Entertainment Cruises Inc.

What Entertainment Cruises Inc. does

Entertainment Cruises Inc. operates the consumer-facing City Experiences brand, a multi-brand experiential travel platform delivering water-based and land-based tourism products across North America, Europe, and Australia. The portfolio is organized around City Cruises (dining, sightseeing, architectural, whale watching, and special-event cruises) and three acquired/affiliated iconic-attraction brands, Statue City Cruises (New York), Alcatraz City Cruises (San Francisco), and Niagara City Cruises (Canada), alongside ferry services (NYC Ferry, City Ferry) and LIVE Experiences entertainment cruises. Land-based experiences are delivered through the Walks guided walking-tour brand across major European cities (Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Edinburgh, York) and Devour Tours, which runs culinary tours in European destinations.

The business is privately held and is a subsidiary of Hornblower Group, with corporate headquarters at 4901 Vineland Rd., Ste. 200, Orlando, Florida. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time per-guest ticket sales (Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tours, Alcatraz tours, Niagara Falls boat tours, dining cruises, walking tours, food tours, whale watching) supplemented by group/private charter bookings (corporate events, weddings, education groups of 20+), add-on enhancements, gift cards, and a recurring City Experiences Rewards loyalty program. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via cityexperiences.com, phone (800-459-8105), and SMS (833-997-5300), with secondary distribution through travel partners and tour operators and a dedicated group-event sales team. Supporting integrations include Affirm buy-now-pay-later for orders over $50 and OneTrust for cookie/consent compliance. The platform is localized across ten languages (EN, ES, ZH, DE, IT, JA, FR, PT, KO, NL) and active on six social channels, including a dedicated TikTok presence.

Name

Entertainment Cruises Inc.

Legal name

Entertainment Cruises Inc.

Website

https://entertainmentcruises.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Entertainment Cruises Inc. operates the City Experiences brand, a multi-brand experiential travel company offering cruises, walking tours, food tours, and ferry services across 20+ U.S. cities and 10+ countries. It serves leisure travelers, corporate groups, weddings, and education groups via direct-to-consumer online booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism & Experiential Cruises

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourist & Sightseeing Cruise Operators (Day Cruises) (TLAFALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Specialty-Themed Private Cruises (Wellness, Diving, Culinary, etc.) (THAEAEAG)

Keywords

• Sightseeing cruises
• Dining cruises
• Walking tours
• Ferry services
• Experiential tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sightseeing and Tour Tickets: Individual ticket sales for cruises, tours, and experiences including Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz, Niagara Falls boat tours, dining cruises, whale watching, and walking tours across 20+ destinations.
2. Dining Cruises: Premium dining experiences including brunch, lunch, and dinner cruises with food and beverage service.
3. Group Events and Private Charters: Corporate events, weddings, social outings, and education group bookings with special group rates for 20+ attendees.
4. Flexible Booking and Add-ons: Additional revenue from upgrades, enhancements, priority seating, and special event packages.
5. Rewards Program: City Experiences Rewards Program generating repeat bookings and customer loyalty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Entertainment Cruises Inc., dba City Experiences, sells and operates dining cruises, sightseeing cruises, walking tours, food tours, and ferry transportation across 20+ U.S. cities and additional European, Australian, and Canadian destinations. Offerings span iconic attractions (Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz, Niagara Falls), branded experiential sub-products (City Cruises, Walks, Devour Tours, LIVE Experiences), and group/private charter services for corporate events, weddings, and education groups.

Product overview

City Experiences is a multi-brand experiential travel platform offering water-based cruises and land-based walking/food tours. The core product portfolio includes City Cruises (dining, sightseeing, and specialty cruises), Walks (guided walking tours in European cities), and Devour Tours (culinary experiences). Specialized cruise brands include Statue City Cruises (New York), Alcatraz City Cruises (San Francisco), and Niagara City Cruises. Ferry services include NYC Ferry and City Ferry. The platform operates across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, offering experiences from iconic attractions like the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls to food tours in Rome and Barcelona. Additional services include group event bookings (corporate, weddings, education), a rewards loyalty program, and flexible booking with payment options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• City Cruises: Dining, sightseeing, and commuter cruise experiences across North American cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and more.
• Walks
• Devour Tours
• NYC Ferry
• City Ferry
• Alcatraz City Cruises
• Niagara City Cruises
• Statue City Cruises
• LIVE Experiences

