NEW YORK -- The long, cement piers that shoot off Manhattan's West Side into the Hudson River are memorialized in World War II-era photos of ships taking troops to Europe and as the berth of famed liners like the QE2 and the United States.
Like those liners, the piers grew old. But unlike those liners, they were not retired, and until recently, they had not been refurbished since the 1970s.
Instead, the Manhattan Cruise Terminal continued to accept a growing fleet of new cruise ships, while earning some of the lowest passenger-satisfaction marks in the country.
That is, until 2003, when the New York City Economic Development Corporation took over the piers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
At that time the EDC realized what most cruisers and cruise lines already knew: That New York, a marquee cruise destination, had a subpar cruise terminal.
"We were one of the worst" in terms of passenger satisfaction, said Tom Spina, the director of cruise operations for the EDC.
But not anymore.
The EDC has poured almost $200 million into upgrading the Manhattan facilities. It spent another $55 million to build a cruise terminal in Brooklyn that is used by Cunard Line and Princess Cruises.
In Manhattan, Piers 88 and 90, once brown and crumbling, are now sparkling white. Pier 88 was redesigned to improve passenger flow; cruisers now embark on the main level and disembark through the ground level. A taxi stand was created just across the street from the terminal.
Inside, the EDC also more than doubled the check-in counter space and added VIP waiting areas. It now has an advanced system to screen and load luggage, similar to what airports use.
New aprons (a cement platform constructed on the side of the pier, between the terminal and the ship) were built off of Pier 88, enabling trucks to drive right up to the ship for easier provisioning. The aprons also provide for new, advanced gangways.
Neither the cruise lines nor the terminal could offer any solid numbers, but Spina said the passenger movements have been greatly streamlined and improved.
Carnival Cruise Lines, which offers four, -five- and seven-day programs from the terminal, said that guest-satisfaction scores "have improved significantly since the renovation" of the New York facilities.
Previously, the terminal received criticism for congestion inside and outside of the building. Cruisers endured long waits in uncomfortable surroundings. They also said it was difficult to find the terminal when they were arriving and to hail taxis when they were departing.
"We heard the complaints for years," Spina said.
Meanwhile, it was not lost on EDC officials like Spina that the cruise ships were getting more advanced and offering higher-quality experiences.
"We're lucky to have New York, but to have a subpar facility didn't do us any good," he said, noting that some cruise lines stopped coming to Manhattan: Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises set up their New York-area operations in Bayonne, N.J., in 2004, prompting concern from New York lawmakers.
"Now we have a premier location and a premier facility," Spina said. "That sells."
He said the improvements have led to major increases in cruise ship traffic, including more ships from Europe.
The Manhattan piers had 139 ship calls in 2009, and officials expect 196 this year. The increase is coming from both European brands like Aida Cruises and MSC Cruises and the return of Holland America Line.
Those increases are important for New York's tourism economy, the EDC found in a 2009 cruise passenger economic-impact study.
According to the study, overnight passengers in New York spent $245 per person for lodging and $72 for food and beverages in 2009, the highest in the country and almost double the national average for other U.S. port cities.
Passengers and crew spent an estimated $93.8 million in New York in 2009, or $174.18 per day.
Spina said those averages are higher among European cruise passengers.
The EDC is also building a small park between the terminal and the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space museum, a pier away, and is putting bright signage on the terminal so that it's easy to find by visitors and locals alike.
"The cruise lines have been offering great vacations, and now we can offer a great terminal," Spina said.