Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comNew York 4th of July Evening Cruise
based on 16 reviews
Duration: 4.5 hours (approx.)
Location: New York City, New York
Product code: 28004JULY
16 reviews of New York 4th of July Evening Cruise
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the New York 4th of July Evening Cruise. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
The boat was very nicely appointed and not too crowded. Food and drinks were reasonably priced. The best part, the view of the fireworks was absolutely great!
Reviewed by: Barbara W, United States, July 2007
The fireworks and scenery were fantastic. The boat experience left a lot to be desired. Five to six hours standing is a long time for some senior citizens. It was really annoying to see other boats in your chain with seats put out for people to sit in, but on our boat the chairs were for the most part chained together and no one would free them for use. There were attempts to get seating by group chanting "we want seats." No luck. The few seats that were available were taken by the first people on board and others had to stand, try to sit or lean on top of the chained chairs, or hope someone left a chair. It certainly was not safer to have people sitting on top of the seats chained to the side of the boat.
Reviewed by: Edmund P, United States, July 2007
The cruise itself was great. However, the boarding process was chaotic and very disorganized. Also, during the cruise, the food vendor ran out of lots of key items, like cups for hot chocolate, hot pretzels, and napkins. The women's bathroom ran out of paper towels long before the trip was over. Luckily, the cruise was centered around the holiday, and that overrode the short supplies of onboard amenities.
Reviewed by: Regina K, United States, July 2007
Boat did not have the music that went along with the fireworks which was too bad, other boats had it and I could hear a little bit. Otherwise staff was very helpful.
Reviewed by: Michael W, United States, July 2007
This was a wonderful fireworks show and view of New York harbour. However, there should be a warning about the prolonged wait between the cruise and the fireworks display. People should bring extra activities along, such as cards or games, to pass two hours of sitting on the water waiting for the fireworks. All said, we would do this again.
Reviewed by: Lisa H, Canada, July 2007
Watching the sun set and the lights come on in the city from the water was awesome! Then the Empire State Building began lighting up red, white and blue - incredible! We loved the fireworks. It was a great time. Our only complaint was that the music was way too loud. And given the mix of young to old on the cruise, there should have been more oldies in the music mix. Our group ranged in age from 16 to 70. The music was primarily geared towards the under-30 crowd. By the end of the cruise, the older crowd could not take all the loud music.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, July 2007
Awesome! We had a great time, felt very patriotic and had wonderful views of everything.
Reviewed by: John O, United States, September 2006
This was a great family night out - would definitely do it again.
Reviewed by: George S, United Kingdom, September 2006
The fireworks were wonderful, however the food available was absolutely atrocious. For the amount paid for the excursion more effort should have gone into refreshments. Also, it was far less formal than expected with no decorations of any kind. Additionally, the dance floor turned into a 13-year-old birthday party which was less than idea to say the least. In short would not do this again unless changes were made.
Reviewed by: Irene B, United States, July 2007
I was expecting the trip around the island to be a bit longer and to have food other than junk food available during the trip. There was a lot of waiting around. First for the fireworks, then to get back. I think it would be helpful to let people know about the waiting time, if inevitable, and have different food choices, considering that many people did not have the chance to have the dinner beforehand.
Reviewed by: Laura S, United States, July 2007
We thought we would get a tour of the harbor area but instead we went straight to the fireworks and sat for hours. We though it was a bit boring.
Reviewed by: Erin O, United States, September 2006
This was horrible!!! I expected a line, but this was ridiculous!! It took us close to 2 hours standing in line for a 30 minute display. It was a waste of my money!!
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, July 2007
The 4th of July fireworks cruise was a complete disappointment. The staff were rude and service at the concessions was painfully slow. A so called DJ was blasting inappropriate music the entire time and we developed splitting headaches as a result. The boat was positioned so far down river the fireworks were barely visible. Furthermore, there are only a few choice positions on the boat where a view of the fireworks was even visible so the majority of the captive passengers were remanded to positions where only brief glimpses of the fireworks could be seen from under the overhang roof or over other peoples heads.
Reviewed by: Louis F, United States, July 2007
We were loaded unto the ship at 430pm and we were on the it until 1230am, there were not enough seats for everyone to sit which made it very uncomfortable. Also the music could only be heard on the top level - food, snack very expensive (a candy bar 3.50, a 99 cent bag of chips for 2.50). Then felt you could not get the true effect of the fireworks. Would not recommend.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, July 2007
The crew didn't hand out chairs for us to sit on for the first two-and-a-half hours of the trip. One crew member said he didn't want have to fold up the chairs himself after the cruise was over. The other ships had chairs. I even called the tour operator to complain, and they said they were working on it. After two-and-a-half hours, some chairs were handed out. Of course, many people had to continue to stand for the entire trip, which lasted more than five hours.
Reviewed by: Clay M, United States, July 2007