Products and services

• City Cruises Primary brand offering dining cruises, sightseeing cruises, architectural tours, whale watching, and special-event cruises across multiple U.S. cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC.
• LIVE Experiences Live entertainment cruises featuring music, dining, and themed events on the water.
• Statue City Cruises Exclusive cruise operator providing Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tours from New York City, including general admission and special-access experiences.
• Alcatraz City Cruises Official ferry service to Alcatraz Island offering day tours and night tours from San Francisco, including Bay Discovery Cruises.
• Niagara City Cruises Boat tours to the base of Niagara Falls including the Voyage to the Falls boat tour and fall fireworks cruises from the Canadian side.
• Walks Walking tour brand offering guided experiences in European cities including Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, and London, featuring tours of major attractions like the Vatican, Colosseum, Louvre, and Doge's Palace.
• Devour Tours Food tour brand offering culinary experiences in cities like Florence, Madrid, Rome, and Barcelona, featuring Spanish cuisine tours and local food tastings.
• NYC Ferry Ferry transportation service in New York City operated in partnership, providing commuter and sightseeing ferry services.
• City Ferry Ferry services operated by Hornblower Marine Aviation, providing water transportation across various U.S. cities.
• Groups & Private Events Private event services including corporate events, weddings, social outings, school group tours, and holiday celebrations aboard cruise vessels.
• City Experiences Rewards Program Customer loyalty program offering 2X reward points, special offers, and member-only discounts on cruises and tours.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase for cruises, tours, and experiences.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AffirmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPay-over-time financing partner allowing customers to pay for orders over $50 in four installments. Integrated as a payment option at checkout to reduce purchase friction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Airbnb Experiences: Online platform for bookable local experiences including tours and activities. Comparable as a competing distribution and discovery channel for walking, food, and sightseeing experiences that compete with Walks and Devour Tours.
• Viator (Tripadvisor): Online marketplace for tours, activities, and attractions across the world. Comparable as a distribution and aggregation layer for sightseeing and experiential tours that intersects directly with City Experiences' inventory.
• GetYourGuide: Global online marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences. Comparable as both a distribution partner and competitor for the same sightseeing, walking tour, and food tour categories that City Experiences operates.

Direct peers

• Gray Line Worldwide: Long-standing global sightseeing and tour operator network offering city tours, day trips, and group excursions in hundreds of destinations. Directly comparable multi-city tour operator with similar B2B/B2C mix.
• Big Bus Tours: International sightseeing tour operator offering hop-on-hop-off bus tours and complementary boat tours across major cities. Competes in the same multi-city tourist sightseeing segment with comparable global reach.
• City Sightseeing Worldwide: Global hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour operator operating branded bus and boat tours across dozens of cities worldwide. Directly comparable as a multi-city tourist sightseeing and tour brand with similar concession-based city tourism economics.
• Hornblower Group: Direct parent company of Entertainment Cruises / City Experiences and the operator of its ferry and marine services subsidiary. Operates an overlapping portfolio of cruise, ferry, and marine experience businesses in similar markets.
• American Queen Steamboat Company: US operator of premium river and paddlewheel cruises including domestic itineraries. Comparable as a specialty US cruise operator with a curated multi-destination experience portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Viking Cruises: Major river and ocean cruise operator with strong European destination expertise and premium positioning. Broader incumbent in cruise and experiential travel that overlaps with City Cruises' premium dining/sightseeing cruises.
• Princess Cruises (Carnival Corporation): Large ocean cruise line operating worldwide itineraries including coastal sightseeing routes. Broader incumbent in the cruise experience category but operating at much larger ship scale rather than city harbor sightseeing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CityExperiences
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCG5d5xzYVQYzj3e-LltbulQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityExperiences
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityexperiences
• Pinterestpinterest.com/CityExperiences
• TikToktiktok.com/@cityexperiences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entertainment-cruises-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

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 Entertainment Cruises Inc.