Want to go to Ellis Island & Good Morning America

[Gingee]

I would like to go to Ellis Island but don't want to stay in line all day to get the ferry. Any tricks? Would Sunday morning be better than Saturday morning?

 

We also want to go to Good Morning America or whatever "outside" show we can get to. Is there one on Saturday?

[138east]

The same ferry goes to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can make reservations, which are strongly advised on a weekend. http://www.statuecruises.com/

 

This means that you can go at almost any time and not worry about the lines if you have a reservation. However, I would advise first thing on a Saturday or Sunday to get the benefit of smaller crowds.

 

I don't know about outside TV shows on the weekend.

[megr1125]

they do have a weekend version of GMA, but it's only an hour (i think) and i am not sure if they go outside all the time....you can still probably see SOMETHING though

[CPPADILLA]

We visited NYC for the first time in April pre-cruise and we really enjoyed our visited there. Some friends inquired about either going to GMA or the Today show and if my memory is correct you need tickets for the GMA show but not for the Today show. You will need to be there around 5:00 a.m. and no there are no weekend shows.

 

My understanding is a visit to the SOL and Ellis Island will take up a good portion of your day.

[cruiser429]

For Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty ferry. You can make your reservation on line. If you have a car, make the reservation out of the New Jersey port--near Liberty State Park. Little traffic there. Inexpensive parking and very short lines (much shorter than leaving from Battery Park in Manhattan)

The Today Show does have a weekend version. Just show up real early and stand outside--right next to the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink.

[megr1125]

We visited NYC for the first time in April pre-cruise and we really enjoyed our visited there. Some friends inquired about either going to GMA or the Today show and if my memory is correct you need tickets for the GMA show but not for the Today show. You will need to be there around 5:00 a.m. and no there are no weekend shows.

 

My understanding is a visit to the SOL and Ellis Island will take up a good portion of your day.

 

They BOTH have weekend shows, as does the CBS early show.....hardly anyone shows up for ANY of them on weekends....but the hosts occasionaly go outside....just turn on your TV saturday AMs to CBS, NBC, ABC and you will see that yes, these shows broadcast on saturdays but with different hosts....

[emmy]

I did see the Today Show this morning and it is very easy to go to see. My suggestion would be this one as it does not need tickets. Rockerfeller Plaza is very nearby and so is the 'Top of the Rock' Observation deck with a wonderful view of New York. I really liked it as we got the Empire State Bldg in the photo this way.

 

We did go to the Today Show on a Thursday Morning and arrived shortly before 7;30am and we did get on the camera and had a good view.

 

We also did a vist to Ellis Island this past April before our cruise with CCPadilla (Hi Paula) :)

 

The first day we tried to go we arrived about 1pm to a HUGE line so we gave up that day and came back the next day about 9am and maybe 10 people in line and virtually empty over there at Ellis Island. It was a highlight of my visit to New York and quite emotional. I DO recoommend spending at least 3 hours and we did the audio tour as it makes you feel like you are one of the immigrants arriving. It was touching for me as my grandfather often spoke of his arrival there and I had tears thinking I was walking the steps that he had walked 80 some years before.

 

The ferry will stop at Liberty Island first and we did not get off there but were able to get awesome views and pictures of Lady Liberty and then it proceeds to Ellis Island. I just put my Ellis Island welcome book away off my desk thinking I would not need to refer to it anymore. If you have any questions just ask away

 

I have some photos of Ellis Island and the ferry ride on my webshots album linked below on page 2 & 3. Today Show and Observation deck photos are on page 5

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/563387558wqldCl

 

Pictures of the Today Show experience are on this album

[Gingee]

Should I make reservations now for next weekend or wait closer to the time?

[emmy]

Should I make reservations now for next weekend or wait closer to the time?

 

I had not made reservations on line but certainly had wished I had. One less line to stand in. :)

[Gingee]

We just care about getting to Ellis Island. I figure I have seen the statue before on another cruise so that isn't a biggie for me. Isn't the ferry suppose to be free? I am coming up with prices for it.

[Gingee]

What do you actually do on Ellis Island? Do you just go in the big empty room and then the dorms and that is it? Thanks for sharing your pictures.

[emmy]

We just care about getting to Ellis Island. I figure I have seen the statue before on another cruise so that isn't a biggie for me. Isn't the ferry suppose to be free? I am coming up with prices for it.

