Classic Harbor Line

Rained heavily. No one around to take ticket at 1:30. Only let folks onto boat after insisting. Trip revised because of Sandy. Did not go down Harlem River. Did not find out until I was on boat. Should have been told before tour. Frankly, I think my money should be refunded. As author of a book on NY's bridges, the reason I took the tour was to discover more about Harlem River bridges--so for me the entire afternoon was a waste of time. Moreover, lecture superficial and uninteresting. Just a laundry list of mostly obvious facts. In short it was a long three hours in a driving rain. BTW--somebody should tell the lecturer that Bartholdi was Italian, not French.Finally, scheduling a 2 PM tour in late November means that at 4ish it's very hard to see anything. One piece of good news: Cabin was heated.

My husband and I live in downtown Brooklyn. We were excited about the tour, the boat is beautiful and comfortable, and we thought the guide was excellent--knowledgeable and engaged. I have given the tour only a 4-star rating for the following reason: We were most interested in touring the north end of Manhattan and going all the way around the island, but we were told as we cruised down the Hudson that we couldn't go all the way around Manhattan because there was damage from Hurricane Sandy to the bridges at the north end. The boat went only as far north as the Upper East Side before turning around to head south again, then back up the Hudson to the 79th Street Boat Basin, then back to the Chelsea Piers. This cut off a substantial portion of the tour. We were very disappointed by this news. We also think it was irresponsible of Classic Harbor Line not to provide information about this change on the website before purchasing tickets. The price of the tour, $75, is not negligible, and we would probably have postponed our trip to a later date if we had known about this.

The Guide was awesome, just chock full of knowledge of New York past and present. This is not to be missed.

Am a tour guide and wanted to preview this cruise. The cruise exceeded my expectations! The amount of sites highlighted was more than i felt could be pointed out but i loved the descriptions, history etc. provided by our architectural, knowledgeable guides. And...I really didn't expect the quality and amount of gourmet snacks/drinks offered. I will b back with 40 people in tow!

Informed and energetic guide, great snacks (somehow didn't anticipate that was being supplied), boat comfortable both inside and outside. Appreciate the size of the capacity--did not feel crowded. So, although not cheap, I would recommend and if I have time on another trip (warmr weather), I would attend again.

The architect-docents were very knowledgeable about both the built environment and history of Manhattan. They were certainly able to convey their knowledge and enthusiasm effectively both to the 60-yr.-olds in our party and to the twenty-somethings. The boat and crew were fabulous - and we were pleasantly surprised with a beautifully prepared buffet mid-sail.

I would do it again.

Really did not know what to expect. Paula was excellent. We Really enjoyed this tour. I would highly recommend it . The videos were great!

The trip was well done. My son and I have made a number of trips around Manhattan island. This was the best. The AIA guide/talk was very informative and added to our understanding of the development of NYC. I would have liked more detail about the design of specific buildings. In fairness though; so many structures, so little time. We enjoyed the trip which was very comfortable on a cold and windy day.

made this a cruise for all senses aboard the Manhattan. The narrator was very knowledgeable; in fact I think he could have said even more about every building if he'd had time! There's also quite a fine wine, cheese, and fruit spread - must be related to the Manhattan's other offering of a wine tasting cruise. You must see the NYC skyline this way.

My husband and I are born and bred New Yorkers and tend not to be easily impressed. We decided to do something different for our anniversary so we took the Fall Foliage Brunch Cruise. There wasn't much to see in terms of foliage after a hurricane and a snow storm, but the cruise itself was very delightful. It was well run and organized, comfortable, the food was very good and the day was gorgeous. We knew all the sites and attractions but still learned facts we found we hadn't known. We use the harbor and it's boats and ferries often but this was a very relaxing, delightful trip up the Hudson.

My husband, daughter and myself took this boat tour because Ellis Island and Liberty Island were closed due to Superstorm Sandy. It proved to be a wonderful decision, since we still got great pictures of the Statue of Liberty (helped immensely by the crew members) and learned a great deal about other buildings, bridges, etc. I heartily recommend this tour, since it takes you on the Hudson AND the East Rivers.

I thought the guide was terrific, and the service was great. i liked the choice of route, I could see my own street! And other places where I have lived in the city and Brooklyn. Concentration on architecture was the reason I chose to bring my friend on the trip. Read the article in NY Times, and then couldn't get a reservation for about three weeks from the time we had decided to go, but that's OK. PS We had about 20 people on our trip, and I don't think I would like it as much if it got to be too many more than that.

Despite Sandy's best efforts our cruise left on time on a fantastic cloudless day and although we couldn't complete the circumnavigation of Manhattan we saw enough to maintain our interest throughout the 2.5 hours. The AIA guide was very informative and in a non-technical way so that we all learned something new and informative. It really was great value and we'd recommend the trip to all - visitors and residents alike.

The crew was very knowlegable and very helpful. they came out on board an took our pictures. Everyone was very accommodating, friendly and professional. The captain was very knowledgeable and informative and answered all our questions on the tour. The boat was very clean and I would highly recommend this boat tour on the Hudson to view the Statue of Liberty to everyone. A tour you would not want to miss out on!!!