The helicopter trip was never going to happen, she just said it to be boastful. Obviously they are finding it a lot more expensive than their tiny budget allowed if they're having to economise by choosing one attraction over another instead of letting the child do both as it is his trip after all.
They are near a cuty with some of the finest eateries in the world yet they are eating in the bigots aunt's house every night.
When you think about it properly, Luke's Christmas present is that he gets to stay in a stranger's home, watch the adults get drunk around him and do whatever excursions are the cheapest because mommy and stepped up bigot didn't have enough money for him to see what New York offers, most of his time has been spent in New Jersey suburbs