Circle Line

Bought our tickets for the ferry (not getting off at Liberty Island) for $ 13/​per plus the audio tour of Ellis Island. That took about 5 minutes. Grabbed a sandwich across the street, and got on the boat in about 15 minutes (no wait requred). Everybody we talked to was super nice and helpful.
The boat ride was pleasant and the weather was nice. That yielded great pictures.
It was a long shot but we found a record of my husband’s great grandfather who came through Ellis Island. It made the whole trip that much more meaningful.

Rude security staff and not very helpful. Statue is inspiring. Ellis Island is boring, unless you have family that came through there. Plan on using up half of your day doing this tour.

Yes, it’s quite the touristy thing to do, isn’t it? Still, it was a very good 3-​hour tour. You’ll learn more about NYC in that time than you would expect. Our tour guide was an older, well-​spoken and extremely knowledgeable gentleman who really knew what he was talking about. It was quite amazing actually. It wasn’t one of those annoying tours where some guy is reading off a script and an uninteresting one at that. I also enjoyed when he publicly reprimanded a family for letting their kid run up and down the aisles on the top deck. It’s a boat people — the kid could go overboard (whether this would have been an accident is not for me to say).
At any rate, this tour is highly recommended!

My man and I took the three hour tour (thanks, Teresa E. for making the Gilligan’s Island joke so I don’t try to force it into my review) as an outing with an organization we volunteer with. So my perspective is kind of unique, here, in that about 16 of my travel companions were high-​functioning adults with developmental disabilities. Here’s a hint: almost any average tourist outing in NYC is like 50 times more exciting when you’re with a group of special needs people, because they will say aloud exactly what you’re thinking but are too «polite» to say.
Thus, here’s a sampling of the less than glowing comments my companions shared with me:
«It’s too cold and windy out on this deck, but the indoors part smells bad, so I just don’t know where to go.»
«This food is terrible, why can they charge so much money for terrible food?»
«What is that man talking about? Is this a recording?» (on the audio commentary portion of the tour)
«I can’t see anything because of all these people on this side. I hate boats.»
And the positive:
«I liked that we were sitting down.»
«It was kind of cool, to see the city from the outside.»
From my perspective (and because my ticket was free), this was a decent way to blow 3 hours if you’re into sightseeing but opposed to walking a lot. The food was a joke ($ 4 for the stalest «soft» pretzel possible? REALLY?), the indoor decks DID have a bit of a funk, and the photo people were just beyond rude for some totally inscrutable reason. I think your experience of the trip will be affected greatly by the weather that day (we were pretty wind-​blown and cold by the time we docked back at 42^nd St.) and the amount of people on the boat — our lot was pretty manageable, so you could hear everything (though the commentary was a bit, um, dry at times), and there were loads of empty seats by the railing to move to if you wanted a better view of anything. I took a lot of blandly scenic pictures that I’ll probably gaze at fondly when I leave NYC for warmer climes.
I’d go again if it was free, or if I had some walking-​opposed pals in town who wanted to see the area while moving as little as possible.

Perhaps it’s because I’m spoiled by living in Chicago, with an outrageous amount of FABULOUS informative tour cruises (ima former employee of one)…So i know how great they can be… AND YOU SIR «CIRCLE LINE» ARE NO TOUR CRUISE!
they only get one star (wish i could give it a half star) because it was kewl going under all the New York bridges… BUT i found it a much better experience walking across them. than floating under them
TOP 3 REASON THEY SUCK:
1. you can’t hear anything
2. over crowded
3. if u want to use the city pass ticket to get on this AWFUL boat, those assholes ripe out their competitors boat ride ticket… fucking mother fuckers… that ticket they riped out is the ticket we had to repurchase to get on the most amazing boat ride Manhattan offers — — — — — — — — — — — — -Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Immigration Museum Deal That leaves from a park, soo sorry wish i could remember the name

It was a three hour tour (a three hour tour). The skipper was on board. The millionaire and his wife were nowhere to be seen. The security line wasn’t so bad. (they stopped Gilligan). Leaves changing. Gorgeous morning light. A little nippy, but plenty of seating inside. Great photo opps. Wonderful way to see Manhattan’s perimeter– for tourists and for locals with out-​of-​town guests.

We went on the 3-​hour boat tour around the whole island of Manhattan. It was great — really relaxing, a lot to see, and a good guide. If you’re not totally excited about the idea, the ride would seem really long (after about the second hour it can be tough), but we loved it. We sat on the lower deck so we couldn’t hear the guide very well, but it was a great activity and lots of fun. It’s a great activity for tourists, new New Yorkers, or those who just want to learn more about new parts of the city or spend an afternoon on a boat.

