Brunch, Lunch or Dinner Cruise with Live Entertainment New York

Chelsea Piers and the Midtown skyline on the Hudson

Your evening starts at Pier 61, part of Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River between West 17th and 23rd Streets. The piers opened in 1910 as a terminal for the great transatlantic liners and today combine sports halls, a marina and the departure point for dining cruises. To get there, take the subway to 23rd Street and walk west, or the crosstown bus along 23rd Street to the river.

As the boat pulls out, Midtown fills the windows: the Empire State Building, completed in 1931 and rising 443 metres to its tip; the stainless-steel Art Deco crown of the Chrysler Building; and the copper-coloured honeycomb of the Vessel at Hudson Yards, the city's newest district. On the Premier Dinner Cruise the first course is usually served as the skyline starts to glow, one of the best moments of any NYC dinner cruise.

One World Trade Center and Battery Park City

Heading south, the towers of Lower Manhattan come into view. One World Trade Center, opened in 2014, reaches 541 metres, a height chosen to echo 1776, the year of American independence, and it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. At its foot, the memorial pools mark the footprints of the original twin towers.

Along the water lies Battery Park City, a neighbourhood built in the 1970s and 1980s on land reclaimed partly with earth excavated for the first World Trade Center. Its riverside esplanade, marinas and lawns look especially elegant from the boat at night, when the office lights reflect on the Hudson. Your live narration points out each landmark as the boat passes, so you always know what you are looking at.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

The turning point of the cruise is New York Harbor, where the Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island. A gift from the people of France, she was dedicated in 1886 and measures about 93 metres from the ground to the tip of the torch; her copper skin turned its famous green within a few decades. Seen from the water with the sky darkening behind her, she is the picture most guests remember from a Statue of Liberty dinner cruise.

Just north stands Ellis Island, the immigration station through which millions of newcomers entered the United States between 1892 and 1954. Its red-brick main hall, now a museum, is clearly visible from the boat. This is the best moment to step out onto the outdoor deck for photos, so bring a light layer, as the harbour breeze is cool even in summer.

Governors Island and New York Harbor

Between Manhattan and Brooklyn, the boat passes Governors Island, a former military post that served the army and later the coast guard until 1996. Today it is a public park with lawns, cycle paths and historic forts, reached by short ferries in the warmer months, and from the water you can see the star-shaped walls of Fort Jay and the round Castle Williams.

This stretch of New York Harbor shows how busy the port still is, with ferries, tugboats and container ships crossing the dark water around you. Behind, the lights of Brooklyn's waterfront and the cranes of the working piers frame the view. Dessert is often served around here, so it is a good time to settle back at your table and enjoy the trio.

Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges on the East River

The boat then turns up the East River and slides beneath three historic bridges. The Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world, and its granite Gothic arches are lit softly at night. Next comes the blue steel Manhattan Bridge of 1909, carrying subway trains above you, and then the Williamsburg Bridge of 1903, which was the longest suspension bridge on earth when it opened.

On the return to Chelsea Piers you see the skyline again from the opposite direction, with the Empire State Building's coloured crown lighting the night. Many guests use these last minutes to dance near the band or watch from the open deck. The Premier Dinner Cruise lasts 2.5 hours; the lunch and brunch options follow the same route in 2 hours.