If you order your Ellis Island tickets in advance, you get to go one shorter line than if you order them the same day on a flex pass that you purchase on site.

Special tickets go go up in the statue of liberty's crown can be purchased online. There is a few month wait though.

I tried getting as much information as I could when picked up the pass at Madam Tussels...or something like that...near Ripley's that my uncle ordered (accidentally in his name) from www.citysightsny.com. They gave me a pass for "the ferry", a bus tour, and a Museum of New York City pass. It wasn't until today that I realized that he had forgotten to include the pass for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty which was part of my package. I didn't think to confirm I had the statue of liberty receipt as well. I learned what I had do to get to the statue of liberty today, where the tent was, and that the earlier the better. Lines get long fast. First boat leaves at 8:30 am. I tried to get up at 6 am, but couldn't wake up until 6:40 am. I got on Google maps, and ran to catch a bus.  I talked to a 20 year old whose parents moved back to Columbia so she moved in with her 23 year old boyfriend to stay in New York. She said ifshe'd get a car, it would be a Honda because they are easy to upgrade and race. Google had me transfer to a train, which I got on for free. I was pleasantly surprised that leather seats were free. Then an attendant asked for my rail pass. I thought it was part of the metro system.  It wasn't. In fact, purchasing a ticket on the train instead of beforehand costs more. There went $8, but an experience was gained. A young looking thin parallel satvnext to meandering helped me out. She looked 25 but was really 35. She said it's her genetics. Her mom is German, her dad was adopted...but claimed to be Italian.
When I got the the boat site line around 9:30? I then tried to pull out my ticket for a ferry other than the sightseeing ferry. It wasn't in my wallet with the other receipt style tickets. I got out of line, looked up the number city sights and we concluded that the guy had processed the wrong pass and not given me the Ellis island ferry pass. She told me to go to the nearest ticket booth-which was in Times square. I said that would waste my day. I asked if I could get them to reimburse me.