Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises

Chris Mason

Chris Mason was born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise blood running through his veins. As the son of infamous Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise guide John Mason, Chris had big shoes to fill when he started guiding tours in 1985.

Over the years, Chris has developed a unique perspective on what he feels makes NYC the greatest city on earth. He is proud to share his views with his passengers on his tours, and will often challenge them with trivia and statistic questions.

“Chris Mason, whose profound erudition and deep love for his city and for us – his passengers and pupils – made for an experience we will carry in our hearts for a long time to come.”— harveyb381, TripAdvisor

John Mason

An institution at Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, John Masonhas been leading tours for over fifty years! Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, John started his own trucking business after college, but later found he was more interested in hanging around the Circle Line pier and listening to the guides than making deliveries. In 1962, he gave up the trucking business and became a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise tour guide.

Over the years, John has had some of the biggest names in entertainment on his tours, including opera singer Beverly Sills and Tony Bennett.

“For us the highlight was the guide John. He was so knowledgeable and shared a lot of history about Manhattan. Really impressive.” — powaramit, TripAdvisor

John Keatts

After receiving his airplane pilot license, John Keatts joined the U.S. Navy and worked on submarines all over the world. Fresh out of the service in the 1970’s, John spent his first years in NYC appearing in Broadway musicals, cabaret performances and various television programs.

Over the years, John developed a great interest in this diverse city, visiting almost every part of town, delving into its museums and historical societies, and taking geology courses. In the late 80s, John realized that there was no better way to share his love and knowledge of NY, than to join the ranks of Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises as a tour guide.

“John was a brilliant tour guide and was very knowledgeable and entertaining.” — gabbyiles, TripAdvisor

David Parker

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, David Parker came to New York in the 1980’s to earn a Masters of Fine Arts, simultaneously taking a summer job working at the Circle Line snack bar. Due to his magnetic personality, he sold more hot dogs than the boat could hold. His manager encouraged him to give up the snack bar and try giving tours instead and he hasn’t looked back since 1994.

In October 2001, Dave found one more reason to love Circle Line by meeting his true love while narrating one of his tours. Dave and Leslie married in December 2002 and currently live in Long Island City, NY.

“David was our guide and this guy was amazing! He was clever, entertaining, with facts about what you were looking at, in any given moment, pouring from this guy like he was a walking encyclopedia!” — Bagpiper549, TripAdvisor

Malachy Murray

Hailing from Queens, NY, Malachy Murray joined the Armed Forces after high school and was eventually promoted into the elite Special Forces. In 1996, Malachy began his career at Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises as a deckhand. During his third week, he came to the rescue when one of the tour guides became ill and the boat was left without a guide. Malachy grabbed the mic and gave the passengers a tour they would never forget.

Malachy is a natural born storyteller and impresses passengers with his sharp wit and vast knowledge of all things New York. Some might recognize Malachy as Officer Maloney from All My Children, or from his appearances on As the World Turns, Law and Order, Rescue Me, Third Watch and the Oscar-winning Scorsese film, The Departed.

“Our tour guide, Malachy, was fantastic. He has a real passion for NYC, and was very informative, interesting, and funny.” — csterle1, TripAdvisor

Tim Hollan

A Washington DC native, Tim Hollan is a tour guide with an interesting background — so interesting that it was a secret for over four years. After attending college, he joined the Army as a military intelligence officer and was stationed in Europe and later joined the CIA as an intelligence officer.

Tim left the spy life in the sixties and joined Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises in 1990. The CIA has been less exciting ever since.

“Tim Hollan made a wonderful afternoon around the waters of New York so much more interesting with all the insightful views and historical relevances peppered in.” — Jeff D, TripAdvisor

Tom Wurl

Born in the small town of Clintonville, Wisconsin, Tom Wurlcame to NYC after college to pursue acting. Fun fact: Tom has stood in for Jack Nicholson in a handful of his movies.

In 1995, Tom, a former teacher, decided that being a guide for Circle Line Sightseeing would allow him to combine his two great loves: history and New York City. Ever since then, Tom’s passengers have taken his picture in order to tell their friends back home that Jack Nicholson was their tour guide.

“Tom Wurl is a fabulous source of information with a wonderful, friendly personality.” — cl_hoye, TripAdvisor

William Scott Brown

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Willam Scott Browncame to Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises in 2005. ‘Bill’, as he is affectionately known, feels right at home on the water bringing a unique perspective to his tours and constantly impressing guests with his knowledge of New York trivia.

It’s likely you’ve seen Bill somewhere before… a successful actor who has starred in numerous commercials, appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” and can even be seen in an episode of Law and Order.

Bill recently received a Best Actor International Jury Award in Italy from Tribeca Film Festival and Donatello award winning director Paolo Genovese at Cortinametraggio 2017 in Cortina D’ampezzo Italy.

Most notably, Bill was a member of the original Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera! He performed eight shows a weeks for 12 years, from 1988 to 2000.

Only with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises can New York enthusiasts learn about the city they love from a genuine Broadway veteran.

Learn more about Bill at www.williamscottbrown.com

“Our Cruise narrator Bill gave a wonderful commentary on all the viewpoints all throughout the journey” — Gopal L, TripAdvisor