London Eye - need an explanation

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

I'm trying to book tickets for myself and DD but am unsure about the standard ticket and what it means re queue. You need to pick a time slot but if you get a time slot, why the long queue? I was originally going to book the guided tour but there are no tickets left so if I book a standard ticket for x-time slot, when do you arrive? At your time slot or do you need to arrive really early to queue up to get on for your time slot?

I'm very confused!

There are queues for everything, iirc. You queue to get your tickets. You then queue to get on the ride. But its better than not buying in advance.

Basically giving people time slots helps to filter them out through the course of the day.

Is it a long wait then? If I book and print off tickets here, we just join the queue at say 4.30 as that's our time slot and we get on when we've worked our way to the front? So could be 10 mins or an hour etc.?

We've been on it 3 times and queued less than half an hour each time. Can't remember how long you have to arrive before your time slot but it's only a rough guide.

Hmm.... Just checked with DH. I think we queued for about half an hour, all together, but I think we jumped the queue (eek! unintentionally!). The queue winds round and there's a gap for people walking along the South Bank and we just joined what we thought was the end of the queue right next to the wheel. But then you still wait to get on there.

It's certainly not just 10 minutes. Sorry.

It's worth it though. How old is DD? DS was about 6 and still remembers it, several years later.

(I had to sit on the floor and cling on to the bench cos I got a bit wussy)

I went about 6pm on a Saturday in Feb and there were no queues. Did you know, if you go by train and present your train ticket when buying a ticket for the eye, you get one free.

I've been on it twice and not had to queue at all! Maybe am just lucky.

Noooooooo! I've just bought our tickets and then I read your post Duelingfanjo. Damn. I've been googling deals for the eye but none of then extended til July when we'll be there. Ah well. DD is 8. At least I'm organised! I've booked for 4pm so enough time to Q then go for dinner afterwards before heading back to base.