Circle Line Cruise NYC: Which Cruise, Which Pier, What It Costs

Prices, Hours and Routes Side by Side

The table compares the main Circle Line sightseeing cruises sold on this site, using the prices, durations and routes stated in each tour listing. Each cruise name links to its own page with the full route and booking details. Note that these are catalog prices for the cruises as sold here, and Circle Line's own box-office prices are not listed on this page.

Which One Should You Pick

The full island loop is the only Circle Line cruise here that laps the island. Circle Line's page says it passes all five boroughs and sails under 20 bridges, and it is the only one of the three that goes up the Harlem River, past the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge and around the northern tip of Manhattan. At $39 for 2.5 hours it is the longest of the three. The listing adds that on rare, exceptionally high tides the boat cannot fully circle Manhattan and the route is adjusted. Its 7,925 reviews give it a 4.6 rating.

The 90-minute landmarks cruise at $34 covers lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and three East River bridges. It skips the Harlem River, Yankee Stadium and the northern bridges entirely. Pick it if you have half a day of sightseeing budget and want the Statue of Liberty without committing 2.5 hours. The full route is covered in depth on the Circle Line landmarks cruise page.

The sunset sailing is the most reviewed Circle Line cruise here with 8,992 reviews at a 4.6 rating. It runs 2 hours for $45, from golden hour into the lit skyline, and passes Little Island, Dumbo and the Brooklyn Bridge. It does not do the full loop and does not reach the Harlem River. Read the Harbor Lights sunset cruise page for the exact route.

None of the three includes a drink, a meal or an architect. All three sell food and drinks on board and all three rely on live narration from the crew rather than a design professional. If your priority is architecture rather than landmarks, the AIA New York architecture yacht cruise has narration by members of the AIA New York chapter for $85.50 over 2 hours 45 minutes. The comparison of every cruise sits in the table on the New York City architecture boat tours.

Where Pier 83 Is and How It Got There

Circle Line's main departure point is Pier 83, listed as 83 North River Piers, West 42nd to 43rd Street at 12th Avenue, New York, NY 10036. Circle Line says this pier has the most cruises and the most daily departures of its two terminals. The pier sits in Hell's Kitchen, and the company has been based there since 1955.

Circle Line itself was formed on June 15, 1945 by Frank Barry, Joe Moran and partners. A regular circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible after the Harlem Ship Canal was completed in 1905, which let boats pass between the Hudson and the East River through the Harlem River. The company split into two operations in 1981 and was reunited in January 2017 when it bought New York Water Taxi.

The second terminal is downtown at Pier 16, 89 South Street. Circle Line runs its Liberty Super Express and Statue at Sunset cruises from there, while the Best of NYC, Landmarks, Liberty Midtown and Harbor Lights cruises all leave Pier 83.

Arrival Time, Voucher and What to Bring

The Circle Line listings say to arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure. Bring your booking voucher and a windbreaker or sweater, because it can run a few degrees colder on the water than on land. Closed-toe shoes with non-marking soles are the recommended footwear on boats.

The rules are strict about what comes aboard. Circle Line bans outside food and drink, large luggage and weapons including pocket knives and pepper spray. There is no need to pack lunch anyway, because the boats have a full bar and concessions, restrooms and free WiFi. Seating is guaranteed in heated indoor lounges or on the open-air decks, so you can choose by weather.

Two accessibility points from Circle Line matter before you book. Electric wheelchairs and scooters can board at Pier 83, but not on the Pier 16 departures, because of narrow gangways there. The premier seating on the second and third levels of the boats may not be wheelchair accessible.

If you want to compare Pier 83 with the other departure points on the Hudson, including Chelsea Piers and Pier 79, the pier-by-pier breakdown is on the New York City architecture boat tours and the NYC sunset cruise guide lists the evening departure piers.

Live Narration and the Audio App

Every Circle Line cruise carries live narration from the crew as the boat passes the sights. The listings add a downloadable audio guide through the free Circle Line app in nine languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese. Bring your own headphones, because the app needs them.

What the narration is not is architectural: there is no architect or docent on a standard Circle Line cruise. If you want a member of the AIA New York chapter explaining the buildings, that is a different product, covered on the page about the architecture yacht cruise.

