We didn't have time for the more time consuming climb up to the crown, so we decided on a quicker cruise type tour. Cruise was about an hour long. It starts at Pier 83 and goes out to the Statue of Liberty (the main reason we went on this cruise) turns around and heads back. It was just the right amount of touring for us. The views of the statue, Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn bridge were fantastic! Couldn't have asked for more. The tour guide (Chris) was very knowledgeable of current and historic events and delivered the hits of facts with a little fun and humour which was very well received. Kudos Chris! If you're in a time crunch or prefer not to spend too much time on a single tour, this is for you!
A couple of tips. Get there a little early so you can get good seats. The best seats are upstairs in the open air. You want to be on the outside by the railing. Doesn't matter which side because both sides will basically get the same view because of the return trip. Being on the outside and against the railing will allow you to see everything without fighting all the people standing up, running around trying to get pictures.