Hornblower Cruises is a San Francisco–based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company. In 2021, the company rebranded most of its services as City Cruises or City Experiences. In 2024, the company filed for bankruptcy protection.[1]
| Hornblower Cruises | |
| Locale: | Most Major US Waterways, Niagara Falls, London |
| Waterway: | Near Coastal and Lakes, Bays & Sounds, |
| Transit Type: | Charter Yachts, Dining Cruises, Ferry Service, Tourist Attractions, Commuter Ferry, Overnight Cruises |
| Began Operation: | 1980 |
| Operator: | Hornblower Yachts, Inc. |
| Owner: | Terry MacRae (1980-2020 Founder, now Chairman of the Board)Kevin Rabbit (CEO as of 2021)Mike Flaskey (CEO as of 2024) |
The company began in 1974 in Berkeley, California with two ships. In 1980 the original owner, Ward Proescher, sold the business to Terry MacRae and P. Michael Watson. Proescher later went on to start a competing charter yacht company in the Bay Area, Commodore Cruises.
By acquiring existing charter yacht companies, Hornblower was able to expand into San Diego in 1984, followed by Newport Beach in 1987. Shortly thereafter the company acquired the Marina del Rey–based Marina Cruise Lines.
By 1989 the company operated in Berkeley, San Francisco, San Diego, Newport Beach and Marina del Rey. The corporate headquarters were (and continue to be) located on the historic ferry Santa Rosa, which is moored at Pier 3 in San Francisco.
In 1992 Terry MacRae became the sole owner of Hornblower Yachts, Inc, which was rebranded as Hornblower Cruises & Events to more accurately reflect the products and services offered.
In 1996 Hornblower Marine Services (HMS) was created to fill a need as a consultant to the booming riverboat casino and ferry service operations industry. By 2003, HMS grew to 80 employees, with offices in San Francisco, New London, Boston and Jacksonville. Three years later, HMS had become the leading worldwide provider of high-speed ferry services.
In 2019 Hornblower Cruises & Events acquired Entertainment Cruises and all the operations encompassing it. The purchase of Entertainment Cruises doubled the number of ships and locations that Hornblower operates. In October of the same year, Hornblower acquired English tour boat operator City Cruises who have operations in London, Poole and York.[2] [3] [4] In 2020, Hornblower expanded in Boston by acquiring Boston Harbor Cruises.[5]
In 2022 Hornblower acquired Experience Australia Group Pty Ltd, a diversified tourism business based in Adelaide, South Australia, known mainly for operating Australian interstate experiential tourism trains (The Ghan, the Indian Pacific, The Overland, and the Great Southern) but also with interests in cruise and air tourism. In turn, the company had been owned by Quadrant Private Equity since 2016. In January 2022, Quadrant Private Equity sold the business to Hornblower.
On February 21, 2024, Hornblower Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, also filing proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act in Canada shortly after. Hornblower announced that it would be suspending all future operations for its American Queen Voyages brand and placed it up for sale as the company plans to focus on its other subsidiaries. Hornblower would later be sold to Strategic Value Partners that same day.[6]
Today, Hornblower operates out of 19 different ports: San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Newport Beach, San Diego, DC, Alexandria, Boston, Chicago, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Toronto, Baltimore, Port of New York and New Jersey, London, Poole and York. The company's entire fleet now includes more than 80 boats.
Hornblower Canada Company, a Canadian subsidiary of Hornblower operates the Niagara Falls Gorge Boat Tour from the Canadian side of the Niagara River near Niagara Falls, similar to the Maid of the Mist cruises out of Niagara Falls, New York on the American side. Hornblower has two ships, Niagara Wonder and Niagara Thunder, which carries 700 passengers each. The boats are based on Elliot Bay Design Group design and built by Hike Metal Products of Wheatley, Ontario.
Between 1997 and 2002 Hornblower operated in Lake Tahoe, beginning with the acquisition of Lake Tahoe Cruises Inc. and the vessels Tahoe Queen and Tahoe Princess. Business expanded to include ferry service across Lake Tahoe and land shuttle services between South Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Lake Link ferry service was launched across Lake Tahoe, and was the fastest passenger boat on the lake. In 2002 the Lake Tahoe port was sold to Aramark—the owner and operator of the MS Dixie - the primary long-standing competition for the Tahoe Queen.
In 2006 Hornblower won the National Park Service concession for ferry service to Alcatraz Island when the contract with Blue & Gold Fleet expired. Under the name Alcatraz Cruises, the company provides ticketing service and transportation to the one and a half million visitors to the island every year.
In 2008, Alcatraz Cruises introduced the Hornblower Hybrid to the fleet—the first hybrid ferry in the United States. The Hybrid runs off of solar power, wind power, and low-emission diesel fuel.
In 2007 the company was awarded a concession from the National Park Service to operate ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, the only public access to the national historic sites in the Port of New York and New Jersey. This replaced Circle Line, which had operated the service since 1953.[7] Under the name Statue Cruises, the company provides ticketing service and transportation for visitors to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Boats depart from either Communipaw Terminal, Liberty State Park in Jersey City or Castle Clinton, Battery Park in Lower Manhattan.[8] All ferry riders are subject to security screening, similar to airport procedures, prior to boarding.[9]
The affiliated Liberty Water Taxi operates between Liberty State Park and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.
Separately from its Liberty and Ellis Island service, Hornblower operates a fleet of six New York-based yachts operating from Pier 15 on the East River and Pier 40 on the Hudson River, offering scheduled sightseeing cruises and special-event charter excursions. Its vessels are the Hornblower Infinity, the Hornblower Serenity, the Hornblower Sensation, the Hornblower Hybrid,[10] the Hornblower Esprit and the John James Audubon.[11]
See main article: NYC Ferry. In 2015, Hornblower Cruises was selected to operate New York City's NYC Ferry service, which started operations on May 1, 2017.[12] [13] It is the company's first commuter ferry operation.[14] One route connects Lower Manhattan and Midtown Manhattan with nearby points across the East River in northern Brooklyn and in Queens, while a second route connects Lower Manhattan with Rockaway Park in Queens.[15] A third route, which began on June 1, 2017,[16] connects Lower Manhattan with riverfront communities in southern Brooklyn.[15] A fourth route, connecting Manhattan with Astoria, Queens,[15] began operating on August 19, 2017.[17] [18] Two additional routes to Soundview, Bronx, and to the Lower East Side of Manhattan started operating in August 2018.[19] [20]