Dorgal

Help! I am trying to buy reserved ferry tickets (to include SOL and ELlis IS) leaving from Battery Park. The web site does not explains how the procedure works. You have to choose a reservation time - such as 9 - 10 - or 11 am. ... BUT their schedule shows ferries leaving about every 20 minutes. Soooo....If I make a 10 Am reservation....and arrive at 10:10 or 10: 30.....or 10:45....can I still get on the next ferry? What about if I arrive after 11? Can I still use my ferry ticket?
Very hard to plan all this not knowing how long it will take to navigate thru traffic and find a parking garage. I also heard the security lines are long - what if waiting in line causes you to miss your reserved time? So confusing! Can anyone help ?

nytraveler

The process is

1) wait on a long line to buy a ferry ticket (if you have bought one in advance you don;t have to wait on this line)
2) wait on a security line to be checked before getting on the ferry (the Park service says to allow 45 minutes for this)
3) get t Liberty island and wait on another line to get into the statue (assuming you have bought tickets far enough in advance)

If the 10 an ticket is for the statue you have to be at the statue at 10 am - not in Manhattan - but at the statue. Once your time is gone it's gone - getting there an hour late may well put you on the very long line.

Are you buying a FERRY ticket for 10 am (in which case I would be there by 9 am) or a statue ticket for 10 am - in which case I would get there no later then 8:30.

If you think you will arrive at 11 am I would get a ferry ticket for noon.

You need to leave early enough to get there - figuring NYC traffic (based on how you are getting there). Are you coming from Jersey? If so you are better off taking the ferry from Jersey - closer to get to and less demand for tickets.

nytraveler

Sorry - think of this as taking a flight. You can;t get to the airport at 10 am for a 10 am flight - you have to be there- car parked or whatever - at 8 am.

You simply need to get up earlier to get there - or buy tickets for when you will be there.

bigbomoho

just did this a month ago.There are actually 2 sections to the security line.One for "timed" tickets and the longer line,by alot, for flex tickets.You need to get there around an hour ahead of your timed ticket (get it on the web so youll have it in your hands)After all the timed tickets are boarded, then the flex tickets folks are allowed to board.When you get to the ferry site youll see a very long line--look for the security guy towards the front of the line, and youll see an entrance for folks with timed tickets.I know its confusing but believe me the timed ticket is the way to go.But if you miss your time for the ferry, you join the flex ticket folks as far as access to the ferry.If your coming from NJ,consider taking the Staten Island ferry--its near the SOl ferry.If youre coming in during the week,good luck finding parking etc

mclaurie

Traffic? Parking garage? Where are you coming from? It's a lot easier to park if you go from the NJ side.

Dorgal

Coming from SW Connecticut...was thinking the traffic down into NJ would be tough (on a Friday morning)- so was going to park near Battery Park in a garage. Know it is $$$$ but with 4 of us....rail and subway is much more.

nytraveler

Well Manhattan does make the most sense for you - but if you want to avoid the long (often an hour plus) line for people without timed tickets you need to get there early - or buy tickets for a later time. Coming from nearby CT at that time of day I would allow a minimum 2 hours travel/parkiing time from your door to the ferry line - meaning leaving the house at 7 am at the latest for a 10 am ferry.

Dorgal

OK - so - found out today that if you want to visit ELlis Is. FIRST - you should take the ferry from NJ not NY - because if you go from NY - skip the SOL and go to ELlis....the ferry does not return back to SOL but goes straight to the port. Soooo....since we want to do Ellis FIST - we had to buy the 11 Am tickets from NJ. I did get thru to them....and the TIME on the ticket means you should be THRU security before that time - so it IS a ferry time (altho they do have 2 more ferried per hour).
So - re: getting to NJ Liberty Park by 11...any suggestions on a route from CT with less traffic??

nytraveler

Not sure where you are in CT. I have found the parkways are always less crowded then 95. If you can take the Merritt to the Hutch to the Cross County to the Saw MIll it will take you right to the GWB - and from there you have a couple of options. Listen to 10 10WINS s you leave the house to see where the traffic is worst so you can avoid it.