Empire Cruises

What Empire Cruises does

Empire Cruises is a New York City-based private boat and yacht rental company operating a fleet of eight Coast Guard-certified vessels ranging from a 30-guest yacht (Unity) to a 550-passenger mega yacht (Timeless). The company sells private charters and themed event packages — including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, proms, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and holiday celebrations such as July 4th fireworks cruises — with per-person pricing from $75 to $120 and hourly yacht rates of $1,100 to $2,500, plus optional add-ons (open bar, DJ, catering, photographer, photobooth). Departures operate from four NYC metro-area marinas: Skyport Marina (Manhattan), Pier 36 (Lower East Side), Liberty Landing Marina (New Jersey), and Brooklyn Army Terminal (Brooklyn).

The company runs a sales-led, event-driven go-to-market: customers request quotes via the website or by phone (212-686-9200), and public events are distributed through third-party ticketing platforms such as Eventbrite and july4th.com. The underlying technology is non-proprietary — a standard content website, quote workflow, and physical fleet operations — with no disclosed AI, software platform, or automation stack. Revenue mechanics are one-time transactional: hourly/per-person charter fees plus a la carte premium add-ons, with no subscription or recurring revenue model.

Empire Cruises is a privately held, independently owned company headquartered in New York with 101–250 employees. There is no disclosed parent company, no external funding, no patents or trademarks, no formal partnerships, and no M&A activity. The business is geographically concentrated in the NYC metro area and is materially seasonal, with demand peaking in summer and around signature holidays such as July 4th.

Name

Empire Cruises

Legal name

Empire Cruises

Website

https://empirecruises.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Empire Cruises is a New York City-based private boat and yacht rental company operating an eight-vessel fleet for birthdays, weddings, corporate events, proms, and holiday cruises across four NYC metro-area marinas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter Boat & Event Cruise Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Day & Short-Horizon Private Cruises (Half-Day/Day/Overnight) (THAEAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Yacht & Luxury Boat Charters (With Crew) (THAJALAE)

Keywords

• Boat rentals
• Yacht charters
• Party cruises
• Event boat hire
• Harbor cruises

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vessel Rental Fees: Primary revenue from hourly and per-person charter rates for private yacht and boat rentals. Pricing varies by vessel size, duration, and time of year. Per-person pricing shown for smaller boats; hourly yacht rental rates for larger vessels.
2. Premium Add-ons and Upsells: Additional revenue from optional enhancements including open bar packages, live DJ entertainment, professional photography, catering services, party photobooths, and beverage add-ons. These are priced per person or as fixed fees.
3. Public Event Tickets: Sale of tickets to open-to-the-public themed events including holiday cruises, fireworks viewing parties, and special occasion cruises. Tickets sold through third-party platforms and the company website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Empire Cruises is a New York City-based private boat and yacht rental company that operates a fleet of 8 vessels ranging from a 30-guest yacht to a 550-passenger mega yacht (Timeless). The company rents vessels by the hour or on a per-person basis for private events including birthdays, weddings, corporate parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, school events, and holiday celebrations. Optional add-ons include open bar packages, live DJ entertainment, professional photography, in-house catering, party photobooths, and beverage service. Departures operate from multiple NYC-area marinas (Skyport Marina, Pier 36, Liberty Landing, Brooklyn Army Terminal), and the company also sells tickets to open-to-public themed events such as July 4th fireworks cruises.

Product overview

Empire Cruises operates as a private boat and yacht rental company offering party boat rentals in NYC. The fleet consists of 8 distinct vessels ranging from intimate yachts (Unity, 30 guests) to mega yachts (Timeless, 550 guests), with per-person pricing from $75 to $120. The company offers two primary service categories: vessel charters and themed rental packages. Vessel charters include the yacht rental service with hourly rates ($1,100-$2,500/hour) plus optional add-ons. Themed rental packages cover 17 occasion types including Birthday, Bachelor/Bachelorette, Wedding, Corporate, Prom, Holiday, Cocktail, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner Cruises. The product portfolio also includes special event packages like 4th of July Fireworks Cruises. Departures are available from Skyport Marina, Pier 36, Liberty Landing (NJ), and Brooklyn Army Terminal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unity (Private Yacht)

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Manhattan by Sail: NYC sailboat charter operator offering public and private sails (sunset, harbor, brunch) from Battery Park, directly comparable to Empire Cruises' private harbor experience offerings and event-driven booking model.
• World Yacht: NYC-based private yacht charter operator offering event cruises from Manhattan marinas, directly competing with Empire Cruises for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations in the same harbor geography.
• Classic Harbor Line: NYC harbor charter and sightseeing cruise operator offering private and themed sails including brunch, dinner, and architecture tours, directly overlapping Empire Cruises' event charter menu and NYC customer base.
• Spirit Cruises: Operator of dinner, lunch, and event cruises in NYC and other major US cities, serving the same corporate events, weddings, and group celebration demand with comparable vessel-based hospitality.
• Bateaux New York: Upscale glass-enclosed dinner and event cruise vessel operating from Chelsea Piers, directly competing for NYC corporate entertaining, weddings, and high-end private event bookings.
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises: Iconic NYC sightseeing cruise operator from Pier 83, sharing the same harbor geography and tourist/event customer base, with private charter options that overlap Empire Cruises' corporate and group booking segments.
• Clipper City Tall Ship: Operates a 158-foot tall ship for public and private charters in NYC harbor, including corporate events, weddings, and themed sails — directly overlapping Empire Cruises' private event charter use cases.
• North River Lobster Company: NYC harbor lobster-themed lunch and brunch cruise from Pier 81, sharing Empire Cruises' casual dining cruise use cases and competing for group, family, and corporate outing bookings.

Broad incumbents

• Hornblower / City Experiences: Large multi-city cruise and experiences operator that runs NYC dining cruises, sightseeing, and event charters — a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities but a wider portfolio beyond NYC private charters.

Regional players

• Atlantic Yacht Charter: NYC and tri-state area private yacht charter broker and operator serving corporate and personal events in the same harbor geography, with similar vessel-rental structure and premium per-hour pricing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empirecruises
• Facebookfacebook.com/empirecruises
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-cruises

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empire Cruises