Once a barren desert in year 1980, is now an iconic city on world atlas. Such is the story of transformation of Dubai. One of the youngest among all superstructures here is ‘Ain Dubai’. The ain dubai by dubai holding is the tallest and largest ferris wheel in world or better known as world’s largest wheel. This structure is unrolled since October 2021 (ain dubai opening date).
It needs vision to lay foundation of such a grand structure. This vision is reflected in majesty and beauty of ‘Ain Dubai’; a name that in Arabic means ‘Eye of Dubai’. Thence Ain Dubai was previously known as ‘Dubai eye’ or ‘Dubai I’
What is Ain Dubai ? How it became the world largest observation wheel ?
Put simply, Ain Dubai is a giant wheel of its kind. It bears 192 spokes. To rims of this ferris wheel, 48 cabins ( glass enclosed capsules ) are attached.
Ain Dubai wheels-around at a slow steady-going motion. Its pace is such that, it takes 38 minutes for a cabin to move in a full circle around this wheel.
Thus once you are inside cabin, gently you will ascend and reach to the top. This topmost place is at 820 feet ( 250 metre ) from ground. And the kind of panoramic view one will be able to rejoice here, is once-in-a-lifetime experience. This cityscape view is what ‘Dubai eye’, the largest ferris wheel in world , is famous for.
How big is Ain Dubai ?
In the olden days ‘London eye’ or ‘Millennium wheel’ at Lambeth London, used to be tallest Ferris wheel. It was grounded since March 2000 and had a height of roughly 443 feet.
‘High Roller’ of Las Vegas then overshoot record of ‘London eye’ and became world’s tallest observation wheel in march 2014. Height of large ferris wheel las vegas is about 550 feet.
But since 21st October 2021 it’s ‘Ain Dubai’, which holds the leading position for largest observation wheel in the world. This humongous structure is 820 feet in height, which is 270 feet taller compared to High roller ( large ferris wheel las vegas ) & almost double the stature of London eye. Moreover it can carry 1750 passengers at a time, while High roller has maximum capacity of 1120 passengers.
Yet another testament of hugeness of Ain Dubai is, it consumed 11,200 tons of steel for manufacturing. This whopping amount is 33% more than, was required for Eiffel Tower of France. Hi-tech modules of ‘Dubai eye’ were engineered in Switzerland on behalf of Hyundai.
Where is the biggest giant wheel in the world i.e. ain dubai by dubai holding? How to reach there?
Imagine a tiny isolated place amid cerulean water of Arabian gulf. This is the kind of location of ain dubai by dubai holding . It’s on a small offshore island, well-known as ‘Blue waters’. Most peculiar thing about Blue waters is, it’s a man-made island along the coastal area in Dubai.
You can come over here by your own vehicle or taxi or bus. DMCC metro station and JBR tram station are two public transport stations in close proximity. Marine transport is there too otherwise called as ‘Dubai Ferry’.
Also you can stroll across a pedestrian foot-bridge, from Dubai marina and reach here at Blue waters. This wooden-walkway over sea, interlinks JBR ( Jumeirah Beach Residence ) and Blue waters island.
What are Ain Dubai, world’s largest wheel timings?
Ain Dubai timing is between 11am to 9pm from Tuesday to Sunday. It’s closed on Monday and on certain public holidays ( as stated in official website www.aindubai.com ). If you are planning out to visit ain dubai by dubai holding, it’s always better to confirm its operational timing from above-said website or contact them directly. It’s so because this time keeps on varying.
How to book ticket of Ain Dubai ?
Online ticket of Ain Dubai are offered at www.aindubai.com and in other sites as well. But sometimes booking online ticket in advance causes more trouble. It is so when there is inadvertent technical issue in wheel. Thereby we preferred to go there directly and check it out.
We hunted out ‘QR codes’ displayed close to entrance of Ain Dubai. Then we just scanned it and entered details. Booking tickets was a piece of cake.
How much is Ain Dubai ticket price in AED? When is ain dubai operating?
Ticket of Ain Dubai varies from 100 AED per person to 11000 AED per person. It is based on following factors.
