Our party: My wife, 14-year old daughter, 12-year old son and me.
Time of year: first week of April 2019
Type of pass: 3 day
Whether you feel like this pass is worth it depends on a few things: 1. whether you can visit at least three high value attractions per day; 2. disregard the "fast track" feature; and 3. whether it's a busy season.
The NY pass website suggests the Hop On Hop Off (HoHo) bus as one of the attractions because it's the most expensive attraction, which then makes the pass seem like a better cost savings.
I read reviews saying that the HoHo is a good ride, but considering the time in traffic, I thought the HoHo would not be an efficient use of our limited time. Instead, we walked and subwayed our way around town, which let us cover more ground. But it also meant that to get the full value of the pass, we had to visit more attractions.
We were able to do the following:
Day 1 (daytime rain) - The Met, Natural History Museum, and Circle Line Sunset Cruise
Day 2 - Empire State Bldg, Central Park Movie & TV Sites Walking Tour (at noon), 9/11 Memorial, and Color Factory
Day 3 - Radio City Music Hall Tour, NatGeo Ocean Odyssey, Madame Tussaud's, and Top of the Rock (evening)
Total cost would've been $370. Pass price: $200.
Would we have gone to some of these places (e.g. Color Factory, NatGeo, Madame Tussaud's) if we didn't have the pass? Probably not. On the other hand, our kids liked these three, so from that perspective, it was worth it. (I confess the Wax Museum was better than I expected, and now that I've been, I don't need to go in the future)
Lessons: (a) Start early and keep moving if you want to get to as many attractions as possible; (b) Book early - we were going to do the Brooklyn Bridge/Dumbo walking tour, but couldn't get a reservation; (c) Two museums in one day is too much ground to cover (but we had no choice due to rain); and (d) meals can be hard to plan because of the schedules, e.g. the two-hour Central Park tour started at noon, so it meant an early or very late lunch.
Also, note that if you are traveling earlier than May, at least two boat rides are not yet running and many of the walking tours aren't operating as frequently. So that could affect whether you can maximize your pass deal.
The first week of April was not busy - we didn't wait very long in any line. Even if it were busier, the "fast track" feature is weak. You might get slightly quicker service at the ticket queue, but not really any benefit when it comes to the entry queue because everyone (other than the people who paid a lot extra for VIP) ends up in the same line.
Réponse de l'hôte
Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to review The New York Pass. We certainly appreciate all of the feedback and will be passing it along to Management. On average, customers are able to visit approximately 3-4 attractions each day, depending on how early in the day the pass is started. During peak season, attraction wait times may be longer so this number can vary. We are very happy to hear that you found the pass to be a good value for you and your family, and hope to see you in NYC again in the future!