DISNEY'S
CALIFORNIA
ADVENTURE

TOURING
Guide Map
Basic Services
Calendar of Events
Early Entry
FASTPASS
Rehabs and Closures
Ride Restrictions
Seating Photo Gallery
Smoking Policy
Special Needs Travelers
Tours

DCA Expansion

Wandering the Land
   Photo Essays

AT A GLANCE...
Attractions
Restaurants
Shopping

HOLLYWOOD PICTURES BACKLOT
Disney Animation Building
--Animation Academy
--Courtyard Gallery
--Sorcerer's Workshop
--Art of Animation Gallery
--Turtle Talk with Crush
Drawn to the Magic
Hyperion Theater -
    Aladdin
Monsters, Inc.
MuppetVision 3D
Playhouse Disney Live!
Tower of Terror

GOLDEN STATE
Bay Area
Golden Dreams
Bountiful Valley Demo
    Farm

A Bug's Land
Flik's Fun Fair
--Heimlich's Chew Chew
     Train
--Flik's Flyers
--Francis' Ladybug Boogie
--Tuck'n'Roll's Drive 'em
     Buggies
--Princess Dot Puddle Park
It's Tough to be a Bug

Condor Flats
Soarin' over California

Golden Vine Winery

Grizzly Peak
Grizzly River Run
Redwood Creek Challenge
    Trail

Pacific Wharf
Boudin Bakery Tour
Mission Tortilla
    Factory Tour

PARADISE PIER
Boardwalk Games
California Screamin'
Golden Zephyr
Jumpin' Jellyfish
King Triton's Carousel
Maliboomer
Mulholland Madness
Orange Stinger
Sun Wheel
S.S. Rustworthy

Toy Story Mania!
Coming in 2008!

SUNSHINE PLAZA

ENTERTAINMENT
Disney's Electrical
    Parade
Pixar Play Parade

SPECIAL EVENTS
Disney's
   HalloweenTime
Food & Wine
   Festival
Mickey's Halloween
   Treat

ARCHIVES
Block Party Bash

OTHER THEME PARKS

Disneyland

Animal Kingdom
Disney's Hollywood
   Studios
Epcot
Magic Kingdom

Universal Orlando
    Resort
--Universal Studios
--Islands of Adventure

ATTRACTION

The Sun Wheel may look like an ordinary Ferris wheel, but it's not. As the 150' wheel turns, the attached gondolas revolve with it. While the red cars on the outside are stationary, the inner orange and blue cars hang on an interior track, and they move in and out and swing as the wheel turns.

There's no Fastpass for this attraction, and the queue is completely outdoors. There are two lines - one for the stationary (red) cars, and the other for the swinging cars. The gondolas hold up to six people, three on each side.

The loading area can load three cars at a time - two swinging cars and one stationary car. Riders get to go around the wheel twice - it takes one revolution of the wheel (eight stops) to get all the cars loaded/unloaded, and then the wheel makes one complete revolution without stopping. Then the stop-and-go starts again as the cars are unloaded/loaded with the next set of passengers.

The gondolas are completely enclosed and there is no way to fall out, nor even to lose small items. There's an excellent view of DCA, Disneyland and the surrounding area, though the wire mesh makes it difficult to take pictures.

TOURING TIPS

This ride is not recommended for those who are afraid of heights. Those prone to motion sickness might want to consider riding the stationary cars only. And it can be a bit of a shock when the car starts sliding toward the outside of the wheel and swinging back and forth.

The complete load/unload cycle takes about 15 minutes. There will be a total of 8 stops - depending on your position in the load cycle, you might have 4 stops before the complete revolution and 4 after, or you might get on and immediately make one revolution, then experience 8 stops.

This is a slow-loading attraction, and it's best to ride early in the day. When the line is long it can overflow the queue and spill out into the Paradise Pier area.

There is no height requirement.

Wheelchairs and ECVs enter the attraction through the regular queue then transfer into the car.

Restrooms are located behind King Triton's Carousel.

KIDS AND CHARACTERS

This attraction can be fun for the entire family, but those with younger children or those who might be bothered by the motion might want to choose the stationary cars.

There are no characters associated with this attraction.

DINING

Strip, Dips 'n' Chips - offering chicken and fish strips and fries

Pizza Oom Mow Mow - pizza, pasta and salads

Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From the Disneyland Resort

SHOPPING

Man Hat'n'Beach - Swimwear, hats, beach towels and other seaside accessories.

Pacific Ocean Photos - Custom photo studio - choose a variety of backdrops and costumes.

Point Mugu Tattoo - Paradise Pier-themed merchandise, t-shirts, and souvenirs.

Sideshow Shirts - T-shirts, casual beachwear, toys and souvenirs.

Shopping at a Glance

INTERESTING FACTS

The Sun Wheel is modeled after Coney Island's Wonder Wheel which opened in 1920.

The Sun Wheel is an original DCA attraction, and opened with the park on February 8, 2001.

Part of the loading area is actually below the water level of Paradise Bay.

If you have comments or tips to share with others about touring Disney's California Adventure, please email us. Thank you.

Home | Anita Answer | Photo of the Week | AllEars® Tips | Press Room | AllEars® Amazon Store | AllEars® Merchandise | Newsletter | Site Map | Contact Us