Six ways into this guide
Pick the question you actually have. Each card goes straight to the answer, not back to the top. Booking a tour yourself? Our comparison of Shore Excursions Group and Viator covers which of the two suits which kind of port day — and when the ship's own tour is still the better buy.
Cruise lines here now
Eight lines spread across three terminals — none of them share a facility with a line from a different terminal.
Jump to lines →Where you can go
Bermuda leads, with Caribbean and Canada/New England close behind — plus the one genuinely transatlantic route we cover.
Jump to regions →Which terminal is mine?
Three facilities across two states, run by two different operators. Check this before you book a hotel or a ride.
Jump to terminals →Which lines go where
Norwegian and Carnival at Manhattan; Cunard, Princess, MSC and Virgin Voyages at Brooklyn; Royal Caribbean and Celebrity at Cape Liberty.
See the terminal breakdown →Compare parking
Three independently-run parking systems — two share a rate, one is a genuine price conflict.
Compare parking →LGA, EWR, or JFK?
Which airport actually makes sense depends on which of the three terminals you're sailing from.
Jump to getting here →New York in brief
This is the most physically split hub we cover so far: "New York cruises" actually means three separate terminals, run by two different operators, in two different states. Manhattan Cruise Terminal (Pier 88, on 12th Avenue) and Brooklyn Cruise Terminal (Pier 12, Red Hook) are both New York City facilities, run day-to-day by Ports America under the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Cape Liberty Cruise Port, across the Hudson in Bayonne, New Jersey, is a different story: owned by the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but operated directly by Royal Caribbean Group's own Metro Cruise Services — effectively Royal Caribbean's own terminal, the same way Long Beach is Carnival's own facility in the Los Angeles hub covered elsewhere we cover.
They're combined into one guide here because that's how most people actually search and plan: as one "New York cruise" decision, not three separate research projects. But the terminal, parking, and line sections below are kept clearly split by facility throughout, since conflating them would get your directions — and in Cape Liberty's case, your entire state — wrong. The program from here leans Bermuda and Caribbean, with Canada/New England and one genuinely transatlantic route (Cunard's classic New York-Southampton crossing) rounding things out.
Cruise lines sailing from here
This is the one section on this page built to go stale on its own clock, so it's kept in one block, dated, sourced — and not repeated anywhere else on this page.
At Manhattan Cruise Terminal: two lines homeport here. Norwegian Cruise Line runs four ships — Norwegian Aqua, Bliss, Escape, and Sun — rotating Bermuda-season and Caribbean/Canada itineraries, confirmed via Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog and a news report placing Norwegian Aqua specifically at Pier 88. Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Venezia homeports here too, confirmed directly via CruiseMapper's own reporting and Carnival's own site — the single strongest appearance count of any ship at either NYC terminal in a September 2026 schedule snapshot.
At Brooklyn Cruise Terminal: four lines, one of them resting on thinner sourcing than the rest. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 homeports here for its periodic transatlantic crossings to Southampton, England, plus occasional other sailings — confirmed via the terminal's own Wikipedia-documented history (Queen Mary 2 inaugurated the terminal in 2006). MSC Cruises (MSC Meraviglia, frequent Bahamas/Caribbean sailings reported beginning January 2026): MSC’s own New York page now says its ships dock at Pier 12 of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Princess Cruises (Majestic Princess, a November 2026 departure specifically named) rests on a third-party terminal breakdown, though Princess’s own New York port guide is written for Pier 12 — treat it as likely but not fully verified. Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady sails from Brooklyn, not Manhattan: Virgin’s own port FAQ says all sailings that used to leave from Manhattan now depart from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, 210 Clinton Wharf. Rechecked September 27, 2026
At Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ): two lines, both part of Royal Caribbean Group. Royal Caribbean International homeports Independence of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas year-round (each with 4 appearances in the September 2026 snapshot), with Odyssey of the Seas also named in the port's broader lineup. Celebrity Cruises bases Celebrity Silhouette here too, with Wikipedia's own account of the terminal describing a further seasonal ship (historically Celebrity Summit) running "May to October" — a genuinely seasonal presence, unlike Royal Caribbean's own year-round ships at the same port.
One further note: a third-party schedule tracker (cruiseshiptracking.com) lists Disney Cruise Line among lines currently sailing from Manhattan, but industry coverage this same month frames a Disney return to New York as still being teased rather than confirmed underway, and no specific 2026 Disney sailing from either NYC terminal was independently found when we checked. Left out of the current list above; see the decision note in the delivery report.
Sources: NYCEDC's own Manhattan and Brooklyn terminal pages (edc.nyc, cruise.nyc); Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog (ncl.com); CruiseMapper's own reporting on Carnival Venezia's homeport; a third-party terminal-by-terminal breakdown (goairlinkshuttle.com) for the Princess and MSC assignments; a dedicated Virgin Voyages terminal guide (serioussailors.com); Wikipedia's documented history of both Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Cape Liberty Cruise Port; a September 2026 schedule aggregator snapshot (cruisemapper.com) — verified September 13, 2026. Confirm your own line, ship, and terminal directly before booking around this list.
