Love the ledge, but the wait was brutal! When I went, the ac was broken so it was incredibly crowded and stuffy. The lines were long and unorganized. When you're on the ledge it is 3 groups at a time. One group on the left, one in the middle, and one in the right of the box. You have to angle your pictures in a certain way so you don't capture the neighboring group. The images were very pretty and I really enjoyed how they turned out. Ive heard that it's less crowded in the mornings, but I went in the afternoon. read more

Disappointed. Skydeck Attendant incharge of the box took a photo of us and it was terrible. We paid $50 a head for 5 people. $250 What a RIP! Waited hours to stand in a box for 90 seconds to have the staff take a horrible pic. Wow! He should have repositioned us in the box... on top of that people were sneaking in and the staff was not telling them to get back in there places. It starred w people sneaking in the rotating door hanging in the atrium. Then they'd weasel there way in the crowd. More security is needed and more attentive staff. You are making a fortune Skydeck! The least you can do is give those who pay a decent pic. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

***READ TO LEARN HOW TO SAVE $$$ & TIPS TO TAKE THOSE IG WORTHY PICTURE*** TICKETS: I did some research and found that there was a website called "365ticketusa" that sold tickets for only $18.25 versus paying $23 at the door. I'd recommend this method, so you don't have to wait in line to buy tickets! LOCATION: Once you enter the Willis Tower, there is usually an attendant that directs people DOWNSTAIRS toward the Sky Deck elevator entrance. WAIT TIME: During my stay here, I decided that it was best to come on a weekday since it's less crowded. We came in on a Monday and only waited in line for 5-10 minutes!! We easily breezed through the security check point and into the elevator. Also, the line to take pictures were so short that we kept bouncing around to different observation decks in order to capture that perfect picture! BEST TIME TO GO: As all photographers know, before sunset is the best time to go! Well, we came in October and it was kind of cloudy so any time didn't matter too much! But, for those summer days you definitely should go around 5-7pm! OVERALL: It's a great tourist attraction to get a nice overview of Chicago! All the information provided about the various landmarks/comparing the Willis Tower to other buildings, etc were all very fascinating! Definitely worth checking out to learn more about the Windy City! read more

$25 for general admission for 60 seconds on the ledge Breathtaking views though! Definitely a spot worth hitting in Chicago at least once. read more

This is a must see when in Chicago! One of the best views of the whole city. Stepping onto the glass box for the first time is a bit nerve racking but WOW - definitely worth it. I went during the day but I highly recommend going during the evening or at night so you can see the city lights. read more

What a cool experience. I suggest getting a City Pass but you still have to stand in line for security. But once you're in you're able to skip the larger line and get straight up to the elevator quickly. The only thing that's not organized are the ledge lines. read more

BE AWARE!!!!!!!! We paid for our tickets and stood in line forever to stand and take pictures on the sky deck, but when it FINALY was our turn we took pictures each less then 2 minutes and the security guard pulled us away, claiming its to long. Wast of money when you can't get a good picture and pay for it so just be aware you have to be quick and can't take a lot! The view was good and that's the only reason why it got 2 stars. read more

Skydeck Chicago - View from the skydeck - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think this was a bit overrated. I went on a weekday so the wait wasn't too bad, but $24 per person just to take pictures from a tall building wasn't that cool. Personally, I don't think it was worth the price. It was cool for a brief moment when I decided to look down, but I wouldn't pay to come here again. The wait for the elevator to go back down was like 20 minutes, longer than the wait for the elevator to go up. The place was still somewhat crowded for an off day, they make a ton of money off this tourist trap, I wish I had thought of this idea. read more

Ugh, SO touristy, and I went knowing it would be but nothing could have prepared me for this. For the cost of the ticket, you get basically nothing but to just pay to stand in line. You stand in line to get in the building; to get down into the security line; to get through the security line; to get to the elevator; to get to a window/clear floor; to get back down the elevator. All in all, we probably spent about 4 hours there, 3 hours and 55 minutes of it standing in line. For 5 minutes of "instagrammable skydecking", your time is honestly better spent elsewhere. read more

