Water wars: Cruise vendors in Battery Park gripe over turf

Cruise vendors are at odds over their rights to sell cruises inside Battery Park.

Photo by Dean Moses

Battery Park has become a battleground, according to those who operate ferry tours there, with licensed and unlicensed vendors competing for business, looking to tap into a lucrative market.

The mayor’s office reports that Statue City Cruises and NY Water Taxi are the only licensed vendors permitted to sell boat ride tickets in Battery Park. However, that hasn’t stopped other hawkers from popping up at the Manhattan greenspace in an effort to make a profit.

Mike Burke, COO of Statue City Cruises, told amNewYork Metro that illicit sellers are flogging tickets to cruises at exuberant prices and are misleading customers as to what rides they are paying for.

According to Burke, these vendors not only overcharge tourists, but they also lie about where exactly they are being taken, telling consumers, for instance, the boats will take them to Ellis Island when in fact they do not disembark on the iconic island.

“They interrupt visitors that would have been going to Statue Cruises looking to buy a ticket by essentially, let’s just call it lying, misrepresenting what their harbor tour is. They made it sound like they are going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which they can’t do,” Burke charged.

Burke levied accusations that these other vendors not only sell their own boat rides, but he also says he has received complaints from customers that the sellers market fake or previously used tickets from Statue Cruises under the guise that they are affiliated with his company. He likewise reports that the vendors often attempt to intimidate his staff and even tourists, occasionally erupting into violence.

“There are about 30 to 40 [vendors] all along Battery Park and State Street and you will see a number of uniforms, colors, outfits, and they are pretending to be what we are,” Burke said. “But there is virtually no NYPD enforcement.”

While…