I’ll be taking my nieces to New York, we’ll be there Christmas week.
We’ve agreed to make a priority of ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Advice?
This seems to be the official website.
There’s a schedule posted, it seems each day is broken up into 90 minute skating sessions- admission done on a per 90 minute session basis. I certainly expect Christmas week to be crowded and busy, we’ll be ready to stand in line in the cold.
Suppose we want to skate for a 4:30 session? I’d like to do it after sunset (4:35pm that week), but we have evening plans both the nights we’ll be there. Do I need to worry that we’ll wait in line for the 4:30 session only to be told “Sorry, 4:30 is sold out, you’re now in line for the 6:30 session”?
If getting bumped to the next later session is a real concern, then I need advice on how to plan how far in advance to get in line so as not to get bumped to the next session. Or we need to just go to an earlier session in the day when getting bumped will not interfere with our evening plans- much as I’d really prefer a post-sunset skate.
It seems advance reservations are only available when making a more expensive VIP booking. The base price will be stretching my finances enough as it is, so I don’t think the VIP booking is really an option (and I’d hate to pay for it only to find out we didn’t need it).
Who’s got experience with this?
We’re excited. We kind of consider it to be the most Christmassy thing a person could do ever!
i went skating there in december. it was beethoven’s birthday though. yes, the lines can be long. even crazier to rent skates. i brought my own skates when i went, that got me out on the ice before it was too crowded.
it is a small rink, but was very fun, and a great memory.
We went by there in early January last year, and I’ve never seen such a mob scene. The lines were outrageous, and the ice was just slam packed full of people. There was an another rink behind the library in Bryant Park that was much less crowded and in a beautiful New York setting. I understand that it isn’t the same as Rockefeller Center, but it was a pretty scene.
My two young children watched the skaters with me, then I took my 4yo daughter inside the library to see Christopher Robin Milne’s original stuffed animals that inspired his father’s stories about Winnie the Pooh. That’s a day I’ll never forget.
I notice that they also offer “VIP” skating that you can schedule in advance. That is what I would do if I were dead set on skating there (whatever the cost).
For many years I worked in the building just north of the plaza (I could look out a window on my floor & see the Christmas tree). The area is packed with tourists during the Christmas season. For me, waiting on line for that length of time would diminish the experience considerably.
I second the suggestion to check out the Bryant Park venue, or even Wollman Rink in Central Park. Neither has quite the iconic status of Rockefeller Plaza, but both are in beautiful settings that will give you a memorable New York experience.
By the way, Bryant Park (42nd & 6th) is within walking distance of Rockefellar Plaza (50th & 6th).
I’ve skated in Wollman Rink since I was a kid. That’s where the fun is at night.
If you must go to RC, go as early as possible. There won’ be any lines.
We’re getting closer to our trip!
Just bumping this to see if anyone else has any experience. What I’m most concerned about is: how likely is it that we could be in line for one timeslot but not get on the ice until the next timeslot.
I like the idea of doing it after sunset, but if we line up for the 4:30 timeslot is it possible we’ll get to the front of the line and they’ll say “Sorry, this timeslot is full, but you guys are now first in line for the 6:30 timeslot!”
Because, in that case we’d be running up against our evening plans. If that’s a real possibility, then I think we’ll go with LurkerInNJ’s advice and just be there for the very first timeslot of the day.
We had a beautiful experience Saturday morning!
I followed LurkerInNJ’s advice. I saw that they do allow reservations but only for “First Skate” which is at 7:00am every day. It’s not a good deal if you have your own skates because they charge a flat rate which includes skate rental (later in the day, the skate rental is separate from the admission fee). “First Skate” costs one dollar more than admission + skate rental for the rest of the day, but “First Skate” comes with free Hot Chocolate, Coffee, and Muffins!!!
I had two teenagers with me and I only casually mentioned the possibility of 7:00am reservations because I did not expect them to like the idea of getting out of bed so early. To my surprise the one who is worst in the mornings immediately said “Let’s do it!”. So, I made the reservations and the girls were great about getting out of bed.
There was no line. We got our skates right away. We drank some free Hot Chocolate, and we were on the ice! There were plenty enough other people skating for it to feel like a “fun festive crowd”, but it did not approach a feeling of being crowded.
As I gained confidence, I began skating a bit faster and enjoyed long glides. Then I found myself fast approaching two people ahead of me. I felt I was going too fast to go off into the slower skaters to my right (those staying near the wall), but I wasn’t going fast enough to move in with the expert skaters to my left . . . and I didn’t know how to stop!!!
Well, I should have just committed to a controlled fall but I was panicky and trying to figure out how to stop. I ended up avoiding the crash only by falling flat on my back! Intense pain! I had to just lay there for a while before I could allow the attendant to help me up. I sat out for a while assuring my friend and her girls that I was o.k. (I didn’t know if this was true or not), then I heroically skated a few more laps to show everyone that I was o.k. (still didn’t know if this was true). Then I got to sit out the rest of the time and just enjoy watching them skate. It was really beautiful. One of my friend’s girls was actually quite a good skater and I loved watching.
It was truly a highlight of our visit and will be a cherished memory for years to come.
7:00am reserved “First Skate”, people. I can not recommend it highly enough!