Listen, if you've never been to the top of the Sears Tower (which I will call it until the day that I die), you'll probably want to go when you're in the city. And I don't blame you! It's the tallest building in the U.S.! The views are amazing! The city is beautiful! But as a tourist attraction? As someone in the tourism industry, this place really sucks in terms of customer service and upkeep. So my advice to you is this: don't pay full price for this. Only go if you can buy admission in a pack with other things you're interested in doing. I strongly recommend CityPass, which we used during our visit. Unlike other some other passes I've seen, CityPass allows you 9 days to visit the attractions it allows admission for. One of those is the Skydeck. The pass is $106 and is good for 5 relatively pricey attractions--most of which are worth your while. Plus, for most of those attractions--including Skydeck--you get VIP entry and can skip most of the lines. The line was pretty long when we went, so we were glad to skip it. I can't imagine waiting more than 10 minutes for this. After you've waited a little bit, you're forced to take a picture in front of a green screen, for some reason. We weren't photo-ready when we went, and wouldn't have paid the exorbitant fee for the photo even if we were, so we politely asked if we could just skip the photo. I kid you not, the photographer rolled his eyes at us and, completely ignoring our question, told us to step back and "say cheese" then made us take the card with the photo's barcode. If he's required to take a photo of everyone that comes by, I get it, I really do. But he could have at least said so or acknowledged that the question had been asked. Luckily there was a trash can right after the photo op so we could discard the card immediately. When you get to the elevator, they pack you in like sardines and if they want to fit more people in, they yell at you to get closer together, kind of like cattle. Once you get up to the top, pray that it's not a busy day like the day we visited. There were way more people than there ever should have been. I found myself wondering what their fire code capacity was. It was hard to get to any one of the (filthy, streaky) windows to see anything, and forget about taking a picture at one of the Skydecks--there were long, disorganized lines for all of them and you could only get a picture taken by one of their photographers. I visited the Skydeck years ago when I lived in Chicago, and it was not like this. There were professional photographers, but you could also walk up to some of the boxes and take your own pictures. Plus there's a line to get on an elevator to go back downstairs. We probably wound up spending 10 minutes at the top because it was just so uncomfortably overcrowded. Skydeck needs to fix its attitude and its product, but it's already the tallest building in the U.S., so it likely never will, because it doesn't have to to keep its business. read more

Although it's a must do as a tourist in Chicago, it's clearly a tourist trap. $25 for general admission, $75 for a fast pass. May be a roughly 2 hour wait to go up the elevator followed up with a 1 hour or more wait to take a picture on the ledge. I'll admit that there are some great views (especially on clear days...though selfies would be impossible) but it's just too crowded to be fun. Been here before exactly at opening time on a weekday which was less congested. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Skydeck offers a unique and amazing views of Chicago from high above. You will be amazed at what you see from 103 floors up. The coolest part of the Sky deck is when you go to the ledge. You are surrounded with nothing but hard enforced glass. You look down, right, left, straight, up and you will see nothing but Chicago. Don't be scared though. The only negatives is waiting in line to get to the elevator to go up. Even with my go pass, still waited a while. We did avoid the purchase tickets line and possibly some movie presentation. The lines for the ledge are crazy too. People will be up on your back to make sure no one cuts the line. Just have your camera ready to take some cool awesome photos. Once you do get to the 103rd floor, go straight for the ledge. The Skydeck should definitely be on your to do list if you are visiting Chicago. read more

