversation my mother and I were having. Saying along the line “you people should be happier yall just got off vacation” when I snapped and asked her to mind her business she proceeded to get in my face and push myself and my giant suitcase down the escalator. Leaving my mom and my 5 year old sister at the top. They needed my help to get down properly. So I got to the bottom dropped my stuff off with my grandma and raced up the stairs to help my mom bc at this point she looked terrified and the lady was pushing her towards the elevator which was separating our group. I grabbed my little sister and my moms stuff and tried to help them down the escalator as I’m doing so, this worker is following me and continuing to get in my face talking crazy asking if I came up for more. When she refused to get out of my face, I asked for her name and went to take a photo of her badge, that’s when she tucked it in her vest. So I took a picture of her to report her this way. No employee should be getting into anyone’s face. And when I repeatedly tried to walk away she continued to follow me. Another employee, a younger girl with locks had to break us up. Now my mother and little sister are terrified. We will never use this port again. Absolutely disgusting that the employees are aloud to act like that. I have multiple families as witnesses and they have me their contact info in case...

Title: Disappointing Experience at Pier 88 and Onboard Carnival Venezia

On May 17, I and a guest recently embarked on an 11-day cruise on Carnival Venezia from Pier 88 in Manhattan, and I must say, the experience left much to be desired, particularly in logistics and amenities. Starting with parking, the $49 daily rate at the pier is exorbitant, especially given the overall cost of the cruise. It seems reasonable to expect complimentary parking for guests, or at least a discounted rate, during the cruise duration.

The terminal experience at Pier 88 was chaotic and poorly managed. Despite being a platinum member of Carnival, which usually offers express entry and priority boarding, the process was disorganized and slow, making us feel more like cattle being herded rather than valued guests. This area desperately needs structured lanes or roped sections to manage the crowd more effectively.

Additionally, to my surprise, Carnival Venezia lacks laundry facilities—a first in my 24 cruises with Carnival. Given the prohibition against bringing irons onboard, this lack of amenities is a significant oversight, affecting the comfort and convenience of all passengers.

In conclusion, while the terminal and the ship itself need substantial improvements in crowd management and guest amenities, these changes are essential for enhancing the overall passenger experience, especially for those departing from NYC. My rating reflects these challenges: 1 star for both parking and laundry facilities and 2 stars for terminal management. I hope to see improvements in these areas in...