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 Tour Description
The Statue of Liberty is more than a monument - she is a beloved friend, and a living symbol of freedom to the world. Ellis Island is the historic gateway to America, where millions of immigrants passed through between 1892 and 1955. No trip to New York City is complete without visiting the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
The absolute easiest way for you to visit Lady Liberty, the most popular tourist attraction in New York, is on this escorted and guided tour departing from a convenient midtown Manhattan location. Our NYC licensed tour guide will take you to Battery Park on the subway where you have special reserved priority access to enter the Liberty Island Ferry security and a special reserved Monument Access Pass granting guaranteed entry inside the Statue of Liberty. The guide will negotiate you through the masses, turmoil and confusion!
You'll learn about the Statue of Liberty's symbolism, history, construction and restoration as you gaze up at her serene face, soaring torch and 7-pointed halo honoring the seven seas and seven continents. You'll receive a special Monument Access Pass guaranteeing you entry into the Statue of Liberty -- the only way that you can actually get inside the Statue - and you'll be able to hear all about this special monument with a personal Audio Tour narrated by Tom Brokaw, available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish!
You will be able to view inside the Statue through a glass ceiling, and walk out onto the Statue’s observation deck to see the panoramic views of the New York City skyline and harbor.
| Important note regarding access to the observation deck: Elevators are currently out of order and the Park Rangers have said they would be out indefinitely as there was no money in the park's budget to repair them. For those unable to walk or who's mobility is impaired please inform NYCVP prior to your tour. |
Then you'll have to option to visit Ellis Island on your own. With your personal Audio Tour you'll learn about the immigrants' trials and triumphs. You'll walk, as so many new Americans did, through the entry process. See artifacts and photographs of this famous destination, this doorway of hope, Ellis Island. Trace your own ancestors' first steps at the American Museum of Family Immigration database. You can even get a picture of the very ship on which your ancestors arrived, along with a copy of the manifest. Ellis Island is a genuine American adventure rich with family treasures.
You may tour Ellis Island, where you can enjoy its splendors at your own pace or return to Battery Park. Our guide will assist you in returning to midtown, or will suggest other places of interest in Lower Manhattan.
Price includes subway fare, ferry tickets, Monument Access Pass, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Audio Tours and the services of a licensed New York City tour guide from midtown Manhattan to Liberty Island.
Please note: Midtown Manhattan is the only meeting location; therefore the tour is recommended for those who are staying in Midtown or Uptown Manhattan accommodations, or can comfortably get to Midtown Manhattan. It is not recommended for guests of Downtown (Lower Manhattan), New Jersey or Brooklyn hotels.
 Tour Schedule
2010 Tour Schedule
January through February: every Friday and Saturday at 8:30am
Additional 2010 Tours: President's Day - Monday, February 15
March: every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 8am
April through September 13: every day at 8am
September 14 through December: every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 8am
Added Tour on Wednesday, November 24
Tours last approximately 5.5 hours and depart from 51st and Broadway in front of Cosi's Restaurant. All tours end at Ellis Island. Tours operate rain or shine.
NOTE about the Crown: This tour does not include tickets to climb the 354 steps to the Statue's crown.
Documents
Your confirming tour voucher will be emailed to you once your credit card is processed. Please make sure you add nyctrip.com and NYCVPTours@nyctrip.com into your list of mailers from whom you can receive email.
Tour Itinerary
A licensed New York City tour guide will meet you at a convenient midtown Manhattan location (51st and Broadway in front of Cosi's Restaurant) and escort you to lower Manhattan on the subway. The tour guide will direct you onto the Statue of Liberty Ferry and teach you about:
- The New York City subway
- Battery Park
- Castle Clinton
- Liberty Island Ferry
- New York Harbor
- Liberty Island
- Statue of Liberty
- Ellis Island
- And so much more!
