This is a for sure a touristy highlight if you visit Navy Pier. You are getting a view of Chicago you won't get from any other part of the city and the view is impressive! You see everything running along the shores of Lake Michigan to the north and south of Navy Pier. I've been on the original Ferris wheel at Navy Pier and remember that one had gondolas that were partially open to the outside. This "new" one is completely enclosed. If possible I think going on Wednesday or Saturday evenings in the summer to see the fireworks and nighttime views of Chicago would be epic. I went around sunset and it was still very enjoyable. The city lights had no quite turned on yet. There were plenty of sailboats on the water, which made for a lovely water scene. We made 3 revolutions around, which I thought was enough time to see everything. The cabin was wide and spacious, and they will sit you with other parties for efficiency. It's a slow ride and I didn't feel any rocking or instability. There is an informational video on the ride, but I couldn't hear any of it because of the loud AC. It would've been nice to learn a bit about the history of the ride while sitting on the ride. read more

Expensive at 25 USD per person, Gorgeous views at night, easily accessible by public transport/no issues parking. This is a fun tourist attraction with spectacular views of the city at night. I've taken different visitors on the wheel at various times, and late evening/night is my favourite because you can see all the buildings lit up. As far as I know, the wheel is operational until 9:00 PM, and is considerably less crowded post 7:30 pm. I would still recommend making online reservations. Combine a visit to the wheel with a show at Chicago Shakespeare if you can, and please check the weather before you make reservations: the wheel is not operational during rainy weather. The ticket price is however refundable in these cases. Overall, highly recommend if you are a tourist and have money to spend! read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - View from the wheel at night - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Centennial wheel is a lot of fun and a great way to get an airel view of the pier. Get there when it opens and you may have the ride to yourself! read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

$20 per person it's not like the eye wheel the other states have. This goes a lot faster and it goes around three times was kind of hard to see out of the window. They were like scratched up not sure what it was. There is no music. There's a nice view if you look from different angles. Pictures are taken in the beginning you're giving a card so you can receive it digitally or buy it after your ride. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Outside one of the windows - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The views were excellent, but the ride itself was a bit dull. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have family members who are dying to go.

This was probably one thing I did in Chicago that just okay. I could take it or leave it. It cost about $25 and you'll be on there for about 3 revolutions. It does give you a nice view of the city. It was cold outside but that box got warm very quickly. Didn't seem like any air was circulating. read more

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We went at night after a day of exploring. Not as great of pictures but what a view! I think you could go either at night or during the day and enjoy. I think we paid $20 each and got three revolutions in the wheel. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Nice attraction with very good views of the city. I would recommend as it was pretty cool. read more

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Fabulous Ferris wheel with very comfy air conditioning gondolas. After spending the morning seeing the sights in the city this attraction provided us a good break with some outstanding views of the city. They also had no problem giving us my spouse and a gondola for ourselves which helped us have the perfect day. read more

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It is VERY expensive... two adults and a child over $100 seems incredibly excessive to ride a Ferris wheel for 10 minutes. But you do get your own enclosed car and the views really are gorgeous. It's situated perfectly on the pier where you can get the water views and the city skyline. Took so many pictures. :) read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Waiting in line - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

$46 for me and my 4 year old son and they can't even be bothered to wash the windows so you can actually see or take pictures of this overpriced view. Absolute ripoff. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Our window - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very clean and safe. My kids and I wandered about, taking in the Fly Over, Ferris Wheel, and four wheel bike rent. We also walked around inside and shopped for a bit. It was a lovely excursion and just a 20 minute walk from our hotel. read more

Took a 20 minute walk from my hotel to the Navy Pier on September 12th. Didn't really experience the pier just wanted to come for the wheel. Views were a little lackluster but I can say I came & saw. read more

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Chicago views! Of course I went up in the Centennial Wheel with the free hour I had in Chicago. I'm a tourist at heart. We're going up 200 feet for panoramic views of the city and Lake Michigan. There is something about a good view. The enclosed gondolas ensure a comfortable ride year-round cold or hot and regardless of the weather. Navy Pier and the Centennial Wheel are musts. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A great view in semi-heated cars means it's a perfect spot in winter. Be patient. You'll probably go around one time with several steps, but then you'll enjoy a couple more rotations and gorgeous sights. read more

