I am planning on writing another blog post on more things to do in Seattle for free or low cost, as visiting Seattle should not break your pocketbook and there are plenty of amazing things to do in and around the city. If you’re interested in a few things to do in Seattle under $30, you can read my post 10 Things to Do in Seattle Under $30. I wanted to write a short review of my experience at the Seattle Great Wheel since it’s one of the main attractions on Pier 57 on the Puget Sound.
I went during the day time on a non-typical sunny day. I say non-typical as we usually always have gray skies here in the Pacific Northwest. I encourage you to visit the Great Wheel during a weekday as you can expect longer wait times on the weekends and plus you might not have to fight traffic getting in or out of Seattle depending on which time you go as opposed to the weekend. I also purchased my ticket online which saved me some time when I got there since I didn’t have to purchase at the ticket booth. There are a variety of prices but it’s normally $14 for adults and $9 for kids ages 3-11. They also have VIP tickets at $50 each where according to the Great Wheel website “each ticket also includes a champagne toast at Fisherman’s Restaurant, a special VIP t-shirt , photo booth photos, and you will be personally escorted to the front of the line to board the wheel.”
The Great Wheel was opened in 2012 and it still looks brand new. With an overall height of 175 feet, the Seattle Great Wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast. I’m actually kind of amazed that they have this big wheel perched on top of what looks to be a rickety wooden pier, but I’m sure it’s always “safety first” so they probably have it anchored to pylons or something below the water. There are 42 gondolas that hold eight people each.
The day I went, the line actually moved pretty fast and it only really took me about 10-15 mins to get on the ride from just near the ticket booth. They make you take a photo to capture your experience before you get in line but you don’t have to purchase it if you don’t want to. When it was my turn to ride, I like that they don’t force you to ride with a whole bunch of people you don’t know. Everyone gets to experience the ride in his own way. I’m not sure how this pans out on days they are busy though as they might try to move the line quicker and get more people into one gondola. It is a Ferris wheel so it’s not that different from any other Ferris wheel you’ve been on. You get to go around 3 times with stops here and there to let other riders off, so the ride takes about 12 minutes. It isn’t super slow either but just fast enough where you kind of feel like you got your money’s worth.
It’s really cool to see the ferries going to and fro and watch the pedestrians on the pier nearby and all the boats zipping along. It’s also an odd experience when you go over the water because there isn’t any pier below you at that point, you just get to see the water and the wonderful view of the mountains and the sun glares off the water to just warm the soul. So maybe bring sunglasses if it’s a rare sunny day. It was a really nice smooth ride and relaxed me just enough.
One thing I didn’t understand was how you to open the air-conditioned pods should there be an emergency or if the gondolas perhaps fall into the water. I assume they are buoyant to a point but I wouldn’t want to be trapped in a “glass case of emotion”.
If you’re trying to save money but still want a budget version of the wheel experience, they do have light shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before 10 pm where they light up the 500,000 LED lights of the Great Wheel for an unbelievable show you’ll be sure not to forget.
Nonetheless, it’s one of the cheaper attractions in Seattle so if you don’t want to bust your wallet for the attractions near the Space Needle, try the Great Wheel and maybe the Columbia Center Sky View Observatory. I’m not sure it’s worth the VIP price though. You can also walk the piers and check out the Seattle Aquarium, The Crab Pot restaurant and bar, Wings over Washington, and of course Ivar’s Seafood.
