ICON Orlando

During my detour from a drive up the A1A coastal road, I took a ride on the ICON Orlando Ferris wheel, more formally known as The Wheel at ICON Park.

ICON Park

ICON Park itself is a shopping and dining complex located on International Drive. It’s just south of Sand Lake Road and a little bit north of Seaworld Orlando. Restaurants seem to be mostly chains like Shake Shack, Carrabba’s Italian, and Outback Steakhouse, though there are also more interesting options like Red’s, Yard House, and Tapa Toro Spanish cuisine. For more casual dining, there is a food court in the building at the base of the Ferris wheel. Shopping seems restricted to mostly flip flops, sunglasses, and souvenirs.

The whole situation is arranged around an artificial turf lawn with waterways, bridges, and fountains and seems like a nice place to feel cooler in the hot Florida sun. Parking is free on lots immediately adjacent and in a parking garage.

Attractions

But the real attraction to the park is the attractions! There are eight total including the Wheel, the StarFlyer (which I have covered before), a small Madame Tussaud’s, a small aquarium, an arcade, a “7D” theater ride, and a teeny shopping mall-style train. A Museum of Illusions has just opened up and a drop tower and slingshot ride are coming soon.

Attraction prices

You can buy tickets for the StarFlyer or the Wheel independently, or combine tickets for the Wheel with one, two, or all of the rest of the minor attractions. A walk-up ticket for the Icon Orlando alone costs $30 ($25 for 3-12) and $32 if you want to include a discount for your pictures and take-aboard booze. Tickets for all eight attractions cost $69 (all ages) and can be used within 30 days of purchase. You can save $2 on the Wheel if you buy online and about 40% overall if you are a Florida resident.

They currently have a limited time offer for 50% off the price of the Wheel if you show your ticket for an area theme park. That makes the price $15 per person which is definitely a good deal! I totally would have used this on my trip! I was going to Kennedy Space Center the next day, which is one of the qualifying theme parks. It shows how desperate they must be for business these days (or maybe they run it every winter.)

ICON Orlando

The ICON Orlando is a 400-foot tall Ferris wheel with large, fully-enclosed and air-conditioned cars. Each car is meant to hold several parties, but these days you’ll get one per party. Your ticket is for one circuit of the Wheel. Each circuit lasts 18 minutes.

During that 18 minutes, you’ll climb up to the full 400-foot height, your view reaching farther with every passing minute. A (very loud) recording will play on a constant loop, telling you what you can see in each direction. There are even directional marking in the cabin for reference.

The walls are completely floor-to-ceiling glass, so you have a good view in any direction. From the Wheel, you can spot the StarFlyer and Big and Little Sand Lake, Spaceship Earth at Epcot, a little of SeaWorld and Volcano Bay and a fair view of the Orlando airport. In the distance is the city of Orlando and maybe even the rockets at Kennedy Space Center if you really squint. The new Universal Park, Epic Universe, is going in right next door, so you’ll get a good view of that being built over the next few years.

My experience

I always try to time my Ferris wheel rides during sunset, if possible. I managed that with the ICON Orlando and it made for a very nice ride. The sun set over the lakes and the lights came in in the spokes of the Wheel and on the SkyFlyer as I made my slow circuit.

What I did NOT like was that recording. There’s a loud female voice that explains points of interest on a 5-6 minute loop. The first couple of times is helpful. By the time she started up the third time, I wanted to throttle her. Maybe in a crowded car with lots of people to muffle the sound and only half-listening, it’s a good idea. Alone in a glass room, it felt like an enhanced torture technique.

But even more than that, one ride for $30? I bought online for a slight $2 discount but once you add back in taxes and fees, it was just a hair under $30. For a family of four with both kids under 12, that’s still over $400 just to ride a Ferris wheel! That’s way too much.

Maybe if you made a day of it and saw all the things and were with people you really liked, a full-ride ticket would be worth it. I’m certainly a fan of the SkyFlyer itself. But it’s all a bit steep for what feels like a high-end tourist trap.

BUT, the pictures are pretty. Here are some more: