Questions, in the order people ask them

No. This is an independent planning guide written by a retired elevator mechanic. I am not affiliated with the tower, the operator, or anyone who sells tickets. I do not sell tickets and I never process payments. If you need to buy admission, the operator's own site is the place to do it.

Probably, and I say that without laughing. The deck is enclosed, the glass floor is a small ring and not the whole floor, and you can stand on concrete the entire time. The ride up is the part that gets people — the glass front of the car looks straight down the shaft. Face the back of the car on the way up if that is the bit you do not want.

It is laminated plate glass, several layers bonded together. It is engineered for far more load than the queue of people standing on it. The creak is the frame, not the glass. I have walked on it in work boots with a toolbox and it did not care.

Kids are fine and there is no age limit. Strollers are allowed but you will fold them for the lifts. The thing to know is that the glass floor frightens some small children and delights others, and you will not know which until you are up there. Do not force it.

Yes, and everybody does. Two practical notes: the glass reflects, so put the lens close to the window rather than standing back, and at sunset the crowd at the west windows is three deep. Go early or go to the east side and shoot the city instead of the sun.

You will still go up, and you will see grey. The operator does not refund for weather and the deck does not close for fog. Check the webcams before you commit to a timed slot. On a clear day the same ticket is worth every cent; on a fog day it is a very expensive lift ride.

Ninety minutes door to door with a normal queue. Three hours if you eat up there or hit a bad queue. The ride is a minute each way — the rest is waiting.

No. It is a separate booking with its own prices. The floor turns, slowly, and that is the part people remember. The observation deck does not turn.