New York Media Boat / Adventure Sightseeing Tours — Local services in New York

We stumbled upon New York Media Boat tours just heading to the Battery Park walkway from the 9/11 memorial and I am so glad we did!

We've been to NYC plenty of times but this was the 1st visit for some of our group and we were only in the city for a day. This tour had us see so much and from a vantage point I've never seen the city!

We saw so many of the sights that others spend days and and even more money attempting to see but this 90-minute tour had it all! (Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, great shots of the GW Bridge, midtown and downtown skylines, Brooklyn, the High Line and other new elements of the skyline, etc.) We were closer than any other big harbor tour and with views you can't get when buried in the city on a bus or walking tour. Plus you also feel like it's private because of the small size of the speedboat. The information shared is historical and full of cool facts and because of the small group size, you can ask questions.

Eric, our captain/guide, was so knowledgeable, funny, friendly, and even took great photos of our group at many of the landmarks. If you're asking, the risk of getting wet is low, the boat is designed to push water away. We never got wet which was a plus since we had a Broadway show later. 😉 The speed was awesome, safe, and comfortable while zipping around the harbor, Hudson, and East rivers.

This tour is highly recommended! 👍👍 10 out of 10! Choose them for the best photos, adventure experience, and views of the NYC skyline and landmarks. The value is insane for everything you get to see and learn and, again, some of the best views and photos I've had of the NYC skyline out of all my visits. Thanks Eric and NYMB for this great spur of the...

(7/31/25 edit) My original 3-star review? Based on their responses (and edits) here, forget it. I canceled my tour in advance of the refund deadline in writing. When I got no response, I followed up by text. Still no acknowledgement. On the day of my tour, they insisted I never contacted them, but refunded me anyway because of the very weather I said I was canceling for. I thanked them, attached screenshots of both cancellations, and assumed they would acknowledge their mistakes: ignoring my correspondence and then audaciously claiming I made them both up.

With no accountability in sight, I let it go until I remembered I never left them a review.

Their first reply here? A rant accusing me of (1) never being a customer and (2) not being entitled to a refund even if I had been. I posted screenshots of their policy, my ignored 10/11 cancellation email, my ignored 10/12 cancellation text, and their associate insisting those messages didn’t exist on 10/13.

Faced with the receipts, they deleted their rant and posted a calmer reply. That said, who knows what they will come up with next for your entertainment. As of now they admit I was a customer, but they still deny the 10/11 email. Even better, they admit they still have my 10/13 follow-up "thank you" email while weirdly ignoring the fact that this is THE email with the screenshots of 10/11 and 10/12.

And yes, this review is two years late. Here's a slow clap to them for cracking that case.

Three stars → one. Do better.

Take the Staten Island Ferry...

Listen… this ain’t your average touristy boat ride — this was an experience. Me, my homegirl Nikki, and my sister Paradise — all of us blind, okay? — went on the New York Media Boat Tour and let me tell you somethin’… Captain Eric understood the assignment.

This was his first time ever doing a tour for blind passengers, and he did not miss a single beat. His descriptions were on point, detailed, and full of personality. We got to “see” the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, and even peeped some fireboats from the FDNY (well… heard ’em, but y’all get the vibe!).

He took us from the Hudson River to the East River, and schooled us about this lil’ spot in between called the Buttermilk Channel (I’m still gigglin’ at that name). We went by Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty, and some wild lil’ secret government islands that gave very much Men in Black realness.

Captain Eric’s energy? 10/10. Boat? Safe, sturdy, and lowkey a former Coast Guard vessel — so you know it’s real. It seats 12 and it’s open-air, so you feel the breeze, the motion, the whole city’s pulse.

As a blind passenger, I felt respected, included, and entertained the whole ride. This wasn’t just a tour, it was a whole moment. Shoutout to Captain Eric — you did THAT!

If you’re lookin’ for something different, inclusive, and unforgettable in NYC… book this tour. You...