Deplorable! I really do not recommend! The wait before entering the boat was mind-blowing: parked in a shed without air conditioning, with a strong heat, without information as to the length of the wait, we had the More
Wish to share important few details for fellow travellers! While you can book online - you pay premium for doing the reservations ! Yes there is queuing but it is not crazy! The cruises are every 15 minutes to the island - the online booking gives options just every hour. The cruises is awe fully crowded - very slow boarding and disembarking even though the trip to Liberty island is hardly 10 mins- so allow yourself 1+ hour for just a basic visit to liberty island plus more if Ellis island too ! Reasonably long queue but fast moving for security check !
Reasonably priced "cruise" to liberty island and Ellis Island. Boats are nice and clean with reasonably priced concessions. Boats are named for the places they serve. "Miss New York" sails from Battery Park and I will let you guess where "Miss New Jersey" serves. Be careful leaving liberty island, it is possible to get on the wrong boat...it's a long train ride back!
Factory. Boat after boat we are crammed together. More than 2 hours of queuing in the morning is better to go there after noon.
When buying your tickets through "Statue Cruises," I recommend pre-ordering your tickets online. If you do this, you can skip the ticket line at Battery Park (and at the location in New Jersey, I'm assuming) and pick them up quickly at the Will Call window if you so choose. Also, by ordering tickets online ahead of time, there is more of a guarantee of being able to buy tickets going up to the Statue of Liberty's pedestal or crown because those sell out incredibly fast. I ordered our pedestal tickets 3 days before arriving and I'm glad we did because they were sold out at the ticket line by the time we arrived. Tickets for the crown had already been sold out until November as well.
Tickets bought for the Statue of Liberty include admission to Ellis Island, the Ellis Island Museum and the ferry ride to/from Ellis Island as well! However, be prepared to wait a while in the sun at Ellis Island for the ferry to return to Battery Park.
Cool tour, very good organization, it took about 10 min to queue, get through security and board the boat (10 Am tour).
A monopolist if you want to visit Liberty or Ellis Island. Both are started. Started from Manhattan or New Jersey Side, so right for the return trip. You can choose between 3 packages: 1. Only island and walk underneath the statue, 2. Musseen, 3. climb up in the lady. Costs but right AND in August at least 6 months before sign up.
The cruise was superb
I saw all the beautiful sight across the Hudson
The bar the open top deck was wow
We loved it
4 stars when the views and tour deserve 5. The reason why, the people running the security are basically rude. The people near me in line not with me though were not listening, so I guess that is why they are rude. It is nothing short of a cluster f***. They really should hire a new security contract. The older lady working for NPS on the dock was also rude and inconsiderate. She waitied till the last possible minute to tell everyone to push forward and fill the gaps. Which had people getting offensive due to line cutting. She should of just told everyone over and over again to fill in the gaps and move forward. The ellis island has tremendous history and you could spend a good 1/2 to 3/4 day to read and see everything there. Would def use this business whem visiting again to see the Ststue and Ellis Island.
We purchased 7 tickets for a tour after receiving a schedule for a tournament. After making the purchase for the tour the tournament schedule was altered (due to a team withdrawing). Despite our attempts to contact the company via phone and online from the website we booked thru immediately upon notification of our schedule change, no return contact was made until AFTER our scheduled tour time and we were told that we are out the almost $200 we spent on tickets.
Bad information about departure time and place of departure. All seemed very overwhelmed and haphazard.
On the go if you want a breathtaking view of the Statue of Liberty you should choose the right side of the boat!
Do not forget to take the audio guides either on Liberty Island or Ellis Island, they are included in the price of the boat and provide very interesting information!
Need more boats. Nearly suffocated on the last boat back to Jersey. But you get to see history and it's relatively cheap.
The boat rides to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was calm.
The crossings are without problem, do not hesitate to eat on board
Cruises can be very crowded, so do come early. Get a seat on the ferry too, so queue up early. Price is reasonable and worth it. The staff are also very friendly and helpful.
Really quick service, we used our New York Pass and got our tickets went through to security check which was pretty fast then onto the ferry.
The ferry was nice and clean with a coffee and cake shop on board, the journey to Liberty island seemed pretty fast with a great view of Manhattan island.
