Spirit of New York

DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU HAVE A FOOD ALLERGY — YOU MIGHT DIE.
I went here with a group of coworkers for a work event and one of my colleagues has a serious food allergy. When we asked which foods were safe to eat, we had them changing their story constantly. First we were told Dish A was «definitely totally safe” – then they’d go back and double check after we asked them to, and said no, Dish A was «definitely not safe», but Dish B was «definitely safe». Then when we asked them to double-​check, they’d switch their story. This happened a few times until our colleague had to just give up and not eat. The waitresses were obviously lazy about the whole thing and wanted to just make something up – but food allergies are serious, you can’t just lie.
The food and drinks were also mediocre.
The music was extremely loud to the point where I couldn’t hear anyone, and the bass was strong enough to make me uncomfortable. I fled to the deck until we docked and I could get off.
The views were good, but honesty there are so many competitors in this space that you should just go on one of the other ones that takes the life or death situations of others seriously.

SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE!!! I had a party of 25 for a Sunday brunch and many of us were dissatisfied. I expected the food to be ready as soon as we boarded. The food took about an hour to prepare after departure. We started eating past 1 pm. Then they ran out of plates!!! People from my party had to wait 10 minutes just for plates. If we did not approach the manager for our drinks, we would not have gotten any. We received our drinks much later on. The lady brought about 9 drinks 20 minutes before the end of the cruise. THE SERVICE WAS JUS TERRIBLE!!! Never doing it again. They said we could go back for seconds to the buffet but there was definitely no time for that. Advice to the manager– have more people serving, be more organized, and have the food ready when boarding starts. I hope everyone else has a better time than I did. DJ sucked too. Whole cruise sucked. Do something else instead of going on a Spirit of New York Cruise.

The Spirit of New York is pretty cool! The boat has two decks and offers beautiful views of the city.
The food was sub par but I don’t think anyone’s expecting a five star meal :)

WENT on Sprit Cruise on June 11^th 2016, there was no narrator to tell the points of intrest, not everybody on ship was a new yorker to know the different sights, the food was not done properly nothing but pure carbohydrates, macoroni and cheese, mashed white potatoes, rolls &butter, rolled fish stuffed with cheese, hard steamed brocoli, the trip was not long enough for t he money paid. The gospel entertainment was not up to par, (5) singers does not make a chior

Purpose: My boyfriend took me on the Spirit Dinner Cruise for my 25^th birthday as a surprise. I have to say, I had such an incredible time! Not only, did everyone on the ship know it was my birthday but they went out of their way to say Happy Birthday to me. From the men checking the tickets to the bartenders — I truly felt so special! Upon entering in, they offered to take our photos and even printed them on sight. They were $ 20 per photo (one close up and one full body). We’re not the type of people that mind spending money on memories so we went for it.
Service: I had a few questions here and there and the service provided by the employees was top notch! They were super kind and always looking to help! They were constantly checking on us and asking if we needed anything. No one looked like they were in a bad mood or didn’t enjoy working there. I was impressed with all of the staff members on board.
Drinks: Drinks were a bit pricy but not different than any other bar in NYC. We had a tropical drink, and two glasses of wine for $ 37. Then we ordered two Ciroc Vodka and Club Sodas from the bar and the total was about $ 39.
Food: the food was amazing. I was pleasantly surprised! It was all buffet style so you could go up and load your plate, and if you were hungry after that, you could keep on eating! They did a pretty good job of calling people up table-​by-​table so it didn’t get too crowded by the buffet. The garlic mashed potatoes were everything. After dinner (and also during/​before), you could help yourself to a few dessert items — nothing crazy but it consisted of brownies, rice krispy treats and small pudding cups. Again, I was pleasantly surprised — it was phenomenal. I went to the bathroom and when I came back there was a mason jar filled with pudding, graham crackers and strawberries waiting for me. It had a candle and a hand written note that said «Happy Birthday.» Within seconds of me sitting down, they came and lit it and I thought that was pretty great!
Seating: we were seated right next to the dance floor which gave us plenty of freedom to get up and move around as we pleased. I did notice that those seated next to the windows and in between my table and the window tables looked a bit trapped. That being said, everyone attending this seemed so friendly and didn’t mind getting up if they had too (I never saw any one have this problem. It just felt like it was a tight squeeze).
DJ: Like I said before, I was turning 25 and most other attendees were celebrating something. I loved the DJ — he was fun, kept it light and played today’s hits with a mix of the old hits. It took a little bit of time but after a few songs everyone was dancing and having a great time. If you’re looking for a silent, no fun cruise around the city — this is NOT it. If you’re laid back and want to have a good time — come aboard Spirit Cruises.
Overall: I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone visiting that just wants to have fun and see the sights. They do a very good job of stopping directly in front of the statue of liberty and you can take hundreds of pictures. I would give this trip a complete 10 out of 10. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

