We booked our tickets online in advance. We were able to get reservations to go up to the pedestal, but unfortunately the crown was sold out way in advance. Note to go up to the pedestal or the crown, no backpacks are allowed. There are lockers outside, near the entrance, but they cost a quarter. Not much, but who carries change any more? A few people were quite upset about that. There is a change machine, but I think it takes a dollar. So be sure to bring a quarter for every backpack you need to check if you managed to get a reservation to the pedestal or crown. Also note that there are many stairs to go up to the pedestal. There is also a slow elevator that only takes a few people at a time. Two in our group walked the stairs and walked around and took pictures and then stood around waiting quite some time for the other 2 to come up on the elevator. At the time, there were only approx. 20 people in the elevator line – and still it took a significant amount of time. So, if you have difficulty with stairs and are short on time maybe skip the pedestal. The views are great from the ground level. Anyways, from the start of our visit, we entered Battery Park and there are signs all along the way directing you to the location of the ferry. If you did not purchase tickets in advance, be sure to purchase them at the ferry office and not from street vendors as apparently there are a lot of scams with fake tickets. Apparently only the ‘Statue City Cruises’ can dock at the Statue. We saw a number of other passenger ships, but only saw ‘Statue City Cruises’ dock. So once you have your tickets, you go through a security check – similar to the airport – and then get in line for the ferry. The ride across is approx. 15 minutes. Try to be on the right side of the boat (facing front) as that side has the best views of the statue when you approach the island. The island itself is quite pretty and you can walk around and enjoy the view of the statue as well as great views of NYC. Once done, you again wait in line for the ferry and the first stop after the status is Ellis Island and then the stop after that is back to Battery Park where you started.