NYC Ferry's summer 2026 schedule took effect Monday, May 18, and the season carries the system's largest summer expansion, per NYCEDC — headlined by an additional weekend pilot in South Brooklyn that extends the South Brooklyn route to Bay Ridge and Sunset Park on summer Saturdays and Sundays. The redesign behind it was finalized by the New York City Economic Development Corporation after a public process, with the weekend extension to be evaluated after the season.
This is a transit-and-access news note, not a navigation guide; schedules and landings shift, and NYC Ferry's app and site carry the authoritative timetable.
What is actually new for riders?
Three pieces matter, per NYCEDC's announcements. First, the summer schedule itself, in effect since May 18, adds seasonal capacity across the routes. Second, the weekend pilot: on summer Saturdays and Sundays, South Brooklyn service extends beyond its regular terminus to Bay Ridge and Sunset Park landings — waterfront neighborhoods whose piers sit within walking and biking range of shoreline parks and the harbor-edge promenades at the base of Staten Island's busiest views. Third, the broader redesign reorganized South Brooklyn service for faster weekday runs into Manhattan, with free transfer connections covering the landings the main route no longer serves directly.
Related stories: Portugal Commits €111 Million to Rebuild Beaches Lost to a Brutal Winter · The Ocracoke Express Is Back: Hatteras-to-Ocracoke Passenger Ferry Season Underway.
Why a travel site cares about a ferry timetable
Ferries are the rare New York transit mode that doubles as a beach-day tool: the Rockaway route remains the city's car-free line to a real ocean beach, and every extension of waterfront service widens the set of piers, parks, and sand edges a visitor can reach without a car. The South Brooklyn pilot puts Bay Ridge's shoreline parks — with their harbor views and shade — a single ride from the Manhattan and Williamsburg waterfronts on the days people actually go: weekends.
How to ride it this summer
The practical details: weekend pilot service runs on summer Saturdays and Sundays through the season, standard NYC Ferry fares apply, and the free transfer connections introduced in the redesign keep Sunset Park and Bay Ridge linked to the rest of the network on weekdays. Travelers should build around the morning — summer weekend boats run fullest by late morning, and the open-air back rows of the catamarans are the closest thing to a harbor tour the city sells at transit prices.