Viator · Private tour

PRIVATE Manhattan Speedboat Tour - Up to 12 passengers

5.0(59)New York City1 hour
TRIPADVISOR5.0(59)

Description

The ultimate custom sightseeing experience in New York Harbor! Enjoy the city from great vantage points and photograph the world-famous skyline on the same boat media agencies charter to cover breaking news! Our Adventure Sightseeing Tour takes you on an unforgettable ride through the harbor. The narrated tour points out more than 40 sights on the local waterways. You’ll experience the city from unique vantage points, carefully chosen with the photographer’s interest in mind. We’ll bring you within feet of major attractions and create plenty of distance to view the panoramic skyline. Our captains stop the boat at many places along the way to give you the opportunity to take iconic photos. It’s the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the geography of New York City during your visit and a lot of fun for tourists and locals alike!

Tour Options

Private Charter
  • Duration: 1 hour private boat

Itinerary

- Guests shall arrive our dock at North Cove Marina 15 minutes prior to departure. - Our captains provide a safety briefing before you board the boat. - Each guest is offered our tactical-weather gear for additional warmth before boarding. - All tours are narrated in English and must depart right on time. - The captain stops the boat along the route to point out sites and gives you the opportunity to take great photos. - New York Media Boat reserves the right to cancel a trip due to unsafe weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances, in which case a full refund will be issued. There is no refund for customers who do not show up for their scheduled departure. Our Route We’ll leave Manhattan and head out on the Hudson River to get spectacular views of downtown and midtown with the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. Going north on the Hudson, you'll see the FDNY Fireboat Station, Chelsea Piers, the VIP Heliport, Hudson Yards Project, the Highline, and the Jacob Javits Convention Center, before stopping at the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier and Cruise Ship Terminal.  We then cross over to the New Jersey shoreline and run south for panoramic views of the entire skyline. From Hoboken, we cross back over to Manhattan and stop right in front of the Financial District and Freedom Tower. Rounding Battery Park, we enter the East River where you'll see the helicopters take-off and land, as we cruise past South Street Seaport, go under the Brooklyn Bridge and to the Manhattan Bridge. After taking in the iconic views, we run along the Brooklyn waterfront, past the Red Hook Container Terminal, and around Governors Island. Crossing the Upper Bay, you'll see commercial vessels such as tug boats, oil barges, and the Staten Island Ferry while making our way to the Statue of Liberty. We stop right outside the security zone so you can get an up-close and unobstructed view of Lady Liberty. Returning to Manhattan, we pass Ellis Island, and you'll have great views of the entire world-famous NYC downtown skyline. We hope to welcome you aboard! At each of our 12 tour stops, the captain positions the boat so that every guest can get a perfect photo and will help guests with any photo requests.

Highlights

U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain
Landing and facility fees
TripAdvisor Experiences brokerage fee
Local taxes

What's included

Included
U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain
Landing and facility fees
TripAdvisor Experiences brokerage fee
Local taxes
Not included
Tour-guide/captain gratuities are not included

Traveller Ratings

5.0
59 reviews
5
59
4
0
3
0
2
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1
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Important Information

  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Minimum age is 4 years
  • Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to your late arrival
  • No high heels; flat shoes only
  • Recommended: Bring sunglasses and your camera!

Reviews(59)

V
virginiapD7417BX
October 30, 2025
the perfect NYC experience

This was the best of NY! Did the trip with our 12 yo boy and 13 , yo girl, it was amazing! so cool, even for us adults, no line, no extra people, air and space, seeïng brooklyn bridge from closeby and the statue of liberty from so close. The captain was very enthousiastic and happy to give lots of extra info. top experience, and worth every penny!

M
MonicaWango
September 24, 2025
Excellent experience!

Excellent experience! Enjoyed sightseeing on a speedboat! Brilliant tour guide! A lovely watch to see New York iconic city!

M
MUCRhino
September 1, 2025
The best way to see NYC from the water

We had a great tour. The guides are amazing. We even saw dolphins. Because the boat is small and fast you get to see so much more in just one hour than on any of the overcrowded large ships.

Q
Quest667987
August 29, 2025
Fun, enjoyable and great views.

Although a little pricey, I would highly recommend a Media Boat tour. One of the highlights of our stay in NYC especially if you have teenagers who love something different and a bit of speed. Our captain/guide was very welcoming, informative and professional, and the tour includes some great views and different perspective of the city. Would quite happily do it again when we next visit.

J
jillsM2028ZQ
August 15, 2025
DO THIS

My husband and I took our 6 year old grandson on this tour. We all loved it. My grandson couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. The boat went fast but not too fast. Captain Eric stopped to point out all the sights and even took pictures for us. Great views of the Bridges, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, Manhattan, Tower One…. You pretty much circle the entire island in an hour. As soon as we got off my grandson said “Can we do it again?”

C
Cpk2013
July 31, 2025
Highlight of our trip - thanks Eric!

This was the highlight of an amazing trip to NYC. Eric was a superb guide - knowledgeable, interesting and funny. Definitely strongly recommend!

L
lour2017
July 27, 2025
Brilliant experience for seeing all the highlights of NYC

This trip was amazing! Our tour guide Eric did a phenomenal job and added his pizzazz to our trip!! I loved the small intimate element and would highly recommend New York Media Boat!!!

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Sue N
July 3, 2025
Highlight of our NYC trip!

I had read the Tripadvisor reviews and decided to book it and no regrets. it was the highlight of our trip - the 4 of us loved it. What a way to see this wonderful city, Eric was fantastic, stopping at each landmark and taking our photos and giving us some background on the landmarks. We had the boat to ourselves - added bonus! Loved it !

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C8677LCashleyc
June 21, 2025
10/10 Recommend - Captain Bryant!

Captain Bryant was awesome! I packed our family with an NYC itinerary for 4 days and this was my husband and two kids (11 YO son, 13 YO daughter) favorite part :) My daughter gets motion sickness so she was super nervous. Bryant noticed and was super attentive to her, but 10-15 minutes in, she was good. We learned a lot and everyone had an awesome time. It’s a fast one hour and packed with fun, a great breeze in the hot summer, and awesome opportunity to learn and capture amazing pictures. It’s worth it - do it!

S
Samina96373
June 19, 2025
So much fun-we all loved it!

It’s like an amusement park ride with architecture and history lessons built in and minus the the long lines. This is the most fun way to see Manhattan. We were a group of five, ranging from age 14 to age 52 and we all felt perfectly safe. Would definitely recommend—Captain Bryant was so informative and answered all our questions.