Empire State Building

[fredandkell]

New Yorker chiming in to say that if you are only doing one big thing before boarding your ship, check with the kids to see WHY it has to be the Empire State Building to BE on instead of SEE. If you do Top of the Rock, there's a few little pitstops in the area, including a few places to get breakfast/lunch before heading to over to board. Plus you're seeing Rock Center and, if time allows, a few fun stores. Also keep in mind that a rainy or low cloud morning is going to nix these plans anyway.

That was another reason I didn't want to pre-buy tix, in case we wake up and the view is crap.

 

[Ronneeaght]

This might be a stupid question, but can you spy the Magic through the buildings from Top of the Rock? It seems like it is almost on the right block.

ETA: We are also considering ESB or TotR post cruise.

 

[fredandkell]

This might be a stupid question, but can you spy the Magic through the buildings from Top of the Rock? It seems like it is almost on the right block.

ETA: We are also considering ESB or TotR post cruise.

Ooh, that's a good question! I'll report back pre-cruise if we can see it from whichever building (if any) we end up ascending!

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

This might be a stupid question, but can you spy the Magic through the buildings from Top of the Rock? It seems like it is almost on the right block.

ETA: We are also considering ESB or TotR post cruise.

You can certainly see Intrepid without issue on pier 86. Disney uses pier 88 and 90 I’m just not sure if anything gets in the way. But I’m pretty sure you can. The general rule of thumb is to subtract 40 from the pier number to get the street.

 

[jrabbit]

Like someone said - you don't want to go up to the top of either the ESB, Top Of Rock or 1 World Trade center if the view is not good.

We went to the top of the ESB mid week pretty early in the morning and had no lines and we didn't after 8pm either.

Here is our morning picture (we had a plan for each of our days in NYC and stuck to it... - the day before was absolutely gorgeous and we were inside a museum )


Our ticket let us go up after 8pm the same day




And on a different night we went up to the Top Of The Rock



These are pretty good, but right now I can't find my really awesome pictures from the top of the skyscrapers.

Oh Yea, ESB - always taking pictures through glass, Top of the Rock you have the ability to not take a picture through glass.

 

[Lisa F]

Don't do City Pass or New York Pass or any of the other combination deals as you won't have time to visit the other attractions.
Top of the Rock is in the heart of Midtown and in my opinion has the best view. (but I am biased)
Not sure if one of your kids is a young girl bur the American Girl store and Lego are right in Rockefeller Center.
As far as waiting online goes, tickets are all timed. You can purchase up to a year in advance at topoftherocknyc.com
Enjoy the view and enjoy the cruise

Edited to add the view

nintendo store is there too, which my son always wants to hit.

 

[msmama]

This might be a stupid question, but can you spy the Magic through the buildings from Top of the Rock? It seems like it is almost on the right block.

ETA: We are also considering ESB or TotR post cruise.

I just looked at pics I took from the deck of the ship on our last cruise out of NYC. I don't think I can see the Top of the Rock from the ship. I think I can maybe see an edge of Rockefeller Center, but not the top. Pretty sure you can see the observation deck of the Empire State building, though. Both are so close that it may come down to which pier the Magic docks at that day.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

It appears that there are two buildings blocking the view from TOR. You might be able to see a slight part of it if it were docked at 88 South but not enough to write home about.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

Go up the Freedom Tower. It was such a great experience. The elevator alone is worth the money!

 

[fredandkell]

So just returning here to say that we got to the Empire State Building at 8:30am on a Wednesday. The lines were nonexistent and we had a great time! We really enjoyed our experience - it looked totally different than the lobby we tried to wait in back in 2005. They've added a little museum with King Kong exhibit, etc. which helps to disperse the crowds. By the time we left at 9:30, though, the line was definitely backing up so to avoid lines, go early!

 

[longboard55]

We went on a Monday about 10 before the Sept 25 Bermuda trip, no line at all, just get a regular ticket. They have a lot of exhibits, it is pretty good.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

So just returning here to say that we got to the Empire State Building at 8:30am on a Wednesday. The lines were nonexistent and we had a great time! We really enjoyed our experience - it looked totally different than the lobby we tried to wait in back in 2005. They've added a little museum with King Kong exhibit, etc. which helps to disperse the crowds. By the time we left at 9:30, though, the line was definitely backing up so to avoid lines, go early!

I would imagine it helps that the Freedom Tower is now open, too. Much higher with more meaning.

 

[DCL_Wonder]

I haven't bothered to read all of the posts, but I totally disagree that the Empire State Building is a tourist trap. It's cool to see and even cooler to visit. It's the most famous skyscraper in the world, it's definitely not a tourist trap. The audio guide that comes with the price of admission is extremely well done and makes the visit complete. New York is a great city and your children are correct in wanting to visit its most famous icon.

To answer your question, go early to beat the crowds. Enjoy your cruise and enjoy your time in New York!

 

[fredandkell]

This might be a stupid question, but can you spy the Magic through the buildings from Top of the Rock? It seems like it is almost on the right block.

ETA: We are also considering ESB or TotR post cruise.

So, you probably read this in the TR, but just posting here for those who didn't see the TR - YES, you can see the Magic from the top of the Empire State Building! Those distinctive red smokestacks stand out great! My kids were so excited to see "their" ship!