July 2, 2009
Statue of Liberty crown tickets sold out until Labor Day
While the Statue of Liberty is on track to reopen her crown to the public on the Fourth of July, tickets to climb up her steps are already all-but sold out through the Labor Day weekend.
Tickets first went on sale June 13 and demand was so high that the website and telephone lines were difficult to access. (The website has been slow again this morning.)
 Only 30 people per hour will be allowed to take the stairs to the crown under escort from a National Park Service ranger.
It’s important to note that currently the plan is to keep the crown open for two years only. After that, it will close again for a project to make the interior safer to visitors and hopefully allow more people to visit each day.
The crown has been closed since Sept. 11, 2001, mainly for fire safety reasons, the National Park Service has long said. The torch has been closed to the public since 1916, when Liberty’s arm was damaged by a massive rail yard explosion in nearby New Jersey. There are no plans to ever reopen the torch to the public.
You can also follow the the Statue of Liberty on Twitter (it’s an official NPS account;) or flickr; or take an eTour.
What you need to know to get tickets to the Statue of Liberty’s crown:
Crown tickets can be reserved up to a year in advance through Statue Cruises, the only company licensed to ferry the public to Liberty and Ellis islands. The $3 crown fee will be on top of the regular ferry ticket, currently priced at $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Eastern time.
When booking, “reserve with crown ticket” is the key phrase you’re looking for. That will get you to the crown, as well as access to the museum and pedestal. (If the crown is sold out for your trip dates, your second choice is for the “monument ticket” which at least gets you into the museum and inside the pedestal around toe level with the statue - so that you can look up at the stairs you won’t be allowed to climb. Monument tickets also sell out quickly, leaving the masses to mill about Liberty Island looking at the statue from ground level.)
When making the reservation, you will have to give the names of each person who will be using the ticket. Adults will have to provide matching identification the day of the trip. (Take that, scalpers!)
You may order up to four tickets per order. Children must be at least 4 feet tall to make the climb.
Just like before Sept. 11, 2001, the statue will close if it gets too hot. In the past, 90-degrees outside was the trigger point as the interior turns into an oven.
Statue Cruises’ online FAQ notes it’s a “strenuous journey that encompasses 354 steps.”
When crown tickets are sold out for a certain day, they sell out simultaneously for NJ and NY departures; there is not a certain amount for each location, the Statue Cruises spokesperson told NewYorkology.
When selecting your departure time, NewYorkology has advocated the first boat of the day which allows you to avoid most of the lines and allows enough time to see both Liberty and Ellis islands. (NewYorkology has crown tickets for this weekend, so watch for more information next week.)
Alternately, if that’s all too complicated, hop on the completely free Staten Island Ferry, which passes rather close to the Statue of Liberty.
Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
Earlier: Statue of Liberty crown tickets sold out through Aug. 11
It’s official: Statue of Liberty crown will reopen July 4
July 2, 2009 9:49 AM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Downtown, History, Kids, Museums, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Techology, Tours
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