Just some Quick points, Get tickets on line for the first boat. arrive early, do not bring anything with you except personnel items and camers( saves time)and go up into the statue, thats where you get a real feel for it. It was Great. Also skip Ellis Island unless your really into it ( sort of empty and boring). We did the whole thing,both Islands and the tour at the statue, in 3 hours and were gone by 11:30am

I landed on the island around 9am and it took me until 10:30 to get through security to get inside the statue!! I'm all for security, but they were only using 2 of those new machines so it takes something like 30 seconds per person to get through. It was ridiculous! We waited another 15 minutes before the ranger would take us inside. He did an informative talk on the original statue and sent us on our way. There is a little museum to check out and it was kinda neat to look up inside the statue, but you only get to do that for like 5 minutes. The views from the pedestal were ok. It was neat just to be "on" the island.
When we went to leave Liberty Island, we had to wait almost an hour to get a boat!!
Essentially, I spent almost 3 hours on my feet waiting for a 45 minute experience that wasn't that great.
I saw several little tour boats out by the island giving people a close up view...I think that's the way to go.

You get to the Statue of Liberty by way of the Circle Line Tour boat. Get your tickets on
line and you will also be given a "pass" to go farther up into the statue. Without this pass,
you cannot go to the walking area on the pedestal. You can go to the Cirlce Line web site.
I was given a particular time, but it didn't seem to matter when we arrived. Go early if you can. Around 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

There was a long line at the Clinton Castel (ticket area; looks like a old castle ruin only one story high and made of brown stones in the middle of a park like setting) and it was raining hard when we arrived. I am so glad I purchased the tickets on line. All we had to do was to walk over to a "Circle Line" table and pick up our tickets. Most people were very upset when the got to the statue and could not go beyond the inside tour with the park ranger. It was worth the time spent listening to the park ranger describing the events related to the statue.

The tickets will let you into Ellis Island also. The boat stops at the statue first, and then goes to Ellis Island next, and then back to the dock. So you can spend a few hours at the statue, and catch the boat to Ellis Island and spend a few hours there before returning to the dock. Be sure to get a tour brochure to help with locating other things about your
surroundings.

I do not feel this is a very good place for children under 4 years of age. A lot of waiting
made small ones restless. Remember you cannot take diaper bags or any other child necessary items into the statue.

The security is thorough. Do not take backpacks, food, drink (even water), packages,
etc. In otherwords...only take a pocketbook, umbrella, and camera. It is quite windy so you may want to be careful about any hats you wear. A young girl had some candy bars in her purse and she had to throw them in the trash can. There is a security machine
that blows puffs of air at you that you have to go through, and this is what ties up the line. I think that because it was raining, it seemed to make the lines shorter.

Inside is a great view of the makings of the statue and you may need to turn off your
flash on your camera. A lot of the items are behind glass. The park ranger gave a very
good speech on the statue and it was helpful to understand and appreciate the history
of the statue. It was worth the trip.

Ellis Island is a large area, so leave a lot of time to visit. Wonderful things to see. It is more than just one building. Check your brochure. There are food, bathrooms, and a souvenir
shop in the largest of the buildings. And a lovely view from the picnic tables outside under the trees for lunch. Look for the small statues near the tables. It will also be somewhat
windy. Keep an eye on the children. Lots of room to get lost.

Be sure you take the time table for the boat, located at the web site, with you. It is
important you know when the last boat leaves.

It is really worth the long lines and time you spend waiting. Have patience.

I got the good piece of advice to get on the first boat over in the morning. Be at Battery Park by 7:30, then wait in line until the ticket office opens. Having reserved tickets will save you a little time, but there is still a line for will-call. One thing worth noting--going IN to the Statue is not an essential part of this trip! Skip the lines. By going inside, you get access to the pedestal level and a view, but you have a great unobstucted view of NYC from all over the island anyways. You get to look up into the Statue, but honestly, we spent all of 10 seconds doing that. The ranger talk is valuable, but there are ranger talks available outside too. Bottom line is: the hour plus wait to get in to the Statue was not worth it. The island is a lovely place to spend a few hours, with nice views, a good little restaurant, and souvenir shops galore. Do take the time to listen to a ranger talk; they provide history and perspective. Don't obsess about getting in.