Things To Do In NYC: A Sunset Sail Around Manhattan

A few weeks ago, I had a girlfriend come into town. Every time she visits, I feel like we have this fun excuse to do some touristy things that we normally wouldn’t do. The second she booked her flight, we also booked a sunset sail around NYC annnd tickets to Wicked 😉

But Wicked is a story for another time! This blog post is all about the Sunset Sail. This activity has been on my bucket list for a few years now and so I was so excited when Ben and another friend wanted to join as well. We grabbed four tickets for a warm September night, picked out some fun outfits and did the damn thing!

Below are a few notes if you’re looking to plan a cruise of your own!

Tips For Booking

We booked our boat ride through Sail NYC. They have a variety of options to choose from (think day cruises, jazz cruises, brunch cruises, etc.) along with private cruises (expensive, but sound so cool and great for big groups). Our tickets were $72 each after taxes and we were able to reserve them right through their website.
If you’re booking a sunset cruise, be mindful of the day and time. There was a sunset Jazz cruise that I had my eye on, but realized that it started at 7:30pm and the sun actually set at 7:15pm that day. I really wanted those iconic NYC views as the sun was going on, so I’m glad we switched it up!
Book your tickets in advance, they fill up quickly – especially the ones around sunset.

Tips For Your Trip

Get there early! The dock is a little hard to find, so if you don’t want to stress about missing the boat then get yourself there 20 minutes before departure to leave room for a wrong turn.
When you’re on the boat, they’ll have you sit at your table until you’re far enough from shore. Once they give the go ahead, it’s a mad rush outside and people really stick in their spots lol so if you want to get a good photo, I would get out there quickly.
Skip the drink package if you’re looking to save – they give you a drink with your ticket and I thought about buying a package where you can get 2 more, but we honestly didn’t drink that much! We just got caught up with the views and photos and just enjoying the night, so one drink was enough. If you want more, you can still purchase them on the boat.
Bring a sweater! It gets pretty chilly out on the deck after the sun goes down, so it’s nice to have something to throw over your shoulders if you want to continue to take in the view!

Have you done a sunset sail before? What did you think?