We had great weather at the end of October for the semi circle,1.5hr Cruise, which I think is plenty of time. Leaves the dock at 12.30pm each day, there is a café on the boat if you need it. You see all the major sights, Manhattan Skyline, Empire state, Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, etc etc. You can't get off the boat at any point but if you want to sit back and take in the sights this is a great way to see NYC. The tour guide is entertaining too, giving you all the facts and figures over the sounds system, which really helped. Take your camera and snap away, some of the scenes are amazing !!