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You arrive five minutes after the posted opening time with tickets pre-purchased online. You are told it's a 2 1/2 hour wait, unless you want to spend an additional $50 per person for only a 30-minute wait time. Don't forget that you only get approximately 60-90 seconds on the ledge and you will be herded like cattle during the entire 2 1/2 hour ordeal. I would rather be trapped on a commercial aircraft and stuck on the tarmac waiting for my gate then to do this again. In addition, the young women working the lines are not knowledgeable and appear to only cater to anyone with a stroller in tow. SUMMARY: NOT WORTH IT! DON'T WASTE $75 per person. For being located in one of the most over regulated cities in America, it's surprising that Chicago city government hasn't stepped in to limit this unscrupulous racketeering. They overregulate every other honest and worthwhile business in the city already. read more

What a disappointment! People should skip this thing, it's nothing special nowadays. We have waited for more than 3 hours to get to the top, 3 hours, it's not a joke!!! I really felt sorry for myself to made the decision to go there. The sky gets dark at 4:20pm at the winter time, we arrived at the building at 1:50pm, but only got to the top at 5:00pm. And we couldn't see anything. What a joke!!!! So bad arrangement. And there is still lines to see the skydeck and take photos. The most unbelievable thing is there is only two section of the Sky deck for the general admission line, but you can not use the first one to take pictures yourself unless you let them to take photos for you first, then you can decide to buy the pictures or not. It was a big mistake we didn't left at the first entrance. Of course you also need to take the lines to go down, so we have wasted about 5 hours, and been so exhausted after. read more

Excellent view of the city of course. They do not regulate the time people spend in the skyboxes so you wait forever in line to see the main part of the attraction. They should have a 60 second time limit for each person. read more

Omg this place was so awesome yes was I scared a little yes! Anxiety kicked in. But hey it was worth the 103 flights to get to too the top. If you want to try your faith of heights this is the place to do it. It's awesome to see what it looks like up so High and it was AWESOME! read more

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This place is a must go to place in Chicago. We went on a Wednesday and still had to wait for a good 1.5 hours to even get to the top. We stood in the second line and that's the timed one where someone takes. Professional picture for you. I feel it's a bit too rushed and they don't even look at the pictures they take for you. They just very quickly snap pics and then make you leave. I feel they should give everyone at least 5-10 minutes to take pictures. BecAuse everyone takes so much time waiting. read more

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It's like never ending lines. Considering we came here on the weekend of the Chicago Marathon, it was absolutely busy. We tried coming here Saturday afternoon and we were told it was about a three hour wait to get up to the top. It was about to rain later on that day, so we decided not to go..if you can afford it it was $49 to go up with a fast pass (about a 45 min wait? at the time I think)...We came back the next day, somewhat early and there was a line outside the building...freaking out we quickly headed to the back of the line...It was a line to get downstairs to get in line to go through security. It took us about an hour in that line, then we went in a smaller line to show our tickets....to go in line to go up... tip: BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE (while you are in line, that's what we did..or you would have to go to another line to buy a ticket)... Then we are finally in line to go up the elevators. When you get up there... after 2 hours of waiting in line...guess what...more lines to take pictures on the Skydeck. That took about 30 minutes to wait in one line... you have about 1 min on the deck... I didn't like my pic so we went to another line (another 30 minutes)....so about 3 hours of lines here...TRY to plan it out so that it's not super busy..if you can. I don't know if the fast pass is worth it. Maybe if you have a lot of money lol. Anyways...I felt like everything was soooo disorganized. There was only one security gate open even if they were so busy. Then when you are in line for them to check your tickets there is only one girl checking tickets so the line for people that bought the tickets ahead of time and the line for the people that just bought their tickets there merged. There was few awkward moments that I experienced and witnessed as the ticket collector was collecting tickets from both lines...it's like who goes first... Then when you are in line close to the elevator, there was a point where the fast pass people can come in, but no one was manning that point, anyone can just cut in line and go there. And again, how is that line supposed to merge? When you get to the top there is a mess of people waiting for..something...There is no real direction on where to go to take pictures on the Skydeck..after a while a lady came out yelling out directions once in a while...There are 2 left skydecks with 2 professional photographers where they will take 1 professional pic of you from the top camera and then he can take a picture with your own phone or you and your companions can take your pictures...but this side has a 1 minute time limit. The skydecks on the right are just basically on your own. Each deck has 3 lines and groups just go through..There will be 2 groups at a time per deck. It felt very crowded, but good thing people have be patient. I wish that there were more directions...it took us a minute to figure out what to do when we got there. And more confused people after us were trying to figure it out. I loved the views though. The pictures came out great which made me happy..and I also appreciate some of the interactive activities while waiting in line by the elevators. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Although $20, this is a must for any tourist. It really allows you to get a full view of Chicago, and the new glass cubes that are suspended over the city are totally worth the photo op. You also get to watch an informative video prior to boarding the elevator, which shows a 60-second video as well about the height of the tower. I went on Thursday evening at 7 PM, and there was hardly any wait. read more

