We had purchased our tickets online in advance and opted for the VIP pass to avoid a possible queue. As the weather was not very good, we showed up about 2 hours early and were able to go up without waiting. We avoided maybe 30 minutes of waiting in line. From the top of the tower, what a view of New York and its surroundings! Gorgeous ! But what cold and what wind!!! On the other hand, we should have come at the scheduled time because in the end the weather was nice. Too bad for the sunset that we didn't want to wait for.