At a pre-reserved time, you will enter the Statue of Liberty. Inside the famed pedestal you will experience the fascinating Statue of Liberty Museum. You will then go out onto the Observation Platform for breathtaking views of the New York harbor and skyline.
Your guide will aid you in getting to Ellis Island, home of the Immigration Museum, and will assist you in returning to midtown, or will suggest other places of interest in Lower Manhattan.
Location and Directions
The tour departs from Paramount Plaza, 51st and Broadway in front of Cosi's Restaurant
Subway:
- 1 to 50th Street and Broadway
- B, D, E to 7th Avenue and 53rd Street
- N, R, W to 49th Street and 7th Avenue
Security:
- Visitors to the Park are required to undergo airport style security screening. Visitors to the Monument undergo additional security screening.
- All persons and property are subject to search.
- Large bags are not allowed on Liberty or Ellis Islands.
- There are no locker facilities at the New York and New Jersey embarkation points.
- There are locker facilities on Liberty Island for Monument visitors.
- Backpacks, strollers and large umbrellas are not permitted in the Monument.
- Food (even unopened) and drinks (including water) are not allowed inside the Statue of Liberty.
- All weapons are prohibited, including: Firearms, explosives or flammables, knives or sharp objects (including tools), pepper spray and mace.
Security is managed by the United States Park Police.
Please note: Midtown Manhattan is the only meeting location; therefore the tour is recommended for those who are staying in Midtown or Uptown Manahattan accommodations, or can comfortably get to Midtown Manhattan. It is not recommended for guests of Downtown (Lower Manhattan), New Jersey or Brooklyn hotels.
Here's What Some of Our Past Tour Participants Have to Say ...
"NYCVP, Recently I took my son for his first visit to NYC and a visit to the Statue of Liberty was a part of our agenda. My wife could not make the trip this time, so I was very happy to send her a text message stating that Darryl was our guide again. Her response: 'Wow! The same guy?! Great! He was a lot of fun!'
Having Darryl as our guide was an unexpected bonus. We are from FL and thoroughly enjoy his dry, New York wit. Also, my wife and I are working professionals and we recognize and appreciate service which excels. Darryl epitomizes this and we do not take this for granted. Specifically (and this applies to both of the tours we've experienced), he:
- was punctual
- gave clear instructions
- repeated the instructions a couple of times for people who were inattentive or just confused
- ensured that all of his group made it to the subway, onto the train, off of the train and through the line
- gave us some interesting background info during the train ride
Then there came what my wife and I call "the handoff". That's the line where one person's responsibility ends and another's begins. Darryl clearly let his group know when they were about to be on their own and what their various options were.
One last thing. During our first tour there was an event which caught our attention. The line was fairly long that day and a small group of people had apparently weaseled their way to the front of the line rather than joining at the rear. We did not see this but we did see Darryl locate one of the authorities (NYPD perhaps ... don't remember ...), bring them to the weasel group and directly point out "THAT one, that one, that one and that one". These people were sent to the back to, presumably, try again. I told my wife "Well, how's THAT for in-your-face?!". She replied, "He's a New Yorker; they're very direct."
Tell Darryl we both say "Hello". He'll remember us, we were both wearing "I <heart> New York shirts" !
KH & RH, Palm Bay, FL
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank your company for a fabulous NYC trip I recently had. I especially want to touch on our personal guide, Chris Lucas. I have been on a couple of tours and Chris was by far the best tour guide I have ever had. His knowledge of the city and his ability to express this knowledge was phenomenal. He gave us the history of the city and I found myself hanging on to his every word. He was funny and willing to answer questions. When we did our walking tour he explained the subway process to us and made sure we were on the same page as far was what we expected to happen and then what actually did happen. I never felt afraid and felt that I left with a love for the city. I have to admit, it was because of him. I didn't get that overwhelming feeling of confusion one might get. I had the impression that our vacation experience was his top priority. Because of this, I felt at home in NYC and I just cannot wait to come back."