Get ready to put your fears to the test when you step out on the Ledge! Incredible views of Chicago and the surrounding areas! We came on a Friday afternoon at around 2pm. We were told that the wait would be an hour and a half but it ended up only taking about 30 mins to get to the top if you include the short film that they have you watch prior to boarding the elevator. I do suggest buying tickets in advance to skip the ticket line. They jam pack the elevators so be warned! They stuffed everyone in to the point that I was on top of the neighbors next to me. The trip up was quick though and the video in the elevator keeps you distracted. Once at the top, you can stand in line to take a picture in the ledge and shop a few gift shops. Keep in mind that there's also a line to get back in the elevator to go back down! If you're planning to come, definitely leave a lot of time! You'll want a lot of time to explore and look out at the skyline and you never know how long each line may take! read more

Woo! Doing tourist stuff and learning about Chicagoooo. This building is the tallest skyscraper in Chicago and has those window things you can take pictures at and look like you're off the ledge. My boyfriend and I came here an hour before it opened by accident since...I got the opening time wrong. My bad! Anyways it was super windy outside waiting for the place to open. By the time it opened, there was a line that wrapped around the building. This was a Sunday morning by the way. There were definitely people there who were impatient. The walk to the top is very quick. Definitely be courteous with others waiting in line for pictures. We asked the people after us to take ours and it's normal thing to do. There were people who just stayed there taking pictures while the line just got longer. The other lines next to ours were moving fast since people were in and out with their pictures since they were mostly there for the view of Chicago. It was a sunny day so it was definitely worth the walk around on the floor before going back down. read more

Saturday evenings is probably never a good idea I come here if you are looking for a less of a stampede of people. Make sure you buy your tix online and that just shaves off the line time read more

Skydeck Chicago - Skydeck - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Is it a must do? I guess, if you just HAVE to do the most touristy thing in Chi-city. It's meh, as we'd say in spanish, "no vale la pena", and man was paying $26 a pain. The history of the tower is interesting, they give you a rundown as you're traveling up in the elevator along with some fun facts. I recommend going on a weekday during the early morning (opening to 11:30am). There's virtually no wait as opposed to every other hour of the day, so no need to pay extra for the "fast pass". Don't get me wrong, the view is amazing. You'll also snap some great pictures for facebook, dating websites, or whatever social platform you desire to place them on. For people who are as unphotogenic as myself or don't care to take breathtaking views of the Chicago landscape for others to see, you can pass. read more

Skydeck was on my hit list of places to see while in Chicago. We get there on a Sunday. We see tickets are around $25 general admission, $50 for VIP, along with other options, which includes something they call a (Sky pass). Sky pass includes access to 5 other Chicago attractions such as the art and science museums. Sky pass looks like the best bang for the buck and given a Sky deck is getting 3 stars for these reasons * Line length, 90 minutes * Two elevators staff savagely smashes people into. If you are claustrophobic, I suggest sitting this one out * Once at SkyDeck you have 60 seconds for groups of three for pics. You have 90 seconds for groups of four or more (not sure what person max is) I'd guess six. Conclusion, if your on a time constraint, and trying to see attractions in Chicago, put Skydeck towards the bottom of this list. If the line was shorter I would have given this fours stars, and if I'm being as fair as possible 3.5 stars if that were an option. read more

