Having visited NYC many times, I have gone out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with members of my family. This time, however, our visit was limited to only two days so I knew we would not have time to actually go out to the Statue. Instead, I booked this one-hour cruise so that my young granddaughter would have, at least, seen it. We took a cab from Times Square (about $10) and arrived slightly early. I had downloaded our tickets when I purchased the cruise on the company's website; however, you have to present them at the window to receive a boarding pass. The cruise was great! It left on time, the narration was perfect (not too much but enough to be informative even to those who have visited NYC previously), and the length of the cruise was exactly what we needed. Since the day was slightly cool and rainy, the fact that the ship is heated and has great viewing from inside was definitely appreciated. I would highly recommend this cruise to those with smaller children or those who just want to see the Statue but do not have time to actually go out and visit it. If you want good seats on the top, go a little early to get in line although viewing is great from most seats.