NYC Ferry and Mayor Adams recently announced they will be launching (no pun intended) the “Rockaway Rocket,” an express ferry service pilot that will go straight from the Wall St. Terminal in Lower Manhattan all the way to the Rockaways, one of NYC’s best beach destinations.
It will only run on weekends and holidays, and you must reserve your seat in advance to enjoy it.
Right now, to take the ferry to the Rockaways you have to ride the route from Wall St./Pier 11 through to Sunset Park / Brooklyn Army Terminal and then to Rockaway. The new express route will cut off a bit of time and be more direct. It will be serviced by an additional, larger boat, and therefore won’t interfere with the regular Rockaway route.
So you can still go the regular way, but with this premium option you don’t have to worry about making it on the boat or competing with other beachgoers for seats since weekend service to the beach can get quite crowded.
Did you hear? Soon it'll be easier to get to the Rockaways!
Beginning July 23, @NYCferry will kick off the Rockaway Rocket which will provide direct service from Wall St. to the Rockaways until Labor Day weekend.
Get more info: https://t.co/Uc5IxKwrnd pic.twitter.com/XhjBCOIdKp
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 17, 2022
The “Rockaway Rocket” service will run beginning this Saturday, July 23 through to the unofficial “end of summer,” Labor Day Weekend. The reservation-only ride will run on the following schedule:
Saturday-Sunday
- Departing Wall Street/Pier 11 at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.
- Departing Rockaway at 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $8 per passenger each way, and along with a guaranteed spot on board and non-stop trip, you can also enjoy expedited lines and discounted drinks (remember: they do serve beer & wine on board!). Total approximate travel time is 55 minutes, according to the main “Rockaway Rocket” page of the NYC Ferry website. However, when you go to purchase a ticket, it shows the trip duration being closer to 45 minutes.
You can find the Wall St. Ferry Terminal on Gouverneur Lane at South Street, F.D.R. Drive, and the drop-off for the Rockaway Terminal is at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive.
You can book your spot on their website or via the NYC Ferry app now.The news was shared at the same time it was announced that normal one-way NYC Ferry tickets would be increasing from $2.75 to $4 (although frequent riders can continue to pay the $2.75/ride by purchasing a 10-trip pack for $27.50, and the new NYC Ferry Discount Program will reduce fare costs to $1.35 for low income riders, seniors, and people with disabilities).