If there are two things I love in this world, it is travel and alcohol in no particular order. So when I was presented with the opportunity to combine the two of them into an exclusive evening on the London Eye Champagne Experience, I jumped at the opportunity.
I was spending two weeks in London with my boyfriend, his brother, and his brother’s fiancée and we all wanted to experience a ride on the London Eye. Riding the Eye was one of the top items on my bucket list but I was too cheap and broke to justify paying the $30 tickets. But as soon as Christian mentioned that we would be buying the $40 champagne experience, I realized that sometimes you have to splurge in your travels.
Traveling the world is not a cheap task, even when budgeting as much as possible. Regardless, I still live by the motto that “memories are expensive,” and sometimes splurging isn’t always a bad thing. So that is how I found myself getting ready to board the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel.
The four of us booked our tickets for the champagne experience a few months in advance but moved the date up due to a last-minute flight to Ireland. I mean it when I say I’m always on the move. The London Eye’s customer service was extremely helpful and allowed us to change our reservation, which only enhanced our overall experience. Additionally, we showed up early to our 5:30 reservation and they were kind enough to let us board at the 5:00 slot instead to watch the sunset.
The thing I was looking forward to the most about riding the wheel was figuring out how to get on. As far as I knew, the Eye never stopped moving so how could they allow for a whole capsule of people to board? It was a mystery that had perplexed me for years and I finally received my answer.
The Champagne Experience
The four of us carefully walked on to the Eye as the sun slowly sank behind the River Thames. I learned that the Eye has a long platform for loading but you need to step quickly in to the pod. If you don’t, you’ll be stranded. It sounds a lot harder than it is but there are a ton of attendants who help you. As part of the champagne experience, we were ushered ahead of the line and into our own private capsule that was reserved only for other people doing the champagne experience. We had unobstructed panoramic view over the sprawling city of London since there were so few people in the capsule.
Soon, the unmistakable pop of the champagne bottle could be heard as the attendant passed out glasses of bubbly. We watched the skyline shrink beneath us as we sipped on chilled champagne. Sharing that moment with the people you love made it even more spectacular. The sun made it difficult to photograph the sights due to the reflection from the glass but it was beautiful to see in person.
The 30-minute ride was way too short in my opinion. I could have gladly continued going around in circles until I got dizzy but I sadly had to disembark. Quickly of course to avoid getting stuck since the pod never stopped. Overall, I highly recommend the champagne experience. If you don’t enjoy champagne (or experiences), the regular ticket is still worth it. My favorite part about the champagne experience was the exclusiveness that came along with it. You can rent out a private capsule for $600 but this is a cheaper way to get a similar experience.
If you’re ever in London and have the opportunity, be sure to ride the Eye. It is an experience that you will certainly remember for a lifetime!
I was a guest on the Coca-Cola London Eye and all opinions are mine.
THANKS FOR ADVICE!
Not a problem, glad I could help!