A cheap way to waste some time on a boat which I like. However, the whole security thing is a bit much. Let it go a bit would you? I mean If someone wants to do something they won’t do it this way I think.

This is the outfit that ferrys you from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Security for this thing was twice as psycho as any airport. I body cavity searched myself just from feeling guilty in general. 3 stars.

If I could give less than one star, I would. Well, the ferry did get us to Ellis Island, etc., but it was the most awful experience.
First, we got in line for the security checkpoint. This took forever, and it was blazing hot. Then, we were ushered inside a makeshift tent where there were metal detectors. Diego and I were put in the slowest line imaginable! Oh my goodness!!! We were in the line for half an hour. I kid you not! All the other lines were moving along, and people fifty spaces in line behind us walked past us. The tent was freaking hot, and were were not moving. For whatever reason, the security guy in our line was über-​checking everyone and making them go through the metal detector more than once, going through their bags, even though they had been x-​rayed! I was so mad! Because the guy took so long, we missed our ferry and had to wait another half an hour for the next one. It was totally unnecessary.
To make matters worse, we docked at the Statue of Liberty for what felt like an eternity I literally passed out in my chair from heat stroke.
By the time we got to Ellis Island, we didn’t even want to be there anymore, because we were so hot and tired.

Went to the Statue of Liberty via the Circle Line last weekend. All in all an enjoyable experience.
My main gripe with the Circle Line was that to get onto the boat, you had to wait in a security line outdoors for over an hour to get on the boat. I don’t have any problem with going through security, I agree its a good idea. The wait in line wouldn’t be a problem except for days when it is below freezing and windy. Shouldn’t a monument like the Statue of Liberty have a legit indoor waiting area so you can get excited (and not grumpy/​frostbite) when you’re waiting in line? Even the Liberty Bell got a new visitors center. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Circle Line owns the street vendor carts which sell hats and gloves to the underdressed.
This was all made up by the fact that when we got on the boat and decided to have some hot chocolate (for a very reasonable $ 1.25), our order and our order was taken by an adorable little girl who was no more than 8 years old but very efficient (even counted back my change to me, cashier style).
A good operation, but room for improvement.

The Circle Line Ferry takes you to the Statue of Liberty followed by Ellis Island… for a mere $ 11.50 including visits… I could hardly believe it, considering the Empire State Building charged me $ 33 to get to the top. Expect very long lines in Battery Park on weekends and sunny days (I had to stand in line for at least an hour and a half before boarding), but also expect to be wowed by the great views of downtown Manhattan and of the Statue of Liberty. In 15 minutes you are the statue, where you are free to walk around. If you think ahead, you can reserve a free pass online to go to the top of the pedestal (visits inside the actual statue are no longer allowed; the free passes are limited in number so you have to reserve them in advance). Then hop on the next ferry to Ellis Island, where the immigration museum is very interesting, and finally head back to Battery Park. A lot of fun…

We arrived to Battery Park around 4:00 and we were so excited to see a long line of people waiting for the ferry to see the Statue of LIberty. Little did we know that the ferry’s going to Ellis Island and the Statue stopped at 3:30 p.m. So heads up to anyone thinking about going. So we decided to do the guided harbour cruise. They took us around the New York City Skyline, by the Statue of LIbery, and by New Jersey. The guide was pretty knowledgeble. We got some great shots of the city and of the Statue of Liberty. The ticktets for adults were $ 15 and free for children under 4 yrs.

I finally made it up Liberty Island via the Circle Line Ferry. They have a very good schedule that can take you there, and even to Ellis Island, for less than $ 12! You can pretty much go on your own pace – and if you miss a boat, there’s another one every half hour or so. Key to send a postcard from Liberty Island to your loved ones around the world! They sell postage there as well.
Just make sure you have proper IDs and patience when going through the security checks to go up Lady Liberty. They have this chemical detector that looks like a regular metal detector, but it blasts you with strong puffs of air to check for hazmats. Get there early as lines form quickly and security checks take a while.
You can’t bring food or drinks up at the Statue… just a heads up!

This is good value sight-​seeing, whether or not you have a guest in town. For just $ 11.50, you get to take a trip not only to the Statue of Liberty, but also to Ellis Island, where there’s a museum with free admission. NYC is an expensive city, but this is a great way to spend a few hours for very little money. Views of the statue of Liberty from the boat are fantastic (check out the photo), as are views of downtown Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, Governor’s Island and the Verrazano. Catch the Circle Line at south ferry, right near the castle on the hour and half hour.