We currently live just outside New York City. We try and get into the city as often as we can. Even though we are New Yorkers and the city is not “new” to us, we still like to do “touristy” things. Plus it’s New York City – I don’t think it’s possible to see and do it all.
A couple of weeks ago my husband had some vacation time. Our son is in love with New York City (he plans on living/working there when he’s older). We thought it would be fun to show him a different side of the city, one we rarely see. So we took our family to the “Top of the Rock” which is a viewing platform on top of Rockefeller Center.
We have viewed New York City from the windows of skyscrapers before. It was really cool to be standing outside on the roof of a skyscraper. We took plenty of great photos.
The next day we planned on returning to New York City and take a lunch cruise aboard the Spirit of New York.
The Spirit of New York cruise leaves from Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers, which is located on the West Side Highway (officially the Joe DiMaggio Highway). I have driven past Chelsea Piers numerous times. This was the first time I was actually going to stop there.
We were worried about parking but we found they had ample parking available right there at the pier – next to the boat too! Parking is not cheap (it’s NYC – parking is rarely inexpensive). For the amount of time we were parked (approx. 3+ hours) parking was nearly $40.00. That is an average price for parking, but for “newbies” who are not used to parking in the city it can be a shock to see how much it costs. Trust me, it’s well worth it.
Our Spirit of New York boat (ship?) was docked right next to where we parked. We picked up our tickets and were told they were going to board shortly. That gave us some time to check out the pier and take plenty of pictures of our boat.
When it was time board all the guests lined up in an orderly fashioned and boarded the boat. The staff members took photos of everyone before boarding the ship. The purchase of the photos is OPTIONAL. One package was $35 and the other was $40. Each included a Spirit of New York mat, a large photo and a few smaller photos. You can purchase your photos (if you want) during the cruise.
As soon as we boarded we were ushered to our table. This was a lunch cruise and they even had a DJ spinning some tunes.
Our server for the day was De Sean. He was very friendly and happy. Sometimes you get servers at restaurants that you can tell don’t want to be there. Not De Sean. He was very happy. His great mood only added to our already great mood. Even the ships manager, Royale, stopped by to introduce herself and to say “hello”. \
De Sean brought us a platter of cheeses, fresh fruits, fresh veggies and plenty of crackers. We were all hungry so this was a nice surprise. My husband was a bit “iffy” about eating much because he’s never been on a boat before – nor has our son. They were not sure how they would handle the rocking motion of the boat. We all took Dramamine before we left to help with any “sea sickness”.
As we enjoyed the bounty of fresh fruits and veggies placed before us we were also treated to beverages and some great music being spun by the DJ.
Lunch is served buffet style. They had A LOT of food to choose from. My daughter and I had no problem sampling a little bit of everything on our plates. My husband and son were still a bit iffy about being on the boat and eating, so they just picked up a few things to pick at.
De Sean was always available to clear off plates, get us more drinks or anything we needed.
After we stuffed ourselves on delicious foods De Sean told us we should step outside and enjoy the view. He also told us that he had a surprise in store for us. We were anxious to find out what it was.
When you are dining on the ship you are able to get an amazing view of New York City and New Jersey from the HUGE windows that are all around the dining area. The windows were spotless so you could easily take amazing photos from inside the boat/ship. We were too busy enjoying the great food that we almost missed out on some spectacular views of the city we love.
Our ship made its way down the Hudson River towards Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Along the way the DJ pointed out some areas of interest.
When we made our way to the Statue of Liberty the boat stopped for a bit so we can take amazing pictures. They even played some patriotic music to add to the occasion.
I have not been to the Statue of Liberty since I was about 5 or 6 years old. I barely remember it (I did walk up to the crown). All I remember was a lot of stairs. I have also flown over the statue in a helicopter. I never could imagine getting so close to the statue and taking amazing photos like I did on the Spirit of New York. It was breathtaking!
After a brief stop at the Statue of Liberty De Sean located us on the ship and told us to head up to the top level for our “surprise”. Whatever could it be? My daughter said “I hope it’s chocolate”. LOL! Gotta love kids. What we received was better than any chocolate in the world.
Once upstairs De Seas ushered us to the front of the ship and straight into the captains area – the area where they “drive” the boat (I’m sorry, I don’t know the technical term of that area).
There we met the two captains, Captain Mike and Captain Dan.
We stood there with our jaws dropped to the ground and in total awe of the entire experience.
We enjoyed watching how they controlled the ship and being up front like we were we were able to see THE MOST BEAUTIIFUL VIEWS of New York City. Even writing this I am getting chills just thinking about how amazing, beautiful, incredible and spectacular the views were. We have been all over New York City before. NOTHING prepared us for the views of our beloved city that we saw while aboard the Spirit of New York.
