The New York Pass: A Review with #13inNYC

New York City has some of the most incredible attractions in the world... just so happens, they are the most expensive too. But you can't travel all the way to NYC and NOT see the Statue of Liberty, or climb to the top of the Empire State Building, right???

So if you are traveling to New York City there is a very inexpensive way to see the sites with the New York Pass. We were recently on a 3 day trip to NYC and tried out the New York Pass - considering we saw 11 prominent New York City Attractions in 3 days with the New York Pass, we give it a big thumbs up.

How does it work?
The New York Pass can be purchased for a certain amount of consecutive days (we did 3 days) and you can go to any of over 80 places in NYC within those 3 days. You make the plans to do what you want to do - you are not limited to a handful of places. You will receive a guide book along with the pass that includes descriptions of museums, tours, attractions, and more. Make your plans to see and do what YOU want to do and go!

But is it expensive?
Let me do the numbers for you - this is what we did in our 3 days and how much it would have cost if we had not used the New York Pass.

New York Skyride: $42.00 x 3 = $126
Empire State Building: $29 x 3 = $87
Audio Tour of Empire State Building: $7 X 3 = $21
Museum of Natural History:$22 x 3 = $66
Museum of Modern Art: $25 x 3 = $75
9/11 Tribute Center: $17 x 3 = $51
City Sightseeing Cruise: $28 x 3 = $64
Top of the Rock: $29 X 3 = $87
Discovery Museum: $27 x 3 = $61
Total Cost for 3 Days of Attractions = $638

Three Day New York City Pass: $153 x 3 = $459

That's an additional $200 in your pocket for dinner or shopping! We actually could have done more on our third day, but decided to slow down and shop a bit. There were so many tours (Broadway, food, etc) to choose from too!

You can see what we thought about each of the attractions we visited and how we managed our 3 day itinerary here.

What are the other benefits of the New York Pass?
Beyond cost, the New York Pass offers other benefits -

Fast Track Entry Privileges - with the pass, you have access to smaller lines at some of the busier attractions. This is a really big deal in the summer, where lines can be hours long to reach the top of the Empire State Building.
Guidebook - download this book in advance to plan out your days. Each attraction has a detailed description and map.
Restaurant Discounts - In the back of the book, several great NYC restaurants offer discounts. We saved 15% on our dinner at John's Pizzeria.
Shopping Passes/Discounts - Again, located in the back of the guidebook are shopping passes, gifts with purchase, coupons, etc. We received a gift at Bloomies with our pass!

Is It Worth It?

Hands down, the New York Pass was worth the price. Because you are purchasing the pass in advance, it allows you to budget your trip and not worry about hidden expenses adding up. I loved the easy of use at each attraction - you just hand them your card, and you are in. And because we had the fast track entry, it allowed us for more time to see more attractions. I would recommend anyone traveling to NYC with a limited stay to use the New York Pass.

My family was provided with three New York Passes to try during our visit to New York City. I was not paid for this post. All opinions are my own.