Albany Aqua Ducks & Trolleys

OK, so this is about as corny as it gets («Starducks» and «Duckin’ Donuts» puns aplenty), and I probably would never have chosen it on my own. And yet, we had a great time.
Friends of ours were getting married, and chartered a tour for family and friends from out of town (plus a couple of locals). The crew had decorated the vehicle, but even better, modified the tour route and spiel to highlight a few places of significance to the happy couple (where they met, where they work, etc.).
It ended up being a lot of fun; I got to see history in a city I’d never visited and would like to explore more in the future. But perhaps best of all, this group of assorted friends and family got to know each other in a goofy shared experience (though thankfully, the most outrageous thing we were asked to do was «YMCA» choreography from our seats while on the Hudson River) — which made the rest of the weekend even more fun.

So the Ducks do a 4^th of July thing where you can watch the fireworks from the Hudson. I had never been on a Duck and my mother-​in-​law thought it would be a great way for us to spend the holiday in NY without having to fight the crowds and boy was she right!
We didn’t get the typical Duck tour, but if the quality was at all near what I experienced on the 4^th, they are amazing. The staff was beyond friendly to everybody on board. They were understanding when my step-​daughter was a bit scared and made sure they tried to make her feel comfortable.
During the time on the Hudson (which was a few hours), they played music, tried to get the folks on the boat dancing, and gave us a bit of a tour of the river. They were excellent at navigating the river even though ti was busy and were sure to warn us when we’d hit some wakes.
The captain did everything he could to make sure we had a great position to see the fireworks. Considering we were on a river with a ton of other boats, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. They had staff on hand at the end of the night to help us get up the boat launch quick and back to our cars without having to wait forever.
I’d love to do a regular tour sometime, but I can tell you I was super happy with the 4^th!

I did this tour on a beautiful, sunny October afternoon. The tour guide (Pete) was great and the tour was really enjoyable. Lots of history of Albany, all told without coming across as a lecture.
I’m quite the history buff and only came up with one inaccuracy — Pete had the location of one of the memorials at the Empire State Plaza wrong — other than that he was spot on.
I highly recommend the tour to both locals and visitors alike.

I know, CORNY!, but this turned out to be a lot of fun. The hosts really ham it up (or «duck it up» rather) and you end up having a good time –like it or not.