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Even though it's kind of expensive it's worth going on for a good look at the surrounding area. It really is more than just riding an amusement ride. The Navy Pier has the Centennial Wheel. A touristy thing for sure but it's still pretty fun. You can get great views at the top. Big wheel that goes around a few times, and it makes a few stops letting you get a good look at the stuff around it. It's more about the chance to take pictures than it is about being a fun ride. This only spins three times or so. It goes slowly, and there's an employee talking about the area around it. Worth it to go at least once. It's about $17 for adults. That sounds like too much, and it is, but if you like taking pictures you got to go on here and see the Pier and skyline. Go on it just once and that's enough. It's a familiar tale that the price is the worst thing. The stuff around here is all expensive though so whatever. read more

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Had a great time riding the Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier! It's a great view of Downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan! read more

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Centennial Wheel was next on our to-see list in Chicago. We got there early and didn't have to wait in line long. We got on and probably did the ride 3 times until we got off. It's very nice, relaxing, and romantic to do with your partner or family! We took lots of pictures and loved our time in it :) read more

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Beautiful views from the wheel and its a must do when in the area! Located right on the pier you have views of the water and of the skyline. Stopped by on a Saturday and it was a little bit of a wait. Plenty of places around the wheel to take pictures. read more

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Expensive? Sure - $20/person. Touristy? Heck, yeah. Out on Navy Pier, this giant Ferris wheel provides a fun ride up and around a few times for a terrific view of the Chicago/Lake Michigan coast. My husband and I happened upon the wheel on a frigid January morning. It was open. No line. Heated seating compartment. A chance to catch some great views and get out of the cold. We paid our money and hopped aboard! Our spin (actually 3 spins) around the wheel lasted about 7 minutes. You'll have to decide if it's worth your money; for us, it was ! read more

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Had fun on the wheel. We're all adults but were oohing and aahing like little kids at the city views. Smooth, not scary and just the right length. We really enjoyed it. read more

It's always fun to take a ride on a ferris wheel, especially when there are no crowds and the wait time is minimal. Brought my daughter and her friend here for a ride and weren't disappointed. We did a full three trips around the wheel. The weather was great. The views were spectacular. The cab is air conditioned, and they didn't cram us in with more people because they weren't that busy, so we had it all to ourselves. Good times. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was a pretty warm day but we had to make our visit to Navy Pier happen. There was a line to redeem our City Pass ticket to a centennial wheel ticket. After getting our ticket, we were directed to another line to get on the wheel. Wait seemed long since it was warm, but not too bad. We were able to capture some great pictures from the top when it stopped to unload and load passengers. read more

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The Centennial Wheel and going to Navy Pier was something that I had not done on my previous trips so I was excited to get this experience with Ben. I had bought us the Chicago City Pass and the wheel was one of the listed items at the time so worked out great. Side note, that is a really great way to see the City's big attractions all for one cost depending on what you're doing but broken down it was more than worth it for us. We went during the day but I am sure the night view experience is awesome as well with the city all lit up. The ride is kinda short like other reviews have mentioned but not any shorter than the other wheels I have been on like in Orlando so that part didn't bother me or the start/stop process for others to get on. Since we went during the day, we didn't have a line really at all, maybe two groups before us and we were able to get one all to ourselves which was nice because we could be silly and joke around without worries of others. It is a nice way to view the city. read more

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Great views of the lake and city! A giant ferris wheel is always a treat. The line moves quickly and there are self pay kiosks to buy tickets. You get a good amount of time on the ride--two full times around, and the wheel moves slowly. My ticket was $20 and I thought it was worth it. read more

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Came here in mid-May and it was very chilly! Thankful the gondolas were enclosed otherwise it would have been a miserable ride on the wheel. Also they had heaters turned on at the entrance which helped. The Wheel is just under 200 ft tall and has 42 gondolas. One of the gondolas has a glass bottom, but I think that requires a special ticket. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Enjoyed the Centennial Wheel! Long moved fast and we only waited maybe 10 minutes. The views are amazing, as expected. Clean car. The only complaint is the staff just really seemed like this was the worst job of their life. Not happy people at all. But hey, we just smiled and thanked them!! read more

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I mean, if you are visiting Chicago, you MUST ride the Centennial Wheel on Navy's Pier. Otherwise, your trip is wasted. (Also, take the Architectural tour on the river.) The Wheel is a very big Ferris Wheel (or maybe that's a misnomer). You get towering views of the Chicago skyline, and you get to kiss your partner in complete privacy! Picture taking is pretty cool too. They take your picture -- and you can buy it at the end of the day. We took two pictures--one with sunglasses and one without--and decided to buy the one without. Audrey gave us the other picture anyway. Thanks, Audrey! Oh, by the way: The only bad thing about the Architecture tour was riding by Trump Tower. Trump, in his usual narcissistic style, has his name emblazoned on the building in HUGE letters. Made me vomit. Trump is an unrepentant racist and a very ignorant person. He must have dropped out of 6th grade. If anyone reads this, and thinks otherwise, you have been conned, hoodwinked, flim flammed and bamboozled. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel. Model: Heather Fairchild - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I HIGHLY recommend the fast pass. It's $10 more and takes what looked like at least an hour wait down to a few minutes. With the fast pass we were on quickly and got at least three spins on the wheel. Awesome views of Chicago and the lake! read more

