Brooklyn's new cruise ship terminal inaugurated by Queen Mary 2

You couldn't ask for a showier guest at your housewarming party. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 arrived regally yesterday morning as the first visitor to Brooklyn's new Red Hook passenger cruise terminal, ending a 38-day South America cruise.

Brooklyn will be the Queen Mary 2's permanent home during her summer-long trans-Atlantic cruise season, in addition to ships from Cunard sister company Princess Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Cunard and Norwegian contracted with the city in 2004 to build out the Red Hook terminal space, and conduct the channel dredging and widening necessary to accommodate today's breed of mega-liner. The new terminal was sorely needed to relieve the crush of new cruise traffic that has descended on the threadbare and aging west side passenger cruise terminal over the past few years.

We'll be visiting the new terminal in late April and will report back with more details then!

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