St. George Ferry Terminal — Attraction in New York

If you are thinking about taking the Staten Island ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island: Read This Review.

Yes, the Staten Island ferry is free. (However, if you wanted to travel out into Staten Island you will need a metro-card. Each metro-card use is $2.75. So make sure to get one that has enough for you to get around. I suggest about $10 or $15 to be safe).

The ferry ride is about 25 minutes long and it leaves every thirty minutes on the dot. So, if its one minute past the 30 minute mark, save the running because they will not hold the door for anyone after the 29 minute mark.

While you wait for the ferry to arrive there are plenty of places to get yummy food, including a Apple farm company that comes by every Tuesday and Friday with homemade apple filled foods that range from Apple cider to even Apple donuts. (Yummy food places include: Dunkin Donuts, Wendy's, Auntie Anne's, Subway, Nathan's, and a few mini deli like areas with snacks and drinks).

When the ferry starts letting people on, it's going to be chaotic. So be prepared for some pushing and grunting, just be mindful that a lot of people take the ferry to go home from work. We aren't rude, we're just tired!

If you are only on the ferry to see a view of Statue of Liberty here are some tips: -If you are coming from Manhattan(sit on the right side of the ferry). -If you are going back to Staten Island(sit on the left side). This is only if you want to see the Statue of Liberty, otherwise you can sit wherever you want.

If you plan to take a ferry back to Manhattan after your first ride you will be directed by staff and crowd flow towards the St. George ferry terminal to get the next ferry back to Manhattan.

If you wanted to take a bus from the Ferry terminal you would need to have a metro-card and knowledge of which bus to take. All buses that go to this terminal go in bus lanes that are labeled "A, B, C, and D". Depending on what area of Staten Island the bus is going is what letter they are labeled as. Like if you wanted to visit the Staten Island Mall you could take the s61 that would be in bus lane "A".

If you are taking the Staten Island train, you will also need a metro-card to ride.

If your train stop is before "Great Kills" make sure that you are on a local train. Before you go through the doors that go to the train, make sure that it says either, "Local train to Great Kills" or "Local train to Tottenville" on it.

-If your train stop is after "Great Kills", you can either take the local train which runs normally or when rush hour hits you can take the express train to Tottenville and it skips every stop before Great Kills.

I...

I had no idea that the ferry service was free!? We were in NYC for the day and had 15 hours to kill until our train ride back to Philly. We just finished taking in the One World Trade Observation and was in the area, so we decided to try it out. Needless to say, the walk to Battery Park was pretty far. We asked for walking directions to the Park, and was told instead to take one of the free red shuttle buses which circles the lower Manhattan area, no further. What a great service! We were there in about 10 minutes.

The Whitehall Terminal is where the ferry docks, near Manhattan's Battery Park. No reservations are needed to ride the ferry that departs every half hour. Just head upstairs and wait.

The ferry itself was bigger than I had imagined. Seating was a mix of totally protected inside seats and semi-protected lanai ones. Naturally, the side of the ferry that faces the Statue of Liberty gets crowded. Having seen Lady Liberty in the past, I just took in the view in between photo crazy humans and enjoyed the ride. We were told of supposedly good hot dog sales on board but I didn't see nor smell anything.

The ride to and fro was about 25 minutes or so, and was very smooth.

The St. George Terminal is where the ferry docks on Staten Island. No Yelp page? No problem! Another FTR under my belt.

Boarding at either terminal was quick and organized. Security guards with dogs are present but there's no "higher-level security" like you'd see at an airport. Good for traffic flow but not so great for the world we live in nowadays, if you know what I mean.

TIPS: Can't get tickets to the Statue of Liberty? This would be your second best option as photo ops are priceless as the ferry passes right in front of her. Plus, you'd never be able to get a full body shot of her being on the island anyway.

After arriving on either island, don't expect to take the very next ferry back. You think you have 5-10 minutes to spare but you will more than likely have to wait the half hour for the next ride.

OVERALL: A well-organized, free service that benefits locals and travelers alike....

This is my favorite form of transportation in the entire city. Entire tri-state area actually. From either direction it takes 25 minutes long to get to the other side. Being a Staten Island resident, I can honestly say this is the most important transportation hub/form/means. During the weekends it runs every half an hour through the whole day and night (24 hours 7 days a weeks.) During the week, it's every half hour beside rush hour times in the morning (7am to 930am) and afternoon/early evening (4pm to 730pm) on that Staten Island side. At first they come every 20 minutes and then at a frequency of every 15 mins. From the Manhattan side (South Ferry/Whitehall Station) it's the same deal. It's every half hour frequency 24/7 all week long. Beside during week peek rush hours of 7am to 930am and 330pm to 8pm during week days. Features of this Ferry Terminal on Staten Island side are many different amenities to eat. There's s pizzeria, a Dairy Queen, a pretzel shop, a deli, Au Bu Pon, Subway, Bonefish Grill, and Statue of Liberty Gift Shop. As well as the beginning of the SIR train line that goes down to Tottenville, and a 4 laned bus terminal for all North Shore buses including routes to Mariner's Harbor, Port Richmond Terminal, Eltingville Transit Center, Bricktown Mall, Oakwood, South Avenue, a shuttle to the Hilton. Also at this location is a full parking lot sub level and a pick up and drop off area, and a taxi stand. Also there are bike rakes with bikes that you can rent with a credit card. Also, new to the area, right next to the Ferry Terminal, is the brand new Empire Outlets, with many...