Terribly long lines if you don t have a reservation. You are also screened as if you were at the airport. The boat is small and gets crowded quickly. On the plus side, there are frequent departure times. There is also a snack bar if you get hungry.
Our experience was good as we had done the 9 AM ferry. The time specified is for your entry to the security line. You might need to wait for the cruise which is in every 25-30 minutes.
The bout was a little loud but what can you expect,there was a stand that was conveniently placed. Also there where two floors.
Great experience and relatively painless getting around on the cruises. The security line takes forever to get through but this is the only down side. BE CAREFUL of the scammers in red and navy jackets on your way into Battery Park, they will try to sell you fake tickets. Don't be fooled either, their jackets say 'authorized' on them and they even have 'official' tags around their necks. My brother and I got out of our Uber and they were there waiting for us. Make your way right into the park and get your tickets from Castle Clinton, you'll see everyone there.
All tickets include both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Buy tickets here and then go through airport like security check. NEVER buy ticket from the people outside of Statue Cruise.
Superb visit to do once in a lifetime! I've been to Manhattan three times as a tourist and I've never been on the cruise. To book online, even if it is no longer the pandemic! You will save yourself a lot of trouble waiting at the docks! I never thought I would experience a deportation in these places. In any case, avoid the ticket sellers that abound in the city. And above all, choose the cruise that allows you to disembark on the island of the statue.
Great one of the best experiences, I really recommend it 100% and it costs only 18 dollars
Generally, the estimated time in line is never the one mentioned at the box office, it is always longer for more than forty minutes. It is advisable not to be so loaded so as not to take so long in the security review.
Excellent. You always have to book the tickets, but it is to go to lose hours of queues and with the possibility that there are no more tickets
We Had A Great Time ! Beautiful Scenery! Smooth Ride ! Great pictures of the Statue of Liberty music food
For a shuttle boat company, they do a fine job. I wish they offered a Statue of Liberty route that didn't include Ellis Island. Waiting for the boat to unload/load at Ellis Island cost us about 35-45 minutes.
In January 2020 I booked 2 skip-the-line tickets for the crossing and the visit of the Statue of Liberty on Statue Cruises for the month of May. Unfortunately the Covid 19 pandemic and the border closures prevented our stay in New York City. We made a refund request from Statue Cruises which never arrived. It's been 7 months. Beware of Statue Cruises during a pandemic, you are likely, like us, never to be reimbursed
Not sure where the negative reviews are coming from. We pre-booked pedastal tickets for Friday morning and it could not have gone smoother. We arrive at Battery at 9:30am (for 10am tickets) and there were hardly any crowds so we were chillin on the boat by the time it left just after 10. The crew / staff were very nice and it was clear which boats were going where and when (they departed on time from each dock). Highly recommend getting tickets in advance (why wouldn't you?) and give yourself time if needed, but otherwise very pleasant experience
BEWARE!!! READ BEFORE YOU GO!!!
As soon as you approach Battery Park there are workers -(scammers) all around the entrance. DO NOT stop until you get to the Castle Clinton building which is where they sell/redeem your tickets! The workers in the royal blue jackets and the man in the orange vest are NOT affiliated with Statue Cruises. They will ask to see your tickets then proceed to tell you that there is a long wait time but that they can upgrade your ticket for $35 and will send you over to a boat around the corner that will take you on the cruise for no wait. They will not tell you that they are actually sending you on a shuttle over to New Jersey to get on a fishing boat (which is not the picture they will show you) and if the boat is full you will be stuck in the middle of nowhere for 1hr waiting on it to get back.
3 hours, $350 and an Uber ride back from Jersey our group was able to get on the real Statue of Liberty Cruise which was great!
Over crowded and a bit less organized than what you expect.
Inexpensive and efficient way to get to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We booked our tickets in advance and there was no line for that, interesting. So me and my friend waited for like two hours before we went thru security. The security officer was very rude to me because I was wearing a Red Sox shirt. (I know it s New York City, but it s not far from Boston.) The ferries were overcrowded and the seating was hard metal benches, not nice for your ass and back. The Ferry felt like a prison ship and the food was sold at very inflated prices. For example, a bag of chips costed $4.45!
