Eye spy... (London Eye)

Member Name: djw08

Product:	London Eye
Date:	24/11/08 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A fantastic attraction, one of our best in London

Disadvantages: The Eye can get very busy during holidays

On our visit to London in the summer we decided that the Eye was one of the attractions we'd love to try. We had seen clips on TV and had read many good reviews and articles about the Eye. We were not disappointed although if we had been on a clear day we are sure the experience would have been a little better.

The London Eye opened in March 2000 and at the time was the largest Ferris Wheel in the world, to this day it is still the largest Ferris Wheel in Europe. In 2000 the eye was known as the Millennium Wheel and was heavily sponsored by British Airways hence the name BA Eye. Today the eye is considered a major landmark in London with thousands of tourists flocking to the site to take a 'flight' on the Eye. Today, the London Eye is operated by the London Eye Company Limited, a Merlin Entertainments Group Company.

We paid £15.50 each, it was £7.75 for kids and for other concessions £12. We considered this to be very reasonable after some of the rubbish attractions we had seen that week. After some of the other attractions that week we were considering a 'fast track' ticket for £25 and were keen to stop in a cyber cafe to be able to do this. In the end we thought the extra £10 could be spent on a photo at the end so decided not to do this.

We were quite luck that when we went late afternoon the Eye was fairly quiet, and a fast track would have been pretty pointless anyway. The security was very high and we were searched, my girlfriend had her bag searched but we understood this as a necessary part of the trip.

The eye consists of 32 capsules each holding about 28 passengers, the eye moves slow enough to take in the surroundings but not too fast that you feel sick and dizzy going around. It was not too slow so there was no chance to get bored.

Within the capsule we took a seat and slowly headed upwards. There was no commentary on the 'flight' but we had purchased a guide so we knew exactly what we were looking at. When up in the air we could see landmarks a breathtaking 40Km away including all of the sites we had visited that week. The capsule seemed very hot and it was almost like being in a green house so I can't imagine it being much fun during a sunny day.

We took some amazing photos and purchased a flight photo at the end. We hope to visit again next year and possibly do the champagne flight for £33. We would like to go at night and see how it differs from a daytime flight.

Overall I would say that the trip was worth the £15.50 we paid and was an experience we are unlikely to forget.

Summary: We had a lovely trip on teh Eye and would love to do it again!