- Age of passenger ( children or adult )
- Type of cabin ( observation/ social/ private )
- Time of slot ( day time/ evening time/ sunset or prime time )
- Other facilities ( beverages/ meals/ lounge access )
For kids <3 years old it’s cost-free. 3-12 years old are regarded as children and >12 year old are considered adults as per ticket of Ain Dubai is concerned.
While booking tickets choose a slot that suits your requirements and budget. For instance if slot options are 2-3 pm, 3-4 pm, 4-5 pm and so on then, ticket for 6-7 pm slot would be most pricey. It’s so because it’s a prime time slot and it gives the best scenic sunset view. Thus 6-7 pm slot tickets are also known as Ain Dubai sunset tickets. The next slot on demand is 5-6pm as it’s close to sunset. Ticket of Ain Dubai for 2-3 pm slot would be cheapest.
How much is Ain Dubai ticket price for observation cabin
| Ain Dubai view for adult | 130 AED onwards |
| Ain Dubai view for children | 100 AED onwards |
| Family pass for 2 adults and 2 children | 370 AED onwards |
| Ain Dubai and Burj Al Arab combo | 349 AED onwards |
| Family Lounge combo | 600 AED onwards |
How much is Ain Dubai ticket price for social cabin
(For beverage inclusive experience)
| Ain Dubai lounge plus for 21+ age group | 180 AED onwards |
| Ain Dubai skybar vibes 21+ , prime time | 350 AED onwards |
| Skybar vibes 21+, day or evening time | 200 AED onwards |
| Ain Dubai premium with bubbly, prime time | 500 AED onwards |
| Ain Dubai premium with bubbly, day evening time | 350 AED onwards |
| Price of Ain Dubai premium with mock tails | 250 AED onwards |
How much is Ain Dubai ticket price for private cabin and dining
| Ain dubai private, day evening | 1550 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai private plus, day evening | 1800 AED onwards |
| Price of Ain dubai private skybar | 2800 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai premium private | 4000 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai premium bubbly private | 4700 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai private and lounge dining 3 courses | 9000 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai private and lounge dining 4 courses | 10000 AED onwards |
| Ain dubai private and lounge dining 5 courses | 11000 AED onwards |
If someone wants to book an entire private cabin unit, then s/he needs to pay 1550 AED at least. That’s a crazy sum!
How much did we pay for ticket of the largest ferris wheel in world ?
We preferred observation cabin for this ride. The slot apt for us was between 5-6pm. Since it was somewhat close to sunset and also not too pricey. It cost us around 180 AED per adult and 360 AED for two of us. Our kid was <3 year old so ticket was free for her.
Had we chosen 6-7 pm prime time slot ( Ain Dubai sunset tickets ) we would have paid around 250 AED per person which was unreasonably high. That’s why this 5-6pm slot fit into our pocket as well as plans.
Getting into cabin :
After booking tickets, we lined up to get into cabin. As we visited on Saturday, a holiday, it was not surprising that this queue was lengthy. Despite this as the queue was moving fast we didn’t have to wait much to get inside cabin.
Again setting foot inside cabin is a bit tricky. The wheel moves continuously and doesn’t stop for someone to step into cabin. Same is the case while exiting from it. But as speed was not as much, we could comfortably make it without any hassle.
What’s a cabin ?
As depicted in picture a ‘cabin’ is an oval room, closed from all sides. You can better call it a glass enclosed capsule. To one side of it there is a doorway which is for common entrance as well as exit. This door is unbolted only when cabin is at bottom most position.
There are 3 types of cabins in Ain Dubai.
- Observation cabin
- Social cabin
- Private cabin
‘Observation cabin’ gives a phenomenal view of city as well as Arabian gulf. ‘Social cabin’ has options for beverages and has vip lounge access. ‘Private cabin’ as the name indicates, is a reclusive place for organising special functions and events.
To reserve an entire private cabin costs around 1550 AED at least as discussed. We chose observation cabin as it suited us best.
What do you see inside cabin of the world tallest observation wheel ?