Took my mom and mother in law on a dinner cruise from Chelsea piers on the spirit of New York for Mother’s Day. Needless to say we all had a great time and management is very accommodating and helpful. Very much recommended

Spirit of New York offers Lunch/​Brunch/​Dinner Cruises… for about 300 guests at a time. If you are expecting a relaxing, leisurely river cruise with a buffet and a bit of music, you’ll likely be disappointed. But, if you want a rowdy, crowded, slightly boozy lunch and boat ride on the river… maybe that IS the Spirit of New York, after all.
Entertainment Cruises runs cruise lines in Chicago as well, they are all about profit. You get more room between rows at Yankee Stadium. Expect to bump into other guests often as you make your way from buffet to bar to deck to bathroom. Expensive bar drinks ($ 12-​$ 16 each). Service is infrequent at the tables, unless you want to run a bar tab. You may sit in front of your empty plate for a while on a full boat. Yes, they do pack in more guests than they should; it’s not your imagination. I would not like to be on board in case of a smoky emergency situation. I doubt there is ADA compliance for disabled guests.
The food is like an ocean cruise line… a serviceable buffet variety of fish, chicken, pasta and salad. Cool little desserts, sturdy coffee. At peak times, you wait as they recharge the buffet trays; you know how some people act on buffet lines. Kitchen staff do a good job.
Expect to be packed in together like a Coach airline passenger, with incessant «hostess» on the PA giving a Circle Line-​like trivia tour at high volume. Perfect for a birthday party with out of town relatives or guests. Not quite a bus, more like a fancier motor coach. Noisy and crowded is not the relaxing respite I was looking for. I get rowdiness on the subway at rush hour every day.

I came to the Spirit for a Valentine’s weekend dinner cruise. The staff were friendly, the food tasted good (but mine got cold really fast), and the atmosphere during dinner was classy and elegant.
However, after dinner the atmosphere sort of shifts. A DJ started playing and it began to feel like a wedding reception or something. It was too loud to have a good conversation which was a bit disappointing since it was a Valentine’s dinner.
Also, I don’t recommend coming during the winter. For what you pay, you wanna spend time on the outdoor decks and when it’s cold, it’s not enjoyable. The temperature on the ship was pretty chilly as well, I wish I would have brought a sweater for my shoulders and arms. The other thing that was bothersome was how close together the tables are. A few times I had to get up to let someone who was sitting behind me get out of the aisle.

I cannot recommend the Spirit of New York enough.
My boyfriend and I planned a weekend in NYC for an early celebration for Valentines Day, little did I know he was planning to propose…
The boat is very clean, well maintained, and you immediately feel as if you’re getting five star treatment. We ended up getting the romantic package which included champagne, a half dozen of roses, a guaranteed window seat to ourselves, and two keepsake champagne flutes.
After everyone arrived and they were getting ready to take off, the DJ announced that they would call us up table by table to get our food. The food was served buffet style and was all you can eat, but it was high quality. They had baked chicken, pot roast/​rib meat, loaded mashed potatoes, broccoli, baked pesto penne, salad, some sort of baked fish, and rolls. They ended up telling about half the tables on our side of the boat that we could go up, so there was somewhat of a line, but it went by fairly quick.
Now, before I get into the rest of the amazing experience, I HAVE to mention our waiter. Terrence was amazing from beginning to end. He gets to know everyone individually and truly makes you feel like he is there solely for you!
The view from the ship is breathtaking… and not just because it was freezing cold outside ;). The view of the city as well as the Statue of Liberty is something that I will never forget. While on the deck of the ship my boyfriend ended up proposing to me and I can’t imagine a more romantic venue.
We ended up telling our waiter which resulted in having extra drinks given to us. It honestly felt like the whole staff truly cared and wanted to make our experience as special as they could. After we had finished all of the champagne we ordered, the additional champagne, a shot each, and some wine they announced over the intercom how we had become engaged and called us down to the dance floor. I thought the DJ was great before because he was getting everyone involved and having fun, but the way he spoke to/​about us was on a different level. He ended up playing «At Last» for us to dance to in front of everyone (luckily people ended up joining because I was a little tipsy and wasn’t doing very well on my feet). After that everyone cheered and congratulated us (including the staff), and I cried. Haha.
Spirit Cruises has by far some of the most amazing employees that truly care about you and your experiences and will go way out of their way to make your night special.

