Vegas' High Roller wheel falls short of expectations

Found this in our local newspaper:

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20150309_Vegas_High_Roller_wheel_falls_short_of_expectations.html?id=295631591


But this isn't something new to most of us. While many other wheels like the London eye continually gets new customers visiting London the one in vegas doesn't have as many IMHO. And one time is enough so there aren't many repeat customers riding the vegas roller. I can see them really dropping prices to try to fill up the roller in the future but like other things in vegas this isn't something that will be sustainable (8000 to 11000 riders a day? are you kidding)

 

This really isn't a surprise. I've gone on it twice to take guests from out of town and nobody was really impressed.

 

Deja Vu all over again.

https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?117526-Another-GEEZERS-(CET)-mistake&highlight=high+roller

My stance hasn't changed.

Bill

 

If they made it more like a club and included bottle service it would probably take off.
Image each dome would have its own theme with a female dancer in one and a male dancer in another to cater to everyone.

 

I thought it was fine but not worth doing twice. I did it a second time only because I had free tickets and the friend I was with hadn't done it before. I am not sure I would ride it again even if it was free.

 

Stupid idea poorly executed. Must have been designed by the same people who did the monorail.

 

I agree on the stupid idea part, how do you think it could have been executed better? Not saying you are wrong but a stupid idea being executed perfectly is still not going to work, no?

 

What's wrong with the monorail? It's sometimes faster than a cab especially during convention time. It would be nice if it ran to the airport, but that's the taxi mafia stopping it.

 

I enjoyed the High Roller and bought it again for July. But I like the monorail, too...

I retired from Disney 16 months ago and was seriously impressed that the High Roller's GM was from Disney and they employed a lot of line management techniques that look very familiar. Clearly they over-estimated the attraction's appeal and how much they could charge for it.

 

I don't get this either. What's wrong with the monorail? The taxi mafia definitely killed it's max potential, but how else do you get to one end of the strip to the other in 10 minutes for $5?

 

Could not agree more. I was on the Monorail today. It's clean, fast and I've never seen it overcrowded - like some of the buses. And, it's only $1 with a Nevada I.D. Can't beat it.

Bill

 

I love the Monorail. It's always the first myVegas I redeem when I start planning trips.

 

What do people want? It's a friggin' giant ferris wheel!

 

But back to the Big Wheel ...

Like many other projects of a grandiose scale, I don't think those controlling the pocketbook would have gone for it if they had used realistic numbers to project demand, revenue, etc. They had to present the most optimistic figures they could. (Yeah, ditto with the Monorail on this, that's business!)

I enjoyed it when I went. Only disappointment was the photos I took did not come out that well. For the photographers among us, the tint on the pods appeared to cost about two stops and there was some kind of sway/vibration movement which made it difficult to shoot at low speeds. I want to try it again using a camera a bit better suited. (I'm thinking of trying it with Cinestill film.)

Now that the novelty is wearing off, I'm sure they will continue to get modest crowds and the price will stabilize in the lower range of what we are seeing today.

 

I thought it was neat but a lot of folks I know would pass it at those prices. Instead of running different Groupons, they need to lower the overall pricing structure. And to attract repeat riders, they need to do things that would make the experience different the next time. It would be easier to come back if there were some special, limited-time entertainment going on before you ride or if the videos were going to be different.

 

Partner with Sapphire to have a different girl in every pod. That'll put some butts in seats.

 

How much does it cost to rent out a whole pod?

 

I know what you are thinking PayTriple go early morning or late evening and ask for your own pod a $50 or $100 tip should do it. other wise it is like 20 to 30 tickets...

 

Question......is there a camera inside the pod?

 

No camera in pod.

But people can see inside pod so bring A blanket