Answer: To give the most accurate answer possible, we’ll try to break cruises in New York down by type -  If it’s a standard sightseeing cruise, the average duration is about one hour (although you can find longer sightseeing cruises like this one from Circle Line, most sightseeing cruises in New York last around an hour).  

If, on the other hand, we’re talking about a dinner cruise or a brunch cruise, which are very common here among travelers in New York, the average cruise time is between 2 and 3 hours.

By the way, the shortest cruise we found in New York is the Beast Speedboat Ride, which lasts just about 30 minutes.