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

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.

All 6 of us took the Statue City Cruise from Battery Park, going to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. We met our guide, Chris Lee, at the Park, & he guided us throughout the day. We had time to visit the Clinton Museum before leaving, & ample time on our own at both stops. But most importantly, Chris was a fountain of background info, told us what not to miss, made sure no one got lost or left, & graciously took family photos @ all the “Kodak” moments & opportunities. Highly recommended, ask for Chris!

I made reservation to visit the Statue of Liberty crown in September for November 24 - it was the earliest available at the time. The CC payment was accepted, my CC was charged but I never received the confirmation email from City Experiences. In the age of e-commerce, I don't have a habit of checking for confirmation emails every time I make a purchase online. This is probably the first time a vendor charged my CC but failed to send a confirmation of the purchase with details of the reservation via email. I was not ready for such a glitch. Only in November I realized the confirmation email was never sent to me, and asked for it. They emailed me confirmation for a different day. The money is lost. My little daughter will be so disappointed tomorrow when I tell her we cannot go to the Statue of Liberty because of the reservation date / confirmation email mishap. When making purchases from this vendor - be sure to check for confirmation email.

The icon of NYC. This is the must visit place. You can’t really say that you were in NYC without seeing this one. Cruise is highly recommended. Beware those scams that wondering around batter park trying to sell you boat tours. Do not buy from them, instead walking to the authorized ticket center or buying from authorized online site operated by Statue Citycruises. Pedestral reserve is better than general admission (Crown reserve usually sold out months in advance). They have the same price. Spending at least 2-3 hours especially on a sunny day.

I wrote a scathing review of this company in July 2023 but a year and a half later I was in NY and figured I'd try again to go to Ellis Island. The lines to get onto a boat were no better organized, but because it was off-season, it wasn't as bad. But this time I need to comment on the security screening. Security screenings are never fun, but they can be necessary, so you put up with them and try to maintain a good attitude. TSA teams in various airports around the country vary wildly--some making the experience okay and some making you wish you were anywhere else. So I know that you can handle thousands of people and still be reasonably human...or decide not to bother. The employees that did the security screening for this boat were horrid and it was a terrible experience. They barked at the visitors as if we were animals, or maybe not even animals you cared about. BAGS OFF! NO SCARF! No humanity, no kindness, just felt like you were a pig being pushed to be slaughtered. I'm sure these people are being paid little and have to handle huge pressure because of the crowds, and I can understand how that could lead to this kind of attitude. However, someone should be setting the tone, managing their behavior, encouraging them to do better than herd visitors from all over the country and the world in this inhumane way. The Park Service needs to pay more attention to the companies who have contracts with them.