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Great experience! Great views and I love the cabins are air conditioned. They also allowed us to have a private cabin anyways, we went during a Monday morning shortly after they opened. I would do it again very worth the experience! read more

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Expensive, but worth it to get a great view of the city. As an FYI, you go around 3 times. There's also a lot of fun facts as you're waiting. read more

I pre-paid prior to arriving to Chicago for a 15 minute ride. When we got there, they had signs up that the Wheel was closed due to wind conditions. We walked around and got drinks while we waited for the wind to calm a bit. About an hour later, they removed the signs and allowed us on the ride. It was very windy and it was howling inside the cart. The ride wasn't 15 minutes. It was exactly nine minutes but we enjoyed it and figured they cut it shorter because of the wind. The views from the top were amazing! Don't forget your camera as there are great photo opportunities during the ride. read more

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Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Ferris wheels. There's just something about them - the view from the top, the fact that nearly anyone can ride one, and just the serenity that is granted as you look out into the world. Have I mentioned it's a wonderful bonding experience as well? I recall so many rides on Ferris wheels with my loved ones, and as such, I couldn't be more excited to ride the famous Centennial Wheel at the Navy Pier. When we went, it was past the polar vortex, but a lot of things remained frozen. Fortunately the Ferris wheel wasn't one of them. $38 or so after, we made our trek to ride the Ferris wheel. Have to say I've never seen one like this one. They have covering to protect you from the weather, but more so, they have technology inside. Little TV screens depicting the history in general and that in itself is pretty cool. The seats are relatively comfortable and you could probably sit eight people per each batch of the Ferris wheel. It was a beautiful sight to see Lake Michigan frozen from up top, but more so, it was a great place to think. On a cold and somber night, being at the top of the Ferris wheel, it couldn't help but make me feel I was at the top of the world. My hope is to go back and share this experience with more loved ones. It is a one-of-a-kind experience! read more

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Best Ferris wheel experience ever as each car was enclosed and air conditioned. Our 12 minute ride - 3 rotations once everyone was loaded - was smooth as silk with no creaks or squeaks. Each car had seating for 8 which tells you just how big they are. I don't know if I'd pay full price but thankfully it was included in our City Pass card. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Spectacular view from the Lake Michigan side. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Probably one of my favorite things we did while visiting Chicago. We went on Friday night around 6:00 and to our surprise, it was not crowded at all! The views during sunset were so amazing! The line to ride was less than 15 minutes. We used the the CityPass to ride and it was super easy. read more

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I don't like heights but this was 3 revolutions and very smooth. Beautiful views of Chicago and Lake Michigan (I'm told; I kept my eyes closed). Obviously expensive but would still recommend. read more

Even if you are afraid of heights I think you will be good with this .. I am really afraid of heights but felt very secure and calm. The view is breathtaking. My mom rode it with me and she was initially terrified but ended up loving it. We were only in town a couple days so not worth buying a saving pass. I think this is all we did that would have been on the pass. You are completely enclosed in a Plexiglas enclosure .. it doesn't tilt or swing. The line was short but we weren't on a weekend. read more

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To go on the wheel is a bit pricey per person considering the ride isn't that long. I was very bummed that the wheel wasn't running when we went to Chicago last time. They had all the prices and QR codes and social distancing signs in place, but for some reason were not running that weekend. It is a good photo opp and sight to see when and if you are at the pier otherwise I wouldn't make a huge deal of going there. read more

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was a little underwhelmed with this Ferris Wheel. It is big and all, but it is not worth it in my opinion. It takes forever to load riders, so it's stop and go for quite a while, Then you get maybe three full turns, and its so slow that it almost feel like you're not moving. The view is OK, but just go to Willis Tower and you get a much better view. Also, you have to share the booth, and we got a family of three with a very annoying child, which made it leas enjoyable. In other words, it the luck of the draw who you get. It is cool, but no worth the money. read more

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Short wait time on a Saturday evening, not nearly as crowded as I expected. Nice views, air conditioning inside the fully enclosed car didn't work though so it got pretty stuffy inside. Fun views, not necessarily worth taking photos of but enjoyable to look at the skyline from the top of the wheel. read more