It was excellent having the pass as it made you see the sights you needed to see without having to pay on the day. I think from what I added up if we paid on the day so to speak we saved overall. It mentioned about skipping the queues, but this never worked at any sights ie empire state etc, as we still had to queue for tickets. collecting the pass when we got there was easier enough, a bit confusing when buying the ticket from the uk you have to print a voucher, then they tell you to ring a number urgently which is a us number to validate your tour then you collect your passes, this needs simplyfying as it is a bit confusing as to what it is you need to do exactly. Overall would recommend, as New York is an expensive place and they wants tips for everything which is annoying.
We really liked the city explorer pass. We choose 5 tours and that fit perfectly for the time we were there. In planning before we came we had not read anywhere that we would have to choose between the Woodbury Commons tour or the Hop On Hop Off. That was disappointing for us as we were really looking forward to both but did not want to pay any more money.
Worked well when used to access specific venues such as Top of the Rock, MOMA as check in and processing was very time efficient. Did not work as well with getting tickets for bus tours. We picked up our passes at Hard Rock Café. There was quite a wait as there was only one person working the desk. Materials provided were not that clear and as it turns out, not current. The locations for getting tickets for the bus tours were mostly close to Times Square which was crowded and challenging to get around. For our 1st tour, the ticket agent provided the wrong address for embarkation point which we only found out after a long an protracted journey down to Battery Park via subway and shuttle bus. Actual location was a number of blocks north, necessitating another trip in extremely hot weather. Also Central Park Sightseeing was also listed as a location to book tours. The day I went, I was told that that service had been discontinued a couple of weeks earlier and that I would have to go back down to Times Square several blocks south. Made my way down there to find out you can only take 1 bus tour on the pass. Partly my fault as I missed this information in the package, but frustrating. Receiving incorrect information twice was unacceptable. To sum up, be prepared for a potentially long wait to pick up your pass, and be aware that it works best with attractions like museums. I would not get this pass again.