On time service, great views of the skyline, not too crowded during covid
Decent. Lines are awful at times, but I don t know how they could fix it.
I'm sure the actual cruise will be wonderful, but learn from my mistake! The email confirmation and website will tell you that you must print out your e-ticket or go to will call to print it out. This is false! FAKE NEWS. You only need your smart phone for them to scan the e-ticket. We stood in wall call for thirty minutes only to find out we were already good to go!
Disorganised and chaotic, they need to sort themselves out... ridiculous
Long line to get on the boat, we waited almost an hour. Well worth it though. The statue is always fun, but we were there for Ellis Island. So much history! I highly recommend getting the audio tour. It's included with your ticket, and gives you an in depth tour of the facility.
A holiday visit buy tickets online. Good service order and security when you visit New York do not forget to go to the crusero to see the statue of liberty very good weather
No reply to my many mails for a refund because COVID-19. This is very poor! You should be ashamed, ripping people off!
Line management is extremely bad and unfair to people waiting. They opened the fast track to people waiting in the regular line behind us. We waited for far longer than all the people behind us that were given the chance to fast track (at least 500 people). We ended up waiting for more than an hour.
If the managment read this review do something about staff managing the queues.
Very very bad service!!!
Nice experience, though not a cruise, it is a ferry only.
Beware of the scam ticket agents. They will push you hard & the police just sits inside their cars & vans parked there, allowing the scamsters to prove that the police are aware of them & approves the same. Police should take immediate action on these ticketing agents as it is clearly written on the board that these guys aren't authorized. They were trying to block me from entering the park saying that we need to be authorized to enter & it is not a free entry, which is false & they're able to do it only because of the inaction of the policemen sitting inside the van.
Go ahead straight to the 'brick building' as they say & do not fall prey to these scammers.
Tickets & audio tour costs USD 18.50 & takes you to both Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty.
Expect a nice view & a smooth ride. Ferries run every 20mins from each point.
Last ferry from Battery Park is at 3.30pm. Last Return ferry from Statue is at 5.15pm.
Online reservation is costlier by $4 but it does not buy you any advantage. All the lines merge well before security check. And the wait to buy tickets is not bad either. So save the money and get the tickets at their booth.
Tried to purchase tickets online.....got a message that my card has been declined,however my card got charged twice and I did not receive any tickets. Very disappointing and inconvenient. I would not even rate one start!
This is more like a prison then a tourist attraction. I booked my tickets online several weeks out, upon arrival at the entry to the ferry in NYC I was rushed into a line that looked like a TSA check point. I was not alarmed and actually relived at the level of security. My son and I were informed to remove our shoes, take off belts and any metal to be scanned and then ask to walk through a metal detector. This detector alarmed for me and my son and the guard very rudely demanded we keep our hands out of our pockets and walk to the side to me searched I was annoyed at this point however unconcerned. I was walking the less then 10 ft to the side when She again yelled I said get over there now and keep your hands where I can see them I spoke back at her saying It is unacceptable to speak to paying customers that way and I would like you to apologize She responded What did you say to me? Are you trying to get smart with me? Wait here! She returned with a port authority police officer who was amazingly nice, however informed me she requested I was Ban and removed for speaking to here the way I did When I informed him of what had occurred and the way I was treated he used a wand to figure out that the metal detector was going off for no reason and allowed me to enter almost 30 min later. I was so upset and shaken by this time and my son crying we had to leave. I ask for a refund due to the way I was treated and was informed that was not be issued . Stay away and use circle line cruises to get an up close look without this.
Exceptional, great displays, interactive learning for all ages. Lots of investment into renovation and its paid off!!
Learnt a lot and great day out!!!
Thanks
The Customer Service was not helpful at ALL. We didn't get to experience the Statue Liberty at all due to being detered by people that act like authorized Statue Cruises officials. They asked to see our tickets and informed us that our wait was going to be 4 hours long and to shorten that wait it would be an extra $35.00 per person and it was 4 of us. But before we even Traveled to New York, I called Statue Cruises to see what the best plan of action would be, whether to use our attraction pass or purchase advance tickets. I was told to purchase advance tickets to ensure our time. If we were to use our pass, we would have a long wait, therefore purchasing tickets in advance would be the best.
