Hudson River Cruise: Everything you Need to Know!

If you are headed to New York City, you are going to want to see the Manhattan cityscape from outside of Manhattan. A great way to do this is by taking a Hudson River cruise!

However, there are several companies that offer cruises, so who should you choose?

Sometimes experiences give me something I can highly recommend, and sometimes I learn what NOT to do. In this case, I learned who not to cruise with.

We toured with Big City Tourism and although the cruise itself was fun, the way we were recruited to take the cruise plus the time it took and process for them to shuttle us from Battery Park to Pier 78 was less-than-optimal.

If I were to do it again (which I would definitely cruise down the Hudson again!), I would use a different company. So here is everything you need to know including who to go with, what to expect on the cruise, the route of the cruise, what time of day to go, and more!

• Which Company to Do A Hudson River Cruise with
  • About Starship Tours and Events
• Our Experience with Big City Tourism
  • How Our Tour Happened
  • Why I am Changing My Recommendation
• What to Expect on the Hudson River Cruise
  • Route of the Hudson River Cruise
  • What to Expect to See on the Hudson River Cruise
  • What Side of the Boat Should you Pick?!
  • Tour Guide
  • Drinks and Snacks
  • Sunset or Daytime Hudson River Cruise?
• Is it Too Cold To Cruise the Hudson River in December?
• Alternatives to Taking a Hudson River Cruise Tour
  • Hudson River Cruise on a Sail Boat
  • Hudson River Cruise with Dinner
  • Ferry Options
• Hudson River Cruise Recap

As I mentioned, we cruised with Big City Tourism and the experience lead me to recommend a cruise down the Hudson, but it also made me change who I would cruise with.

Taking a Hudson River Cruise really is SO fun and worth adding to an NYC itinerary!

After doing some research and if I hadn’t been thrown into a cruise by someone else (who recruited us), I would choose to cruise with Starship Tours and Events.

First off, the cost is less. It is about $25 per person for 1 hour or $35 for 1.5 hours compared to the $43 we paid with Big City Tourism (1.5 hour tour.)

Secondly, the reviews are better. Starship Tours has a 4.9/5 Star reviews on Google and 4.7/5 on Get Your Guide whereas Big City Tourism has a 3.8/5 stars on Google.

I recommend taking the 1.5 hour tour because you will be able to see more of the midtown skyline!

Starship Tours is another locally owned company, with the experience and route being provided by New Yorkers who know the city.

It is one of the newest companies to provide cruises down the Hudson, but comes with great reviews on Google and Trip Advisor already!

The Starship Tours are 1 to 1.5 hour tours that leave from two different areas, either Pier 36 or Pier 78, respectively.

In order for you to have a better grasp on why I would choose who I would choose, I feel as if our experience will be relevant.

We toured down the Hudson with Big City Tourism who is a newer, locally owned company. It is smaller than other companies such as Circle Line, which does gives it a more local feel.

And I wanted to support them. And I hope that the issues that came up become resolved.

However, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, especially after reading other peoples reviews of their experience.

We didn’t really choose Big City Tourism; they chose us. We were headed to Battery Park to try and get a view of the Statue of Liberty (the last thing we wanted to check off the list) when we were approached by a man asking if we wanted to take a cruise down the Hudson.

At this point, we were okay with being approached to join their tour because we weren’t looking to hop the ferry to Ellis Island, Staten Island or the Statue of Liberty and didn’t really have any plans.

However, from here things got less organized.

We were put onto a small shuttle bus where we waited for more recruits from Battery Park to join us. After waiting, we were then switched to a larger bus. Then the larger bus waited for a WHILE on other shuttle buses until it was full.

Then the ride from Battery Park ALL THE WAY up to Pier 78 is QUITE the trek. I was regretting agreeing to the cruise at this point.

However, the reason I am writing this post is because the cruise itself was a REALLY GOOD experience. We loved seeing the cityscape from the river and the music and everything made the tour very enjoyable.

So here is what I would do differently if I were to do it again and everything you need to know about taking a Hudson River Cruise!

The Google Reviews for the cruise with Big City Tourism are very polarizing. People either really liked the tour or hated it due to the “scammy” feeling of the tour.

Overall, if you were to book the tour yourself and take yourself to the pier, I think it would be a great experience.

