I'm going to be on the New York Explorer in a few weeks time.

I arrive the weekend before it starts so I will have plenty of time to explore New York by myself before hand. I am intending on buying a New York Pass which gives free admission to many attactions over 7 days.

Is this worthwhile?

Should I hold back on any of the main attractions as I will probably do them with the rest of the group on the Contiki?

Would you recommend reserving a ticket to go up the Crown of the Statue of Liberty? I've heard that Contiki don't spend much time there so I could do this in my own time.

Any help would be appreciated.

I don't know anything about the pass, but it could be a good value depending on what is offered and what you want to see.

I don't know how much time is spent at any of the attractions, though Contiki generally doesn't spend heaps of time anywhere. If there is anything, such as the Statue of Liberty, that you really want to explore or take photos of then I would do it on your own. And if you go twice you might have days where the weather/crowds are different and you'll get a different perspective.

When you go to the Statue of Liberty you might also want to stop at Ellis Island, as an immigrant nation I think Ellis Island is worth a visit if you're already going to the Statue of Liberty. I suspect that Contiki does not book tickets to the crown either, since their is a limited number of tickets sold for that.

If you're doing to the Statue, buy a seperate ticket. If you have a pass you'll just have to wait on another line and that can take a while. I know Crown tickets have been booked up till Novemebr. You have to apply for that very early.

Hi Carl,

Definitely get the New York City Explorer Pass. I could only afford the 3 Attractions Pass, but I would've loved to have the 7-attractions one. I went to Madam Tussaud's wax museum, the MOMA, and the Top of the Rock observation deck. And there are LOADS more activities/tours/restaurants you can go to using that card. It's a great way to fill up time, or can be used as a cheap alternative to some of Contiki's optional excursions.

As for doing things with the group, since this is a short tour there really isn't a big sense of "togetherness" you might get on a large tour. Most of the optionals are tours that are NOT run by Contiki, and you will experience them with people who aren't even on your tour. (Basially, have an idea of what you want to do and see. If the itinerary Contiki has arranged matches up with that list, go with that. If not, you'll have a blast doing your own thing).

Definitely, definitely reserve a ticket to go up to the Crown, because the ticket provided by Contiki does not cover it! My group didn't get to go up to the Crown, and we only got 20 minutes on the Island (if we wanted to be escorted back to the hotel. Some people stayed and had to find their own way back, which is fine if you have a subway map).

If you like, check out my NY Explorer travel diary: http://connect.contiki.com/eve...58105522/m/898109464

And also my review: http://connect.contiki.com/eve...30106522/m/355109164

Thanks everyone who replied.

I bought the NY Pass and will feedback on how I get on with it. I found out that you can return to the same attraction on different days using the pass.

I can't believe how far in advance you have to book Crown tickets for the Statue of Liberty!

Having spent 8 nights in New York including the Contiki New York Explorer I would say that it is definitely worthwhile getting a New York Pass (online) if you are staying in The Big Apple for a week.

I got the 7 day pass a just about got into all the major attractions for free. The only exception was The Space Show at the Hayden Planetarium where I got an $8 discount with the pass on top of the free entry to the Natural History Museum and Rose Center. It works out that you need to do about 6 attractions on a 7 day pass or 5 attractions on a 3 day pass to get your monies worth.

I managed to use if for:
Top of the Rock
Empire State Building (to 86th floor only)
New York Skyride
Circle Line Ferry Cruise (wished I had time to do the Harbor Lights cruise as well)
Ellis Island Museum and ferry
The Bodies exhibition
Madame Tussauds
Natural History Museum
20% discount on TV and Movie tour or Sex and The City Tour (better than Contiki rate)
10$ credit with Planet Hollywood

You also get other discounts with shops and restaurants. The Contiki rate for the helicopter tour is the same as available with the pass.

However, if you are only in New York for the New York Explorer then you will struggle to find enough free time to get value for money especially if you are doing more than one of the optional extras. The Statue of Liberty trip and Empire State Building tickets are included with Contiki anyway.

One other thing is if you go on the CitySights NY hop-on, hop off bus then don't bother with the Uptown and Harlem tour as the Contiki coach will do the same route. In fact, it could be the same driver as that is who they hire the coach from!

Hope anyone who reads this has a good a time in New York as I did!