My advice is to hit the big things like Empire State/ tope of the rock/ Statue of Liberty / 9/11 early in the morning! However I did go in peak Christmas holidays.
I went two years ago, arrived at Empire State at 8:15am. Essentially, the queue was made up of early bird Europeans (lots of Germans!) There was barely a queue anyway. I went straight inside the building, straight through security, bought my ticket, was at the top within 20 minutes of arrival and there was plenty of space to walk around and no having to push and wait to get pictures!
When I got back down, the waiting time had reached two hours, and the outdoor queue was huge doing a large zig zag.
Top of the Rock, if you want to do both like me, does give you a time slot to come back, so less urgent to go first thing but still quieter first thing. It will say on a screen what time slot they are currently selling. It’s amazing in there.
9/11 museum is brilliant, and very moving. I got very goose bumpy and it’s a very well thought out museum. I got there around 9/half 9 I think and did wait about 45 minutes to get a ticket then went in. A very worthwhile trip. Are you going with children? The main exhibit does state that’s its not suitable for children under 10. Not sure if it’s a ban on children.
I didn’t have an attraction pass that you can get, might be worth looking into.
You didn’t mention Statue of Liberty, I’m assuming you don’t necessarily have it on the radar? You can see it really well from the Staten Island ferry which is free.
If you want to do the whole Ellis Island and see the statue, and you have a reserved ticket, arrive at least an hour before your time slot. If you don’t, try and get one online before you go! If you can’t, prioritise for an early morning start (get there before the first ferry!) like I say, I was in extreme peak so it may not be so bad for you, but the line when I got there for people without tickets was 3-4 hours. And the New York attractions pass doesn’t count as a reserved ticket! It’s a great trip, but it will take half your day!
I did 9/11 and Statue of Liberty/ battery park on the same day. Subway will take you right down there and won’t cost much. 9/11 is on route to the Battery, so hop back on the subway and go down to Battery Park. It’s worth doing those together.
I then started the next two days with Top of the Rock and Empire State. From Times Square, The Grand Central Station is on the way to Empire as is the Old Public Library for quick photo stops.
If you like cake, The Magnolia Bakery is worth a stop! Google map it, I think it’s by Radio City but I’m having a total mind blank. There are some nice shops by Top of the Rock and Radio City.
Don’t shop in Times Square it’s a nightmare! Head to 5th Avenue
Macy’s and Bloomingdales I personally didn’t find them all that great - Macy’s has lovely window displays which are great to see but tbh inside it’s a bit of a mess - go in yes,but at the end of the day it’s a department store!
Bryant Park has a good market to visit!
Are you planning on seeing a show? I wouldn’t bother going to the booths that sel the cheaper last minute tickets in Times Square - the wait for these tickets is often a couple of hours which is a waste to get a slightly discounted back row seat. If you have a show in mind, go directly to the theatre and see what they have. I managed to get the Christmas Show for $45 in the stalls straight from the box office. See what they can do.
I hope you have a great time! Just don’t underestimate the cold! It got to minus 16 degrees C when I was there and the wind was like ice being thrown at you! Plus you’re in high time for snow! Warmest coat you’ve got, leggings under jeans, comfy warm boots, hat, ear muffs. Lip salve (the cold completely cracked my lips) I wore two pairs of gloves and ended up forking out for Ugg mittens because my skins was still cracking in the cold.