Can you contact the Duck tour company and find out about:

1. life jackets

2. how long they are actually in the water and where

I took the Duck ride in Washington, DC a number of years ago. At that time, the Duck went in a backwater area of the Potomac, made a couple of circles in a sheltered area not in the main channel and let a couple of kids take the wheel for a few minutes. You really didn't see anything of Washington from the water and you weren't in the water more than 15-20 minutes.

With that said, IMO, there are better ways to spend your time in Cincinnati than on a Duck tour.

I copied the following from their website FAQs:

Do you have life jackets?

Yes. Enough for everyone on-board. We'll give full safety instructions prior to departure.

I have taken my son on this tour and we take visiting relatives on the tour. it is a lot of fun and they give a lot of great info/history about the area. The kids love it and so do the adults.

If you want to go inside, the Cincinnati museum center is a great place and has 3 museums - each with a fun area for kids. The Natural history museum is truly amazing with replicas of ice age animals, dinosaurs and caves. We have been members for years and i still discover new things everytime i go.

If you are looking for outside fun, look into the schedules for Saywer Point and Fountain Square. There is usually something going on in both of those spots and my four year old son Loves both ...has all his life.

Do the duck, we did. Thanks to the idiot driver we got soaked as we entered the water. He thought it was funny; we did not. My advice would be....be prepared to possibly get wet and hopefully if your driver is better you will have fun. I still recommend doing the duck.

Is everyone wearing the life jackets when they enter the water? If not, a sudden problem may not allow sufficient time to put them on, especially if you have several children.