NEW YORK, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Statue Cruises, the new authorized concessioner of ticket sales and ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum, has launched their ticket sales and trip planning website. Visitors may now purchase tickets online for trips on or after January 1, 2008. The website address is http://www.statuecruises.com/.

The website introduces the much-touted Reserve Tickets, which are designed to reduce the amount of time visitors spend waiting in line before they enter the security tents. Using the Statue Cruises system, designed with Philadelphia-based Gateway, Inc., visitors can select the day and time they would like to begin their visit.

Another new feature is the option to print an e-Ticket at home, or in a hotel business center. The PDF document functions similar to the print-at-home option used by the airline industry. Visitors can print their tickets and bring them directly to the security gate at their departure time, bypassing the ticket windows. This system has been tested at a popular California National Park destination, Alcatraz Island, where an average of 60% of visitors prints their own tickets before they arrive, drastically reducing lines.

For visitors who prefer spontaneity or just want to arrive at their leisure, Statue Cruises will offer a ticket similar to the current tickets. A Flex Ticket is good for one admission at any time over a three day period. Group ticket information is also available online.

"We are happy to introduce the world to the 'virtual face' of Statue Cruises. We look forward to several more announcements in the coming weeks about our services, and we eagerly anticipate serving the residents and visitors of New York on our January 1 start date," said Statue Cruises CEO Terry MacRae.

"The National Park Service and Statue Cruises share a vision of making the visitor experience to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island more convenient, educational and customer service oriented," said Cynthia Garrett, superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. "And the new online ticketing and reservation system represents a first, and very important step, in making that vision a reality for our visitors."

Statue Cruises was awarded the ten-year contract for the ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in June of 2007 after a competitive bid process. The contract was signed on October 17, 2007 and service will begin on January 1, 2008. Statue Cruises will offer a call center, which will begin operating on December 1, 2007. Tickets will also be available for purchase at box office windows in Castle Clinton in Battery Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal in Liberty State Park.

Statue Cruises is a sister company to Alcatraz Cruises, the National Park Service concessioner of ferry service to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, CA and is a subsidiary of the San Francisco-based Hornblower Cruises & Events. Hornblower operates charter yachts and dining cruises in six California ports in addition to ferry operations around the world.

CONTACT: Tegan Firth of Statue Cruises, +1-415-983-8208,
tfirth@statuecruises.com

Web site: http://www.statuecruises.com/