Last weekend I was invited to bring my family on an exciting Circle Line event in Manhattan at Pier 83. The well-known NYC cruise line, Circle Line, was hosting a Kick Off Event to celebrate the start of their Kids Cruise series around the Hudson River this summer! 

Circle Line will be sailing out on the first Saturday of each month for the summer – June 2nd, July 7th, and August 4th. Keep reading below to hear all about our exciting trip and how close we came to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and other famous attractions in my favorite city – New York! 

The cruise was set to leave the pier at 10:00AM, so we woke up early Saturday morning and headed into the city with two VERY excited kids. We took our 4.5 year old niece (I cannot forget the 1/2! She would never forgive me!), 3-year-old son, and I thought my husband would be okay to tag along! We are only 10-15 minutes from Manhattan, so this was a quick and painless trip. Now that I have experienced the Kids Cruise, I would probably drive longer if we were further from the city! We had so much fun!

Incase you don’t know, Circle Line is located on Pier 83 at West 42nd and 12th Avenue. You can’t miss the sign (see photo above!) and it is also next to the famous Intrepid, so you will know exactly where you need to be for your cruise!

Our cruise left at precisely 10:00AM, which was great! There is nothing like building up excitement for your kids and having to make them wait. It seemed like Circle Line really knew how to accomodate a cruise full of KIDS! Chairs and tables were lined up on the top and bottom deck, but we chose the top since it was a beautiful and sunny Saturday in NYC! 

The bottom deck featured musical performed Dan Zanes in addition to a food bar for snacks, drinks, and gifts. After grabbing a snack, I headed up the steps with my family to find a row of chairs without any problems. There was plenty of space in between rows so the kids could move around and dance (very important!). 

Once we set off into the Hudson River, we started to enjoy the onboard attractions. The kids took a picture with the Statue of Liberty! She also gave both of them a postcard, which made my nieces day! 

Onboard attractions included the Berenstein Bears, juggler, magician, and balloon artist! The kids loved the onboard entertainment and there wasn’t a second of boredom!

My 4-year-old niece was so excited when I told her how close we were going to get to the Statue of Liberty. She said that she heard "so many great things". Apparently, I was making her dreams come true since she had waited "so many years" to come close to the statue – "forget seeing it really REALLY close!" 

ALL of the kids ran to the side of the boat as soon as we hit the middle of the Hudson River.

They were SO excited to see the city from the middle of the water!

The Kids Cruise is a great way for young children to discover the sights of NYC and have the chance to learn fun and exciting facts about the city. They will also have the opportunity to take a photo by the Statue of Liberty. Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

The kids got to see Ellis Island up close – and for the first time!

Eventually we were directly in front of the Statue of Liberty, which was our turnaround point for the Kids Cruise. Everyone was very excited, especially the kids onboard. We all grabbed our cameras to catch some great shots of the statue on a beautiful and cloudless day in Manhattan!

Look at how close we came to the Statue of Liberty!

The way back was just as much fun as the way to the Statue of Liberty. All of the kids continued their Berenstein Bears meet and greet, had their pictures taken with the Statue of Liberty, enjoyed some magic tricks and juggling onboard!

On our way back, I was able to capture some beautiful up-close shots of the new Freedom Towers. 

Once we were back at the pier, each child onboard was given a great complimentary giftbag from Circle Line! The bag was especially made for the Kids Cruise and inside we found a disposable camera, bubbles, poster, and other fun goodies!

The kids were very happy to walk back onto land with something to remember the fun time we all had! 

The Kickoff event included a performance from special guest, Dan Zanes!

Head into Manhattan with your family for a Circle Line Kids Cruise on the first Saturday of each month this summer: June 2nd, July 7th, and August 4th. Boarding for the Kids Cruise begins at 9:30am, sailing from 10:00-11:15am. Pricing is $28.00 for adults, $20.00 for children (3-12) and there is an infant comp ticket, for children 3 and under.

Purchase tickets on CircleLine42.com, or learn about other Circle Line cruises coming up. In the meantime, follow and like Circle Line on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for updates on events, cruises, and upcoming promotions! 

Disclosure: I was provided with 4 passes aboard the Circle Line Kids Cruise for my family to attend a free event in exchange for a review and information post based on our experience. Monetary compensation was not received, nor did I feel at all influenced to compose a positive review. All words and opinions are my own.