Please be aware especially as we were first timers to New York. And Customer service does not care at all!!
And as a travel agent, I pride myself on being organized, so therefore being told that even after buying advance tickets that you still have to endure that type of wait and then be hassled by false officials, outside of your facility and we couldn't receive a refund, and we were still in the 24 hour period. Disappointed!!
Unfortunately as a result of COVID19 I had to cancel my tour with Statue Cruises. It has now been 4 months since my original cancellation request, 3 emails and an attempt to call with not a single response or cent returned to date.
I am in Australia and it's impossible to keep trying to call as they are only open from 11am - 5pm which is 1am - 6am Australian time.
Very disappointed in the lack of communication and I am now inclined to NOT book with them when my family and I do rebook to come to the United States if this is how they treat their customers.
Only one complaint. My visit was a trip with my students and my wireless PowerPoint slide advancer was confiscated by security. They stated that it had to be destroyed because it had a laser pointer built in. I asked if I could just pick it up on my return but security was insistent that it had to be destroyed due to security concerns.
I was trying to book online but sight was having issues so I enteted the chat. A nice man called me we booked 7 tickets I was told this price included access to the pedestal.. of course it was crowded ...the line were not organized so people were herded on and off the boat ...the staff was nice the island was beautiful we visited both islands...my only negative i was told after i waited in line to go to the pedestal i was told my ticket did not include going up there ..7 tickets and after being told no i dont have to pay more multiple times then getting there and getting a different answer was major disappointment i called the company several times and i kept getting disconnected. So make sure to check the to of your tickets when you recieve it to see if it includes what you paid for .
Cheapest way to get to Ellis and Statue of Liberty. Long lines for ferry, but with them leaving (at least) every 20 minutes it wasn't too bad. Would pay the $18 bucks to go back the next time I visit NYC.
In need of an adventure? Then come enjoy The statue of liberty cruise. So much to see!
I enjoyed the experience lol nice place and friendly staff
Absolutely miserable experience. No schedule to speak of. They literally won't close the doors and leave dock until they are over capacity. There is supposed to be a ferry every 20 minutes, but we waited what felt like an eternity before they decided to pack up and head out.
The boat is overcrowded and you have hardly any chance to stay where you are. Air conditioning is also missing - not for heat-sensitive people in the summer, because you have to queue in some places without shade ...
I've been waiting for a refund for 2 months now. I completed the refund form twice and they've disappeared off the face of the Earth. Absolutely disgusting service.
Very poor re-scheduling policy. Wouldn t recommend
I made 3 attempts to get a statue. Unfortunately, I bought tickets at the ticket office and not online, which resulted in standing in the queue on the right. Sunday - after 45 hours, we gave up, Presidential day - queue for a kilometer, only on Thursday it was possible to get to the ship in less than 30 minutes.
They generally treat you here rather harshly. The only person among the employees who helped us was DANNY. Danny, thanks a lot. Your the best !!!
Fun boat ride. I went to the deck and got some amazing views of Manhattan's skyline. The boat was pretty packed the day I went. I also had a reserved ticket so I didn't wait for a long time. The security check before you enter the boat is really quick. I wish they had a line in the waiting dock for the boat. Some passengers push and pass in front to get on the boat before you, even though you've been the one waiting for 10 minutes. Since there is no line and passengers just stand, it creates chaos when entering and leaving the boat. In all, I have no hard complaints, the staff were great, they told you where to go as soon as you get to the station. Very quick service . The ride itself is about 15 minutes to each island.
Needs better signage and friendlier crew. Other than that, trip and islands worth the price.