Seating, Lounges and Facilities

Circle Line says seating is guaranteed in heated indoor lounges or on outdoor decks, so you can move between inside and outside during a cruise. The boats have open-air decks, climate-controlled indoor decks, restrooms and free WiFi. That answers the question people ask most about the boats: yes, there are bathrooms on board.

One accessibility note from the operator: premier seating on the second and third levels may not be wheelchair accessible, and electric wheelchairs and scooters can board at Pier 83 but not on the Liberty Super Express or Statue at Sunset sailings from Pier 16, because of narrow gangways.

Food, Drink and What Is Not Included

There is a full bar and concessions on board, and food and drinks are for sale on every sailing. No meal or drink is included in the ticket price. The catalog listing for the full island cruise states it plainly: food and beverages are not included, they are for sale on board.

Alcohol costs extra like any bar. Outside food and drink are banned, so you cannot bring your own snacks to avoid the concession prices. Gratuities and hotel pickup are also not part of any Circle Line ticket sold through the catalog.

Weather and What to Bring

Circle Line runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, so cruises sail in heat, cold and rain. With guaranteed indoor seating in heated lounges, a cold or wet day does not cancel the trip, but the views come from the outdoor decks. Advice for the water: it can be a few degrees colder out on the river, so bring a windbreaker or sweater, and wear closed-toe shoes with non-marking soles.

Sunset sailings run from golden hour into the lit skyline, and the Harbor Lights listing says evenings on the water are cool. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure, as the listings advise.

The Key Dates

The company has a long history on the Hudson, and these are the milestones from the record. The table pulls together the founding, the move to Pier 83, the fleet changes and the split and reunion of the business.

Why the Full Island Loop Needs the Harlem Ship Canal

Manhattan is an island, but for most of its history you could not sail all the way around it. The Harlem River in the north was not deep or wide enough for large boats until the Harlem Ship Canal was cut through in 1895. The canal's Marble Hill section opened on June 17, 1895, and with the waterway completed in 1905 a boat could pass from the Hudson through an 8-mile tidal strait into the East River and back.

That continuous loop is what the full island cruise sails today: three rivers and all five boroughs passed, with under 20 bridges in total according to Circle Line's own page. The Spuyten Duyvil railroad swing bridge at the canal mouth opens over 1,000 times a year, mostly in summer, largely for Circle Line boats and recreational traffic. If the bridges of the northern rivers interest you, the page on the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge goes into the structure in detail.

For Architecture Narration

A standard Circle Line cruise names the sights. It does not put an architect on board. If buildings are the reason you are going out on the water, the pick is the Manhattan Architecture Yacht Cruise with AIA New York Narration, a 2 hour 45 minute lap of Manhattan on a 1920s-style yacht with narration by members of the American Institute of Architects New York chapter.

It passes under the bridges of the Hudson, East and Harlem Rivers and includes one complimentary beverage. The catalog price is $85.50 per person on the booking platform, against $39 for the full Circle Line lap, for the specialist narration. Details and booking sit on the AIANY architecture yacht cruise page.

For the Cheapest Ticket

If price decides, Circle Line is not the floor of the market. The Starship Landmark 90 Minute Sightseeing Cruise costs $26 per person on the booking platform, marked down from $35, and runs a 1.5-hour loop from Pier 78 past the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and Hudson Yards with a live guide. That undercuts the 90-minute Circle Line landmarks cruise at $34 and the NY Waterway 80-minute cruise at $29.75.

The cheapest ticket has its own breakdown on the Starship landmark cruise page.

For a Sail Instead of a Motorboat

Every Circle Line vessel is powered. If you want wind in the rigging, the New York Sunset Schooner Cruise on the Hudson River is a 2-hour evening sail on an 80-foot two-masted schooner from Pier 62 at Chelsea Piers, past One World Trade Center, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It costs $90.12 per person on the booking platform, takes up to 49 guests and includes one complimentary beverage.

The listing does not mention narration, so treat it as a sail and a sunset rather than a guided tour. It is one of several sunset options compared on the New York architecture boat tours homepage.