Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour questions

[Mikelly1221]

Hi! My family and I are planning a trip to NYC in July and want to take a day to visit the Statue of Liberty, climb to the crown, and also visit Ellis Island. We've found the website to order tickets and plan to when they open up our dates. Does anyone have any experience with this particular tour? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks-Happy New Year!!

 

[kimmar067]

...it's an awesome experience, but be forwarned - it is a very cramped quarters inside the crown, so if someone in your party is claustrophobic, I'd advise against it. However, they can still go to the base (where Lady Liberty's feet are). Also, the second set of steps ascending to the crown is a spiral staircase...

 

[minkydog]

We took the ferry, skipped the Statue and went straight to Ellis Island. We were among the first visitors of the day because almost everyone on the ferry got off at the Statue. We practically had the place to ourselves! Which was great because we didn't feel like we were being herded to and fro by crowds. We got the headsets, too, I think around $12? maybe. Can't remember. What ever we paid was totally worth it. The self-guided headset tour is very informative. And if you get tired, you can shut it off and head down to the snack bar. DH & I took a mid-day break and ate some sandwiches while lying on the grass overlooking the river. Then we headed back in to finish up. I think we spent about 6 hours total, not because it *takes* 6 hours, but because we are history geeks who have to read every single thing in the display case.


Hope you enjoy it. I bought a book there about the medical side of Ellis Island that was excellent! If my family tried to enter the U.S. through Ellis Island today, my DH and Christian would be turned away right there In the book it shows families where a child was turned away, so one parent went back to Europe with the unfit child and the other parent stayed in America with the well children. Most of those families never lived under the same roof again. So sad. Times have really changed, for the better.

 

[emma'smom]

I love Ellis Island.....so much so that I ended up doing some research there for a course that I helped to TA in grad school. You can spend HOURS here.....as or Liberty Island...I always skip it. Honestly, I did go to the top of the crown once and it's a "never again" for me. We did it in July (just as you will) and it is hot and cramped. Think about it...you'll be inside a copper building, in close quarter, in the middle of summer heat in NYC--- CRAZY!

Also, you only get to look out of the crown for a millisecond before you are pushed/moved on to make way for the next person...then you descend back down the spiral steps. So not worth the time.......

I agree with the PP who said just go the pedastal....you can tour the island, get the feel of things....and then move on to Ellis!

 

[jlima]

EARLY EARLY EARLY! Get your tickets for the base and crown online as early as possible because they go quickly. Less than 300 people a day are allowed up into the crown. You will be one of the lucky ones. Stay on top of the dates they open up online and get them early! Pretend it's a ressie for CRT at the Magic Kingdom.

You don't need to pay to get onto Liberty Island; but you do need to pay for the Ferry. All the info is here:

http://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm

This website is for Hornblower Yachts, the contractor for the ferry service. They sell all the crown & base tickets, but you might already have this:

http://www.statuecruises.com/

Ferry tickets are easy to get. You can even buy a CityPass and use the included coupon for the Ferry.

Plan on using up nearly an entire day to make this trip; and go early in the day. The day I went with my mom, we left our hotel at 6:30 for breakfast; were on the subway by 7 am, and at the South Ferry subway station before 8 am. We walked to Castle Clinton; picked up our tickets at the will call window; and were in line for a boat by 8:30 am.

This is a photo I took that day of one of the ferries. It was Circle Line back then. Expect the ferries to be crowded like this:

After you get on the island, you can spend as much time as you like walking around. You have to go through security to go into the museum, which is in the base of the statue. I recommend getting in the security line as soon as possible. We walked around for about half an hour before we got in the security line - big mistake; we waited over an hour to get through security. There is an observation area on the base of the statue where you can take cool photos like this:

We were off Liberty Island around 12:30 and at Ellis Island around 1 pm. Expect a wait for a ferry to Ellis Island. We walked around there for a few hours; then waited in line for a boat to go back. We were back at our hotel for 4pm; rested for a while then had dinner at 5:30 and saw Jersey Boys at 8 pm that night. We were exhausted by the end of the day; it was lots of walking and waiting in line.

Our trip was in June 2007. The crown wasn't open to the public back then; only the base. I took this photo near the museum exit; the stairs to the crown were sealed up and this was as close as you could get. But you can see the spiral stairs that are used to get up into the crown, and the original ironwork crafted by Gustaf Eiffel:

Have fun planning your trip!

 

[Mikelly1221]

These are great tips...I'm taking notes! The pictures are especially helpful.

