Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comEmpire State Building Observatory
based on 165 reviews
Duration: 2 hours (approx.)
Location: New York City, New York
Product code: 2194EMPIRE
165 reviews of Empire State Building Observatory
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Empire State Building Observatory. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
The view was great but the employees were by far the rudest we encountered on our trip!
Reviewed by: Callie S, United States of America, July 2007
This was one of those things that you have to do while in NY. However we went at 8:00 when there were no queues. If I had to stand in line for hours then to be honest I probably would not have bothered though the views were awesome. It was a bit daft to find out you could go higher than the 86th floor normal platform only to be told the tickets to do so were back on the ground floor!! Sell them in the gift shop on the 86th then no problem.
Reviewed by: Tracy M, United Kingdom, June 2007
The lines were long - it felt like a cattle call. Also the photo vendor was rude. I wanted my picture to be taken - they were yelling that everyone has to have their photo taken. It should be an option, but not something everyone has to do. The person who was yelling about getting the audio tour was also irritating. Once we were on the observatory it was very nice.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, June 2007
There was virtually no line to wait but I had to stand in the same line as the regular ticket sales to purchase the tickets even with your voucher.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, May 2007
I was lead to believe that I would be able to enter the Empire State Building quicker by having the voucher from Viator. That is completely false. It got me nowhere except in the regular line to wait for my tickets. We waited about 90 minutes for entrance on the top of the building. Your advertising states that you can skip lines by having the ticket from Viator.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, April 2007 Note from Viator: Unfortunately the Viator voucher does not get you to the front of the line, but it does guarantee that you will get into the Empire State Building. As our website states, waiting time for elevators varies from 5 minutes to 2 hours.
Views were outstanding but thought there would be more tour information for the money paid. Everyone was just herded through like animals, no interaction, just concerned with getting as many people through the door as quickly as possible. Felt very let down by this experience.
Reviewed by: Roddy L, United Kingdom, February 2007
We were on a tight schedule and asked an employee how we could pay the extra fee to expedite our wait time advertised to be less than 20 minutes. We we given the wrong info and wound up at the Sky Express only after given wrong directions to the line twice. Employees were not helpful at all. Would recommend Top of the Rock instead.
Reviewed by: Lawrence B, United States of America, September 2008
The voucher does no good to bypass the long lines. If you must go to the top of the Empire State Building, go early and buy your tickets there.
Reviewed by: Joseph O, United States of America, May 2008
The queues were horrendous and it was so crowded at the top you could not move in the shop or get good shots from the outside due to being pushed and prodded from all directions. The building is undergoing repairs and it was a building site. It was awful. I know that being in New York, you feel you have to go up this building to get the views, but if you go to the Rockefeller Center you get the views and you see the Empire State Building from there.
Reviewed by: Richard B, United Kingdom, January 2008
Our visit to the Empire State Building was nothing short of a joke. Our pre-paid tickets actually made it longer for us to enter. We asked 7 employees there where we were to go only to be ignored by 4 of them, 2 rolled their eyes at us and 1 said "just keep walking." During our hour and a half wait in line where we could not see the ticket window, employees kept yelling at us. When we finally reached the ticket window, there was not one marked VIP Group sales, when we asked the employee "guarding" the ticket window where it was, he pointed to a window that was not even marked. When we told him about our experience, he rudely replied that all we needed to do was ask him. After waiting in line again for over an hour, we finally came to a room with windows - the view, what we came to see. Blinds, yes, blinds covered all the windows and when you attempted to look past the blinds, employees yelled at you to leave the blinds alone and then said if we wanted to stop and look out the window, others could go ahead of us and lifted the rope and let people in front of us. By the time you reach the elevators, you are subjected to having you picture taken, no choice in the matter by an employee that would say smile
Reviewed by: Aaron F, United States of America, October 2007 Note from Viator: Sounds like you had a very bad day at the Empire State Building, and we're very sorry about that. While we have very little sway over the staff at the Empire State Building, we definitely can confirm (this information is listed on the booking page, but you are not the first person to have a problem on the day): There are 3 lines at the Observatory, the security line (required for all visitors), the ticket line and the elevator line.PLEASE NOTE! All Viator customers can skip the ticket line, and proceed directly to the elevator line. Apologies, again, for the confusion.
I was very embarrassed how my guests from Japan were treated. I tried to book the combination package online, but it wasn't available for my date, so I only bought the observatory tickets. When we arrived, I was told that I could buy the combination and my guests and I would receive free T-shirts. Well, that was false advertisement. I have a lot of out of town guests, especially from out of the country, and I will never bring them to the observatory again.
Reviewed by: Marina H, United States of America, September 2007
There is no advantage in the advances voucher. You still need to stand in the ticket queue to exchange the voucher for the ticket. Viator's statement that you need not stand in the ticket queue is wrong.
Reviewed by: Pralaya Kumar S, United States of America, July 2007 Note from Viator: As our website states, there are 3 lines at the Observatory: the security line (required for all visitors), the ticket line and the elevator line. All Viator customers can skip the ticket line, and proceed directly to the elevator line but at peak times, the wait for elevators can be very long. The Observatory sells an "Express Pass" for an additional USD$27 per ticket (no refunds), which allows you to skip to the front of all 3 lines. The "Express Pass" cannot be purchased ahead of time so it is recommended you pre-purchase your regular ticket and then determine, upon arrival, if purchasing an "Express Pass" is necessary.
We never went up the Empire State Building since there was a two-hour wait to go up. Our voucher was only good for the one day.
Reviewed by: Elizabeth O, United States of America, January 2007
I don't recommend trying to visit the Empire State Building in December unless you have the day to wait in line. We literally spent the whole day waiting in the various lines - purchasing your ticket online does not speed up the process.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, January 2007
Lines are much too long, and it takes a big bite of time.
Reviewed by: Robert T, United States of America, January 2007