Where you can go: Bermuda, the Caribbean, and beyond
Two of the seven destinations below already have a dedicated destination page on this site — Nassau and St. Thomas — and are linked directly. The rest carry the same tier and confidence discipline as every other port, but don't yet link anywhere.
Common, not guaranteed — the actual stops on any sailing depend on the line, the ship, and the season, so check your specific itinerary rather than assuming from the pattern below.
Destinations
7 places you can reach from here
Grouped by how routinely a cruise from any of the three terminals actually calls there, verified ship-by-ship against real itinerary pages rather than any single terminal's own destinations list. Common, not guaranteed: the stops on any sailing depend on the line, the ship and the season, so check your own itinerary.
Showing all 7
Core
2The most consistently identified calls from this hub across the lines and sources checked.
Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard
Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog leads with this stop, and trade coverage describes a record 2026 Bermuda season for Norwegian Aqua from New York specifically — also the classic Cape Liberty route historically.
Nassau
Bahamas
A Bahamas/Caribbean call for both Carnival Venezia (Manhattan) and MSC Meraviglia (Brooklyn), per each line's own reporting and a third-party terminal breakdown.
Regular
3Genuinely served from here, named directly on a homeport line's own itinerary pages.
St. Thomas
U.S. Virgin Islands
Named directly on Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog as a featured destination on its Caribbean sailings from Manhattan.
San Juan
Puerto Rico
Named directly on Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog alongside St. Thomas on its Caribbean itineraries.
Halifax
Nova Scotia, Canada
Named directly on Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog as a Canada/New England call — the same region several other lines serve heavily from Boston, one port up the coast we cover.
Occasional
2Real but resting on a longer or less frequent itinerary than the core and regular stops above.
Southampton, England
Transatlantic · Cunard
Queen Mary 2's classic transatlantic crossing from Brooklyn — the one genuinely transatlantic, non-round-trip pattern we cover so far, confirmed on Cunard's own site.
Panama Canal
Panama
Named directly on Norwegian's own 2026 New York blog among its featured destinations — a longer, less frequent itinerary than the Bermuda/Caribbean/Canada core.
No destination matches that. Clear the filter to see all 7 again.
Cruise terminals
Three facilities across two states — confirm which one your booking actually names before you plan directions, a hotel, or parking. Cape Liberty in particular is not in New York City at all.
Manhattan Cruise Terminal
711 12th Avenue at West 55th Street, NY 10019 (Pier 88; Pier 90 has been retired, per Cruise Critic, leaving Pier 88 as Manhattan’s only open berth). Run by Ports America under NYCEDC — described on NYCEDC's own site as "North America's fifth-largest homeport," handling roughly 1 million passengers a year. Homeport for Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line.
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
Pier 12, 210 Clinton Wharf, Red Hook, Brooklyn NY 11231 (vehicle access at Bowne & Imlay Streets). Also run by Ports America under NYCEDC, opened 2006. Homeport for Cunard, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, and Virgin Voyages.
Cape Liberty Cruise Port
4 Port Terminal Boulevard, Bayonne, NJ 07002. Unlike the two NYC terminals, this one is owned by the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey but operated directly by Royal Caribbean Group's own Metro Cruise Services — effectively Royal Caribbean's own facility, echoing Long Beach's relationship to Carnival. Homeport for Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises exclusively.
Confirm your specific terminal from your cruise line's own boarding documents before you travel. Review periodically
Parking, in short
Three separate systems, not one rate to remember. Manhattan & Brooklyn: both charge $45/night (up to 24 hours) at their own NYCEDC-run lots, confirmed identically on each terminal's own site — though both pages date that rate to April 2023, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a guarantee. Review periodically Cape Liberty: $35/day including taxes per Royal Caribbean's own FAQ page, while Celebrity’s own FAQ says $30/day for the same lot — a conflict between the two lines’ own pages, disclosed rather than resolved. Review periodically
Two named alternative garages exist near Manhattan; an off-site valet operator with a shuttle serves Cape Liberty. That comparison gets the full page it deserves.
Where should I park for a New York cruise?
Three independent official rate structures, plus off-site alternatives at two of the three — compared on shuttle terms, distance, and what's actually confirmed.
