Quick answer: The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is at Pier 12 in Red Hook (210 Clinton Wharf, Brooklyn, NY 11231). From Brick or Toms River, the usual route is the Garden State Parkway to the Outerbridge Crossing, across Staten Island on I-278, over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and onto the Gowanus Expressway. It is about 60 miles and takes roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on traffic. Leave the Shore about 3 to 3.5 hours before your boarding time, and book your car service 2 to 4 weeks ahead.
In this guide:
The New York area has three main cruise terminals, and travelers from New Jersey mix them up more often than you might think. Before you plan anything else, check your cruise documents for the exact terminal.
| Terminal | Location | Typical drive from Brick |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Cruise Terminal | Pier 12, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY | About 1 hr 15 min to 2 hrs |
| Manhattan Cruise Terminal | West Side piers (around W. 46th–54th St), Manhattan, NY | About 1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs 15 min |
| Cape Liberty Cruise Port | Bayonne, NJ | About 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min |
Each terminal needs a different route, so a mix-up on sailing day can cost you an hour. If your ship sails from Cape Liberty, read our guide on Newark Airport to Cape Liberty. If you sail from Manhattan, see our Manhattan Cruise Terminal guide.
Brooklyn is best known as the New York home of Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, which uses Red Hook for its transatlantic crossings. Other cruise lines use the terminal on certain dates and seasons, often for Canada and New England, Bermuda and Caribbean itineraries. Schedules change every year, so always confirm the port on your booking confirmation.
The terminal sits on the waterfront in Red Hook, a quiet, mostly residential and industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn. It is operated for New York City by Ports America, and the official directions list the address as 210 Clinton Wharf, Brooklyn, NY 11231.
Red Hook has no subway station nearby, which is one of the reasons cruise passengers from New Jersey usually come by car. The streets around the pier are narrow and quickly fill with taxis, shuttles and private cars on sailing mornings. A professional chauffeur who knows the drop-off lanes makes a real difference.
This route avoids Manhattan completely, so it is not affected by the congestion pricing zone below 60th Street. It is also usually the most predictable route on weekend mornings, when most cruises board.
The other option is the New Jersey Turnpike to the Holland Tunnel, across lower Manhattan and through the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel into Red Hook. This route enters Manhattan’s congestion relief zone, adds tunnel tolls, and is often slower because of downtown traffic. Your chauffeur may use it only if there is a serious problem on the Verrazzano or the Staten Island Expressway.
Toll collection on the Staten Island crossings is one-way, which surprises many drivers:
With a car service, tolls are handled for you and normally included in your quote, so you do not need to worry about E-ZPass or toll-by-mail bills.
Cruise lines give each passenger a boarding window. Your goal is to arrive at the start of that window, not the end. Late arrivals risk long lines, and if you miss the final boarding cut-off, the ship can leave without you.
| Your starting point | Typical drive (light traffic) | Suggested buffer on sailing day |
|---|---|---|
| Brick / Toms River | About 1 hr 15 min | Leave 3 to 3.5 hrs before boarding time |
| Point Pleasant / Wall | About 1 hr 10 min | Leave about 3 hrs before boarding time |
| Freehold / Howell / Jackson | About 1 hr | Leave 2.5 to 3 hrs before boarding time |
| Long Branch / Red Bank | About 55 min | Leave about 2.5 hrs before boarding time |
These buffers include time for bridge traffic, a possible slowdown on the Gowanus Expressway, and the line of cars waiting to unload at the pier. They also leave room for a quick stop if someone forgets something.
When you arrive, your chauffeur follows the signs to the passenger drop-off area. Here is what to expect:
It is a good idea to tip the porters, who handle your luggage all the way to your cabin. Keep a few small bills ready.
Coming home is where a pre-booked car service is most valuable. Thousands of passengers leave the ship within a few hours, and the curb in Red Hook gets crowded fast. Rideshare cars often struggle to reach the pickup area, and wait times can be long.
Many New Jersey cruisers consider driving and parking at the terminal. The terminal operator lists an overnight parking rate of $45 per night at Brooklyn, so a 7-night cruise could cost around $315 in parking alone, plus tolls and gas, and someone still has to drive home tired after the trip.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Car service | Door-to-pier, help with luggage, no parking bills, guaranteed return pickup | Must be booked ahead |
| Drive and park | Total control over timing | Parking fees add up for long cruises, tolls both ways, tired drive home |
| Rideshare | Easy for short distances | Expensive from the Shore, drivers may decline long trips, return pickup hard to find |
| Family or friend | Free | A 3 to 4 hour round trip for them, twice |
For a family or group, a full-size SUV or Sprinter van often works out to a fair price per person and avoids the stress of finding parking on sailing day. Read why a private car service helps you avoid cruise-day traffic.
Many cruisers fly into the New York area the day before sailing, stay one night near the airport or at the Shore, and then head to the pier. If that is your plan, a car service can take you from the airport to your hotel, and then from the hotel to Red Hook the next morning.
| Airport | Typical drive to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal |
|---|---|
| Newark Liberty (EWR) | About 45 min to 1 hr 15 min |
| JFK International | About 40 min to 1 hr 10 min |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | About 35 min to 1 hr |
Our advice for anyone flying in:
If you are arriving at Newark and staying at the Jersey Shore before you sail, read our Newark Airport travel tips.
Cruise luggage is bulky. A week at sea often means one large suitcase per person, plus carry-ons and formal-night outfits.
See our passenger ship and pier transportation service page for more details.
Related reading: Cape Liberty Cruise Port Transportation Guide · Manhattan Cruise Terminal Transportation Guide · Passenger Ships & Piers
It is about 60 miles and usually takes 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours. Weekend mornings are usually faster than weekday rush hours. Plan to leave 3 to 3.5 hours before your boarding time.
The official directions list it as 210 Clinton Wharf, Brooklyn, NY 11231, at Pier 12 in the Red Hook neighborhood.
Not on the usual Staten Island route. Manhattan's congestion relief zone covers the area below 60th Street in Manhattan, and the route over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge does not enter Manhattan.
For longer cruises, a car service is often close to the cost of parking, tolls and gas, and it removes the stress of driving and parking. It also guarantees a ride home on disembarkation day.
Yes. Book your return when you book your drop-off. Give the dispatcher your ship name and date, and text your chauffeur when you are close to leaving the terminal.
Brooklyn is best known for Cunard's Queen Mary 2. Other lines use it seasonally. Always confirm your departure port on your cruise booking.
Stress-free rides from the Jersey Shore to Red Hook and back. Sedans, SUVs and Sprinter vans for every group.
Call (848) 388-0622 or request a quote online.
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