statue of liberty tour

[jackie101]

We are taking our children to NY over April vacaion ages 9,8,6,& 6. What is the best tour to see the staue of liberty?
Thanks

 

[Cora]

If you are planning on climbing Lady Liberty you need to get to Battery Park VERY early to get one of the first boats over to the island and get your tickets. Also the climb up is long. It's over 300 steps just to get to the crown, I don't believe that includes the steps up the pedestal. Keep in mind there is no elevator. The stairs are narrow and can be dark. I don't know of any "tours" other than wait in line and get your ticket. Remember you need to include the time to clear security at Battery Park as well as the ferry time to the island. You may want to google Statue of Liberty Tours to get more info. Hope this helps.

If you just want to view Lady Liberty, take the Staten Island Ferry roundtrip (it's free) and it takes you close enough to get a good view.

 

[3boymthr]

You can go online and book tickets to get into the statue of liberty. http://www.statuecruises.com/ferry-service/welcome.aspx

There are several options. Booking just the ferry out to the island where you can go in the museum. Or you can book to go up into the pedestal or to go up into the crown. At the time we went you could only go up into the pedestal. If you want to go up into the pedestal I HIGHLY recommend booking tickets ahead of time. The day we went they were turning people away from the pedestal in droves. They strictly limit the number of people who can go up into the statue but even if you don't go all the way up to the crown the view from the pedestal is spectacular and the crowds - even in July - are really small. Plus going inside the pedestal is the only way to see the original torch. There are a bunch of stairs but they are not too narrow and there is a big stone walkway all the way around the top of pedestal for viewing. Spectacular and unique views of the statue and really nice views of NYC. For the difference in price pedestal tickets are totally worth it. OTH - I don't know if I personally would buy tickets to go up into the crown simply because it is a TON of stairs and they are very very narrow - you have to judge how much trouble you have with heights.

ETA - the ferry cruise to the statue includes a stop at Ellis Island. There is IS an elevator in the statue in the pedestal BUT it's currently not working - it was working when we were there. You can also get to the statue from NJ. At the new Jersey Location there is TONS of parking and it is either a couple of dollars or free I can't remember which the walk from the parking to the ferry is only a couple of minutes, but be aware there is only a hotdog stand at the NJ ferry location to get food (On the island there is a full service lunch counter but it's more expensive than many WDW QS locations.)

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Here is my two cents that probably won't be well received.

When we went, we booked the tour that included the pedestal tour - it has a small museum, it was a nice guided tour. However, the wait through security took forever. Everytime we finished a line, we hit another. We were so "done" that we never got off the ferry to see Ellis Island. Our kids would have loved Ellis Island, and what we could have seen of Lady Liberty without the tour would have been just fine for the kids.

It is still my biggest regret of our NYC trip.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

Haven't been to the Statue of Liberty in Many years, but I took 2 classes on class trips there. It is great to go to the crown, but IMHO, time is better spent at Ellis Island. If you have to choose between crown or Ellis, take the time to walk through Ellis & look at the exhibits.


You can see the beauty of the statue of liberty from the ground, and get a feel for how tall she is by going to the pedestal. If you can manage climbing to the crown & going to Ellis Island, by all means, make a day of it.

You may want to pack a lunch & have a picnic somewhere on the grounds outside.

Also, if you are looking to make Ellis island more exciting/educational for your kids, they used to have a scavenger hunt form. I called & they mailed me one which I copied & gave to my class of kids to make them focus as they walked through the exhibits. Again, this was many years ago & I am not sure if they still have this available (unfortunately I never saved a copy of mine) but it may be worth a phone call if you are interested.

Have fun!

 

[jackie101]

Thanks for all the replies. i think we are going to do the dbl decker bus tour. Do you think we need to see Ellia isand too

 

[clori]

I'm going in April with dd9 and dd5. Dh is from Manhattan and we've taken older neices/nephews for touristy trips. We love Ellis Island. However your youngest kids may or may not enjoy it yet. I seem to remember there being a lot of interesting facts to read but there were also a lot of buttons to press with auditory recordings. We aren't planning to do Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island this trip but will in again. If it is the kids first trip to NYC I do highly recommend taking the Staten Island ferry for a view of the Statue of Liberty.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I highly suggest taking the Staten Island Ferry instead. Scheduling won't be an issue, you'll get a great view of the statue, your kids will likely love the boat ride, and it's cheap.

For what it might be worth, I took many tourist trips to NYC and then lived there for a while.