Several years ago on a family trip to Disneyland we decided to ride the Ferris Wheel and ended up in a ride that had no line (as opposed to a long line nearby). We didn't know the different lines meant a different ride experience -- until our "car" started swinging toward the inside of the Ferris Wheel, picking up speed as it appeared getting ready to crash through the wheel structure. My young daughter was scared and the rest of us got a little nervous...it was nighttime and the lights of the ride were swooshing by and we had never been on any ride like that. I haven't given it much thought since then, but am now planning a trip to London and want to ride the "London Eye" and my daughter doesn't want to ride a Ferris Wheel since that Disneyland experience. Can anyone tell me more about the ride experience we had in Disneyland, or point me somewhere I can read about it?

To clarify, I think the Ferris Wheel was actually in the theme park that is next to the one called Disneyland (maybe California Adventure?) They are adjoining theme parks, both owned by Disney, and our tickets let us go in either or both, so I may be confusing which park it was.

Was this the ride you are taking about?

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...ionPage&bhcp=1

“Climb aboard this impressive Ferris wheel to experience two very different kinds of rides.
Take in the soaring views on an exhilarating trip 16 stories in the air in stationary gondolas
But for the real thrill-seekers among us, try the swinging AND sliding gondolas that whip back and forth as the wheel rotates
Do it twice for a well-rounded experience! “

Tell your kid to toughen up

The London Eye, imo, was built in a very similar style (and speed) to the old Riesenrad (giant ferris wheel) at the Prater in Vienna.

It's not so much a "ride" (i.e. amusement park ride) as it is a place to view the City of London from different heights. It's as slow as molasses, if that fast.

Tell your daughter that it's more like being in the slowest outdoor elevator on earth (although the elevator in my office building might be tied for 2nd).

The London Eye isn't like a ferris wheel (well, except for the fact that it's a wheel). First, the gondolas are totally enclosed. Second, you move so slowly you actually have no idea you're moving unless you fix your eyes on a stationery point of reference. I don't like heights at all, and still I have no problem with the Eye (did it last week). There was one guy in our gondola, clearly afraid of heights, who wouldn't go near the windows, but that's okay, too, because the gondola is so big you can sit on a bench in the middle if you aren't comfortable standing/walking/being near the windows.

Don't give it a second thought. The Eye moves so slowly you have almost no sense of movement - at all.

the capsules are totally enclosed and there is a wooden bench in the center if anyone is too nervous to stand next to the windows. I've ridden it 6 or 7 times - a few times w/ folks who are VERY afraid of heights and they had no problems whatsoever.

The Eye is much taller than the ferris wheel in California adventure - but it takes 30 minutes to make one revolution so that tells you how slow it moves.

Every time I ride (well every time except for one private champagne flight) the same thing happens. Some first timers/nervous folks immediately head to the center of the capsule and sit down. Then w/i about 5 minutes they are up mingling and walking around looking at the views w/ the others.

So don't worry - its nothing like any ferris wheel you've been on.

Thanks very much -- that is reassuring. Sounds completely different from our prior experience!

The "champagne flight" sounds like fun, janisj...if only we weren't going to be with the little ones!

Yes, vjpblovesitaly, that's exactly the one. After you posted and I learned the name of it, I did some google searching and found the following comments (from a site called www.disboards.com):

What's so bad about the Sun Wheel ride??

I've read alot of posts from people who said they didn't like the Sun Wheel. I've never ridden it myself, but I know my dh took my ds on it when he was 2 1/2 years old.

Is this something I should just skip? Or is it something that really isn't too bad? I'm kinda a ride wimp, but not too bad...maybe somewhere in the middle

The line is HORRIBLE. It moves so slow. Then the cars have like no handles, you are in this cage, and there are no handles. So you like try to grab onto the cage. Then you like slide toward your death. It's so calm, yet extremly scary, it truly feels like death. It's not exiciting scary fun, like ToT, it's like you are going to plunge to your death unfun. I went on it once, never again. Oh then the ride, is kinda slow and doesn't move a lot, because it is loading everyone else.

I'm with darksyde on this! I'm rarely afraid of thrill rides--I'll try 'em all. I must admit I thought the Sunwheel looked very cool when I first saw the concept drawings and I couldn't wait to ride it, since I really love ferris wheels.

AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! This was THE most frightening ride I've ever been on! The lack of handles or anything to grab or strap you in, the sudden "disconnected" feeling of the cars, the whole thing--TERRIFYING!

My advice: Go on a stationary car. The line is shorter, the view is better and you won't have to go through the terror.

Vomit
That sums it up in one word. I can ride EVERYTHING at DL and DCA with minimal stomach issues...I have to stop at 3 rides of California screamin', but the first two are no issue...but I made it one,yep ONE, time around on a swinging car, and I was green. Luckily the CM's are super accomodating at letting you off early!! (of course, they saw my greeness and didn't want a "clean up on aisle 9!). We have never tried the stationary cars since our first experience was so unpleasant...but the ride is beautiful to look at and one day we will be braver again!! The motion is kind of like a playground swing (which as an adult, makes me a little queasy!). So, everyone is different, but NEVER AGAIN will I swing!!

It's nothing short of all things unholy and corrupt in this world.

I paint a picture of a gigantic wheel lit up like the fires of hell. The unknowing masses line up for what appears to them to be a good time. They are soon locked in a cage and torn from the warm embrace of the Earth towards a violent, swinging, nightmare (should they choose this fate) where your only comfort from the screams of terror is a rewarding view of the park. As you're slowly lifted towards Heaven, your cage proceeds to slide towards the fiery depths of Hades, stopping at the last minute to swing you back and forth like a treat for a hungry monster. Should you choose an outside cell your fate comes in the form of being suspended at the highest point of the ride while a handicapped person or sceaming children are loaded or unloaded from their car 5,000 feet below. Yes. 5,000 feet. The ride operator proceeds to play with your hope by methodically lowering you to the ground level and laughing the whole time.

Beelzebub really outdid himself with this one.

I've only been on them once, and unfortunately, I chose the moving gondolas. I'm a big roller coaster fan and have done all kinds of crazy 'dare devil' stuff, but this scared me more than anything!! The side I chose in the cage made it worse because when the cage really started rocking, the angle was just right so that it looked like I was about to be dumped into the water below. I was with my mom at the time (who was completely panicking) and told her not to look down when we got to the other side. When we went around once, we asked to be let off early. I'll never go on the moving cars again!!! Next week, I plan to try the stationary side because I think the view will be pretty, especially at night.

I have heard horror stories about the random spinning/sliding seats. My friend who wil ride any kind of awful rollercoaster on earth was basically cowered and crying and sick by the time that thing stopped.
It looks VERY high. I pass.

Yep...that was my first clue I might have made a judgment error in agreeing to take my younger son on the sliding gondola. I was watching the CM re-stock the barf bags, but didn't realize at first what they were. When I did realize, it was too late, we were already boarding.

I truly wasn't afraid of the ride; I just didn't like the swinging aspect. No other rides at DLR make me queasy, but the Sun Wheel did. I can imagine that the view from the non-sliding gondolas would be great. (I was too busy trying to control the motion sickness by focusing on a fixed point that I didn't have time to really enjoy the view.)

Baker - are you speaking of the ride at California Adventure. I made the mistake of going on the swinging car with my dd and ended up in the bathroom afterwards... ugh.

We are going on the London Eye this Christmas season... oh boy.

Yes, that's the one. I was holding my little daughter, who had her face pressed into my chest and was crying, as I struggled to remain on the seat without falling to the floor, while my son was saying "Mom, I'm scared" -- it would have been comical if not so nerve-wracking. If we had known what to expect it would have been better -- but we were completely unprepared, thinking it was just a ferris wheel ride.

Based on the advice from the above posters, I think the London Eye will be completely different! I am looking forward to that.

Geez, I was reading your post before last, and started to wonder if I had landed in a Ken Keseyan forbidden box in another dimension! Very trippy!

Oh, that Disneyland ride sounds awful! I will certainly skip that one on my next visit.

If you go on the side that does not rock it is really lovely... and adding my dd's LOVE the side that rocks... I get motion sickness very easy (on planes, cars) and should have known better.

Wow, I guess I must be an adrenalin junkie. I thought the sliding cars were kind of lame and wondered what all of the excitement was about. I had no idea.

Oh my goodness. That ride at Diney Adventure is nothing. Doesn't anyone look at the ride before they get on it? I thought it was the most unigue ferris wheel i had been on. now if they could make that a double ferris wheel that swings like that, then that would be a ride.

mlgb is hardcore...!!!

Rock on, mlgb!