A Birthday Treat Visiting The London Eye

We have taken the children to visit London’s South Bank a few times now. Visiting Shrek’s Adventure and the London Aquarium. Ethan has always been fascinated with The London Eye* but we have never taken him on it. I have been on the London Eye a few times now. The last time with my mum for a Mother’s Day treat. Darren has also been on it but we haven’t been on the London Eye together. So for Ethan’s thirteenth birthday, we treated him to a spin on the London Eye.

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Our First Family Trip On The London Eye

Having been on the London Eye a few times I know the weather can make or break your experience. Thankfully the weather forecast looked good for the day of our visit. I didn’t want the day to be too warm as I remember the capsules getting very hot in the sun but it looks like they now have good air conditioning in place. We had clear views of London whilst on the London Eye and we never felt too hot in the capsule.

Ethan was a little nervous about going on the London Eye at first as he kept saying it was too high. I did worry this would stop him from getting inside the capsule. Thankfully he only needed a little prompting.

During this ride, our capsule wasn’t that full. This meant we could move around and get a chance to see all the different views of London. We could also sit down on the middle seat if we wanted to. There was enough space for everyone in the capsule to comfortably enjoy the view of London. I had lots of fun pointing out to the children all of the places I knew in London. Had visited with my family and hope to take them on future visits.

What Did Ethan Think Of His Trip On The London Eye?

Because Ethan kept telling us it was too high I was worried he wouldn’t enjoy his time in the capsule. It was quite the opposite. He loved his time. He was very jumpy and flappy as he looked out of the capsule of the views of London. He loved watching the movements of the wheel as it turned and even got excited when we were right at the top. We asked him if he would like to visit again and he said yes. So I would say it was a very positive trip for him.

Taking Photos On The London Eye

You are free to take photos when you are on the London Eye. There is also a camera positioned on the wheel that can take a photo of you and your family in the capsule. They make an announcement as you travel around to stand in the photo area marked on the capsule floor. They let you know when the photo is taken. We never did this as we weren’t prepared but if you have a near-empty capsule make sure you take one. The end results looked pretty impressive.

If We Visit London Should We Take A Trip On The London Eye?

I wouldn’t just visit London to go on the London Eye. We added a trip to the London Aquarium on the day of our visit. There are other places you can view the London skyline from. But if you purchase a multi-attraction ticket or have a Merlin Annual Pass I think you should take a spin on the London Eye. It is in an amazing position on the River Themes and easily walkable from lots of famous London attractions. London’s South Bank can be a very interesting place to visit. Going to visit the London Eye, and the other attractions there gives you a chance to visit the area. We hope to take the children on the London Eye again in the future.

How Much Do Tickets For the London Eye Cost?

Pre-booking tickets in advance* for the London Eye will always be the cheaper option. At the moment you can pre-book adults tickets online from a starting price of £30.50 and children from £27.50. The price does vary depending on the date you choose to visit. Weekdays in term time will normally be one of the cheaper times to visit. Free carers tickets are also available if you have the correct supporting documentation.

Multi-Attraction Tickets

If you plan of visiting more than one attraction during your trip to London multi-attraction tickets* are also available to purchase. These combined tickets do offer you a discount on the admission prices. There are quite a few options available and you could include a visit to any of the following attractions.

• The London Dungeon
• Madame Tussauds
• Shrek’s Adventure
• The SEA LIFE London Aquarium
• Hop-on-Hop-off BIG BUS Tour

Do You Have A Merlin Annual Pass?

If you have a Merlin Annual Pass admittance to the London Eye is included. We actually purchased Silver Merlin Annual Passes this year. Knowing the children wanted to visit some of the Merlin attractions. Silver is one of the cheaper passes available to purchase so they do have restricted dates to visit the attractions. We worked out that by just visiting three of the Merlin attractions this year the passes would have paid for themselves. We used our passes to book our visit to the London Eye.

Is There Good Accessibility On The London Eye For Someone With Autism?

Sometimes there can be quite a queue to board the London Eye. This did worry me as Ethan struggles with queuing. They have a fast-track option when you buy your tickets. This is a more expensive ticket that places you in the fast-track queue for boarding. You still queue but it is a shorter wait time than the normal queue. As we had Merlin Pass our pre-bookable time slots were for standard tickets.

Looking at the Accessibility Guide we could gain entrance to the fast-track queue by presenting Ethan’s documentation. I took this as well as Ethan’s Merlin Ride Access Pass. We presented this at the fast-track queue entrance and we were let straight in. We boarded our capsule very quickly which also helped with Ethan’s anxiety about the height of the London Eye. It didn’t give him the time to think about it. The London Eye Accessibility Guide also includes a visual social story. I love seeing these included on attraction websites as they are really helpful to someone who needs visuals to prepare for days out.

We love sharing our days out on our blog. Make sure you visit our Days Out and Experiences post to read all about them.