Bayonne

Cape Liberty Cruise Port is at 14 Port Terminal Boulevard, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002, on the site of the former Military Ocean Terminal. Royal Caribbean uses it as a year-round homeport — typically one Oasis-class or Quantum-class ship plus a smaller vessel — and Celebrity Cruises homeports here seasonally. Norwegian and a handful of others call here occasionally. It is not a port-of-call for European or Caribbean lines passing through; it's almost exclusively a turnaround port.

On-site parking is $25 per day, paid in advance or on arrival, and runs the length of your cruise — for a 7-night sailing that's $175. The lot is adjacent to the terminal so the walk with bags is short. Off-site lots in Bayonne and Jersey City offer shuttle service for roughly half the price; if you're driving in for a 10+ night cruise the math swings hard toward off-site. Reserve in either case during peak summer weeks.

U.S. citizens on a closed-loop cruise (one that begins and ends at the same U.S. port) can technically board with a government-issued photo ID and a certified birth certificate. We still tell everyone to bring a passport. If your ship has a medical or weather diversion and you fly home from a foreign port, the birth-certificate path becomes a problem. Non-U.S. citizens absolutely need a passport plus any required U.S. visa or ESTA.

Yes — and it's the single best thing about sailing from Cape Liberty. Ships leaving the terminal swing out into the bay and pass within roughly half a mile of Liberty Island as they head north toward the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the open Atlantic. Starboard side gets the closer view on departure. Be outside on deck or on a starboard-facing balcony for the first 30 minutes after the lines drop. It's a five-minute window and it's the reason this port exists in any meaningful sense.

Honestly, not much. Bayonne is a working New Jersey town — there are diners, a couple of decent pizzerias, and a Costco about two miles from the terminal if you forgot something. The nearest real tourist surface is Liberty State Park in Jersey City, about 15 minutes by car, which has its own ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island and a clear-day Manhattan skyline view. If you're flying in early, spend pre-cruise night in Manhattan or Jersey City, not Bayonne.