Characters in Flight... Yes or No?

[TheHD]

November will be my, DW, and DD's fifth trip to DW. We are looking at things we haven't done before and Characters in Flight is one of them. My question is to those who've done the balloon ride before; is it worth it?

The cost is pretty steep (for me anyways) at $18 a person for only a 8-10 minute "ride". I'm wondering if it is worth it?

Also, if you have ridden on the Characters in Flight, what time of day did you do it; morning, afternoon, night? I'm sure it is a great experience, but at $54 for 8-10 minutes, I'm not too sure.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I know we have some intercotees who have done it, but we've skipped it, since it doesn't seem "worth it" to us either.

I mean, it would be neat to see the whole Disney property, but not a must do.

[disneyfan328]

We tried 3 tims on our last trip to do this and each time it was either grounded due to the wind or the wait was like 4-5 hours and we couldn't wait around that long so we never did get to do it. My whole family doesn't want to go so for us its probably just going to me and my DS. I've always wanted to do a "hot air balloon ride" and I figured this tethered version is the best way to give it a shot!

I guess it all depends on how you look at it....is it something you really really want to do ? Or No?

When we went in 2007 I paid for my husband to do the Richard Petty Ride Along experience. That was pricey for 3 laps around the track, but its an experience he will never forget and he loved every minute of it so to me, it was worth every penny that I spent!

[TheHD]

Thanks everyone for your comments. It almost seems from the lack of replies that it may not be worth it. I'm honestly on the fence about it, so I'm looking for more replies. My family and I enjoy mini golfing, so it's probably between the two (golfing being a little cheaper and a much longer experience).

Anybody actually ridden it? Comments?

Thanks!

[TheHD]

Nobody?

It must not be that good

[HackLaSalle]

I have gone on the ride. I loved it. Definitely worth the money to me. Got some fantastic photos and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even if I was a little scurred of heights.

[Altair]

We did it last December and really liked it. We went around noon, but it may be even better at night. It doesn't take much wind to ground it. I though it was worth it for two, not so sure for a whole family though.

[TheHD]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, I'm wondering if night would be better than daytime. Hmmm.... Still thinking about it.

[Faver]

We tried to go one evening, but the winds were to strong....

we had better luck during the day... around noon... it was beautiful!!! I will definitely be doing it again!! hopefully we can go @ night!

[Polynesian Dweller]

The problem with tethered balloon rides is that it's very difficult to plan. You can plan a day and hour and then go only to find that the weather won't allow it to fly. It may look ok at the ground but the winds aloft can be just too strong. The balloon in Niagara Falls had the same issues and it eventually went out of business because it was so hard to plan for.

The best you can do is go to DTD primarily to check out the shops and walk by the balloon to see if it's operating. There'll be a sign saying if it is not. It's been there every time we've tried. That's probably why you've had so few replies, not because it's really bad.

[jnfr2424]

Done both night and day
It truly is luck of the draw the weather practically has to be perfect for it to fly.
I agree with Polynesia Dweller comment
We were shopping in DTD and the first thing we did was check CiF - it was down then we came out of World of Disney and we saw it up in the air, went over and they were testing it. shortly after that they started letting people get on. We went back the next day at night and tried to board before fireworks began but we missed it by 2 loads of people in front of us! Still a great view!

[TheHD]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

As I remember, I believe there used to be fairly long lines waiting for the CiF. This must be because there is only a limited amount of time that it's actually running.

I think you both are right; we'll maybe walk by and if the timing is right, perhaps give it a shot.

[disneyfan328]

that's our plan for our trip in January. we have dtd in our plans at least 2 possibly 3 times so we are going to check on it each time we are there and hopefully it will be running one of those times! we didn't get lucky on the last trip but I am crossing my fingers for this trip!

[epceddie]

We had a great time going up in the balloon. I got some great photos of the Congress Park quiet pool at Saratoga and I went swimming there about 30 minutes later.
I do wish the trip had lasted a little longer, though.

[ChipDale2708]

We did it a couple of trips ago and loved it! Really wanted to go up at night on our last trip but it wasn't operating when it fit into our schedule. If you are looking for new things to do outside of the park, we recommend the balloon flight.