Advice. Try not to go during peek hours. Get the citypass. It is worth it because the general admissions line is long as hell and if you are going with other people as soon as you go up make sure somebody goes to stand in line immediately to take pics on the deck because that line is long as well. Don't get in the first line you see but go around and get in the next line. Wish I knew all of this beforehand. We stood in line for about 30 mins but the deck pics were worth it at the end. The kids enjoyed it read more

the sky deck is one of the most formidable buildings from which you can see from many of its windows a breathtaking view of the city and the charm that is Chicago. read more

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My ONE issue with this observatory is where the "experience" faces. Who wants to see west? There's nothing west. Sure, you don't have to pay extra to go into the box, and it *is* really cool, but the view is sad. Very sad. Especially compared to the view you get on TILT at the Hancock. My suggestion: do TILT (spend the $7), and then get a drink at the bar at the Sears, as opposed to spending the money to go to the deck. View is spectacular, and you can enjoy it with a drink in your hand. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I wasn't optimistic before going up. I thought I was paying $22 for an elevator ride. It was incredible. I don't know how someplace that requires the use of my eyes was incredible but it was. The elevator ride up took only 60 seconds and had a video to go along with it. The elevator goes up 103 floors so fast my ears were popping. The Views from the top are awesome. And the sky deck, the glass floor is an incredible feeling to stand on. It's all very organized and the staff is very friendly and helpful up at the top even offering to take pics with your cell phone. When I was there I was upstairs within 15 minutes of walking in. I got lucky with such a short line I suppose. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a must visit if you're visiting Chicago for the first time. The glass boxes are fun and a great picture opportunity. Even when you're not utilizing the glass boxes, there's view all around the building and even little signs that tell you all the landmarks and staples that are in view right in front of each side of the building. The first time I went, it was too cloudy to see out the windows, but the lack of lines and people was nice. The second time, we arrived maybe an hour after they opened and the lines were not too long, maybe 10 minutes waiting in front of the actual glass box before we got into it. People were normally considerate and didn't take too long with their photos. The process to get up there isn't too bad either, they have facts written everywhere, interactive exhibits, and a short historical movie (that you can skip) to keep you entertained. It took maybe a half hour from the ticket purchase to get to the actual floor with the view. read more

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This was my 2nd time up here! The first time, I was another floor of the Willis Tower for an event, but got VIP access to the Skydeck to check it out. That was fun because I got a little bit more time to hang out and take pics in the window. Then, the second time, I brought my daughter and luckily we got there early because the wait (which was still a bit long, but not quite the Disney theme park-sized line) could have been longer. It took us about 25 minutes to get on the elevator, then there was a bit of a wait to get in one of the windows for some photos + when you get to the window, you have are timed from a stopwatch (by one of the attendants). If you are in a party of 3 or less, you get 60 seconds or more than 3 gets 90 seconds. They take pics of you (that you can opt to buy from them) or you can take photos on your own. the views were quite nice. You pretty much get a 360 degree view of Chicago from up there. It was great because it was clear day, when I went both times, so the photo-ops were sensational. If you're afraid of heights, don't come here because it's over 1300 feet up in the air and surely can be nauseating for those with that fear. read more