Compare your options →Getting here
Which airport makes sense depends on which of the three terminals you're actually sailing from.
| Airport | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| LGA — LaGuardia | Manhattan & Brooklyn | Holland America puts LGA about 16.5 miles and 60 minutes from the Manhattan terminal. For Brooklyn, Cunard’s own guide says about 20 minutes door-to-door, Princess’s port guide an hour and 15, and MSC 50 to 80 minutes. The free Q70 bus runs to the subway. |
| EWR — Newark Liberty | Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ) | 9 miles to Cape Liberty, per Royal Caribbean’s own directions page. Holland America puts it 15.5 miles and 30 to 60 minutes from the Manhattan terminal; Carnival’s $44.99 transfer to Manhattan takes flights landing by 1 PM. |
| JFK | Manhattan & Brooklyn | Holland America puts JFK 25.7 miles and 70 to 90 minutes from the Manhattan terminal; the TLC’s flat taxi fare to Manhattan is $70 plus surcharges. Virgin says Brooklyn is “actually more convenient” for many sailors arriving via JFK. |
Distances Review periodically — from Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Princess and MSC’s own pages, rechecked September 27, 2026. They disagree, and none is a guarantee on a congested New York morning.
Comparing JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, with the taxi fares, Carnival’s transfers and how early to land on sail day? See Nearest airports to the New York cruise ports. Flying in the day before? We ranked the 20 best hotels for the night before, for all three terminals, on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance, and picked six splurges.
Stay the night before
Twenty hotels for a cruise from Manhattan, Brooklyn or Cape Liberty, ranked on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance. These are the top six. Tap one to see why, or hold a room.
Planning a New York cruise?
Tell us who's going and what you want out of it.
First cruise or your tenth, family or a couple, and roughly when you're thinking. We'll match you to the terminal, the line, and the itinerary that actually fit, then price it honestly before you commit.
Answers verified against current pricing and itineraries before you book.
New York FAQ
Is a New York cruise leaving from Manhattan, Brooklyn, or New Jersey?
Could be any of the three, and they're not interchangeable. Manhattan Cruise Terminal (Pier 88, on 12th Avenue) and Brooklyn Cruise Terminal (Pier 12, Red Hook) are both New York City facilities run by Ports America under NYCEDC. Cape Liberty Cruise Port, in Bayonne, New Jersey, is a different state entirely, owned by the bi-state Port Authority of New York and New Jersey but run day-to-day by Royal Caribbean Group's own Metro Cruise Services — effectively Royal Caribbean's own operation, the same way Long Beach is Carnival's own terminal in the Los Angeles hub. Check your cruise line's own boarding documents for which one you're actually sailing from before you book a hotel or plan directions.
Which cruise lines sail from each New York-area terminal?
As of September 2026: Manhattan Cruise Terminal homeports Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Aqua, Bliss, Escape, and Sun) and Carnival Cruise Line (Carnival Venezia). Brooklyn Cruise Terminal homeports Cunard (Queen Mary 2), Princess Cruises (Majestic Princess), MSC Cruises (MSC Meraviglia), and Virgin Voyages (Valiant Lady, since April 2026) — MSC's and Virgin's own pages now confirm Brooklyn, and Princess's own port guide is written for Pier 12. Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ homeports Royal Caribbean International (Independence of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas) and Celebrity Cruises (Celebrity Silhouette, plus a seasonal May-October ship historically). One further note: a third-party schedule tracker lists Disney Cruise Line as currently sailing from Manhattan, but industry coverage this same month describes a Disney return to New York as still being teased rather than confirmed underway, so it isn't included as a current line here.
How much does parking cost at the New York cruise terminals?
Manhattan and Brooklyn share the same official rate: $45/night (up to 24 hours), confirmed identically on both terminals' own NYCEDC pages — though both pages date that rate to April 2023, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a guarantee. Cape Liberty is a separate, Royal-Caribbean-run system in New Jersey: $35/day including taxes per Royal Caribbean's own FAQ page, while Celebrity’s own FAQ says $30/day for the same lot — a conflict between the two lines’ own pages, disclosed rather than resolved. Full comparison, including nearby alternatives, is on the parking page.
What's the closest airport to a New York cruise terminal?
It depends which terminal. LaGuardia (LGA) is the standard answer for both Manhattan and Brooklyn — Cunard's own airport guide (Cunard homeports at Brooklyn) puts LGA at roughly 20 minutes door-to-door from Brooklyn, though a third-party guide gives a slower 40-60 minute estimate for the same route, and a similar range applies at Manhattan. Newark (EWR) is the closest airport to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ — 9 miles, per Royal Caribbean's own directions page. JFK is a workable third option for Manhattan or Brooklyn sailings with typically longer drive times.
Does a cruise from New York reach Bermuda?
Yes — Bermuda is the single most consistently identified destination from this hub across the sources checked when we checked, led by Norwegian's Bermuda-season sailings from Manhattan and historically served from Cape Liberty as well. Caribbean destinations (Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan) and Canada/New England ports (Halifax) round out the regular program, and Cunard's Queen Mary 2 runs the one genuinely transatlantic route we cover, between Brooklyn and Southampton, England.
Are Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Cape Liberty all covered on this one page?
Yes, deliberately — they're marketed to travelers as one "cruises from New York" decision even though they're three separate facilities, similar to how Los Angeles and Long Beach are covered together we cover despite being two different ports. The terminal, parking, and line sections below are kept clearly split by facility throughout, since conflating them would get your directions (and in Cape Liberty's case, your entire state) wrong.
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