 

 

You pay for the ferry which includes admittance into Ellis Island Museum and or Liberty Island .The same ferry goes to both islands and when we were there it stopped first to let passengers off to see Liberty Island (we did not want to go there) and then continued over to Ellis Island a very short distance away.

 

Ellis ISland is actually a museum about the story of immigration to America. It replicates the immigrants journey as they arrived.. There are many historic photographs, artifacts and personal papers from the 1918 - 1924 period. It has many artifacts and personal colletions of items immigrants brought over from the many countries in Europe.

 

We visited midweek. The photographs are amazing and to read what they all endured for myself and my husband was very interesting.

[Gingee]

Thanks Emmy for your help. As soon as I talk to my daughter and boyfriend to see if they want to do this with us, I am going to try to get my reservations. My husband's grandparents came through Ellis Island from Wales. We have found his grandmother on the list but not the grandfather. Anyway, this is one place I would like to go to.

[Gingee]

My daughter and boyfriend are college age. You think they would enjoy it?

[emmy]

Okay some more thoughts... at first I was the only one that purchased the Audio and as I was standing in front of the display of luggage in the entrance I said to my husbnad..I really suggest you go and get an audio as well. He was glad he did.

 

There were many school age children coming into Ellis Island as we were leaving. I am not sure how much they got out of it in fact my 14 year old niece went on a school trip there before I went. Not sure how much she appreciated what she saw but college age should. Just to stand in the Great hall and to look out those windows and see the Statue of Liberty and the New York Skyline in the distance would have been what those very frightened immigrants would have seen. I just kept seeing it through their eyes.

 

I too had found my grandfather and his sister on the website. I do not regret going at all. Only regret is I forgot to go outside to see the wall with all the immigrants names on it. Of course there is a fee to have your family member on that wall. Wish I had seen that.

 

Let us know how your visit goes :) Have fun

[Gingee]

I am so bummed. They are sold out for the times we are going to be there. I left a message on the phone in case there is some wild chance that we can still go.

[willysgrandma]

I am so bummed. They are sold out for the times we are going to be there. I left a message on the phone in case there is some wild chance that we can still go.

 

That doesn't mean you can't go. There are still tickets available to be purchased if you go down to the ticket booth itself in the City. You would have to go and wait on line.

[CRIRUN]

If you can't go to Ellis Island, how about trying Governor's Island instead, assuming you are coming in August (Victory cruise).

 

http://www.govisland.com/

 

 

 

[Gingee]

Well I called today and got a flex ticket for 10:00 on Sunday. He said that the monument tickets were sold out but not the flex. Since we didn't care to go into the Statue of Liberty, it sounds good to us. I didn't order the audio though. Do you think I need to order it ahead of time?

 

We are staying at Radio City apartments and I am not sure of the best way to get there. We are all capable of walking but I am not sure of our location versus where the Battery Park is (I think that is where I am suppose to go for the Ellis Island Ferry).

[138east]

You want to take the subway downtown to Battery Park. It says that Radio City Apartments is on 49th Street between 6th & 7th Avenue. The most direct way to do this is to walk to the subway station at 50th and Broadway, which should be just west of 7th avenue at that point and take the #1 train downtown to South Ferry. This is the most direct way and does not involve any subway transfers. You might pick up a few minutes by taking an express train and changing to the local, but I wouldn't bother.

 

Be sure to check out the subway map http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

 

You'll see that there is a station at 49th St. and 7th Avenue - you do not want this station to go to South Ferry.

[buzzor]

I would like to go to Ellis Island but don't want to stay in line all day to get the ferry. Any tricks? Would Sunday morning be better than Saturday morning?

 

We also want to go to Good Morning America or whatever "outside" show we can get to. Is there one on Saturday?

 

There is another way to get to Ellis Island other than the ferry from Battery Park. You can cross the Hudson and catch a ferry from Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Most of the tourist line up at the Battery Park Ferry.

 

http://www.statuecruises.com/

 

To get to Liberty State Park from Midtown, take the E train to Chambers Street (World Trade Center). Pick up the PATH train at the WTC and take it one stop to Exchange Place, at Exchange Place take the Light Rail to Liberty State Park.

[willysgrandma]

If you can't go to Ellis Island, how about trying Governor's Island instead, assuming you are coming in August (Victory cruise).

 

http://www.govisland.com/

 

 

 

 

There is really nothing to do on Governors Island.