This is a great place to visit in Chicago . I have always been obsessed with the Willis tower since it was called The Sears. This was my first time even going inside. I guess I picked a good time to go because the lines were not as bad as I was expecting. It was already dark outside when me and my best friend went . You go into the main entrance of the Willis and down two escalators to the bottom floor . Staff are standing there and will direct you to the security check. Then you will line up to purchase a ticket or if you already have one they will scan it from your phone. The adult tickets are about $23 . They will take a picture of you then tell you to follow the signs until you make it to a big room talking about the Willis tower and etc . We decided to hop in line for the elevators since it wasn't super long. One staff member will start lining people up into the elevator. It felt like we were packed up like sardines lol. As you go up a video comes on explaining you are on your way to the 103rd floor. Your ears will being to pop ! Once you make it there is nothing but glass windows and it is beautiful seeing the city skyline at night . There is small gift shops on the floor and telescopes you can pay to use. As you walk around there is a stage you can take pictures on . Then there is 4 lines for the sky decks . When you line up they will ask how many people you are with before letting you step in the box. First you look up to take a picture then you get about 5 minutes or so to take your own . After you are done you line up to take the elevators back down. There is a photo viewing station where you can purchase the ones they took of you . They were expensive so we didn't buy them . Two more gift shops are down the hall and a food court . Above all it was a good experience. I am a afraid of heights so it was a relief to just step out and do it ! Ps: there is two parking garages across from the tower . We spent $26 at our garage . read more

Skydeck Chicago - My Delta - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The lines and the wait were long to get to the top and when we went in, it was sunny and beautiful with clear skies but we had to wait for over two hours to get in the elevator and the weather changed, the rain and clouds came in and when we got to the top, there was no view and we couldn't see anything which is the purpose of going up to the top. Most of the people around us were equally disappointed. There should be a second chance for the opportunity to go to the top when this happens, especially after waiting for so many hours to have the experience. We did enjoy the fun details while waiting in line and the opportunity to experience the tallest building in Chicago, it was fun to visit regardless of the weather. read more

Skydeck Chicago - Observatories Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Like many others have said, this is a must visit attraction in Chicago (if you are in to great views). We arrived on a weekday afternoon to a tiny line to purchase tickets. Visitors can watch a short video presentation on the history of the tower and where it stands today. The ride up to the top was fast on the express elevators, and the staff was very friendly. I enjoyed the video in the elevator on the way up about the world's other tall buildings. The "Ledges" are the best part of the experience by far (unless you are afraid of heights). I happen to love the adrenaline rush from crazy views, but I was a little bit nervous to step out onto the glass. The experience is great, and it is included with your ride up! Make sure to bring your camera to snap some views of Chicago and yourself "standing in the clouds"! read more

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WOW is all I can say when it came to the lines at this place. You will honestly spend more time waiting on lines to get in, go through security, get in an elevator, wait for orientation, wait for another elevator to bring you up to the SkyDeck and then wait to get on the ledge. Before you know it, you have spent about an hour and a half just waiting to get a quick 2 mins on the ledge and a few pictures. However, while waiting in line to go through security there are many interesting facts about the building of the Willis Tower such as how many steps it is to reach the top, how many celebrities from Chicago by their height is equivalent to the size of the tower etc. There was many fun facts that you can read while you wait but still.....your feet hurt by the time you reach the orientation room. What's crazy is that I purchased my tickets before even leaving NY and that only eliminated about 10mins from the wait time. Once entering the elevator which takes about 60 seconds to reach the SkyDeck, there is an informative audio on the way up in the over packed elevator that you can listen to. The orientation was about 9 mins and given in a pretty spacious room with ample bench seating in front of a huge TV screen. It's amazing how much information can be crammed into 9 mins ..I thought that was nice. The view from the SkyDeck is breath taking and we were lucky to go there on a clear day so we can see everything clearly. Although Chicago is windier than NY right now, it wasn't windy enough to feel the swaying of the building as we were informed happens during the orientation. I was able to get very nice pictures of all sides of the tower so I am thankful for that. We really wanted to see the bottom from the glass ledge so we waited on the line to take 2 professional pictures and one with our phone. The guys that were monitoring our line were nice enough to take our phones to take a picture together rather than a simple selfie. The view was amazing but there wasn't enough time given on the ledge to appreciate it...but I'm glad I can say I did it and I have the pictures to look back on. I am a little disappointed because this was the main reason why I wanted to visit Chicago and it wasn't what I was expecting so I doubt if I ever return to Chicago, that I will return to the Willis Tower. It is over crowded, understaffed and too many lines. I bought a few souveniers from the gift shop which of course were over priced but since I figured I won't be returning, let me get them now. Our professional pictures were $40 for one big one on the ledge and four small ones which were taken before heading up to the deck. It was a good experience but not exactly what I was expecting.. read more

