The Eiffel Tower, the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the St. Louis Arch? All totally passé. The Great Orlando Wheel is coming to Central Florida in 2010--and will be the greatest thing ever invented!

At least, that's what the producers of this ridiculous 4-minute promo video would have you think. See if you can stand to watch the whole thing!

Make it to the end? No, you didn't miss it. They never mention how much a ride on this monstrosity will cost.

Related Stories:
· Great Orlando Wheel [Official Site]
· Wheel Announced With Hypnotic, Over-the-Top Promotional Video [WorldHum]
· Orlando Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-07-01T15:18:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/26/73939/1168

Anyone with a fear of being stuck at the top of a ferris wheel would not have been happy on the London Eye on Monday. There was no big drama--just a malfunctioning tire--but engineers decided to immediately stop the ferris wheel completely.

That meant that about 400 tourists were trapped in the capsules, some of them 450 feet off the ground, for over an hour. Depending on who you listen to, this was either absolutely fine or a complete nightmare.

Naturally enough, the London Eye spokesperson said they were in full contact with all the visitors and had them open the capsule's emergency pack supplies of water, blankets and even commodes. But at least one of the passengers saw it otherwise and said it was horrible: they had poor communication with staff and got panicked into almost stampeding when they were finally let out. Just goes to show that there are a lot of different views from a ferris wheel.

Related Stories:
· Hundreds Stuck in Mid-Air on London Eye [Guardian]
· London Eye Flyover [Jaunted]

[Photo: .koltregaskes]
]]> amandak 2008-03-26T09:45:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/5/125315/4916

The Langerado Music Festival starts tomorrow in the Florida Everglades, with all your favorite jam bands--from Beastie Boys to Gov't Mule--making appearances. So what's the Ferris wheel connection? There'll be one on the festival grounds, giving bird's-eye views of the bands.

If you prefer your music a bit more proper, maybe a trip to Haydn's hometown would suit you better. Vienna, Austria's opera capital, also claims one of the world's first Ferris wheels, the Riesenrad. (That's German for "giant wheel.")

The ride, above, towers 200 feet into the air, and even showed up in the film noir classic "The Third Man." If you can't snag a seat on one of the Riesenrad's 15 gondolas, there's a smaller wheel on the outskirts of town at the Böhmischer Prater.

Related Stories:
· Langerado Music Festival [Official Site]
· Vienna Prater, Home of the Riesenrad [Official Site]
· Ferris Wheels coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikipedia]]]> pbb 2008-03-05T13:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/29/1104/58972

We've been getting excited about the Singapore Flyer for years now, and after this month's soft opening, it'll officially open tomorrow, March 1. But the the good Ferris wheel people of Singapore won't rest then, because they'll be preparing for the really proper Grand Official Singapore Flyer Launch, scheduled for April 15.

If you can't make any of the opening ceremonies, you can check on things by pulling up the Singapore Flyer webcam: When we checked, the wheel wasn't moving, and the weather suggested you wouldn't be able to see to Malaysia or Indonesia as promised.

Everyone wants a piece of the Singapore Flyer at the moment, with ASEAN politicians taking a ride this week, but the Singapore Flyer wants a piece of us too. They're promoting a What Wheel It Be? contest, where creative uses of a picture of the Singapore Flyer in any kind of work of art could win you some audio equipment. We're just hoping for an invite to the Grand Official Finally-It's-The-Last-Opening launch in April.

Related Stories:
· Giant Ferris Wheels Are the New Final Frontier [Jaunted]
· Singapore's Big Wheel [Jaunted]
· Flyin' the Singapore Flyer [Jaunted]]]> amandak 2008-02-29T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/28/113843/374

Work is underway in Dubai to build the world's second largest Ferris wheel. Now, normally we'd expect the emirate to be number one in the giant-tourist-attractions department, but Singapore swooped in with its massive Flyer before Dubai could get its wheel up.

Second place or not, this thing is still gonna be huge. At more than 400 feet high, it'll allow views of more than 30 miles, far enough to see all the other ridiculous structures in town.

If that's not ostentatious enough for you, get ready for this winter in New Jersey where a soda company has bought up the rights to a 287-foot wheel at the Meadowlands. The Pepsi Globe will feature 26 cars holding 20 riders each and will give panoramic views of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River from a new entertainment complex called Xanadu, above.

As always, plot your travels with our Ferris Wheels of the World Map.

Related Stories:
· Giant Ferris Wheels Are the New Final Frontier [Jaunted]
· Ferris Wheels coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-02-28T11:39:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/20/10591/0795

Earlier this month, we told you about the Singapore Flyer, the super Ferris wheel that's now the world's biggest. But height alone doesn't make an awesome ride, or at least that's what they're hoping at Pacific Park in Santa Monica.

Starting May 8, workers will put in a new, high-tech wheel with all sorts of wild lighting effects. (Think LED hearts for V-Day, an American flag for Independence Day, a wreath for Christmas.) The new 90-foot ride should be ready in time for the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day.

Given how hot the Ferris wheel competition is getting worldwide, we figured we better map out your best options. If your top trips are all about getting high, here's where to go.

Related Stories:
· New Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Pier [LAT Deal Blog]
· Pacific Park [Official Site]
· Ferris Wheels of the World Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: vgm8383]]]> pbb 2008-02-20T11:19:09-05:00 34.010073 -118.49653 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/12/144452/184

Earlier this week Singapore opened Singapore Flyer, a new 165-meter-tall observation wheel, expected to draw 2.5 million visitors in its first year of operation.

The Singapore Flyer tops London's Eye by some 30 meters, but while the London wheel may be the most famous, it's actually the Star of Nanchang in China's Jiangxi province that was the highest wheelie ride until this week.

Singapore already has Berlin and Beijing breathing down its neck; both cities are set to release even taller wheels. Orlando, Qingdao and Dubai are all planning massive circular structures in the coming years too.

Looks like the halcyon days of "build a giant wheel and they will come" are a thing of the past. For now, Singapore is ready, offering adults 30 minute rides at $29.50 and throwing in gorgeous vistas of one of the cleanest countries in the world. Your move China.

Google map after the jump, though the Google Blimp needs to take a new photo of Singapore's Marina Bay, as the flyer does not appear to show up as of yet.

[Photo: stephen_au]]]> markj 2008-02-12T16:36:40-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/