We went on the liberty cruise and it was awesome! Well worth the $30. The gentleman giving the guided tour had lots of interesting facts and trivia, and the sights were out of this world. I think this is the best way to see Manhattan.
Nothing but fantastic views the whole trip. Definitely worth the upgrade if you have the 2.5 hours to spare to the Best of NYC tour going around the whole island, including the Statue of Liberty. The tour guide had a plethora of information about all the sights to see from the coast. Get there at least 45-60 minutes early to board the ship for a good seat and shorter line.
I can recommend the 2h circle line cruise.
It takes you around Manhattan. You’ll see the Statue of Liberty and get very close.
You’ll see the Yankees stadium and basically everything at the banks of Manhattan.
The price is alright. Just the drinks which you can get on the cruise are a little overpriced. But you can take your own. Don’t forget sunscreen in the summer since there is no shade.
Very nice cruise. Had so much fun and seem and learned a lot about new York's history. Very informative and the speaker was funny. Great seats on the ends and top floor is the best so go on a nice day and wear sunglasses and a hat. It can get chilly as your on water and the breeze is a bit cool. Overall great experience. Also serve food on board and alcohol too.
Perfect way to see the city. If you take the 2.5 hour Best of NYC I would strongly suggest upgrading to the VIP seating. The chairs are padded and you get a host to get drinks and food for you. The tour guide was VERY informative and showed you all the great places you'd otherwise miss. Food and drink prices are on par for the city. Later that night we took the harbor lights cruise to see the city at night. We used the City Pass for tickets. Best way to go. Staff was very friendly.
Repeated cruise after 25 years - even better this time. Our guide was so knowledgeable and professional. This cruise is the best way to orientate yourself and feel like you hold New York in the palm of your hand - just for a moment. Great experience.
Best way to tour Manhattan!
Purchased the Combo "Best of NYC" and Empire State Building from the website.
We boarded at 11:40am for our noon boat. It was a little chilly and rainy that day so it was maybe a little over half full. Plastic folding chairs inside of the lower level, and half of the top level is indoor, the other half is outdoor. The ride wasn't choppy or anything too crazy.
Our tour guide "Dave" really made it a good experience, very experienced and knowledgeable. Very Informative and he cracks some good jokes too.
You get too see everything. Great views of the Statue of Liberty, NYC Skyline, Bridges, and everything else.
My wife and I agree it was our favorite part of our trip, very relaxing and you get too see a lot of things in 2.5 hours!
Can't give it 5 stars because the Cafe they talk so highly of on the website is a joke. Very expensive over priced garbage you'd buy at a gas station, and the only thing we wanted (ice cream bar) they didn't have in stock. If that improves, then this tour is 5 stars easily.
Cracking! We went on the best of NYC tour, which goes around Manhattan and past the other boroughs, and it was great. The man that did the talking was excellent- very knowledgeable and funny. Reasonable price and only a few blocks from our hotel. Boarding starts 45 minutes before your cruise departs and if you book online you need to exchange voucher for tickets upon arrival. Simply superb!
Took the 1.5 hour tour. All of the main attractions included plus great explanations from the guide. I took the premium tour, it's just cushioned chairs and a waiter - not worth the extra price. The views were great from all the seats. Recommended.
Cruise was great. Dave was very good at what he does. He explained about smoking also. I guess the crew is an exception. They don't follow the rules and said they could smoke under the canopy or roof in this one area the smoke billowed back to where I was sitting on the bottom towards the back. I heard a Lot of people asking about who was smoking. It wasn't just one crew member either. I mentioned it to one crew member and he did put out his cigarette. The next time he did move to the back of the boat. This is a public transportation and the smokers can wait to kill themselves after the two plus hr cruise just like a 5 hr flight from Seattle to New York .It was a 95 degree day which made it worst.
I did the trip that takes you all the way round the Isle of Manhattan and thought it was fascinating - covering as it does the dense urban nature of NYC and what is virtually countryside at the northern tip. Some hideous public housing developments and iconic bridges too. I could have done without all the lame jokes in the commentary though.
The trip itself is beautiful. I'm sure all trips are just as beautiful. Most staff though is unprofessional. I understand they are all fed up with tourists who know nothing. I get the boredom and frustration as a human being myself. However, this is their JOB, they get paid to do it. They should perform it professionally and be courteous and understanding, at all times. It is kind of impressive how they most of the employees recite lines and roll their eyes at the same time.
The boat trip was fine but the execution of online combo tickets is ridiculous. The idea of buying tickets online is NOT to stand in line when you get there. But in order to use the combo ticket at the Empire State Building you have to get your ticket "validated" which requires standing in the ticket line at both Circle Line and the Empire State Building. On top of that, they wouldn't validate all of the tickets so 2 people of our party couldn't get into the Empire State Building. What a joke!
I had family in town and took the landmark cruise with them and found it to be a very nice experience and I recommend it very highly. Our tour guide, Chris, was entertaining and knowledgeable and all members of the trip enjoyed his running banter. The ships are comfortable, within reason, for what they are and I noticed you can buy into a VIP area if you wanted better seating. Well worth the money.
Took a boat tour around Manhattan!!! Got to see some cool views of the city and the Statue of Liberty. Did the hour and half tour that only goes around half of the island. There is a two and half hour tour that goes around the whole island. Make sure it's a nice sunny day or at lest a warm day. Other wise I hope you can stand the cold. You can go inside to stay warm, but for some amazing photo ops you want stay out on the deck in the cold to get those pics!! I suggest going on the later one in the day cause then you get the sunset in your pics.