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Well you walk into the tower. There's no signage up, so instead the guy at the front desk yells out toward you to go around the corner and down an escalator. The line wasn't bad, you get crammed like a boat full of refugees into the elevator. You go really fast to the top. Once up to the top, you first notice you have a rather narrow perimeter of walk space. The presumably wasted space on the interior of the sky deck floor is baffling. This interior is not accessible to the public aside from the restrooms and elevator. Hopefully this is structural or something to that effect, otherwise the interior probably takes up 60% of the floor plan. So you are relegated to walking around the small corridors. The real problem with the narrow passageway is when you factor in the line for the actual skydeck boxes that protrude out of the western side of the building. This line is bloated and it wraps around the perimeter. This causes a human traffic jam, meaning even if you just want to look out the regular windows you'll be fighting with the bloated line. This was seriously an issue the day I went. If you wanted to see out of the northern or eastern windows, where the good views are, you will be fighting with and through the skydeck line. You can give up on looking out the western windows, that's all skydeck and you need to stand in line for it. The massive line to go into Skydeck is questionably worth it. Obviously you want to do it since you paid to go up there. However, because of the architecture of the Willisears Towers, the Skydeck has to be on the western side of the building to enable you to see straight down to the street. The west provides the absolute worst view from the Tower, where you can look down on congested interstates and Malcolm X College. Skydeck also features the longest exit ever which includes an elevator ride, going up an escalator, up two flights of stairs, winding around several halls and going through two gift shops to finally end up in the construction zone on the street. Can this exit not be simplified a bit? So my final verdict is save your cash, go to the nicer part of downtown Chicago to the Hancock Observatory, known these days as 360 Chicago. More perimeter space, it has its own gimmick with the Tilt, but it's not nearly as intrusive to everyone else's experience as Skydeck is. Plus Hancock has got an actual bar or more seating areas. A much better use of space. Yeah Tilt costs $8 extra to do, but that helps to keep the demand and line down for it. Meaning more space to actually enjoy the view and few drinks. read more

Yesterday was my second time visiting Skydeck Chicago and it was a pretty pleasant experience. The first time, I came on a Sunday.. Lines were ridiculously long and the wait to even get a picture on the deck was longer. I guess the Labor Day crowd had trickled out of Chicago and what was left came too. It was last minute when I decided to go and we didn't purchase tickets online. I think it was $23/person. Before you go in to watch the infomercial about The Willis Tower, you get a photograph of you and your party taken to be later printed/bought. There are printed copies of the pictures or digital versions of it. Neat. Once we reached the 103rd floor, we walked to the deck area where photographs can be privately taken or professionally taken, we waited in line for about 10 minutes. There was a nice gentleman working and he took 2 pictures from his camera and a few from my iphone. Overall, coming to the Skydeck yesterday took about 45 minutes total which is not bad! If you want to avoid long lines & overcrowding, definitely consider coming on a weekday. read more

The worst customer service the people working near the ledges need some training. First of all, you pay a lot of money and they don't even let you to take normal pictures as they advertise. They give only a minute and by the time you stand there and try to pose the time is over. The workers were very very rude rolling their eyes on us cause we stood in line twice to be able to take nice pictures cause the first time was horrible and we didn't even get any nice picture because of them rushing us. At the end we asked the worker if she could please take a photo of me and my sister together she paused for a minute and wasn't even looking at us acting very annoyed as if we didn't pay almost a $100 for those stupid pictures. Doesn't worth the money nor your time read more

