The commuter ferry that carries Monmouth County workers to Manhattan every weekday turns into a holiday boat in December. Seastreak has posted its 2026 schedule of event cruises from its terminal at 326 Shore Drive in Highlands: five Santa Brunch Cruises through New York Harbor, a ferry to the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and a New Year's Eve fireworks cruise.

Santa Brunch Cruise

The brunch cruises sail on Sunday, December 6, Saturday, December 12, Sunday, December 13, Saturday, December 19, and Sunday, December 20. Each one leaves Highlands at 10:30 a.m. and returns at about 1:30 p.m.

A buffet is served on the way up the harbor. Seastreak lists macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, waffles, tater tots, a cheese egg bake, bacon and sausage, sausage with peppers and onions, Caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, bagels, croissants and holiday desserts, with hot cocoa and a full bar. The boat makes a short stop in Lower Manhattan, where Santa and Mrs. Claus come aboard, and they ride back to New Jersey with the passengers, telling stories and hearing wish lists while games and balloon art fill the wait.

Tickets are $99 for adults, $69 for children 3 to 12 and $29 for infants. A window table for six can be reserved for another $99, which does not include the tickets themselves. Seastreak says both are nonrefundable and cannot be exchanged.

Pinstripe Bowl, December 26

On Saturday, December 26, Seastreak runs a boat from Highlands straight to the ferry dock at Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl, the college football game between teams from the Big Ten and the ACC. The boat leaves Highlands at 9 a.m. for the noon kickoff, the ride takes about an hour and 25 minutes, and the dock is about a 15-minute walk from the stadium gates. It heads home 45 minutes after the last play. Round trips are $85 for adults and $45 for children, before a 3 percent booking fee and a fuel surcharge of about 5 percent. Game tickets are sold separately.

New Year's Eve fireworks

The last sailing of the year boards at 9 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, leaves at 9:30 p.m. and is back in Highlands at about 1 a.m. The boat heads into New York Harbor for the midnight fireworks over the Statue of Liberty. The $169 ticket includes an open bar until midnight, passed and stationed hors d'oeuvres, a champagne toast and a DJ. The cruise is limited to passengers 21 and older, and Seastreak asks everyone to arrive 30 minutes before departure.

Getting to the terminal

The Highlands terminal sits on Shore Drive along the Shrewsbury River. Seastreak lists free daytime parking, a covered waiting area, restrooms and a bike rack there, and the ticket office opens at 8:30 a.m. on weekends. No pets are allowed on any of the three event cruises.

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