DS
Thank you and please thank Chris for me for a job well done."
DS
"Hello, I was on one of your Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Tours on Tuesday 8/4/09 stating at 08:00 from Cosi's Restaurant. Georginne was our tour guide. I just want to comment that Georginne was super, very knowledgeable and very helpful, all with a great personality and much thoughtfulness for all on the tour.
I had a time issue due to some scheduling difficulties. Georginne put my mind at ease immediately, and insured me that everything would be ok. She gave me several suggestions on how to save time getting on the boat back from the island, where to catch the #1 Subway, etc. Please let her know that we needed to be back at the Sheraton New York at 52nd and 7th by 1:15 and we arrived there at 1:12 with 3 minutes to spare. We were able to catch our shuttle to JFK just at it pulled up to the hotel. I, my wife and our two granddaughters are very grateful for all her help.
In addition, Georginne is a very knowledgeable guide, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with her. She is an asset to your organization. Thank you, and we will definitely use your services again and recommend your organization to others who may be traveling to NYC, thanks to Georginne." TW, Rochester, NY
"Hello NYCTrip. Just wanted to provide some helpful feedback regarding your travel guide for the Statue of Liberty. Darrel was our rep and he was funny, on time and very conscientious about our safety. Thanks for a great experience. Sincerely," PB
"we were just on a tour with Chris Lucas. it was great, very understandable, and his knowledge of the city and its history was great. thanks," HB
"Hi Beth, Thought I would just let you know that we just returned home and we had a great time. Our host and hostess, Georgina and Chris, were very helpful in making the day a memorable one.
If I can do it, I'll be booking something for next year for sure. Best," Phil & Gale
"I just wanted to send an email to compliment our tour guide, Chris Lucas, who was our tour guide on 7/2. He was wonderful. Chris was informative, funny and very professional. Being a business man myself, I do not take great employees for granted. Hold on to Chris." RK, Toledo, Ohio
"Hi, Just wanted you to know what a fantastic job Chris did on the tour me and my friends took while recently in NYC. He was extremely engaging and had great information and made it a lot of fun for all. Sincerely," JW, Portland, OR
"Hello, we just returned from visiting NYC and the highlight of our 3 day visit was a walking tour of the WTC and Statue of Liberty on Sunday the 28th of June. Our Tour Guide was Georguine Millen and she was EXCELLENT. She made all of us feel relaxed and safe during our tour. Georguine was very knowledgeable of the areas we toured and extremely helpful answering questions about NYC and things outside of the normal tour like directions to an area and things to do there. I never felt rushed or pressed for time and I would recommend her to anyone taking this tour in the future. Thanks Georguine for a FANTASTIC time." The Pellegrini Family
"What a great time we just had in New York! Our Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island tour guide was fantastic!!!!! Her name was Georgene (spelling?). She is full of sooooo much information and facts and tidbits. The extra down Wall street was great and something we had not planned. Her advice on where good local restaraunts was exactly correct and all the little inside tips she gave worked out so well for us!!!! I will request her for the next time! The NYCVP vacation pkg worked great for us!" BM
"We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour with Georgine on Saturday. She was fabulous!!!" MHL
"I wanted very much to let you know what a fine tour guide you provided us on our recent trip. Her name is Georgienne Miller and she accompanied a group including myself, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour. She gave us so much useful and interesting information and was a delight to be with. She gave us directions and maps and told us the best means of transportation to just about every landmark we could think of. I noticed that she tried to accomodate every person in the group. Please know that we appreciated her helpfulness and hope you will tell her so. Sincerely," PH
"Just wanted to write and say how much we enjoyed our tour. First timers in New York. Our guide was Daryl and he did an awesome job, both getting us all where we needed to go, making sure we knew how to get back, and explaining things along the way. I will definitely recommend your company to our friends." KD, Etiwanda CA
"Hello, I took a tour of Liberty & Ellis Island on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 and Chris Lucas was my groups tour guide. Throughout the entire tour I kept thinking that Chris had done these tours for years since he was soooooo knowledgeable, interesting and entertaining. To my surprise when we asked how long he had been doing these tours he said it was his first day! He was non-less short of spectacular. I have gone on many tours, but he was undoubtedly the best tour guide I have had the pleasure to be in company with. Please give him my many thanks for a great time!"
