View of Manhattan
CITY GUIDES NEW YORK

WHALE WATCHING FROM NEW YORK CITY

UNUSUAL THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK CITY

Did you know you can go whale watching from New York City? I didn’t until very recently. It’s a really great thing to do and something a little bit unusual to do when you’re in New York. Read on for my full review.

Disclaimer: This cruise was gifted to me as a PR visit. The blog post was not a requirement, I just wanted to write it. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Use my code: ALEXMILLS5 for 5% off your booking!

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whale watching from New York City - Unusual things to do in New York

ABOUT THE WHALE WATCHING IN NEW YORK CRUISE

The cruise runs on Saturdays and Sundays departing from Pier 36 on the East Side of Manhattan. It last approximately 4 hours and the route varies depending on where you’re most likely to see whales that day.

Our trip sailed out towards the Atlantic for about an hour. The boat then slowed and hovered for a while to look for whales before heading back towards Manhattan.

According to the website, you have a 97% chance of seeing whales although sightings aren’t guaranteed. Of course, the whales are wild animals so won’t show up on demand.

You can see the full details on the Event Cruise NYC website here.

REVIEW OF THE CRUISE

We really loved this cruise. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to see whales but we did see a lot of dolphins. I just love dolphins!

I’ve done whale watching once before (in Sri Lanka) and didn’t really enjoy it. There were about 20 boats and as soon as a whale popped up, they all charged at it, obviously scaring it away. I really didn’t like this and have never recommended it.

I’m pleased to say, this cruise was so much better. It was relaxing and had a really nice vibe. It was a beautiful day around 77 Farenhight. (That’s about 25 Celcius.) We sailed out and got to see the most amazing views of Manhattan.

The boat then slowed right down and slowly sailed where they thought whales could be. There were other boats but none of them were racing at the wildlife.

As I said, there is no guarantee of seeing whales and we were unlucky. However, seeing dolphins jumping with a view of Manhattan in the distance was really something special.

The boat headed back to the dock and briefly stopped close by the Statue of Liberty. I’ve never seen it so close up before. You also get an amazing view of the Downtown Manhattan skyline. Our boat wasn’t too crowded and most people took turns taking photos at the front of the boat.

Overall, I would recommend this cruise, although it is important to remember you may not see whales. I think you’d have to be very lucky to see one close-up. Event Cruises NYC have many different cruises available. I’ve also done their cheese and wine tasting one. REVIEW HERE.

Here’s the link again if you’d like to check it out. Use my code: ALEXMILLS5 for 5% off your booking!

Thank you for reading my whale watching from New York City review. I’m currently living in New York and you can read all my other NYC posts HERE!

Happy travelling,

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