I had a GREAT night with friends. Food was good, staff was friendly and the views were spectacular. Out waiter was on point. Terrance was constantly checking in us to make sure we were ok and if we needed anything. He was very attentive to us. Melissa behind the bar was so fast and friendly. DJ played a nice variety of music. This is a must do whether you live in New York or just visiting. GREAT NIGHT.

Last year, my birthday surprise for my gf was a helicopter ride around Manhattan, which she went crazy over. Now I knew coming into this year I was in for a challenge trying to top that… So I said to myself, HOW… Well, I knew she loves the NYC skyline, so I said, why not make it something on the water around Manhattan, and then it hit me! So I booked a «Sparkling Dinner Cruise» on a Saturday night. I ordered a Romance Package extra, which included and guaranteed a private window table for 2, bottle of chilled champagne (in the bucket), a half-​dozen fresh roses, with petals spread all over the table, and 2 keepsake champagne flute glasses. And of course, the general price of the tickets included a buffet dinner with live DJ entertainment, props for photos, a dance floor, outdoor decks, and a cash bar. However, I also got the VIP Premium Open Bar package. That package was WELL worth it because they served TOP SHELF alcohol, not the cheap stuff, and unlimited everything.
Now, to the specifics, yet trying to keep it short:
— Our server, Rachel, was nothing short of spectacular. It was almost as if she could read our minds and never came to our table unless we needed something or to check in. Never annoying us or bothering us. And extremely friendly. Her help staff was attentive with refills, taking empty plates, and even offering to take our photos!
— The food? DELICIOUS and plentiful (nuff said)… And they didn’t stop you. I personally went up 3x lol
— The DJ and music? Let me just say this… In over 30 years, I have never, NOT ONE TIME EVER, seen a DJ be able to get a WIDE-​RANGING audience of compete strangers: young, middle-​aged, old, black, white, hispanic, and all that in between, all celebrating different occasions, up on the dance floor almost entirely ALL night for a 3-​hour cruise. I mean imagine senior citizens celebrating a 50^th birthday on their feet along with the teenagers celebrating a sweet 16 all dancing to Bobby Shmurda hardcore rap LOL! It’s true!
This night, which began with boarding at 6:30, departure at 7pm and ending at 10pm, was one of the most fun nights we’ve BOTH had in a long time, and I think I actually TOPPED the helicopter ride last year! We laughed so much, danced, talked, even with complete strangers! And they didn’t rush us off the boat when we docked back. People were still on the dance floor with the DJ still playing music!
This is a DEFINITE MUST-​DO event, whether visiting NY for a week, or if you’ve livd here your whole life. We ARE going BACK…

We really enjoyed this cruise. I hadn’t been on this cruise in over 20 years and its just as good (if not better) than it was back then.
As a native NYer you don’t always think to do something like this, but your should. The view was beautiful, the food delicious and the crowd a friendly mix of tourists and natives.
There is no better way to see Miss Liberty herself up close.

I was tasked from my company to do something out of the ordinary for a team of 40 to celebrate and motivate on successes we have had. Upon doing research on google on things to do, I came across Spirit of NY. This looked like a very interesting way of having a good time and celebrating our successes.
I called their corporate # and was connected with Jack Doyle. He was very friendly to talk to and helped with all my questions in a professional and timely fashion. I went ahead and booked an evening for the 40 people from my company. The night of the event, everyone in attendance was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food, ambiance and service from the staff. When I asked why they were surprised, they said that they have had some bad experiences with other similar cruises before. However, this one was very good.
The event was a huge success! Everyone had a great time and left motivated. I want to thank Jack Doyle and the Spirit of NY company for having a very professional business model in order to make corporate clients like myself happy and look good in front of our peers. Looking forward to do something again in 2016.

I had an amazing experience on this cruise! We booked daytime tickets to the «Statue of Liberty Lunch Cruise» on a Wednesday, which cost us about $ 75 a person. The food was so-​so (why I’m giving this 4 and not 5 stars), but I actually ate before so I wasn’t hungry. Also the food was in the cabin and I preferred to sit on the deck for the cruise, which was about 2 hours long.
The views were amazing, and the tour guide was incredible as well. He didn’t make it feel like a guided tour, but his voice went with the rhythm of the music so it felt natural and informative. I am from NYC and I learned a ton! You can see the map of where the boat went on the site.
I was able to book tickets to this cruise the morning of which I also appreciated, as I wanted to make sure it was a nice day for a cruise before booking. Definitely would be a huge downer if it were cloudy.
They also gave us a shout-​out for my parents anniversary, which was special!

