By:Daniel Brooks
New York Day Cruises are among the most popular tourist attractions in the city. It’s the perfect way of seeing and taking pictures of Manhattan from uncustomary angles and experiencing the unique atmosphere of sailing on Hudson and East Rivers.
You will find various cruise companies in New York that offer anything from sightseeing cruises, brunch or lunch cruises, Statue of Liberty cruises to even Whale Watching cruises.
Ticket prices for day cruises in New York range from $25 to $100. The cheapest are the sightseeing cruises, which range from $25 to $50 depending on what kind of cruise you go on, while the most expensive are the brunch and lunch cruises. The average duration of a daytime cruise in New York is between 1 hour to 2.5 hours.
On the next page, we’ve gathered for you some of the most well-known and popular daytime cruises you’ll find in New York, with all the details you need to know. Let’s get started!
Here are our favorite daytime cruises in New York that are considered the most popular among tourists in the city:
One of the most popular day cruises in New York is definitely the “Best of NYC” cruise by Circle Line. It is a full island tour which circles Manhattan through the Hudson, East and Harlem rivers passing along many famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and many more.
This cruise operates daily with 4 departure times (10AM, 12PM, 1:30PM and 3:30PM) and lasts 2.5 hours. The “Best of NYC” is considered Circle Line’s best-seller cruise and tourists from all over the world are taking it. Because of that, you should consider ordering the tickets as early as you can.
The cruise departs from Pier 83 in Midtown Manhattan and includes live narration by a local guide, dedicated time by the Statue of Liberty for a close-up view, and an audio guide app. Cruise ticket prices are around $44.
Many travelers don’t want to miss of course a visit to the Statue of Liberty. The only way to get to the statue is with a ferry when you then get access to Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty is located, but the ferry is very crowded and it doesn’t feel like a real ‘cruise’.
So the best alternative is to take a special sightseeing cruise to the Statue of Liberty but without getting out of the boat. You can find many cruise companies that offer sightseeing boat tours to the statue and one of the most popular of them is the Attraction4us cruise.
This is a 60-minute cruise that comes up close within 100 ft of Statue and stops there for a while so you can take photos, and then goes back through the famous Ellis Island. The cruise ticket prices are around $36 and include a live guide and indoor and outdoor seating.
If you are looking for a Lunch Cruise in New York, you should definitely check the City Cruise‘s Lunch Cruise which is considered by many as the best lunch cruise in NYC.
This is a 2 hour tour on a boat with a full plated lunch meal (you can check the menu here) and a live pianist entertainment. The cruise departs mostly on weekends between 12:00-14:00 from Pier 61.
The cruise is passing by Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, One World Trade Center and many more landmarks and the tickets prices are around $119 per person.
If you are looking for something more interesting than a standard sightseeing cruise, you need to get to know the Whale Watching Cruise operated by “NYC Water Cruises” company.
This is a 5-hour boat tour through New York Harbor that specializes in spotting whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
The cruise operates only on weekends with daily departure at 10:00AM from Pier 35. Ticket prices are around $60 and include a live guide.
Another unique day cruise in New York that you definitely want to consider is “The Beast” Cruise which is operated by Circle Line. This is a special speedboat that gives you an extreme ride on the water at 45 mph.
You’ll probably get wet and get bounced hard but it is pure fun and a very popular attraction here at NYC. The beast departs from Pier 83, going down to the Statue of Liberty, then turns around back to the departure point.
This cruise operates almost daily with various departure times a day. Ticket prices are around $35 per person.
As you can see, the prices of New York City day cruise tickets vary mainly depending on the type of cruise you choose. Sightseeing and Statue of Liberty cruises are the cheapest, costing around $25 to $30 per person. The most expensive cruises are lunch or brunch cruises, which cost between $80 and $100 per person.
You can purchase cruise tickets directly at the departure points, but the recommended and safest way is to book tickets online through the cruise provider’s websites or through well-known and large ticket providers such as “Tiqets” or “GetYourGuide“.
Every cruise provider has a different route for an evening cruise, but all of them pass by the Statue of Liberty. You can find a route which includes only cruises in the Hudson River or only in the East River.
Some companies like Circle Line depart from Pier 83 or Pier 16, while others depart from Pier 61 (City Cruises), Pier 35 (NYC Water Cruises) or Pier 36 (Attractions4us). So basically, the departure points vary depending on the cruise company.
As these are daylight cruises, the average departure time is between 10:00 pm and 15:00 pm.
