Exploring NYC with CityPASS
I'm just back from NYC. In addition to this being my first ever trip to the Big Apple, this trip marks the second time I have used an all inclusive attraction access pass.
The first time I used such a pass was this past May in Nashville when I used the Nashville Tourism Bureaus' Nashville Total Access Pass. The reason this past May was my first time using such a pass is because I usually find the activities that get bundled into such passes to not all be of interest to me. For example, aquariums. I hate them. Nashville's pass however interested me as there was a list of 16 attractions you could choose to use your four passes at.
As I was planning, my New York City trip I was discovering that buying such pass would really help save some money. From research I had discovered there were three companies offering such passes: CityPASS, The NY Pass, and the NY Explorer Pass.
I had not yet decided which pass to buy, when on 11 July I was participating in the weekly #JSETT Twitter chat (Thursdays at 1330ET) hosted by @JETSETextra and sponsored on this particular week by @CityPASS. At the close of the chat I was announced as one of two winners of a pair of CityPASS booklets to NYC, the topic of this particular #JSETT chat.
So that solved the problem of having to decide which company's pass to buy. What I will say in comparison of the three company's passes I was considering is that CityPASS offers simplicity.
Other companies offered many, many more attraction options, and even a build your own pass option kind of like Nashville, but the passes grew exponentially more expensive each consecutive day you wanted to use them.
All CityPASS tickets, for all the 6 attractions, are good for 9 days from first use. There is one set price ($106 for 18+; $79 for ages 6-17). The New York Pass exceeds $180 for just 7 days of use. The New York Explorer Pass, for access to just 5 places, already costs $116; 7 places, $145 for adults and $101 for kids 3-12 years old.
CityPASS advertises access to 6 attractions; here is my experience with the ones I had a chance to visit.
Pass 1: General (not skip-the-line) admission to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building + audio guide + same-day secondary admission after 2200
When I arrived on Wednesday afternoon there was no line so a skip-the-line pass would have been a waste of money. We walked right through security to the ticket window. From there we walked right to the audio guide booth and exchanged our CityPASS coupon for a guide. I highly recommend using the audio guide option. It really made the experience! On the 86th floor there are numbers on the fence which tell you what to key into the audio guide. The narrator explains what you are looking at, the history of the buildings below, a bit of background on the neighbourhoods, and really adds value to the experience.
Pass 3: General admission to The Met which automatically includes special exhibition access and same-day entry to The Cloisters Museum and Gardens
The met is a massive museum and really worth a visit. I personally enjoyed most the galleries of musical instruments, Art of Arab Lands, Ancient Near Eastern Art, and European Sculpture. Upon our arrival a museum employee was standing nearby and noticed we were holding CityPASS booklets. He took our ticket and showed us into the museum saving us from having to queue in the long ticket line.
Pass 4: MoMA general admission which automatically includes an audio guide, special exhibition entry, and entry to the PS1 Contemporary Art Center
This was my favourite museum in the booklet. I loved seeing Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night up close. As at the Met, a museum employee saw our city passes and told us to proceed right to the entrance, skipping the ticket queue.
Pass 5: Top of the Rock general admission OR Guggenheim Museum general admission
I was looking forward to the Guggenheim, but it is closed on Thursdays, the one day I had an opportunity to visit.
Pass 6: Cruise to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island + audio guided tours on both islands + Ellis Island Museum admission OR a Circle Line Cruise (Harbour Lights Cruise, Semi-Circle Cruise, Liberty Cruise, OR the Beast Speedboat Ride
I was looking forward to the Liberty Cruise, but it was cancelled. When we were all settled on board, some people having already purchased items from the snack shop, the tour guide announced that owing to fog the coast guard had denied them permission to leave. I do that quite curious though as the water taxi docked literally next to us pulled away just as we were disembarking. The company told everyone we could return later in the day for their longer Semi-Circle cruise, but we had other plans so had to pass.
In addition to the advertised 6 places, CityPASS offers additional value. There is the Empire State Building audio guide as I already mentioned. Additionally, there is a $2 coupon off admission to the Top of the Rock or the Guggenheim Museum. Since Pass #5 forces you to choose one, this additional coupon is a great way to save some money on seeing both.
There is also an offer for buy one get one free ticket to the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise Company. Therefore if you use Pass #6 for a Liberty Cruise, you can buy a Beast Speedboat Ride ticket as well and get a second free.
I'll definitely be checking out the CityPASS option when I visit their other cities of service such as Atlanta or Houston or Toronto…hopefully I don't see any Aquariums listed ;)