The children in our party will range in age from 12 to 7 1/2. Height-wise, everyone makes the 48 inch cut off, but I'm concerned about the youngest, if she will be able to make it up to the crown. I'm not sure if my husband will be going up-he has foot problems so it might be too much for him..so if the youngest doesn't go, there will be a grown up to stay with her.

Does anyone have any experience with children around those ages going up to the crown?

Keep the tips coming! On a related note, does anyone have any child friendly, off the beaten path NYC attractions that they could recommend? We're hitting the biggies, but we have a couple days not programmed yet.

 

[mjantz]

Definitely try & get to the first ferry of the day. We went a few years ago & the first ferry wasn't full compared to later ferries. The crown wasn't open when we went (they were close to opening it) so I guess we'll have to go back!!

 

[junebugs]

We visited in May of 2007 and my kids enjoyed the ride over in the ferry the most. They went through the base very quickly (the crown wasn't open) even though I tried to get them to slow down and look around more. The did like the museum inside. They were 7 and 9 at the time.

FYI- When we were there, the security line to get into the Statue was VERY, VERY long. We waited in the line for almost 2 hours. It was really hot and humid that day which made for very cranky kids. Make sure you have water and something for the kids to keep them occupied. I don't know why it took so long or if it is always that way - but best to be prepared.

 

[chabs]

Definitely get there early and do the statue first. The security line gets really long as the day goes on. Also, be prepared to walk the whole way up to the top of the statue-when we were there, the elevator didn't work at all so we only made it up to the base and that was enough stairs for us for one day. Also, the statue is really not that exciting, nor is the statue museum. Ellis Island was the best part for us-very interesting and I think we spent a couple of hours there.

 

[emma'smom]

Manhattan Children's Museum
Lower East Side Tenement Museum

These are great tips...I'm taking notes! The pictures are especially helpful.

The children in our party will range in age from 12 to 7 1/2. Height-wise, everyone makes the 48 inch cut off, but I'm concerned about the youngest, if she will be able to make it up to the crown. I'm not sure if my husband will be going up-he has foot problems so it might be too much for him..so if the youngest doesn't go, there will be a grown up to stay with her.

Does anyone have any experience with children around those ages going up to the crown?

Keep the tips coming! On a related note, does anyone have any child friendly, off the beaten path NYC attractions that they could recommend? We're hitting the biggies, but we have a couple days not programmed yet.

 

[nordkin]

If you catch the ferry at Liberty State Park in NJ the lines are a lot shorter to get on the ferries and there is a great Science Center for the kids right near the park that has great hands on exhibits.

 

[merrily]

My friend and her children ages 5 and 9 went to the crown during the heatwave last July. The elevator was out of service. She said it was even hotter inside than out but they made it no problem.

 

[Mikelly1221]

Thanks everyone for the hints...they are so helpful!!

My sister has been reading this thread also and told me how nice everyone was to give tips and post pictures...that's the DIS!

 

[clori]

My girls now 6 and 10 have been going to NYC (mostly Manhattan) a few times a year to visit family. We don't always do touristy things though we have done plenty including one touristy based trip this past April. For that trip we used the newyorkpass and it worked well for us.

My girls love the neighborhood playgrounds. We usually go to one in the UN area since Grandpa lives in that area. They get to play with local kids and enjoy slightly different playground equipment than what we have at home. For instance the playground has a full size stand alone slide that our playgrounds don't have. My oldest now enjoys seeing what embassies we walk by. My youngest if she had her way could be entertained for long periods of time just with revolving doors.

My kids prefer the Staten Island Childrens Museum over the Manhattan Childrens Museum mostly because they find Manhattan too crowded. For touristy food they like Ellen's Stardust for breakfast with the singing waitstaff. If you happen to be Jewish we all loved the Brooklyn Jewish Children's Museum. If you have a car the Long Island Children's Museum was also lots of fun. Another museum not mentioned yet is the New York City Fire Museum.

For free the Sony Wonder Technology Lab is fun though advanced reservations are highly recommended. There is currently a train display as part of the transit museum located at Grand Central Terminal (not sure when it ends). I didn't see it but think it was free of charge.

I am actually thinking about doing Ellis Island for dd's 11 birthday. I'm hoping the children's audio tour (for ages 6-10) will interest both kids and I know dd6 will be enthralled by the Statue of Liberty. I'm not trying for crown access since dd6 isn't 48 inches yet. We also want to go to Ripley's Believe it or Not at some point and we recently got a coupon for free kids tickets from a Wendy's kids meal.

 

[loveysbydesign]

we are going to the Statue of Liberty for the 1st time this sunday! Our kids are 4, 8 and 12. We are planning to pack a lunch and my inlaws are coming too. We already bought tix. through Statue Cruises. any tips for us?

