Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

The Brooklyn cruise terminal is located in Red Hook, opposite Governors Island. The 180,000 square foot terminal can handle 4,000 passengers. The Brooklyn terminal complex includes a rebuilt building, new bollards and fenders, an internal roadway, a 500-car parking area, and taxi and bus drop-off areas.

From Coney Island to the Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn has a surprising number of attractions for cruise passengers to explore before or after their voyage. The restaurants of Brooklyn Heights, art in DUMBO, the Brooklyn Museum in the Slope, and the nightlife of Williamsburg are all part of the new Brooklyn charm. The Brooklyn Tourism office has a terrific tour guide to Brooklyn.

I recommend Newyorkology.com for a New York travel guide with daily New York travel news updates. It's a fun and informative read from a local expert. That site even has a specific Red Hook guide for the area immediately around the cruise terminal.

Brooklyn Cruise Parking and Driving Directions

The new cruise terminal has it's own parking, but you should consider taking a taxi instead. Why try to deal with New York traffic on your own? Parking is about 300 yards south of the terminal entrance. The outdoor lot has security.

Directions to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal:

From Manhattan Via the Battery Tunnel: Take the Battery Tunnel (I-478-E) into Brooklyn. Continue onto the westbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278-W) and immediately take the first exit on the right: Exit 26- Hamilton Avenue onto the service road. Stay to the left and make a left-U-turn at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue with Clinton Street/9th Street, then continue west along the westbound Hamilton Avenue service road. Continue on the service road to its end at Van Brunt Street. Turn left at Van Brunt Street, travel 2 blocks and then turn right onto Bowne Street to enter the terminal.

From Manhattan Via the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges, and from LaGuardia Airport: Get onto the westbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278-W) and take Exit 26 - Hamilton Avenue onto the service road. Stay to the left and make a left-U-turn at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue with Clinton Street/9th Street, then continue west along the westbound Hamilton Avenue service road. Continue on the service road to its end at Van Brunt Street. Turn left at Van Brunt Street, travel 2 blocks and then turn right onto Bowne Street to enter the terminal.

From John F. Kennedy Airport: Get onto the eastbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278-E) to Exit 26- Hamilton Avenue. After exit, continue along westbound Hamilton Avenue service road. Continue on the service road to its end at Van Brunt Street. Turn left at Van Brunt Street, travel 2 blocks and then turn right onto Bowne Street.

Here's an interactive Google Map of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal area. The terminal is on Pier 12, the large docks directly across from Governor's Island.