WHEREAS AIRPORTS ARE A MEANS TO AN END — and often a business-related end — cruise terminals often represent the beginning of a vacation with a major focus on leaving behind the stressors of everyday life.

The result seems to be less of a focus on amenities important to business. On the NYCruise website, you will be hard-pressed to find any information on WiFi connectivity or other amenities someone might need to work. When you’re going on a cruise, you’re probably trying to disconnect.

The Brooklyn Terminal joins the Manhattan Terminal as the prominent cruise terminals in New York City. Across both, hundreds of thousands of passengers are served each year.

The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal opened in April 2006. In that year the terminal served 40 different ships and received a number of accolades from cruise lines and cruise magazines, including Princess Cruises naming the terminal Cruise Terminal of the Year, and Porthole Cruise Magazine naming the terminal the Best New Homeport. In 2011 the terminal received a number of other Cruise Insight accolades including Most Efficient Terminal Operations, Best Turnaround Port Operations, Most Improved Port Facilities, Most Efficient Port Services and Best Destination Experience. With all of the recognition over its years of operation, it is easy to see why the Brooklyn Terminal is so popular among visitors.

The terminal features 200,000 square feet of flexible space, giving cruise lines the ability to organize themselves and provide passengers the chance to stretch their legs and relax before their cruise begins in earnest.

The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is located in the Red Hook neighborhood of the city, packed with things to do for New Yorkers who don’t get to Brooklyn much and out-of-state visitors getting ready to embark on a cruise. The neighborhood backs up against the water, giving it a culture that fits in well with a cruise terminal.

Guests who arrive for their cruise early, be it hours or days, find plenty to do in Red Hook to pass the time and learn about the local culture. Local food and drink, including whiskey and oysters, are prevalent along with a bustling local art scene. When you’re finished taking in the culture, the terminal is just a short trip away, for the real start of the journey.

Anyone who has been in more than a single airport knows each one is different. They are shaped by their cities, countries and the people who travel through them regularly. In this way, cruise terminals are similar. Even the Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals, part of the same port, are easily identifiable from the outset. Both are urban and play host to hundreds of cruise departures each year, but the newer Brooklyn Terminal is separated from the busiest parts of New York, even if only marginally. The terminal allows guests to experience the local New York and Brooklyn culture before whisking them away to relax on the high seas.