We initially had a reservation for a brunch cruise from Lincoln Harbor on ⁷⁄₁₉ but they had to cancel the event from that location. They actually only gave me 1 day notice about this on a Friday and I didn’t get the message till Saturday morning. They said they didn’t have many responses so they cancelled the event. I called the 800 number and spoke to a rep that changed our reservation for the Chelsea Piers location instead for the same day.
The parking is expensive for Chelsea piers in general. We paid $ 39 for 4 hours. Yikes!
The boat looks great. Clean and temperature was great. When we walked in, we were greeted and showed to our table.
Our server was great. Very attentive and friendly. She told us where to find the bathroom, where to go for the buffet and where the doors are for the decks. Cudos for telling me to leave all the crumbs under the table that my son and nephew left lol she made sure our waters were filled at all times.
Food was pretty good. better than I had expected. Yes, it’s not «gourmet» but it’s good and they kept refilling the food. It was hot and the chicken was super tasty. Bread was stale, but I didn’t expect it to be soft like it came out of the oven. We are on a boat. I loved the desserts. It was mini squares of brownies, apple crumble, lemon bars and raspberry squares, and it was yummy. You had the option of bringing a cake if you’re there for a special occasion.
The DJ on the boat was awesome. She explained certain buildings and location and kept the music going. Just a bit too loud, but it worked out to sound out the rest of the other guest conversations and She kept people on the dance floor.
Downside of it all of course is that the trip was short. 2 hours just is not enough to enjoy and take in the views. We missed the statue of liberty because we were on the buffet line :(by the time the party was going and everyone was dancing. we were already docking. You could see the sadness in people’s faces when we arrived back :(
Best part of it all… When you check in, they had a free premium drink for free :) woohoo. Can’t beat that!
Don

Overall, it was good experience. I got some really awesome photos. They had my favorite beer so I was happy. Our waiter was so awesome. He kept bringing drinks to the top of the deck for our group. I ended up skipping dinner because I was amazed with the amazing view outside. I just kept drinking and skipped the buffet but heard from others I didn’t miss much…
I would recommend but I can’t give any feedback on pricing because I didn’t pay for anything.

Booked the Independence Day cruise on this boat online. We had no idea what to expect. We boarded the beautiful boat and had a magical night. Though pricey, the service was phenomenal and the staff was friendly. The food was surprisingly great quality! They kept the drinks coming and had fully loaded bar. It was a wonderful night topped with great views and the Macy’s fireworks. Be prepared to walk to the subway after your night cruise. Excellent cruise, well worth the $ 1,000 price tag.

All aboard for a very enjoyable night!
Let’s face it, the food is not gourmet. The ship is nice, but not gorgeous. But the views are great and the service was fantastic! If you don’t have a nice time on this dinner cruise you’re trying not to!

My experience here was good. My boyfriend and I had lunch on the Spirit of New York for my birthday. The food was delicious, the ambiance was great, the view was spectacular (he paid extra for window seats), and the staff was friendly and attentive. There was a photographer available to take pictures and print them on board, and the pictures cost $ 30-​$ 40. Definitely try the lunch or dinner cruise for special occasions. You will not be disappointed.
Parking was convenient because Chelsea Piers has a parking garage.
My only complaint is we had to wait to get our food because they called us to the buffet line by sections. We just happened to be on board with a large party.

Picture yourself on a yacht, cruising through NYC, waving to Lady Liberty, and lounging on a deck. It can happen!
Book a cruise on the Spirit of New York and for two hours own the water. Drink in hand, wind through your hair, but first FOOD! The cruise ticket includes a buffet meal. I went on the weekend lunch cruise and the food was similar to something you would eat at a wedding. It was filling and it was pretty good, if you like buffet catered meals. Eat to your stomach’s content.
Once you’re done, walk over to one of the decks to enjoy the views or rest on the comfy couches. In the Summer it can get windy since you’re on the water but it also gets very hot and you will feel the sun beat down on your face, head, and shoulders. Dress appropriately. Bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunblock.
The last time I took a NYC cruise was years ago on the Circle Line tours. Spirit of New York is way better. It felt like an event out instead of a shuttle boat similar to the Staten Island Ferry or one that you would take to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Highly recommend!