AmandaH

I have a real fear of heights....glass elevators, observation towers, glass floors etc...although ok in ski area cable cars and airplanes..

A friend told me the London Eye is reassuringly big and strong looking with a solid carpeted floor and metal struts all around...

CAN I DO IT? have any fellow-height-haters done it and enjoyed?

Amanda

baldrick

Difficult to say, but I think you will feel what to do when standing in front of it.

kleeblatt

The good thing about London Eye is that it moves very slowly. You barely realize it's moving.

Baldrick is right: you'll just have to stand in front of it and decide yourself.

willit

I found the first minute or two of the London eye quite scary - but thereafter, as the pod rose higher, it ceased to be a problem.

eliza3

I too have a fear of heights. I went on the London Eye in 2003 and loved it. It does move very slowly but that doesn't really negate the fact that you are up high. I found I spent less time on the edge of the 'pod' than some of the others. It was very much worth it to me.

However, a cautionary tale- there was a woman in the same pod as us who was with her (grown up) family and I gather it was meant to be a special treat for her. She spent the entire time sitting down, eyes closed and either crying or threatening to throw up. We felt so sorry for her. So the message is one person's fear of heights can be much worse than another's. The pods are quite large and strong - as you mention.

RM67

I don't like exposed heights eg external lifts, but found it fine.

It looks enormous close to but don't be put off by that - the pods are large, with benches in the centre if you want to sit down, and the views are so amazing you'll forget any fear after a minute or two.

For the nervous, a night flight is better than a daytime one - don't ask me why - it just is!

ira

Hi A,

Can you do it? You won't know until after the car starts up.

My Lady Wife has no intention of possibly spending a terror-struck 1/2 hr finding out.

lucielou

Amanda

I wont even climb a step ladder into the attic at home, and I did the London Eye last week, I loved it, I stayed sitting the first few minutes, until I felt confident enough to move closed to the edge of the enclosed pod, and i felt perfectly safe. As others have said, its very strong, and you dont feel, well I didnt feel vunerable, you dont even notice its moving, and the view is really amazing, its totally up to you, but if you do decide to try it, you will be amazed by it.

Bluehour

I find the various mentions of "you can barely feel it moving" to be rather odd. People who are afraid of heights don't like being in buildings, towers and many tall things that barely move at all.

The thing that sets me off is seeing that there is "nothing" under my feet. The pod is like a small room, with a wooden bench in the middle. So if you start off seated on the bench, you can just look straight out at the views. (Don't look in at the mechanism if it makes you nervous.) It doesn't swing.

Some people also find a distraction like a camera helps.

I don't like balconies, glass elevators, exterior staircases, things like that. I don't like ferris wheels! But I'm happy to go lean right up against the glass in the Eye. I'm 100 percent comfortable.

In my opinion, you would have to be pretty severely phobic, or of a very dramatic nature, to have a crying/throwing up reaction.

The best way to be in control of any phobia is to be in control of the situation. Go take a look. Make your own choice. The South Bank is a nice area for a walk anyway. You might go look, have a walk, come back and then decide. It's not a wasted journey.

PalenqueBob

<The good thing about London Eye is that it moves very slowly. You barely realize it's moving.>

could be bad for the person who does freak out - it'll be a long time before you get back to the ground

that said i'd say the Eye is one of the most benign such rides - if you've taken ski cables that would frighten me a whole lot more.

wally34949

I think the floor should be glass. Now that would be a rush.

alanRow

No carpet though

cristine27

Amanda noone can tell you how YOU'll feel because if you have a fear of glass elevators and observation towers i can't imagine how London Eye would be any different!
On the other hand you're NOT afraid of cable cars and that's a positive sign!
(just out of curiosity though, how come and you're not afraid of cable cars when they have two elements of fear, glass & height?

tod

It's a breeze Amanda! The 'Pods' are very big and the is a "coffeee table - seating arrangement" in the middle which takes you well away from the glass window. You may feel slightly queesy at the very top but that is so fleeting and slowly approached you should by now be trying to point out the different buildings on the horizon!
I urge you to conquer your fears by holding hands with some devine god-like man!

julia_t

YES YOU CAN DO IT.

The Eye is a doddle compared to a cable car.

I've been on the Eye 3 times now, and was OK to venture to the edge even on the first flight. It's a great experience.

I've been on cable cars many more times, and still hate them with a vengeance. If only I didn't want to go up the mountains...

As others have said, the Eye is solid and stable. It does not swing or shake or quiver in the wind or wobble when other passengers move.

But don't even get me started on chairlifts!

Weekender

I am with you on this one! No glass elevators for me. However, the London Eye is really fun and I loved the whole thing. The wheel is huge, the pods are big and you really do not feel much of any movement. This is not your typical ferris wheel and I bet that while you may start out on the bench you will end up looking out the window.

KayF

Amanda,

Here's another vote for - yes, try it. I get vertigo too, I would NOT stand on a glass floor, and feel dizzy if I stand in a glass lift and am close to the glass. I went on the London Eye and really enjoyed it. I made sure I looked OUT, not down.

When you get on, sit on the communal seat in the middle and if you don't feel comfortable, you can just stay sitting there. On our ride, almost everyone was moving around, looking at different views and taking photos but you don't have to move around (you might find your view blocked though).

Try not to think about what is below you. When you get on and off, the pod does not actually stop, it is going so slowly though it is enough time to get everyone on and off. Just be careful not to look straight down through the small gap - it's a bit off-putting.

Kay

PalenqueBob

Maybe going at night after dark would lessen the potential fear?

And to see illuminated London landmarks like St Pauls and Parliament and Tower Bridge from high up is great.

Zeus

Just to be a pain in the a...I'm not normally an acrophobic but I was a bit uneasy on the Eye. Having all that glass around me freaked me out a bit. The higher we went the more I gravitated toward the center of the car. I think I would've been fine if there were a solid metal wall from the floor to my waits. It was just something about seeing just glass between my feet and instant death.

But let me also add that even standing in the near center of the car where I felt most secure, the views were breathtaking. You have to do it at least once.

DGC

I know this reply is well after the original posting but others may read the thread later on and I wanted to give my opinion. I have a real fear of heightsbut am reasonably OK with planes. I've been up the CN Tower in Toronto and was scared stiff and this fear has grown over the following 7 years or so. It is irrational but still very real. I booked the London Eye for my wife and I in January 2008 and was told it was very high. We arrived, I looked at it and thought, yeah, that's high but didn't feel particularly worried. I say this because people have said 'get there, look at it and then decide'. Well I was fine looking at it. I queued, got on, and then it goes up. And up. And up. It hadn't gone far up and I was a complete mess. A 6 foot strapping 35 year old male with clammy hands and tears of fear rolling down my face. I kept my eyes shut for most of the hellish half hour. My clothes were damp with sweat and I described it as the worst half hour of my life. Totally irrational but there you go. You can look at it and think you're OK and then be absolutely petrified when you get on. Just my view of course and I'm sure many people with a fear of heights will enjoy this. I wish I could have.