LW
"I set this Tour up to go with Chris' group. Boy, did he ever do a topnotch job. And, he was great on the subway and With return directions on the train. Kudos to Chris Lucas and your company for hiring the best. Please compliment him for all four of us. My thanks." CH
"Hi Beth,
Just wanted thank you for setting up a great trip. The tickets for the three musicals were excellent. The tour guides for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island (Georgina) and Lower Manhatten (Tony) tours were excellent. Wouldn't change a thing." DA & EA
"...I just wanted to let you know what an absolutely hysterical guide we had. I am sure many of the people didn't get his sarcasm but we all thought he was great!!! ... he was wonderful and very informative. Thanks again and I would certainly recommend this tour to any one else that I know going to NYC." EM
"My family took the above tour on the above date with your guide Daryl [hope the spelling is correct !] and we didn't really have [or take] the opportunity to thank him for his assistance in negotiating the subway in New York and the massive queues at Battery Park. We really enjoyed the trip and would like to pass on our thanks [regrettably not financial] to the guide whose humour had us amused throughout. His laid back approach and friendliness was very much appreciated. Thanks again to Daryl." DB
"Just a quick note to say thanks for a truly memorable tour - the tour guide certainly made the history come alive, as well as giving me a grilling re my immigration application!!! We all got so much more out of Liberty & Ellis Island thanks to his knowledge and skill..."
"We have just returned from our trip and had a wonderful time on our tour. Our tour guide was very nice and did a great job. He was also very helpful with other information about places to go eat dinner and other sites to see. Thanks again and please pass this on to the tour guide."
"We would like to let you know how much we enjoyed the tour we took last weekend ... Our tour guide's name is Darryl and he did a fantastic job!! .... We got to see a lot of things we wouldn't have been able to see on our own and he was very knowledgeable and friendly. We really appreciate the time he took with us that day ... We would definitely re-book with your organization."
Read all NYCVP Testimonials
Enjoy a Statue of Liberty Vacation or a Spirit of America Vacation with NYCVP!
Purchase Statue of Liberty Ferry tickets (no tour or Monument Access Pass included)
NOTE: Please be advised, the NYC subway system is not wheelchair accessible for this tour. The tour operates rain or shine. The order and exact itinerary is dependant upon weather conditions, subway schedule and other factors and may change. No refunds are issued for any reason. Return to midtown is on your own. Tour guide gratuity is not included. New York City Vacation Packages is not responsible for delays, non-operation of tour or accessibility to sites mentioned in the itinerary. Itinerary may be altered if required due to weather, traffic, subway schedule changes, and/or any other condition beyond the control of NYCVP, the tour guides and/or vendors. Tours may be cancelled in advance due to insufficient participation. NYCVP is not responsible for anyone unable to keep up with a normal and reasonable walking tour pace, or anyone getting lost. Liability is expressly limited to the amount paid by patrons for the Tour.
*The Monument Access Pass is administered and operated by the National Park Service (NPS). NYCVP is not a part of, partner with, endorsed by, or connected in any way with the National Park Service. NYCVP expressly disavows any responsibility for delays, operational problems, non-admittance, change in itinerary, crowd control, or any events beyond its control. All tour participants will be required to pass through at least 2 security checks during the day. No knives, sharp objects or weapons of any sort will be allowed. NYCVP has, through the services of the NPS, pre-reserved Tours for tour participants via procedures established and maintained by the NPS.
Ticket Delivery Information
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