Hiya! I have a sudden business trip to New York City this week. I’d like to go on the Statue of Liberty tour. However, I only have this Friday morning (5/29) free. I don’t need to do the pedestal or crown tours, so I just hope to order ferry tickets online for departure from Battery Park.
One of the online ticket sites has departures from 8am that day. Are there return trips back to Battery Park throughout the day? I need to be back at my hotel by Ground Zero by 12pm.
Any recommendations which online service to use? And will I have enough time to visit, walk around, take some pics and return by noon? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Every time a boatload of tourists is deposited on the Island, a boatload of tourists is picked up.
The Island with the Statue of Liberty on it is small.
The boats that I have ridden on, also visited Ellis Island. (One would not need to get off there, but one should be aware that travel time from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty’s Ilsand is not neccessarily the same as travel time for the return trip).
I don’t think there’s much difference in the various services-- but I’ve never been the decision maker, always a passenger. And my trips to the Statue of Liberty have been spread over more than twenty years.
My instincts are that you can make the trip and be back by noon, but it will not be a relaxing journey. Which may be fine with you.
If you go on the first boat over in the morning, you can go to the crown with NO WAITING. You just walk/jog up all those stairs and BANG! you’re in the crown. And you get to hang there a bit instead of the Park Ranger saying “move along, move along”.
When I went to the Statue thirty years ago, I was surprised just how little space there is up in the crown. I think only two people could stand there at a time. And some movies suggested that the windows were big enough that you could stick your head out. But they’re too small for that (and they can’t be opened).
I think the OP’s schedule is tight; the first ferry departs at 8am and he wants to be back at the hotel by noon.
If he gets on the first boat, he can go tot he crown and be back by noon.
Tip:
On the boat, stay near the place you got on to the boat. When the boat is underway move to that spot. It’s where they will put the gangway to let you off on Liberty Island. Then you can be the first off the boat and then go straight to the top. Going to the head is hella cool. And yes, you can get back down and back to Manhattan by 10 AM.
www.statuecruises.com is the only official seller of tickets to the statue. Anyone else selling tickets is a second (third?) party seller. statuecruises has the contract with the park service. There’s airport style security and you can’t just run up to the crown willy-nilly. You have to have a special ticket for the pedestal &/or the crown, which from what I understand, sell out months in advance. I agree with the folks saying you can be back to your hotel at noon if you go on the first boat.
I looked at that site. The first boat departs at 8:30am and if you take the boat that leaves Liberty Park at 11:05, you’d be back at Battery Park at 11:35, which might be enough time to be at the hotel by noon. So you’d have approximately two hours on the island.