Nick@ VB+OKW
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This was in todays Orlando paper(4-18)............so much for other ports being closer and easier to get to.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...1224747.story?coll=orl-travel-headlines-print
Just in case the you have to be a subscriber to the Orlando Sentinel, here is the article............
THE CRUISE REPORT
Congested port harbors headaches in New York
By Arline Bleecker | Special to the Sentinel
Posted April 18, 2004
After 9-11, the cruise industry shifted into high gear to initiate more sailings from ports closer to cruisers' homes, which has invigorated relatively neglected cruise ports such as Jacksonville; Galveston, Texas; and Norfolk, Va. But such convenience sometimes comes at a price for passengers, as a recent cruise I took out of New York City showed.
On the day of departure, my husband and I were knotted in a mileslong traffic jam as we tried to reach the 2,600-passenger Golden Princess for a fall-foliage cruise. To be fair, the problem was not of Princess' making but of the Port of New York and its woefully inadequate facilities. The port was not designed to accommodate the thousands of arriving and departing passengers of the megaships that flood the piers on weekends in high season.
In 1996, when I sailed from Istanbul aboard the maiden voyage of the Grand Princess, then the largest ship afloat, wags worried it would take forever for its 2,600 passengers to embark. Surprisingly, I boarded in seven minutes, from the cruise terminal entrance to the gangway. Seven years later, it took my husband and I nearly five hours from the time we left our New Jersey driveway until we stepped aboard the Golden, the identical sibling of the Grand Princess.
On our departure day, city traffic was at a standstill as about 10,000 passengers attempted to reach the five megaships in port, which turned our usual 45-minute drive into a 21/2-hour ordeal. Add to that minimal parking near the pier, a two-lane access road to the ships, and cars, cabs and buses blocking the lanes as they dropped off passengers. Traffic tie-ups were so bad that some passengers vowed never again to cruise from New York. One said he paid almost $100 for a crosstown cab ride after the meter ticked on in clogged traffic. We avoided an expensive taxi ride by parking uptown but had to lug our hefty luggage a half-mile to the port.
Such situations annoy passengers and hold cruise lines hostage. In fact, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean International spokespeople advise passengers to not arrive early at their pier, as is customary. Instead, the lines recommend arriving after 2 p.m, when embarking passengers will not tangle with the thousands who are disembarking. You might miss some embarkation-day activities, but at least you'll board less frazzled.
The situation in New York could get worse before it gets better. Just take a look at the numbers. On Oct. 24, for example, five ships will embark and/or disembark at the terminal: Peter Deilmann's Deutschland (505 passengers); Norwegian Dawn (2,244 passengers); Radisson Seven Seas Navigator (490 passengers); Grand Princess (2,600 passengers); and Carnival Legend (2,124 passengers).
Even lines that don't sail from New York are aware of the problems there. "Wait 'til Queen Mary comes in [on April 22] . . . and you see how many 747s you need to fill that one vessel up, and just add how many buses you need at each port," says Larry Pimentel, chairman and CEO of tiny Sea Dream Yacht Club.
RC FORSAKES MANHATTAN
One cruise line is abandoning Manhattan. Royal Caribbean in May will swap the Big Apple for the Garden State, relocating its ships to Bayonne, N.J., across the Hudson River from New York. The New Jersey port is the former site of the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, a 430-acre manmade point of land that extends into the river. Royal Caribbean has dubbed it Cape Liberty Cruise Port.
Initially, Royal Caribbean will operate out of existing structures, though it plans to build a cruise terminal. Plans also call for a vibrant mixed-use waterfront development that combines residential, light industrial and office space, film studios, a riverwalk and recreational and park areas.
"We love New York," says Dan Hanrahan, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of marketing. But with all the congestion at New York's harbor, the time is right to make a move that makes it simpler for passengers to get to their ships, he says.
Cape Liberty fits nicely into the passenger transportation loop: It's just off the New Jersey Turnpike and a 15-minute trip from Newark International Airport. A nearby light-rail service connects to both NY-NJ Path trains and Amtrak stations. In addition, Royal Caribbean is looking into offering ferry service from Manhattan to the port.
The line will operate two ships from Cape Liberty this spring and summer: the 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas, which will sail an alternating schedule of five-night Atlantic Canada and nine-night Caribbean voyages. The 1,600-passenger Nordic Empress will undergo a renovation before it begins sailing six- and eight-night Bermuda cruises as Empress of the Seas. Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises, sister line to Royal Caribbean, will continue to sail its Bermuda itineraries from Manhattan.
Cape Liberty may not have the marquee value of Manhattan, but Hanrahan says the location is a plus because it eases passenger congestion.
Royal Caribbean's move caused a tsunami with New York officials: Since the line's announcement, New York representatives have promised to commit $50 million to update mid-Manhattan's piers.
That came too late for Royal Caribbean, but other lines may eagerly fill empty dock space in the New York port, once the busiest in the world.
Royal Caribbean was not the first line to seek alternatives. Last May, a bloc of Carnival Corp.-owned cruise lines -- Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Carnival, Costa, Holland America and Seabourn -- formed the New York Cruise Line Alliance to negotiate the building of a new cruise terminal facility in Brooklyn. Stay tuned.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...1224747.story?coll=orl-travel-headlines-print
Just in case the you have to be a subscriber to the Orlando Sentinel, here is the article............