I have been to Skydeck twice so far, once in 2014 and once in 2017. This was the first observatory I went to in Chicago. I had a better experience the first time I went in 2014. My dad and I bought the fast pass tickets to bypass the long line. I also don't remember it being as crowded as it was when I went recently. We stood in line to take a picture over the glass and it didn't take long at all. My bf and I went a few weeks ago, and we had the Chicago CityPass which should have gotten us past the long line...but for some reason we still had to wait in the general admission line! It was so annoying. Everything seemed really disorganized. We had gone to 360 Chicago/John Hancock Tower the day before and agreed that it was a lot better organized and a better experience than Skydeck. They also require you to go through a metal detector here, whereas at 360 Chicago they just check your bags and it's a lot less of a headache. At Skydeck, there was also a lady at the front who kept screaming a memorized laundry list of things to do/do not do... "REMOVE ALL COATS AND JACKETS BEFORE YOU GET TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE...HAVE YOUR TICKETS READY...DO NOT RIP THEM OUT OF THE CITYPASS BOOKLET..." It was super annoying and she sounded really angry. The line to take photos at the glass windows were also long for some reason. We made the mistake of waiting in line at the middle cube because I didn't realize until we got towards the front of the line that it did not have a professional photographer there, which is what I wanted since my bf and I failed to bring a selfie stick and I could not rely on another tourist to take a decent photo of us. After we attempted to take terrible selfies at the middle cube, we went to the left one where they actually had a professional photographer there to take our photo. The guy working was pretty nice and let us take a few shots. It was also a headache at the bottom when I went to buy our photos. For some reason they did not print all of the photos we took so I had to wait for them to print out the rest of them. They were also really pricey... at 360 Chicago they included digital downloads for free, but at Skydeck they were going to charge me an extra $10 per photo for the DIGITAL DOWNLOAD! WTF! I already spent $50 on the printed photos...then they said I had to pay $10 per photo just to download it on my computer?! Absolutely ridiculous. Overall...I really enjoyed Skydeck the first time I went, but after going to 360 Chicago and going back to Skydeck during my second visit, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. read more

I am not a fan of heights. I can scream on a rollercoaster or sleep on a plane, but I do not like skyscrapers or glass-bottomed floors or any of that... but I was determined to live the tourist life in Chicago and bought myself a Skydeck pass. When I got to the elevator, I was told the wait (even for pre-purchased tickets) was about an hour. I stood in line until I saw a sign that directed pre-purchased tickets to the left and everyone else to the right. There was no one in the line to the left, so I asked the people in front of me if anyone had a pre-purchased ticket. None did, so I was able to skip ahead. Since I was solo, I didn't need to pose for my green-screen picture and was pushed further ahead in the line. I got upstairs to the top floor in less than 10 minutes. Once you get upstairs, one side of the floor has the glass-bottomed floors. There are (I think) four sections and each section has 2 or 3 lines to wait in before you can take pictures. **Major complaint: Three of the four sections did not have any staff attending to make sure people stayed in orderly lines or to help take photos. I was there alone and saw many other solo visitors. Every group had to ask the people behind them to take their pictures. This ended up taking more time than necessary and contributed to the long wait times** Once it was my turn, the first step onto the glass was the hardest and scariest part. Even though I witnessed dozens of people ahead of me stepping on the glass, sometimes 10 people on there at the same time, I still felt like clearly it would collapse when I was on it. It was a true test of faith. I was in and out, all told, in less than 30 minutes. Buy your tickets ahead of time and it can save you HOURS of waiting. read more

I loved this... even though I froze up when it was my turn to take a photo... the line was quick but if course I planned well and went on a week day... this has to be the best Chicago photo op location at Sears tower not Willis because I old... also elevator ride was cool... best 20 bucks spent during my whole trip... read more

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