Most people don't give a damn that the NYC Ferry stopped selling booze (but I do)

Dry winter ahead for ferry riders as liquor licenses expire

NYC Ferry boats docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Hornblower, the company that operates the NYC Ferry, quietly stopped selling alcohol on their fleet of boats a few months ago. The taps that once flowed with rosé and a selection of beers are now empty, and there’s no firm date on when you’ll be able to buy drinks on board again. Alcohol was previously sold year-round on the boats, save for a brief interruption during the pandemic.

I thought I’d find dozens of aggrieved commuters quivering with rage that they’d no longer be able to enjoy a cold one during their commute home, but mostly, I was met with apathy.

“I don’t care,” said Mike P., who was waiting for the Rockaway-bound ferry. “I’m indifferent.”

“That kind of sucks. I thought the prices were a little expensive, which also sucked,” said Rob, from Belle Harbor. “And they didn’t do breakfast. You get on the ferry, give me some rolls and butter, give me a coffee for God’s sake, you know what I’m saying?”

“The alcohol? Ah, whatever.”

A concession stand on the NYC Ferry from behind which the booze once flowed

At least one regular ferry commuter welcomed NYC Ferry’s sober era and won’t miss the people who got rowdy drinking $8 beers.

“It’s actually made it more pleasant. The fact that you can come home after a long night of working in the city, and on a Friday night, it could be very noisy,” said Erika Thompson, 30, who lives in Rockaway.

I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one in the city who enjoyed a beer on the boat during the winter, but I did find one woman who was upset to learn the booze is gone.

“On the weekend I used to take the ferry down, I would have a nice glass of rosé. It was a wonderful opportunity to unwind. They need to bring back the booze,” said Margaret, 47, who usually takes the Soundview ferry. “You go on other cruises, you have a glass of wine. It’s cheaper than buying a $16 glass of chardonnay.”

Under a new $405 million contract announced in August, the city became entitled to a tiny percentage of revenue from concession sales on the boats, which could help reduce the taxpayer subsidy required to run the fleet.

A representative for Hornblower said that alcohol sales will resume “in the coming months,” and that new liquor licenses are in the works (I’ll believe it when the beer is in my hand).

Until then you can just buy beer beforehand and be discreet. Or just wait for the summer.

This development leaves the Seastreak as the only commuter ferry service in the city still serving booze. The Staten Island Ferry concessions closed during the pandemic and still haven’t reopened.