the tour is worth it. but, as the one who get here from a really far country, I got lost and not following the rest of the tour once I arrived at Liberty! The tour is about fact and history, so if you want to took bunch of photos at liberty while took the picture of manhattan from accross, you should get the package for the cruise to liberty and ellis island without the tour guide. but the tour guide is definitely worth it if you want to be guided and don't spend too much time in front of lady liberty (I spent too much time there, almost 5 hrs). btw the ferry is free entry once you depart, so, you can go back with or without the guide.