THE CRUISE REPORT
Congested port harbors headaches in New York
By Arline Bleecker | Special to the Sentinel
Posted April 18, 2004
After 9-11, the cruise industry shifted into high gear to initiate more sailings from ports closer to cruisers' homes, which has invigorated relatively neglected cruise ports such as Jacksonville; Galveston, Texas; and Norfolk, Va. But such convenience sometimes comes at a price for passengers, as a recent cruise I took out of New York City showed.
On the day of departure, my husband and I were knotted in a mileslong traffic jam as we tried to reach the 2,600-passenger Golden Princess for a fall-foliage cruise. To be fair, the problem was not of Princess' making but of the Port of New York and its woefully inadequate facilities. The port was not designed to accommodate the thousands of arriving and departing passengers of the megaships that flood the piers on weekends in high season.
In 1996, when I sailed from Istanbul aboard the maiden voyage of the Grand Princess, then the largest ship afloat, wags worried it would take forever for its 2,600 passengers to embark. Surprisingly, I boarded in seven minutes, from the cruise terminal entrance to the gangway. Seven years later, it took my husband and I nearly five hours from the time we left our New Jersey driveway until we stepped aboard the Golden, the identical sibling of the Grand Princess.
On our departure day, city traffic was at a standstill as about 10,000 passengers attempted to reach the five megaships in port, which turned our usual 45-minute drive into a 21/2-hour ordeal. Add to that minimal parking near the pier, a two-lane access road to the ships, and cars, cabs and buses blocking the lanes as they dropped off passengers. Traffic tie-ups were so bad that some passengers vowed never again to cruise from New York. One said he paid almost $100 for a crosstown cab ride after the meter ticked on in clogged traffic. We avoided an expensive taxi ride by parking uptown but had to lug our hefty luggage a half-mile to the port.
Such situations annoy passengers and hold cruise lines hostage. In fact, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean International spokespeople advise passengers to not arrive early at their pier, as is customary. Instead, the lines recommend arriving after 2 p.m, when embarking passengers will not tangle with the thousands who are disembarking. You might miss some embarkation-day activities, but at least you'll board less frazzled.
The situation in New York could get worse before it gets better. Just take a look at the numbers. On Oct. 24, for example, five ships will embark and/or disembark at the terminal: Peter Deilmann's Deutschland (505 passengers); Norwegian Dawn (2,244 passengers); Radisson Seven Seas Navigator (490 passengers); Grand Princess (2,600 passengers); and Carnival Legend (2,124 passengers).
Even lines that don't sail from New York are aware of the problems there. "Wait 'til Queen Mary comes in [on April 22] . . . and you see how many 747s you need to fill that one vessel up, and just add how many buses you need at each port," says Larry Pimentel, chairman and CEO of tiny Sea Dream Yacht Club.
RC FORSAKES MANHATTAN
One cruise line is abandoning Manhattan. Royal Caribbean in May will swap the Big Apple for the Garden State, relocating its ships to Bayonne, N.J., across the Hudson River from New York. The New Jersey port is the former site of the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, a 430-acre manmade point of land that extends into the river. Royal Caribbean has dubbed it Cape Liberty Cruise Port.
Initially, Royal Caribbean will operate out of existing structures, though it plans to build a cruise terminal. Plans also call for a vibrant mixed-use waterfront development that combines residential, light industrial and office space, film studios, a riverwalk and recreational and park areas.
"We love New York," says Dan Hanrahan, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of marketing. But with all the congestion at New York's harbor, the time is right to make a move that makes it simpler for passengers to get to their ships, he says.
Cape Liberty fits nicely into the passenger transportation loop: It's just off the New Jersey Turnpike and a 15-minute trip from Newark International Airport. A nearby light-rail service connects to both NY-NJ Path trains and Amtrak stations. In addition, Royal Caribbean is looking into offering ferry service from Manhattan to the port.
The line will operate two ships from Cape Liberty this spring and summer: the 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas, which will sail an alternating schedule of five-night Atlantic Canada and nine-night Caribbean voyages. The 1,600-passenger Nordic Empress will undergo a renovation before it begins sailing six- and eight-night Bermuda cruises as Empress of the Seas. Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises, sister line to Royal Caribbean, will continue to sail its Bermuda itineraries from Manhattan.
Cape Liberty may not have the marquee value of Manhattan, but Hanrahan says the location is a plus because it eases passenger congestion.
Royal Caribbean's move caused a tsunami with New York officials: Since the line's announcement, New York representatives have promised to commit $50 million to update mid-Manhattan's piers.
That came too late for Royal Caribbean, but other lines may eagerly fill empty dock space in the New York port, once the busiest in the world.
Royal Caribbean was not the first line to seek alternatives. Last May, a bloc of Carnival Corp.-owned cruise lines -- Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Carnival, Costa, Holland America and Seabourn -- formed the New York Cruise Line Alliance to negotiate the building of a new cruise terminal facility in Brooklyn. Stay tuned.