Our excitement soared up as the cabin carrying us started rising. This cabin carried our family of three members, 3 other families and a group of friends too.
As we were getting higher, it felt as if we were viewing world with a wider lens. Horizon appeared to be a bit closer. Sea seemed to be vast and its waves were so tiny.
Numerous yachts were hovering all over sea waves. Some boats were busy racing. In distant azure sky we could spot few colourful parachutes dropping down. I guess few people were skydiving. Well it’s a familiar sight in this area in Dubai.
While catching glimpse of beautiful Dubai skyline our eyes stuck on palm Jumeirah, Atlantis and Burj Al Arab. These are few most eminent landmarks of Dubai.
Burj Al Arab is the only 7 star hotel in world. Palm Jumeirah is world’s largest artificial island. Its atypical palm tree like shape, makes it stand out of the crowd.
As we reached furthest up in wheel, sun slowly changed colour from glowing bright-yellow to orangey-golden. These warm golden sun-rays sprinkled magic dusts on crystalline sea water.
This panoptic 360 degree view of lovely island, sparkling ocean and glittering towers under tinted sky glued our vision. Neither my words nor any photo or video can do justice to the vibe one gets here. After all there is no better camera than our eyes.
How was our little baby’s reaction ?
Inspite of our tied up schedule we go out from time to time to maintain a work life balance. Exploring little known places and meeting new people are things that lift our mood up instantly.
In this photo you can see my husband carrying our little baby. She is taking every bit of joy in riding the largest observation wheel of the world.
She belongs to the ’generation of covid kids’. Our baby girl’s delivery was at peak of pandemic. Hence she could not explore outside world much. So whenever we go out, she is all bright eyed and bushy tailed. That makes our journey as parents quite amusing as well as challenging.
Last time during our visit to Dubai aquarium and underwater zoo she was extremely delighted to see sharks. This time she enjoyed Ain Dubai ride to her fullest too. Probably she will not remember big time fun she had here. Hence this photo is a testimony.
What came next after the ride ?
After this thrilling ride when we came to ground we were elated and satisfied that the money we spent in buying tickets was worth its price.
We had some food at an adjacent food stall. There are many eateries standing in a row at close quarters. Hence there are options for good food and beverages aplenty.
By the time we finished eating, decorative lights jazzed up the whole place. What an welcoming gesture towards an approaching evening !!!
We went for a walk along wooden walkway over sea. ‘A leisurely walk’ is our way to deal with stressful situations positively. It’s far better than reading a motivational book or an inspirational quote.
On our way we noticed many were engrossed in making videos, for Instagram reels. Some were cruising in houseboat and simultaneously having candle-lit dinner with some soft ambient music and live guitar. One such dinner cruise passed under our boardwalk.
What is blue waters famous for ?
Blue waters island spans on around 32 hectares of land. It is in fact a multi-billion project by MERAAS construction.
Dubai eye, the largest ferris wheel in world is not the sole thing blue waters is famous for. Here is a list of 4 things to worth seeing at blue waters.
- Ain dubai by dubai holding
- Cove beach
- Madam tussauds wax museum
- Caesars palace luxury hotel
After walk we entered into Madam Tussauds wax statue gallery. It has 60 wax statues of notable public figures from all over world. Resemblance of statues to real person was so canny. Here is a photo of our fun time at madam taussads wax statues gallery at Blue waters.
Conclusion :
Though we had plans for yacht ride as well, but time ran out fast. Baby was heavy-eyed too. So we had to get back home without any delay.
In present days of social media addiction, at times we post few instagrammable photos of a trip on social media and forget. But moments of this trip to largest observation wheel of the world was rather carved deeply on our memory wall.
We now realise that taking break once in a while is a way how to boost work productivity.
We didn’t bring any of those customised photos provided there. To be honest those didn’t come out well. Instead we bought two souvenirs. Ain Dubai was a ride worth remembering for life.
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April 6, 2022 at 2:22 amVery interesting and informative write up. Thanks 🌹
March 28, 2022 at 8:40 amWow
March 27, 2022 at 3:01 pmAmazing & Informative..👍