I love the swinging gondolas on Mickey’s Fun Wheel. What amazes me is how many rational people are absolutely terrified of it. I’m talking about people I have worked with in the industry and understand how safe theme park attractions are.
So, here’s my question. Because the ride cycle is so short, has anybody figured out what the best position is to board the wheel to get the most exciting (most swinging) ride? Is the ride better if you get on during the first unload/load cycle, or the last? Which of the three swinging gondolas is best of the best?
If I had a wish, it would be to get at least three rotations on the wheel beyond the unload/load rotation. I know that will never happen, so I am trying to get the best experience possible during the ride.
Thanks for any insight provided.
The stationary gondola has the shortest wait and you can reach the top of the tower unlike the swinging cabins.
It seems the swinging action is strongest if you have more people in your cabin.
Wow AJ. That was a way more researched response than I had anticipated. Thank You.
Anon - yes, the weight in the gondola does impact the ride, but I was looking to see which of the load cycles has the most uninterrupted ride experience. For me, it's swinging all the way. The added height is just not worth the shorter line.
I'm scared of the ride because of the lack of restraints or something to hold on to. This makes the ride very frightening, as you feel like you could fall at any second.
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I know people who will ride the most extreme roller coaster or drop tower yet are afraid to set foot on a Ferris wheel or chairlift. It is somewhat interesting, but I guess people have different fears.
Anyway, when you are in the queue for Mickey's Fun Wheel and it splits at the loading station, I've always found the gondolas on the right were a bit more intense than the ones on the left. Back when the ride was the Sun Wheel, these were the purple and orange gondolas, respectively, and the purple gondolas were generally known as the better ones. As for positioning in the cycle, the ride loads in 8 groups of 3. Ideally, you want to be in the groups that will begin the full rotation either at or just before the swing point, namely groups 2, 3, 6 or 7. Groups 1 and 8 start at the bottom of the wheel, which means you will either end your ride as soon as the full rotation stops, shortening the swinging (group 1), or you will have a full rotation and then spend the rest of the ride slowly crawling around the wheel while it loads (group 8). Groups 4 and 5 start at the top so any previous swinging has damped itself out by this point. Your position doesn't make a huge difference, but it does have a small effect on the ride.