United States
New York (Manhattan Cruise Terminal)
Manhattan Cruise Terminal: Boarding on the Hudson in Midtown
New York has two cruise terminals, and this one is on the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side; the other is in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It is a homeport, where many voyages begin and end, so a day here is mostly about reaching the pier on time and using the hours on either side of the cruise. The terminal cannot store bags, so decide in advance where your luggage will wait if you arrive early or stay on afterward.
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Arriving at the Terminal
Ships berth at Piers 88 and 90 on the Hudson River in Hell's Kitchen, and cars enter at West 55th Street and 12th Avenue. The terminal's address is 711 12th Avenue, and the city recommends coming by public transportation.
- Inside, two passenger elevators at the head of each pier and an escalator on the south side of the entrance take you up to the customs hall. Porters take checked bags to the ship.
- Ships usually arrive between 7 and 8 a.m. Bag drop starts no earlier than 9:30 a.m., and boarding generally begins between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., but your own travel documents give the time to arrive.
- Every adult needs a boarding pass and government-issued photo ID until past the security checkpoint. Your cruise line tells you which travel documents you need for the voyage.
- Parking is on site, on the level above each pier. If you drive, park first and then take your bags to check-in on the second level, because you cannot drop bags and leave to park.
- Knives of any length, multi-tools and other items that could serve as weapons are not allowed past the screening point.
The Terminal Area on Your Own
With a few hours before boarding or after you leave the ship, you can stay on foot on this west side of Midtown. A museum on an aircraft carrier, a riverside park and the restaurants of Hell's Kitchen are all nearby.
- Bags first: The terminal has no luggage lockers and cannot store bags. If you want to explore before boarding or after leaving the ship, use one of the private luggage-storage companies in the city, which charge a fee.
- Intrepid Museum: At Pier 86 on West 46th Street, the museum fills the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid, and the submarine Growler and a Concorde sit on the pier. Its usual hours in 2026 were 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry an hour before closing. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and hours can change from day to day, so check before you go.
- Along the river: Hudson River Park runs past the terminal. Clinton Cove at 55th Street and Pier 84 at 44th Street are open green spaces by the water, and a path for cyclists and runners follows the whole park.
- Hell's Kitchen: The streets around the terminal are known for small, fairly inexpensive restaurants from many cuisines, along with delis, bodegas and bars. At Eighth Avenue the neighborhood meets Times Square and the Theater District.
- Getting back on time: If you are boarding, keep to the arrival time on your cruise documents. If New York is a port call on your voyage, all-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, your ship posts the exact time, and a ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
Getting To and From the Terminal
Subway lines, crosstown buses and a ferry landing all serve the West Side, and there is a taxi stand outside the terminal. Penn Station and Grand Central are the nearest major railway stations.
- Subway: The city points cruise passengers to the A, B, C, D and 1 trains at Columbus Circle. From there, walk south on Eighth Avenue, turn right on 52nd Street and follow it to 12th Avenue.
- A closer station: The 50th Street station on Eighth Avenue is served by the E train, and by the C train at all times except late nights.
- Buses: The M50 runs crosstown on 49th and 50th streets and along 12th Avenue to Pier 83. The city also lists the M57 and M31 on 57th Street as the nearest buses.
- Ferry: The nearest NYC Ferry landing is Midtown West at West 39th Street, on the St. George route.
- Taxis: Use the taxi stand and do not let strangers steer you into a car. A licensed vehicle shows "T&LC" or "TAXI" under the number on its front or back plate. Make sure the meter is running, and take a receipt.
- Trains: Penn Station serves Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit and PATH, and Grand Central serves Metro-North. From either you can continue by taxi, subway or bus.
Tipping in the United States
Tipping is expected in the United States, above all in sit-down restaurants. Some restaurants add an automatic gratuity or service charge, often for larger groups, so read the bill before adding more.
- Taxi drivers are commonly tipped 10 to 20 percent of the fare.
- Tour and activity guides are often given 5 to 10 dollars per person for a day.
- The currency is the US dollar, and foreign currencies are almost never accepted.
A Brief History
These piers were built in the 1930s for the biggest transatlantic liners of the day, and for decades this was the only terminal for ocean-going passenger ships in New York Harbor.
- Outgrowing Chelsea: The new West Side piers between 44th and 54th streets were planned to replace the Chelsea Piers farther south, where the latest liners no longer fit.
- 1935 to 1937: Piers 88, 90 and 92 went up, each 1,100 feet long. The city was not allowed to push the piers farther out into the river, so it carved back the shoreline instead, cutting into Manhattan's bedrock.
- Liner days: Among the ships the terminal was built for were the liners Normandie and Queen Elizabeth.
- 1942: The Normandie, being converted into a troopship, caught fire at Pier 88 and capsized in the Hudson. She was raised at great cost but never restored, and was scrapped in 1946.
- 1971 to 1974: By the 1960s the old facilities had run down, and a new terminal was built around Piers 88 to 92.
- 1982: The aircraft carrier Intrepid opened as a museum at Pier 86, a pier once used by United States Lines.
- From 2004: A renovation costing about 200 million dollars prepared the terminal for larger cruise ships. Pier 92 was taken out of use, leaving Piers 88 and 90 for cruise ships.
- 2020: The hospital ship USNS Comfort tied up at Pier 90 to support the city's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To learn more ashore: The South Street Seaport Museum, with galleries at 12 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan and historic ships at Pier 16, covers New York's life as a port. Its fleet includes the 1885 sailing ship Wavertree.
The Terminal Area with Children
Children have plenty to see within walking distance, from a playground to an aircraft carrier. On a boarding day keep the outing short, so nobody is rushed at check-in.
- Younger children: DeWitt Clinton Park, between West 52nd and 54th streets and 11th and 12th avenues, has a children's playground, and the open green space at Clinton Cove is right by the river.
- School age: At the Intrepid, the exhibits spread over the carrier's flight deck, hangar deck and gallery deck. Look for the Space Shuttle Enterprise in its pavilion and the submarine Growler on the pier.
- Teenagers: The Intrepid has flight simulators, and Hudson River Park's path runs south along the river from 59th Street all the way to Battery Park, for anyone with energy to spare.
Accessibility
Elevators take you from street level to the customs hall, and a wheelchair for boarding is requested through your cruise line, not the terminal. Accessible parking is available on site at the standard rates.
- Walkers, crutches and canes that fit go through the X-ray machine, and screeners can offer an arm or shoulder until your device is returned. Larger equipment is inspected by hand.
- Medical oxygen, other breathing equipment and diabetes supplies are allowed through screening once checked.
- Of the nearby subway stations, 59th Street–Columbus Circle has elevators, and the station at 50th Street has an elevator entrance on 49th Street that serves only the downtown platforms.
- Most of the Intrepid Museum is wheelchair accessible, but it has no wheelchairs to lend. Lightweight stools, sensory bags with noise-reducing headphones and a tactile guide for visitors who are blind or have low vision can be borrowed free at the Information Desk, and a personal care assistant enters free.
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