Cruise to New York: Visit the Big Apple

4:38 pm  |  21.10.2021

Even entering New York Harbor is an experience: your ship glides under the imposing Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Upper Bay before the Manhattan skyline becomes visible on the horizon. And then you see it: the Statue of Liberty, which has welcomed all passengers arriving in New York Harbor since 1886. Immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of the most famous and diverse city in the USA – the Big Apple welcomes you.

Information on the Ports of New York


New York has two larger cruise terminals:

  • The older Manhattan Cruise Terminal. 
  • The Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, only opened in 2004.

Manhattan Cruise Terminal: Travel with AIDA, Costa, or MSC, dock directly in Manhattan, and reach many New York attractions on foot. The terminal is on the Hudson River at about 50th to 55th Street. From here, it’s just under a 20-minute walk to Times Square or Central Park.

The Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal is used by the major US shipping companies Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line as well as TUI Cruises. Take a taxi or shuttle bus from your shipping company to get from the port to 34th Street Light Rail Station. Take the Hudson-Bergen Line to Jersey City’s Exchange Place Station. Here you change to the PATH trains to Manhattan.

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Queen Mary 2

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal: On a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2 from Hamburg to New York you will arrive at the smaller Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, which the ship uses exclusively for itself. The fastest way to get from this port to Manhattan (Pier 11 / Wall Street) is by ferry (Red Hook).

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The Historic Southern Tip of Manhattan

A tip in advance: One day is not enough to do justice to this unique city. It is worth planning an additional night or two between the flight and the start of the cruise or between the end of the cruise and the return flight.

National Immigration Museum

Reserve half a day for the historic southern tip of Manhattan with its many highlights. Take a Circle Line boat out to the Statue of Liberty on tiny Liberty Island, then visit the Immigrant Museum on Ellis Island. In the past, thousands of newcomers looking for fortune in the USA were smuggled through the building every day. Today the museum tells their stories. If a quick glance at the Statue of Liberty is enough, take the free ferry to Staten Island: it goes right past Lady Liberty and offers fantastic photo opportunities.

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Upon your return, visit key places in southern Manhattan such as:

  • Legendary Wall Street.
  • The 9/11 Memorial Museum on the site of the former World Trade Center.
  • The South Street Seaport with its museum ships as well.
  • The legendary Brooklyn Bridge, from which you can enjoy the view of Manhattan.

Midtown Manhattan – the Center of the Big Apple


The New York of skyscrapers and dazzling advertising awaits you in Midtown. Start your stroll in Union Square and follow the legendary Broadway to Times Square. Along the way, you will pass numerous New York legends such as the Flatiron Building, Macy’s department store on Herald Square, and the Empire State Building on 34th Street.

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Central Park

Finish your stroll in Central Park with American hot dogs and watch the hustle and bustle in New York’s largest park. The following are particularly worth seeing:

  • The big meadow.
  • Strawberry Fields, once John Lennon’s favorite spot in the park.
  • The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, a popular running route especially during spring tree blooming.
  • The Central Park Zoo.
  • The Belvedere Castle.
  • The Shakespeare Garden.
  • The hidden waterfalls.

It gets really romantic with a boat trip on the lake – as you have already seen in numerous films.

The Most Exciting Things to do in New York

Stroll in the famous department stores on Fifth Avenue, such as Bergdorf Goodman and Saks, or stroll through the hip SoHo district, where you can discover the trends of tomorrow in designer boutiques and, with a bit of luck, catch a US star shopping.

Plan an overnight stay for great entertainment in the evening with a musical on Broadway. You can get particularly cheap tickets for performances on the same day at a TKTS ticket booth, e.g. in Times Square.

Visit one of New York City’s world-class museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), the Guggenheim Museum, or the American Museum of Natural History.

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Enjoy the view over the sea of ​​houses of Manhattan from one of the skyscrapers, such as the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, or the new One World Trade Center.

Stroll on the High Line along a former freight train route and pass numerous sights, such as the trendy Meatpacking District, the Gansevoort Market Historic District, the Death Avenue and West Side Cowboys, and the Chelsea Market.

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Enjoy some of the world’s best-starred restaurants and some of the most exciting nightlife in Lower Manhattan.

Within New York, you can travel cheaply and quickly with the subway. Alternatively, let a taxi take you back to the cruise ship: a ride in one of the famous yellow cabs is part of the New York experience.

New York Cruises: Routes and Travel Times


Book cruises to the most beautiful destinations on the US East Coast from New York. A cruise north via Boston to Canada is particularly worthwhile in autumn: then the Indian Summer bathes the endless forests of New England in a bright red and yellow play of colors.

Alternatively, set a course for the southern USA and pass Washington, the capital of the United States, before entering charming southern metropolises such as Savannah and Charleston as well as the vacation paradise of Miami. Here you will disembark from your cruise ship to take the flight home or continue your voyage in the Caribbean, with ports in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

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