However, the bad rap is coming from the people who are trying to recruit at Battery Park or at the pier.

Some people left reviews saying they planned to take the free ferry to the island and the recruiters told them they weren’t running and they needed to take a cruise (not my personal experience, but others.)

Others said the pricing changed from one person to another and/or they were charged a different price than they were told they would be charged.

Others said it took them 5 hours to shuttle from the park and complete the tour.

And, from my experience, I can see these things being an issue. And, it wasn’t just one or two people; it was multiple people who said the same things.

I think this goes to show why I would opt to cruise with Starship Tours over Big City Tourism

So, now that you know why I recommend Starship Tours (and why not the other,) here is everything you will need to know!

Here is what to expect on the cruise including the route you take, what you see, side of the boat to pick, best time of day to go, and amenities on the boat!

The 1.5 hour tour will begin at Pier 78 on the west side of Manhattan, head south along the coastline to the Manhattan Bridge then turn around and cruise closer to the Statue of Liberty, back to Pier 78.

Uniquely, as many of the cruises don’t offer this, you can also get picked up at Pier 36, which is in Lower Manhattan. So if Pier 78 is out of the way for you, you can hop on the cruise closer to the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. This tour will be 1 hour and cheaper than the 1.5 hour tour.

With either route, you get to see LOADS of epic NYC landmarks!

This is always what I want to know when I hop on a bus, train, boat, plane, etc. However, it is hard to really get a bad view as you sail down the Hudson River. On the initial decent down the Hudson, the left side of the boat technically stays closer to the coastline and offers a little bit better views.

However, on the way back up the Hudson, the right side of the boat tends to have better views.

But it doesn’t really matter. The boat does a great job of getting everyone a good view of the Statue of Liberty and you are free to walk and move around on the top of the boat as well.

Throughout the tour, a guide will provide information about what you are seeing and the relevance of what you are seeing.

So not only do you get to see epic landmarks, you also get information on what makes them so iconic!

A perk of the Starship boats is the availability of a snack bar!

Here you can purchase small snacks such as chips as well as cold and hot beverages. This includes beer, wine and cocktails! However, prepare to have cash for the snack bar.

Though the New York City skyline is incredible any time of day, I do recommend taking the sunset cruise!

With this cruise, you will start your journey in the daylight, seeing the cityscape with daylight on the ride up the river and then as you near the end of your tour, the lights of the city will start to brighten and you will get the nighttime cityscape view of NYC. It is incredible to be able to see both on the same cruise!

I honestly don’t think the Hudson River cruise in the middle of the day and bright sunshine would have quite the magical feel as it did at sunset and with the ability to see the city lights come to life!

So you are headed to NYC for Christmas and wondering if you should take the Hudson River cruise?

I’m not gong to lie; it’s probably going to be chilly. However, dress appropriately and it will BE WORTH IT. December is not cold enough to be miserable, but the wind from cruising down the Hudson will be nippy.

The boat does have indoor seating downstairs if the weather is bad. However, the views from the top are better! So, if its not raining, I recommend dressing appropriately and hanging out on top!

Though I wore my tan coat in NYC, I recently purchased a more fitted (less sleeping bag-looking) coat that goes below the knees to wear to the European Christmas markets and I loved it! Since it is a slimmer fit, it doesn’t hurt to size up!

Be Prepared for the Cold!

This more fitted, long white coat worked well for me in Europe! Recommend it for your Hudson River Cruise!

Buy this Coat!

A unique and highly-rated way to experience the Hudson River is to take a cruise on a sailboat! This tour is a 2 hour tour and begins at Pier 62.

You will get one complimentary beer or glass of wine or champagne while you sail down the river.

If you are looking for a dinner option, you can cruise with TopView, which provides a 3 hour cruise down the Hudson while enjoying a dinner. You can choose from buffet or a 3 course dinner with champagne.

You’ll also experience live music and a cash bar throughout the cruise.

If you don’t want to pay the $25-30 for a guided tour, you can take yourself down the Hudson River ferry.

These are about $4.50 per person for a one-way ticket, so obviously a cheaper option. And, I get it, everything in NYC cost money and often times it isn’t a small price.

You can take the ferry from Lower Manhattan to Statin Island or you can take a ferry from one part of Manhattan to another such as Midtown west to Battery Park.

Click here for a full ferry map and schedule