 

[VAfamily1998]

If you haven't already bought the crown tickets, they might already be sold out...You're talking about July of 2011, right? They sell out months in advance, especially in high tourist seasons.
Also, I heard you can't buy more than 4 tickets per household, regardless of how many people are in the party. We have 6 in our family, and I called to see if there are any any acceptions for larger families, and they said no.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Loveys,

We were so impressed, seeing the Stature of Liberty!

I would just advise that if you are packing a lunch, and are planning on eating on Liberty Island, this would have to be eaten first (and everything discarded), as no larger backpacks, packages, etc.. are allowed thru security into the base building.

You will also go thru a quick security check before you board the boat.
But, I am thinking that you may be able to get your picnic pack thru that initial checkpoint???? If you haven't checked, you might want to go the web-site and read the fine print, or call.

If you planned on eating at Battery Park, then, of course, no problem.

I am not remembering if it is easy access to the nice outdoor dining area from where you exit the ferry boat or not. This is where we exited the Statue of Liberty, where the cafe and gift shop is located.

I can tell you that the cafe with burgers, sandwiches, etc is really not bad.
Better than most food service at these kinds of places.
We ended up having lunch there.

NOTE: if you want to use the elevator to go up to the top level of the Pedestal Building... Great Views! (which is advised to save a few flights of stairs, if there is not a long line for the small elevator) do NOT... do NOT... get off except for at the top and then back down to bottom level. There is one elevator exit at the MID level which is 'exit only - no re-entry'.... DO NOT exit there... (even if the lame elevator operator stops it there like it is where to get off!!!) If you make that mistake, you will pay by having to go down about 5-10 flights of outdoor stairs, in the sun and heat, and then around and back thru security if you have not seen all the museum exibits in the base of the Pedestal Building.

There were more than one party that this happened to who were actually complaining about this situation once they got back down and around.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Loveys,

We were so impressed, seeing the Stature of Liberty!

I would just advise that if you are packing a lunch, and are planning on eating on Liberty Island, this would have to be eaten first (and everything discarded), as no larger backpacks, packages, etc.. are allowed thru security into the base building.

You will also go thru a quick security check before you board the boat.
But, I am thinking that you may be able to get your picnic pack thru that initial checkpoint???? If you haven't checked, you might want to go the web-site and read the fine print, or call.

If you planned on eating at Battery Park, then, of course, no problem.

I am not remembering if it is easy access to the nice outdoor dining area from where you exit the ferry boat or not. This is where we exited the Statue of Liberty, where the cafe and gift shop is located.

I can tell you that the cafe with burgers, sandwiches, etc is really not bad.
Better than most food service at these kinds of places.
We ended up having lunch there.

NOTE: if you want to use the elevator to go up to the top level of the Pedestal Building... Great Views! (which is advised to save a few flights of stairs, if there is not a long line for the small elevator) do NOT... do NOT... get off except for at the top and then back down to bottom level. There is one elevator exit at the MID level which is 'exit only - no re-entry'.... DO NOT exit there... (even if the lame elevator operator stops it there like it is where to get off!!!) If you make that mistake, you will pay by having to go down about 5-10 flights of outdoor stairs, in the sun and heat, and then around and back thru security if you have not seen all the museum exibits in the base of the Pedestal Building.

There were more than one party that this happened to who were actually complaining about this situation once they got back down and around.

Thanks for the tips, especially the one about the elevator!!!
We are actually taking the ferry from Liberty Park on the NJ side and I'm thinking we will be eating as soon as we get off the ferry(which from NJ stops at Ellis Island 1st) as by the time we get over there my kids will be starving!
We have pedestal/museum tix. but not crown ones...our little guy is too small to climb those steps! Plus my mil can't either. We're hoping to visit again in 2 years and then hopefully we can get crown tix

It says you can bring strollers but they are not allowed inside the museum...wonder if I can leave it near the lockers or not?

 

[Mikelly1221]

Our trip is getting closer..almost a month to go! I've been reviewing all the info and I'm a bit confused about bringing food/water to Liberty Island.

I have a small, over-the-shoulder cooler that I was thinking about putting some small waters and snacks in to bring with us, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to do that. I also read that everything has to be stored in lockers when you get there?

How should I do this?

 

[FredinFL]

Ellis Island is good for about 1-2 hours, more than that is a colossal snooze. It'll be more interesting when they finish refurbishing the Hospital section of the island. Their food court is expensive, but fairly decent food. The Statue of Liberty is a LOT of climbing, but worth doing.