The cruises compared here
Civitatis lists one well-reviewed meal cruise in New York, sold as either a lunch or a dinner. It scores 8.7 from 511 reviews, higher than any sightseeing boat in this comparison, so people who book it are generally pleased with it.
The question is if you are one of those people. That depends less on the food than on what you expect an evening on the Hudson to be.
1What the listing sells
Both options leave from Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers. The lunch is a two-hour cruise with a three-course buffet. The dinner lasts 2.5 to 3 hours and is timed, in the listing's words, for views of Manhattan at sunset, including the Statue of Liberty.
The listing prints sample buffet dishes for each meal, among them baked sole and breaded chicken at lunch and grilled salmon and beef tenderloin at dinner. Unlimited tea, coffee and water are included, along with music on board. The boat has an outdoor terrace.
The price shown is from €109.80 for the listing as a whole. It does not say whether that starting figure belongs to the lunch or the dinner, so check both when you pick a date.
2Where the money goes
Against the night cruise, you are paying about sixty euros more for a buffet meal, a table and up to an extra hour afloat. You are not paying for a guide. The listing mentions no commentary of any kind, and the operator of the Pier 61 buffet cruises, City Cruises, describes a DJ, games and a dance floor.
Two costs sit outside the ticket. Alcoholic drinks are not included; City Cruises describes a cash bar. And a table by the window is not promised: the operator sells window tables as an upgrade.
3Dress code, ID and age limit
The listing requires formal attire on the dinner cruise and says men must wear a blazer, with smart casual jeans permitted. On both lunch and dinner, shorts, tank tops and flip-flops are not allowed on the ship. City Cruises' own page words its dress advice more loosely, but the listing is what your booking is made under, so follow it.
Every passenger must show a valid ID or passport before boarding, and the listing asks you to be at the pier at least 45 minutes ahead. The minimum age is 6, which rules this out for families with small children.
4The cheaper evening on the water
The Circle Line night cruise from Pier 83 costs from €48.91 and lasts two hours. It sails the Hudson and the East River, passes the statue and goes under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, with an audio guide in English and a bar on board.
Pair it with dinner on land before or after and you will usually spend less, choose your own restaurant and see more. Its score is lower, 8.2 from 895 reviews, and the voucher asks you to turn up 45 minutes early, so allow for the wait.
5Who should book it, and lunch as a middle way
Book the dinner for a celebration, for a group that wants one place to eat and dance, or if a slow evening with the skyline going dark outside sounds right to you. It is tagged wheelchair accessible when stated in the reservation, which not every boat here is.
The lunch is shorter and the dress rule is lighter, so it suits people who want the meal afloat without giving up an evening. If what you want is simply to see New York from the water, book neither and take a sightseeing cruise.