Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comSkip The Line: NY SKYRIDE and Empire State Building Observatory
based on 59 reviews of Skip The Line: NY SKYRIDE and Empire State Building Observatory
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Skip The Line: NY SKYRIDE and 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.
It was extremely packed, which made it hard to see a lot, but the history of the building is amazing.
Reviewed by: Nicole C, United States, October 2007
The Skyride was great fun! We enjoyed it immensely. We had visited the Empire State Building previously, but it's still worth doing with its fantastic views of the city.
Reviewed by: Jacqueline B, United Kingdom, October 2007
This was quite good.
Reviewed by: Gopalakrishnan P, United States, September 2007
The Viator voucher made the whole visit to the Empire State Building, because we went to a special entrance marked on the voucher to avoid most of the the lines. The Empire State Building is going through some much-needed refurbishment at the moment, and it was a foggy day when we visited, which impaired our view, but we enjoyed our trip to the top of this iconic building immensely. Be warned that there is precious little air-conditioning in the building, so avoid visiting on an extremely hot day if you can. If not, dress accordingly, take plenty of water, and go up early or late to avoid the crowds.
Reviewed by: Nicholas G, United Kingdom, July 2007
It would have been nice to know that there was a separate entrance fee for the Skyride, which then led you to direct access to the observatory without the huge wait of waiting in the Observatory Only line. Overall, it was a very good experience and we really liked it.
Reviewed by: Deborah H, United States, April 2007
It was very nice. I did expect a lot more gravity in the ride but it was surely worth while.
Reviewed by: Maria C, United States, March 2007
The staff at the Empire State Building controlling the lines directed us to wait in the wrong line so we had a longer wait than was necessary. This option therefore didn't save us any time. The Skyride was very disappointing and expensive for a relatively short ride. The observatory however was wonderful.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United Kingdom, July 2008
If you do not wish to wait in the lines, buy this ticket. But you still have wait about 20 minutes at night. Skyride not worth the extra, poor presentation. You are only taken to the 82nd floor, it costs an extra 15 dollars to go to the 102nd floor. No better views, you look through the glass but you can say 'I've been to the top'. The views from the 82nd floor on the observation level are excellent.
Reviewed by: Dennis G, United Kingdom, July 2008
Great skipping the huge queues. Bit disappointed with Skyride; thought it would be more exciting, and my family were split up, which was very poor with two children.
Reviewed by: Angela G, United Kingdom, July 2008
The New York Skyride was not that good. I guess it can be skipped. It's not worth the price. It's not lively and happening as I expected. I guess only the observatory is good enough for first time visitors.
Reviewed by: Chuck S, United States, June 2008
Don't believe it. We did not skip the line. We stood in line for over two hours! This was completely faulty advertising.
Reviewed by: Lori F, United States, June 2008
The ride was dizzying. The view was OK but not great; it was not even clear, either because it was a foggy day or the NY air was polluted.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Singapore, June 2008
Doing the Empire State Building is a definite yes when visiting NYC. However, when I booked this I was assured that I would not have to queue at all. We missed a couple of queues ie. the ticket purchasing and security queues but still had to queue for the lifts to actually get up to the observatory and whilst it might not have been as long as with the cheaper tickets, it still took at least an hour and was very tiring. I thought that paying this much over the normal ticket price should meant not having to queue at all. Otherwise lovely view!
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United Kingdom, June 2008
Nothing to do with Viator, but I felt the Empire State Building was a big disappointment with such long queues to get in.
Reviewed by: Frances H, United Kingdom, April 2008
Worth taking the "queue buster" ticket as queues for normal tickets are hours long. The NY Skyride is worth it and informative, and when you get in to the Imax style theatre it's great. Although we were there at Easter, we queued for at least 30 minutes to get on the elevator as they herded us through the picture taking. No thank you--one photo for $27? I don't think so!! Allegedly there are 50 lifts; I counted about 10. They are renovating the observatory deck, so you get dropped off at 80 and have to walk up five floors to the completely overcrowded observatory deck. For another pocket-emptying $27 (they must like this number!) per person, you can ride the extra 17 floors to 102. I politely declined this fabulous offer. Views are great all around, but 10 minutes and once round should do you; then you have the "getting down" queue. This directs you, obviously, through the shop of meaningless tack. Another 30 minutes to get an elevator; we thought that this would take us to the ground. WRONG! Five floors to 80 then another blinkin' queue of 10 or so minutes before thankfully getting a lift to ground level and escape.
Reviewed by: Bruce H, United Kingdom, March 2008
