Our next activity on our crusade to enjoy the Las Vegas Strip, and not spend too much, was the Linq High Roller Observation Wheel.
As we loaded the Observation wheel we were greeted by several video screens displaying some schematics and messages about the Observation wheel. Also, some helpful information was shared, so it was good to pay attention to our video host.
The Observation wheel has a diameter of 520 feet. So, when we reached the apex we were 550 feet above the ground. We traveled in a circle of about 1633 feet at a rate of about 1 foot per second. These are rough figures and not official numbers. Still, pretty amazing.
Now, this is an observation wheel, and that’s what we did. We observed the Las Vegas valley. My boys enjoyed watching the airplanes take off and land at the Las Vegas International Airport. My daughters enjoyed observing the skyline change as we got higher. I really liked watching the Bellagio water show from above, and my husband enjoyed watching the entire Strip unfold before us. Obviously, the views were fantastic.
This is a fabulous attraction. We all really enjoyed it. Being a daughter of an engineer, I was fascinated by the engineering of the structure. The observation decks actually float on their supporting arms so that the platform stays parallel to the ground. The decks are always moving, so boarding means being able to time steps from a stationary loading platform to the moving observation deck. We watched one woman almost miss her ride because she struggled with getting onto the moving platform.
We had an observation deck all to ourselves, because we went to the Linq during the early evening hours. It was great. The baby enjoyed crawling around the deck. She had no fear. She would crawl right up to the clear glass wall and look out. Babies are great that way. The decks are clean and air conditioned, with seats and hand rails.
One drawback with this attraction was how difficult in was to get to the actual attraction. We walked through line queues almost as long as Disneyland’s. I was glad we were there in the middle of the day, though, because we didn’t have to wait behind anyone in any of the lines. When we finally got to the attraction, the loading went fairly quickly. We had to race the upcoming deck with tying shoe laces. We won and were able to board with no problems.
Just a heads up, for families to enjoy this attraction and keep it within a budget friendly cost, look for the Groupon deals and other specials offered by the owners. Also, families will need to go during the daytime hours, otherwise the price goes up to $35/person, with kids 12 and under free. The regular daytime price is $20/person, with kids 12 and under free. We used a special that was two adults for the price of one and all of our children were free. So, the price for our family to ride this attraction was about $25 with taxes.
Also, getting to the Linq is a little difficult. Drivers will want to go to Koval Lane., a parallel road, one block down from the Strip to access the Linq. There are lots of signs, but drive carefully. There are lot of cars, tour buses, taxies, and pedestrians in this area.
