All aboard for the London Eye (London Eye)

Member Name: pinklady123

Product:	London Eye
Date:	11/07/00 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unique way to view the Capital

Disadvantages: Expensive for just half an hour and on days with bad weather, you won’t see much.

On one of my recent visits to the Capital, I decided to pay a visit to one of London’s newer attractions - The London Eye.
After hearing horrendous reports about the length of the queues and waiting time I was not optimistic about my trip, but more about that later.
The first problem I encountered was with the telephone booking service. I visited the official website to see if it was possible to book tickets over the net as I live in Newcastle, too far to buy tickets from the actual Eye itself. When I discovered that you have to telephone to reserve your tickets I was a little annoyed that technology had not been taken advantage of but I promptly telephoned the credit card booking line.
The major problem with booking in this way was the amount of time it took to actually book. It took ages! After spending close to 20 minutes going through all the options on my touch-tone phone I found I was cut off just before I was asked for my card number. I tried again, going through the same process only to find that apparently my ‘card number was not recognized’. When I tried for the third time after almost an hour on the phone, the booking was confirmed but I was more than a little annoyed that it had taken so long to book only 2 tickets.
The actual ride on the Eye was a pleasant experience. There was no queue, (although when collecting my tickets earlier in the afternoon there was a huge queue with hundreds of school children on trips) and we were able to board straight away. However, I do recommend that, if it is convenient, you try to book for early evening, as we booked for 17:30 and as well as there being no queue, there was also plenty of room in the capsules as well.
The ride takes about 30 minutes, and while the view from the top is quite good, it isn’t as spectacular as you would expect, mainly because the wheel doesn’t seem as high when you are on it as it looks. Still, you can view many of Lond
on’s top tourist attractions and sights by air such as Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and you can even see the Dome if you look carefully.
Finally, I have to mention the price, which at £7.95 each can add up to be quite expensive for a family for only half an hours amusement. I would, however, recommend that you take a trip on the Eye as it gives you a different perspective of London and it’s better than the Dome anyway!

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