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One of the coolest things about the wheel and it's placement in the center of the flattest place in Ameri​ca is from the top, you can actually see the curvature of the planet. You can also easily see the park weenies at WDW. Universal is even closer. And on a clear day you can see Kennedy Space Center.
To be up there during a rocket launch would be epic.
 
Went opening day.... the Eye was pretty cool.... the view from the top was impressive (And yes, we could see the VAB from the top!). Madame Tussad's was as cool and creepy as I'd remembered from London (there's something about getting right up to these figures ...). And SeaLife was just beautiful inside...
 
Went this evening...honestly kind of disappointed but it was still cool and something I was glad I did. We opted for the VIP champagne treatment, but that was kind of a rip off. It was cool being able to skip the line and we also opted to have our guide skip us past the photo (is this mandatory for everyone else??) but then the part where you go into the 3-D show...delayed? Broke down? I dont know. After about 15 minutes of waiting, they started collecting people's 3-D glasses and having them cluster up away from the theater. No explanation. Meanwhile, we had lost our guide (who said he would wait for us on the other side). Then what do you know, the theater doors open...we just went right through and skipped it. The champagne was about as good as you'd expect for the price (although I'm a broke college kid I dont know that much about champagne). Cheese plate was good. Then we got to skip the line and get right on just us and the guide which was nice. Thought the view was pretty underwhelming though and the guide seemed like he had no idea what he was talking about. He also said a lot of stuff was only visible during the daytime but its fuzzy and hard to see--apparently the night view is much better. It was still cool, but nothing you can't see from the JW Marriott or World Center.

Tl;dr...I had fun, it was cool, but there are a lot of kinks they have to work out (understandable) and it's a one and done type deal until they reduce the sorta high price.
 
Driving by on Universal Blvd the other day I could see there was absolutely no line for the Eye. That gives me hope that during the slow times of the year they will offer some real deals to get people in the doors. $25 to just ride the wheel is a bit steep.
 
OrlandoGuy said:
It was cool being able to skip the line and we also opted to have our guide skip us past the photo (is this mandatory for everyone else??)
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You can ask to skip the photo part, always. :)

DBF and I upgraded our Orlando Eye/SEA LIFE combo ticket to a FL annual pass (includes the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE, LEGOLAND Florida, LEGOLAND Water park, and the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Atlanta). We have done all 3 of the I-Drive 360 attractions.

We noticed that the Eye was more crowded towards the evening.
 
My ticket to all three attractions was only $26 + tax through a AAA deal. Haven't gone yet, though. The ticket is good through 12/31.
 
This is a little unsettling to read about for anyone is nervous to ride this to begin with.



http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-orlando-eye-still-shut-down-20150515-story.html

e Orlando Eye remains still Friday morning after an undisclosed problem shut down its operation Thursday morning.

lRelated The Orlando Eye is closed after "irregularity"
TOURISM CENTRAL FLORIDA BLOG
The Orlando Eye is closed after "irregularity"
SEE ALL RELATED
8

The 400-foot wheel typically opens for business at 10 a.m. but was not in motion at that point today.

"The Orlando Eye is currently closed due to a technical issue. We hope to resume flights soon," reads a post on its website.

The International Drive attraction closed Thursday at about 11 a.m. when the operating system "indicated an irregularity," according to the attraction's spokeswoman.

"As a precautionary measure, the decision was made to temporarily cease operation of the Orlando Eye and investigate further today," said Orlando Eye management in a statement. "Our engineering team is working to ensure everything is operating properly and will return the wheel to full operational status as soon as possible."

The company made no additional comment on Friday. The Orlando Eye's Twitter account and Facebook pages had no posts for a 24-hour period and did not address the closure.


It is unknown if anyone was one the wheel at the time of the stoppage. No other details were released.

The Orange County Fire Rescue Department, who has staff trained for emergencies at the Eye, did not have to respond to the malfunction, the department's spokeswoman said.

Potential riders were notified of the closure on the attraction's website with a small alert at the top of the homepage.

The attraction, one of three operated by Merlin Entertainments Group, is located in the I-Drive 360 entertainment and retail complex at 8445 International Drive.

Madame Tussauds wax museum and Sea Life Aquarium, located in the wheel's terminal building, continued operating as usual, according to a company spokeswoman.

Attraction officials took to Twitter on Thursday to respond to guests upset they wouldn't get to ride. Guests worried they would lose money were told pre-purchased tickets are good for 30 days.

Riders who cannot reschedule a trip on the wheel will get a refund, according to the Orlando Eye's official Twitter account.

cdineen@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414

Copyright © 2015, Orlando Sentinel
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Hockeyman55 said:
I can vouch for Legoland, its a legit theme park for who it is geared towards.
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Great. I want to go but have a hard time finding someone older who actually thinks it's legit enough for the casual theme park fan to go too. I never went to Cyrpress Gardens myself but heard it was an awesome place. Being Legoland is Merlin I was always sort of resistant. I wanted to do the Eye right away, but like Gringotts, I'll give it time. lol
 
ThatFloridaDude said:
Great. I want to go but have a hard time finding someone older who actually thinks it's legit enough for the casual theme park fan to go too. I never went to Cyrpress Gardens myself but heard it was an awesome place. Being Legoland is Merlin I was always sort of resistant. I wanted to do the Eye right away, but like Gringotts, I'll give it time. lol
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I never visited prior to Legoland either, never felt the need to. Its hard to say if I would have gone to Legoland if I didn't have kids although I probably would have at least once to check out the Mini land and coasters but might not have been a repeat thing for me.
 
Gringott's had an indefinite technical issue before it opened. Merlin is a legit company...questionable marketing and business strategies but they've been big players long enough to prove to have safe products.
 
myheartisinFlorida said:
I'll be visiting The Eye and Sea life in 10 days, I'm not much on seeing Tussaud's however. Just doesn't really interest me at all
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Do you have AAA? If so, you can get tickets to The Eye, Tussaud's and Sea Life for $25 per person total, which is significantly less than buying individual tickets to The Eye and Sea Life.
 
For anyone in the UK who is buying their Park tickets via Attration Tickets, they are currently giving away tickets to the Eye, MT and Sealife with every order. Keep an 'Eye' out :happy:
 
Jon84 said:
For anyone in the UK who is buying their Park tickets via Attration Tickets, they are currently giving away tickets to the Eye, MT and Sealife with every order. Keep an 'Eye' out :happy:
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Thanks for posting, know about the AAA offer so this might be just as good, only problem is I don't really need any other tickets.
 
roodlesnouter said:
Thanks for posting, know about the AAA offer so this might be just as good, only problem is I don't really need any other tickets.
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No problem, they have always given away some kind of voucher. But never anything this big
 
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