Captain Dan and Captain Mike were happy to answer any questions for us. They also pointed out a few interesting things along the way. Talk about a personalized tour – WOW! That’s an understatement.
We didn’t want to over stay our welcome so we thanked the captains for their time and headed back on to the ship where the rest of the guests were hanging out.
The Spirit of New York has ample seating – both inside and out. There were plenty of sofas, chairs and tables to enjoy the view from any spot on the ship.
My family stood there “oo’ing” and “ahh’ing” over the breathtaking views.
De Sean located us again and invited us downstairs for dessert. When we made our way back to the table we were immediately served drool-worthy desserts. Mmm… YUMMY!
We stayed inside for a bit, enjoying the view from our table and watching other guests “shake their booty” (dancing) on the dance floor. The vibe from everyone was electric. People where laughing, dancing and truly enjoying themselves. I tried to get my kids to dance but they looked at me in horror just for merely suggesting it (got to love teenagers).
Soon it was time to dock and end our amazing cruise. Before leaving De Sean presented us with souvenir glasses from the Spirit of New York. That was such a wonderful and unexpected surprise. We were still in “awe” over the fact that we were hanging out with the captains not too long before that. He even gave us a HANDWRITTEN note on a Spirit of New York card congratulations us for selling our condo. WOW! Simply WOW! We never, ever expected any of this.
And so ended an incredible afternoon and being able to see the city we love from an angle that we have never seen before. My kids could not stop talking about it all the way home. In fact it’s been a couple of weeks and our daughter is STILL talking about it. She wants to gather up some of her friends and go on the dinner cruise they offer so they can see the city at night time (which must be truly amazing). She’s only 16 (as are her friends) so coming up with the money and transportation is an issue, but she’s determined to make it happen. She loved the cruise THAT MUCH.
Even as we excited the ship staff members were handing out fresh baked chocolate chip cookies to everyone. :-)!
The cruise runs about two hours (the dinner cruise is three hours). The ship travels down the Hudson River and up the East River for a bit. On the dinner cruise the ship typically goes up the Hudson River far enough so you can see the Intrepid.
The staff was amazing. Everyone was happy, smiling and willing to help you out in any way. Even the manager Royale was always making herself available to her guests and happy to answer any questions. I have never come across a group of employees/staff THAT friendly and nice in all my years.
As you can imagine we took A LOT of pictures. Here are a few random ones. I don’t want to share them all because I’d love for people to have the opportunity to experience these views for themselves someday.
The cost of the cruise (per person) varies depending on the time of day and the type of cruise. Spirit of New York offers guests a variety of cruise options including lunch cruises, dinner cruises and entertainment cruises. The ships depart from different locations (there is even a Spirit of New Jersey cruise). Spirit of New York is part of the Entertainment Cruise Lines. They have cruise ships in various cities including Boston, Norfolk and Baltimore to name a few.
The cruise ships are also available for private parties, weddings and group events. While we were there a large group from BMW was also on the ship.
Not that I have mentioned it too much on my blog, but the day we were on the cruise was the day we sold our condo which has been on the market for a year. So we had something special to celebrate. And what a better way to celebrate than with your family enjoying a delicious meal and spectacular views of New York City and New Jersey.
Please check to see what type of attire is required. The lunch cruises are more casual. The dinner and entertainment cruises have a specific dress code.
For more information about Spirit of New York visit www.SpiritofNewYork.com. You can also check them out on Facebook.
If you are not in the New York City area, or don’t plan on coming this way anytime soon, you can also check out Entertainment Cruises to find another cruise line near you – www.EntertainmentCruises.com.
Kimberly
*I received free tickets in order to facilitate this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
ANN*H says
WOW thanks for all the great pictures of New York. I would enjoy something like this. The foods look yummy and I love them plates they use – very pretty. This would be a nice gift as a anniversary present too . thanks for all the info
heather says
I had no idea there was something like this available and so affordable. I will remember this when I go to NYC. Everything looks nice and clean and that is so important to me as is good healthy food. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the great pictures looks like you guys had a blast.
Renee Patterson Travis says
I have never been or near NYC, your review and pictures are great. I live in a small country town in Missouri. It would probably be awesome to visit the city, although I don’t know for sure if I would do it. It would probably scare me to death. LOL
sheila ressel says
This looks like so much fun and the food looks amazing! What a great way to see the city and get some awesome pics. I’ve only been to NYC once and can’t wait to go back.
Cynthia R says
Gorgeous pictures. Looks like a wonderful way to see the city!
Karen D says
What a great way to see the city! My only problem would be staying away from all of that glorious looking food (especially the desserts)!