Our conductor/host, David, made this cruise great! He was funny, informative and personable. He even happened to be familiar with the area in Oregon in which we live, so small world! We paid for the premier tickets, which gives you more comfortable seating in a specific (indoor) area of the boat. The line for the concessions doesn't move particularly fast but everyone we interacted with was nice. It was also really great to hear how many employees had been there for long periods (one was something like 20+ years!). The cruise was great, and there are so many landmarks to point out, David was really moving quick with info for guests on both sides of the boat. Its a very smooth ride and glad that you can get out of the wind when needed. It was definitely worth it, especially if you like architecture and know you won't be able to see as much of NYC as you can with this cruise.