Which discount ticket/pass do I want??HELP!
 

Hi
I am trying to deciede if I want to buy one of those discount tickets like City Pass. But I am not sure which one is the best or if there are more to choose from that I have not read about. For example city pass has a few places I would go to but probably not all. I also found another one that was for $49.00 it included a ton of stuff but only for one single day. I know I am probably asking a silly question but I did not know if you all any any suggestions they have all been so good so far. Are there any tickets I should for sure get in advance? Thank you for all the advice in advance.

My advice - No one can tell from your message header what you're talking about. ;) A few (like me) might open it to see. But alas, even there we still have no idea.

So, definitely repost with a very specific message header (including WHERE you'll be). In your new post include the attractions that you are interested in and which are covered on which passes for what costs and people might be able to help you determine which is the most economical route.

What momof5 is talking about are the passes in NYC. From the sense I have of things, the only way to determine whether the pass is good for you is to do the math. Figure out the fees for things you absolutely, definitely know you want to visit and then compare that with the cost of the pass.

As I understand it, the passes often include things you might not want to otherwise see/do and if they're only for a day or two or three, they sometimes require you to run around like crazy to get in everything that's included in a specific period of time.

I think the only MAJOR advantage of some of the passes is they allow you to jump lines (ie. get preferential entry to some places)

If you don't do the pass, you MUST get tickets/reservations ahead of time for the Statue of Liberty IF you want to go there (vs just see it from a distance) and getting tickets online to the Empire state is a good idea as it saves one line.

mclaurie, she might be asking about NYC, but she also might be asking about Boston, which is one of many cities that has a City Pass,. Momof5 has recently posted a question about Boston with the following equally vague title: "Where to stay, what top ten things we should do on a very short trip-help!"

Someone should top the list of suggestions on how to post- it's time again. I'm off to work or I would find it and top it.
Momof5, read the suggestions when they are posted. They will help you get better results. Like tell people what city you are talking about in the title. When I opened your post I thought you were talking about the City Walk Pass at Universal Studios in Orlando.

I agree the post title should be clearer, but I know it's NYC because it comes up when I choose NY.

Momof5,
First question: How many of the places on each of the passes are must sees for you? Sometimes the "value" of the pass isn't really there if you don't plan or want to see all the sites. There are often other discounts available for individual sites (ask here if you have specific places in mind) so you should really add up the 'regular' prices of the place you know you'll go to and work from that number .

From dealing with many out of town family / guests, most have skipped using the passes . You're right than one day passes often aren't worth it because you'll probably only get to 2 or 3 places in on busy day. The longer passes (some are 9 days, I think) may be good for people who love to museum hop all day for a week, but not so great for others.
I know that some people also like the passes to skip long waiting lines at some places (like the Empire State building?) but I think you can buy tickets online in advance and get the same benefit.

Can it be CityPass for San Francisco? Why would anybody think we don't have one :)

I would think that there is a good web site for this but I can not find one.

Good luck

Momof5: We purchased City Passes on our trip to Chicago but we were there a full week so we had plenty of time to see everything. Follow Mclaurie's advice to see if it would actually be a savings to you. I don't know how long you plan to visit (or where for that matter!)

If you are visiting NYC, that 1-day Pass you are referring to is not City Pass. I would be reluctant to purchase it because there is no way possible to see all of those attractions in one day.

The official City Pass I believe gives you 9 days to visit the attractions. It can be purchased at any one of the attraction locations. Also, some of the attractions might give student discounts. If anyone who is traveling with you has a valid student ID, some attractions will offer student discounts. The Guggenheim Museum is one of them. Check out the individual attraction websites to see if they are offering promotions. That may help you to decide if a City Pass is worth it.

I apologize for being so vague, it was late yadda...yadda. Yes, since I did post this under New York it was for New York. I do have a post on Boston because I am to going there in the Spring but I did not ask about city passes in Boston. So sorry i got everyone confused. I have chosen to get my passes to the places I want to go online. Does anyone know if there are torus for any of the museums. I did not know if they did a very small group for an additional fee. I think the Whitney does but I cannot get them to e-mail me back. Thanks again for all of your kindess!!!

Momof5, you did not "post this under New York," since this is not an option here at Fodor's. What you did when you chose New York was merely to label that as a keyword, so that your post would turn up if people searched for New York. All posts appear in one single US board.

The Whitney offers free tours to the public. The schedule is available at either the membership counter or information desk. You can also call 212-570-3676 - no reservations are necessary.

The Guggenheim also offers tours and is free with admission. Tour schedules are posted near the admission desk but are subject to change.

For both of these museums there are significant discounts for both seniors and students (bring school ID).

If you buy your tickets online, you will be charged a service fee.

The Met museum has a highlights tour at regular intervals. Check their website for day and times.