Liberty Cruise

Great tour operator. We did the sunset cruise as premium ticket holders. This was the only sunset tour we found that actually left before sunset (4:30 in December). Every other tour left at 6, when it's almost completely dark! Also highly recommend the upcharge for premium tickets - you get the best seats on the ship in a premium-only area, and best of all, you can skip the long line.

This was the NYC dinner cruise, which was a 7p departure. The boarding crew was very reasonable and made sure my whole party made it on board. Starting with the ship, although it wasn't the newest vessel, it was well kept and clean. We had the upper deck window seats with covered tables and a nice table setting with real chairs. The menu was a 3 course meal with several options, including vegan dishes with a complimentary glass of Champagne. The servers were amazing, and the highlight of the cruise they made sure you had everything you needed and got everyone up and dancing. The DJ was great and read the room well with his choice of music. The DJ also announced all of the iconic pictures worthy locations of the cruise, which was very helpful for perfect pics. I am not sure if the company has several boats and some are better than others, but the dinner cruise we went on was really good, and I would go again. FYI, there are parking garages in the area and street parking if you can find it...but it's best to get there 30 minutes early as recommended.

We did the sunset cruise on what turned out to be a perfect night weather-wise. We found tickets on Groupon ($95 for 4 regular passes) which was a big saving. For that price it was totally worth it. Regular pass gets you a seat on the lower deck or standing access at the rear upstairs. Our cruise did not have a lot of people on it so we had all the great views we wanted. I had heard this wasn't always the case looking at other reviews so maybe we just got lucky. We arrived at about 6:15 for the 7:00 cruise and were second in line. In the end it didn't really matter with how few people were onboard. The food onboard is way over-priced as could be expected with a captive audience. There was now your guide on this cruise but they did slow down for a couple of good photo ops. I'm sure there are larger, nicer boats but we got what we came for - great view of the skyline.

🚨 Disappointing Thanksgiving Dinner Cruise 🚨 Rating: BAD I recently experienced the Thanksgiving 2023 dinner cruise aboard the Manhattan II boat, and I have mixed feelings about the whole experience. Firstly, let’s start with the positive aspects. The boat itself was fine; it provided a pleasant atmosphere and a beautiful view of the city skyline. The ambiance was nice, and it had the potential to be a memorable Thanksgiving celebration. However, my excitement quickly faded due to a significant issue – the excruciatingly long waiting time for dinner. Our reservation was for 7:20 pm, and we were eagerly anticipating a delightful Thanksgiving meal. Unfortunately, our patience was tested beyond its limits as we sat and waited for the food to arrive. By 10 pm, after nearly three hours of waiting, we finally got to eat. This excessive delay significantly marred the experience, and it’s not something I would recommend, especially for families or anyone with children. It’s challenging to keep young ones entertained and content during such extended waiting times. In conclusion, while the Manhattan II boat itself was decent and had potential, the unacceptable waiting time for dinner left a sour taste in our mouths. I regret to say that I cannot recommend this Thanksgiving dinner cruise, especially if you’re looking for a family-friendly experience.

Ok. Hear me out. Before writing this review I took the time to read some of the terrible experiences some people had in here so I’ll be very specific. I took the Labor Day tour and the experience that I had with my wife was fenomenal! I guess we were lucky this date had little demand. Not crowded at all and everyone around looking like having a great time. We were scheduled to onboard at 7PM so I guess departing 30 minutes later was kind of acceptable due to people still coming and figuring out their access to the boat. Yes the boat is a little rusty and there are foldable chairs but, come on people! It is not like it was falling apart. It is way better than the Staten Island ferry. White clothes and centerpiece in all tables making the environment cozy and romantic. The service was good, no complaints. At the begging they looked like they were in a rush preparing everything so it made me a little worried. But once the boat moved, everything was so nice. The food was very good, bathrooms clean clean clean. After eating we went to the deck. People was happy, some dancing, other drinking and at some point few of the servers came and offered taking pictures with your own phone so it is not like those classic $30 souvenir pictures. The whole ride was a pleasure. Yes it takes a little while to get off the boat but they are very careful helping each passenger getting out safely because they were wearing high heels, had a little too much fun or just seniors that needed more help with that slippery walkway. A word of advise to the company owners, probably you should plan in having a bigger crew for the busier dates, so the crew doesn’t stress out and everyone gets a pleasant experience like the one my wife and I had.