Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest giant observation wheel outside the United State that affords one a view of Marina Bay’s skyline and even a glimpse of neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia.  I was not able to try this out in 2007 so on my second visit to Singapore, I made it a point to check this out.  I was so sure about including this in my itinerary that a week before my trip, I booked my ticket online, which saved me the hassle of queuing for tickets.

Getting Here
During my visit, because it was the Grand Prix and many roads were closed, I had trouble finding my way to The Flyer.  Thankfully, I made it just in time for late afternoon as all along, it was my intention to experience this ride at dusk and sunset.

For directions in getting here, click HERE.

Journey of Dreams
Before reaching the flight deck, we passed by this multimedia showcase that details the history of The Flyer as well as some trivia about it.

At The Prelude, we were welcomed by their mascot, Captain Flyer in a backroom setting of revolving 3D rotating gear mechanisms.

Dreamscape provides a concaved panoramic screen displaying a myriad of images projected onto geometric cut-outs that transform into psychedelic patterns that revolve and rotate, forming a sequence of circular shapes that depict the circular nature of this giant observation wheel.

The Discovery was all about how the flyer was put together.  The main feature here is a 1.5 meter in diameter time machine that one can turn to see a stream of images that tell Singapore Flyer’s pre and post-construction stories.

There were also some trivia about The Flyer e.g. that the only animals who had been onboard here are dogs and orangutans and that its spindle weighs 180 tonnes, which is equivalent to about 40 elephants in weight.

Fragment of Dreams invites viewers to explore the country’s culture and architecture.  One can interact with this display by shining a torch onto a portrait of old Singapore.

Dream Journal is a peephole to the nation’s history and heritage that shares to viewers the dreams and aspirations of Singaporeans that have come true in Dream Reflections, thus The Flyer’s tagline, A Moving Experience at Every Turn.

Lastly, there’s the Reservoir of Dreams, which is a summation of the experience that was just seen and discovered as captured through 3 objects:

Oneiroi’s Orb – a tactile display using a myriad of circular artifacts from the past and present to depict the Flyer’s Spherical shape.

The Planet – the first inflated PufferSphere using internal projection in Asia.

The Numeric – presents the facts and figures and the physics and physique of Singapore Flyer.

After all these multimedia showcase, we were directed to the Flight Lounge where we waited for our turn to ride The Singapore Flyer.

There’s Captain Flyer again (lower left photo) waiting to take us into “a moving experience at every turn.”

Here’s a collage of my first glimpse of our air-conditioned capsule and of the flyer up close and my initial views of the city’s cityscape.

I got really excited when I saw the skyline change colors because it made a more visually arresting backdrop.

Singapore has a beautiful skyline so I had fun snapping photos here and there, and because The Flyer’s observation decks are not stationary, I got to see its cityscape at different vantage points.

Here’s a view of its bay,

And its buildings, roads, and overpass.

And here’s a collage my views of its bay and its cityscape.

Aside from the interesting cityscape, The Flyer was just as interesting to look at because it would change colors from white to blue to green.

By the way, The Flyer has a total of 28 capsules and each one is air-conditioned and can accommodate 28 passengers.

As the night wore on, I watched in awe as the colorful skyline darkened and the building’s lights made the night sky even more beautiful to look at.

I find it frustrating though, to take really good shots of the beautiful scenery before me as there were reflections from our capsule.

Here’s a decent one, which still have reflections, but not as pronounced as in the other photos that I chose not to upload.

Lastly, here’s a collage of more photos of Singapore Flyer taken when we alighted from our capsule and just before I left the building.

If you find yourself in Singapore, do take the time to experience The Singapore Flyer.  In my travels, I always make it a point to visit a destination’s viewdeck and I find Singapore Flyer to be my best viewdeck yet because as said earlier, it’s not stationary so I got to to see the whole cityscape at different vantage points.

Singapore Flyer is located in 30 Raffles Avenue, Singapore.  It is open daily from 8:30 AM to 10:30 PM.  For more information, visit their official website.