This was the worst tourist/national monument experience I have ever had. My husband and and I spent six hours from arrival at Castle Clinton to departure back to Battery Park from Elis Island. Despite those six hours of our lives, we barely had time to experience anything the two islands had to offer - aside from the overpriced food. We spent about ten minutes walking around to get a photo of the statue on Liberty Island, and we watched a documentary video about the immigrants arrival at Elis Island that was about 20 minutes long. So what did we do with the other 5.5 hours, you ask? Our day was spent standing in lines, and recovering from standing in lines. If you visit these islands, you will stand in a total of 3 ferry lines. None of these lines are orderly or well-managed. The line on Elis Island resembled a sheep pen. The day was 93 degrees, and we would run out of drinking water long before we were able to get on a boat. If you are even slightly claustrophobic, this is not for you. In the mass, disorganized line, people pressed in from all sides despite my obviously pregnant bump. There is also no shade or water fountain on the lines, even though you will likely be standing in them for an hour. Upon getting off of each boat, we had to find air conditioning, water, and food to avoid heat stroke/fainting. On Liberty Island, the only air conditioning worth anything was in the bathrooms. In summary, if you want to pay $20 for a day spent standing in lines meant to kill you, this is the trip for you.
One boat! Suddenly the queue is huge, we gave up our visit.
Long line and security checkpoint to even get on the cruise. Be sure to purchase tickets 2 weeks advance to get on the pedestal!
Fun to do at least once. Check in advance if you can go up to the statue. Once you go to the island, it is hard to see the statue since it's too close so you may take photos before getting too close
Very good and quick service. Crew always happy to assist.
The ferries are already a bit old.
Staff on the ferries very friendly.
Amazing places to stroll around though the weather was uncooperative during our visit.
Total waste of time. You have to wait for an hour in the burning sun at every stop and the employees are very unfriendly.
In January 2020, I made a reservation for 2 people with statue Cruises for a boat crossing and visit (in May) to the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately we could not make the trip to NYC, due to the Covid19 pandemic. We have been asking Statue Cruises to reimburse us ever since , but still to no avail . It is now seven months since our first request for a reimbursment of the tickets. Think twice before booking with statue Cruises during this time of pandemic , as you may have the same experience with them as we did . You will never be reimbursed!
Wow. In the offseason (march) long line ups including full fledge airport security. The boatride itself was fine, people friendly, especially Ellis Island a must see. I recommend looking into finding a not too busy slot before you go, otherwise could cost you a lot of precious new York time
Good trip, book in advance if you want tickets to Statue of Liberty.
Have not take our tour yet but have been yelled at by 2 employees
I was appalled at the attitude of the staff at Battery Park - they were incredibly rude and unhelpful and kept on shouting at people to move down the queue when there was clearly no space. People in the queue were joking that the immigrants who went to Ellis Island had more room and were treated with more respect. I would never use this service again.
My family and I were in NYC for a few days and were looking forward to seeing all the essential sights, including the Statue of Liberty. We have three kids, the youngest of whom is two months, and up until we arrived to see the statue, everything had been going wonderfully (we have a very laid back and calm baby). Unfortunately, the trip went south quickly due to the unorganized manner in which Statue Cruises managed the lines to get on a ferry. We'd purchased tickets in advance so we thought we'd be able to skip lines but instead we waited in one for at least an hour. Statue Cruises did not provide any shade for the lines so we tried as best we could to keep the older two hydrated and shield the baby. However the baby was getting hotter and sweatier. People around us were trying to help and we flagged down a Statue Cruises employee to see if there was a place in the shade or inside to wait with the baby. Not only did she say no, she said she had no idea how much longer the wait would be. She was uncaring and unhelpful and basically said security ran the show and she knew nothing. Well, we didn't buy the tickets from security. We bought them from her company. And we were never told to prepare for a lengthy wait in the sweltering sun. Once we got up to the actual security check area, a much more caring guard noticed our baby and said that if she'd known she would have brought us into the shade. She also went out of her way to get us paper towels soaked in water for the remainder of the wait to get on the ferry. So basically, Statue Cruises was totally unhelpful since they said security ran the show, and security was incredibly helpful but apparently the two don't speak to each other. In today's day and age, you'd think a company like Statue Cruises, which is the only mainstream way of getting to the statue, would make enough money to purchase a few tents and maybe some misting fans to keep its customers safe in the sun, not shirk all of their responsibility because their customers have to go through security. Maybe it works out in their favor so they can overcharge for water once the sweaty and dizzy customers actually make it onto their ferry, who knows. Ferry security, thank you!!!
The cruise to Liberty Island and Ellis Island was great. The sailing was smooth just that there were too many persons per trip
