Worth paying a lil bit extra for Premium ticket, you skip the usually long line to board the boat, staff will take you to straight onto the upper deck of the boat where you've got limited number of seats - meaning no crowds there, dedicated bar and plenty space to move around, plus better views of the Manhattan skyscrappers and the Statue of Liberty. Cruise takes ~2 hours which gives you a lot of time to admire and appreciate the sights.
Highly recommended!