Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Tour in New York, NY

The experience was good, booking was seamless. Once on the islands everything was self explanatory and easy to get around. My big gripe is the bun fight to get on the ferry, rather than use the line system that they adopt in security it becomes a free for all. There was a lot of pushing and barging, not great first impression that continues as you move from island to island. We booked through the official site rather than the hawkers, we purchased tickets to the pedestal, many people were getting turned away as they didn’t realise.

Fantastic. Went at 12pm on New Year’s Eve. Queued for 32 minutes before getting on the ferry and didn’t have to wait more than 15 mins to get from Statue of Liberty to Ellis Island. Took sandwiches and there was plenty of places to eat on Liberty Island. Both museums were very emotive and informative. About 3 hours or so to see as much as possible with 3 young kids. You get the best views on the right hand side of the boat as you approach if you can be at the edge of either top deck. Highly recommended. We booked and used City Pass.

Statue City Cruises is the official cruise line of the National Park Service (NPS) which manages the Statue of Liberty. This is my second visit which we went the day after Christmas. What I learned from my first visit is to get to the entrance as soon as they open unless you enjoy standing in long lines. We stayed at a hotel a few blocks down from battery park located in NYC and I found this to be very helpful, as you don’t have to deal with traffic due to it being easily walkable from our hotel. It was a cold day so dress in layers, as you will be on the bay which can become quite windy. Be prepared to go through a security entrance which yes, may mean you will have to take off your shoes. There are bathrooms onboard the ferry and a snack island where you can buy things like hot pretzels. The top level of the ferry is open and cold in the wind. Or you can stay on the main level and it is not as cold but you are exposed to the elements still. The ferries circle every 25 minutes. You can choose to go to Ellis Island (or not). We found it an enjoyable experience and do recommend.

The official cruise to the Statue of Liberty. Easy to get tickets online but the queues to board the ferries are a nightmare with bad queue management. And some tourists from select countries like to cut queues too. Packed like sardines on board

This is the best way to get to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. The tickets are cheap because it’s a national park/monument. We chose the 10:00am time for a Wednesday in December. We lucked out with weather and it was sunny and a little chilly. The security guards were not very friendly and offered no direction of the ferry and there was no ferry employee to direct or help us with a time line. There was a small crowd waiting for the same ferry as us. We received a text saying the next ferry was going to be 1.5 hours but then the ferry showed up in 20 minutes so that was confusing. There was not an attendant close to us while we were waiting outside for the ferry to be able to ask any questions. Ellis Island’s audio tour was very fascinating and the Statue of Liberty was breathtaking. We went in the pedestal that had an elevator or you could take the steps. If you want to go to the crown- these tickets sell out months in advance so book them ASAP. The food on the ferry wasn’t great but that’s expected. The views on the ferry were beautiful on a sunny morning even in December. I wish the high schoolers weren’t feeding the seagulls because they were circling the boat on the way back. The general admission gives you access to Ellis Island and the grounds of the Statue of Liberty, museum, cafe, and gift shop. I recommend atleast doing the pedestal just to go in it. Currently, they’re redoing the flooring at the base so she has some scaffolding around her at the bottom. They have small lockers to put larger bags but I took a cross body and my husband took a small backpack and his professional camera and they let us take all of that into the pedestal. They have the boats well marked so you make sure you go back to the right side of the Hudson because this tour leaves from New Jersey and New York. They also have signs with what time the next ferry leaves from where. You can take your time at each place as there is not a specific time you have to leave after you arrive at Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. Parking was $7 per car. Was a pleasant and must do experience.