Is the High Roller Happy Half Hour Ticket Worth It?
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Opened in 2014 as the crown jewel attraction of the then newly minted Linq Hotel and Experience, High Roller quickly garnered the attention of Las Vegas tourists and cemented itself as a mainstay attraction along the strip.
Looming over the Las Vegas Strip at a commanding 550-feet (168 meters) tall, it’s currently the tallest ferris wheel in the United States and the second tallest in the world (behind only the Ain Dubai, which stands at an impressive 820-feet).
One of the featured upgraded tickets is the “Happy Half Hour” option. It’s a word-play on the happy hour moniker, with “half” added due to the wheel taking thirty minutes to complete one full cycle. Oh, and an open bar inside your pod is included.
Many people, such as yourself, wonder if the Happy Half Hour ticket is worth it, especially considering the additional cost. Recently, I set out to try it for myself in order to answer that very question. This post will also cover ticket information, location and more. Let’s get into it.
High Roller is located at the end of Linq Promenade, which itself is located center-strip between the Linq and Flamingo Hotels. If you’re staying at either, both properties have dedicated entrances to the promenade.
It isn’t a hefty walk to High Roller from the strip entrance, but it is at the very end. You’ll pass several shops and restaurants along the way, including Chayo Mexican Kitchen and Virgil’s BBQ (both of which are solid options if you’re hungry).
Tickets for High Roller start at $16 for youths (ages 4 - 12) and $30 for adults through High Roller directly (which, in turn, utilizes Ticketmaster as a sales portal, of all places). The prices above are for daytime rides, which mean you must arrive between 12 - 5pm.
For night rides, you have two options:
Elect for the “Anytime” option. This means you can arrive anytime, day or evening, during operating hours. This brings an additional cost of $10 - $12 each, depending on ticket type.
Elect for the “Happy Half Hour” ticket. This ticket includes the ride, anytime arrival and an open bar inside the pod. Yes, seriously. Clearly, this option is for those 21 years of age and up. Even if you don’t drink, you can opt for this if you’d prefer a kid-free experience. They start at $53.
Click or tap here to purchase your High Roller tickets through my preferred partner, Viator. They offer significant discounts on High Roller tickets (and other Vegas attractions).
For example, you can get two adult "Anytime” tickets for summer weekdays as low as $57.30 for the pair (just $28.65 each). Add youth “Anytime” tickets for as low as $18 each! Normally, these would cost $42 and $25 each, respectively.
If High Roller (or any Las Vegas Strip attraction) is on your itinerary, consider purchasing through Viator at my link to take advantage of these money-saving discounts!
High Roller Happy Half Hour Experience
Your ride on High Roller begins at the end of Linq Promenade in what initially appears to be a small building on the right, just after passing Maxie’s restaurant. When entering, you’ll get into the left queue if you already have tickets or the right queue if you need to purchase.
**You’ll save a whole lot of time and money by purchasing your tickets online ahead of time.
This initial queue is for security check. Here, you’ll go through a metal detector and if you have a bag it’ll be checked by security personnel. Small bags such as purses and cross-body bags are permitted. Larger bags such as backpacks and suitcases are not.
There are no on-site lockers, so it’s advisable to leave backpacks at your hotel. If you’re staying at a Caesar property that isn’t Flamingo or Linq, you can leave your bag with the front desk at either of those two hotels.
Past the security checkpoint is an escalator that will take you up to High Roller Sky Lounge. If you didn’t purchase the Happy Half Hour ticket, you can purchase a drink here and bring it with you onto High Roller.
From the sky lounge, you’ll walk into High Roller’s boarding area. Once through, you’ll enter another room where a queue may or may not have formed. If you purchased the “Fast Pass” ticket, this where you’ll cash that in.
Past that room, you’ll enter yet another room, this time for the shameless touristy photo. Here, a High Roller employee takes your photo in front of a green screen with hopes to sell you said photos after your ride concludes.
If you want the photos, cool. If not, you don’t have to participate. When it’s your turn, simply inform the employee that you’re not interested and you’ll be allowed to bypass (the photo opp, NOT the queue).
Afterwards, you’ll be asked to present your tickets. If you’re taking a normal ride you’ll be guided to the left. If you’re here for the Happy Half Hour, like my wife and I were, you’ll be guided to the queue on the right.
High Roller has 28 cabins, each capable of holding up to 25 people. However, not every cabin will have a bar inside of it, so you may have a bit of a wait. Once your cabin becomes available an employee will guide you in.
Just before walking in, your bartender will introduce themselves, go over the rules and policies, and check IDs. Everyone will file in and once the doors close a thirty-minute countdown will appear on the screens above you.
As stated above, each cabin can hold around 25 people at a time. Our cabin didn’t have that many, thankfully. I didn’t count everyone but I believe there were around ten people or so, including the bartender.
As stated above, a full rotation on High Roller takes thirty minutes. In that time, you can have as many drinks as you can handle. The drinks offered are typical fruity or citrus-based cocktails.
They’re fairly basic cocktails that wouldn’t stand out in nearly any other place in Vegas, but they’re certainly tasty. If those type of drinks aren’t your thing, your bartender will take special requests, provided it’s nothing overly complicated.
The cups are plastic and on the smaller side. Essentially, two drinks at High Roller would equate to one normal sized drink just about anywhere else but, hey, they’re included in your ticket. Also, they don’t load your cup with ice (our bartender didn’t, anyway).
The ride on High Roller is smooth, though you can feel slight movements every so often. I don’t do well with heights and High Roller was the first attraction to test my courage since my visit to the Seattle Space Needle a few years back.
As your cabin begins to rise higher, jaw-dropping views start coming into frame all around you. To the east you’ll have a commanding view of the Las Vegas Sphere and to the west the center-portion of the strip (Flamingo, Linq, Bellagio, and Caesars) come into full view.
Look south and you’ll see the Luxor Light Beam (if riding at night) and various resorts off in the distance. Looking north will showcase the golden hues of the Venetian and Wynn Hotels. When completed, you’ll have an amazing view of the Hard Rock Guitar Hotel.
As you crest the top of the wheel, you’ve reached the official halfway mark of your ride. If you’re lucky, the ride will stop when you’re at or near the top. They sometimes do this for guest loading or unloading issues.
When your cabin begins its descent, your bartender will remind everyone they can keep ordering drinks and if they’re anything like our bartender was, they’ll offer to take photos for you. Ours was a riot and was cracking jokes with us the entire time.
You can order drinks right up until you reach the loading area below. You won’t need to chug your drink before leaving, as they allow you to leave with it. When you do reach the bottom, you’ll exit on the opposite side from where you entered.
You’ll walk down a ramp, exit through the gift shop and arrive back at the promenade. If you’re hungry and can’t wait, I recommend Virgil’s BBQ or Chayo Mexican Kitchen. If you’re up for delicious cocktails and bomb pizza squares, walk over to the Ski Lodge speakeasy at Cosmo.
Is High Roller Happy Half Hour Worth It?
Would I say the Happy Half Hour ticket is worth it? My wife and I had a good time, so, yes, I would say it’s worth it. It’s subjective, really. Each person would need to experience it for themselves to truly determine that. However…
If enjoying unlimited (though, basic) cocktails while taking in the views of Las Vegas from up to 550 feet in the air sounds appealing to you, then I would say you’d find it worth it. Likewise if you’d prefer a kid-free experience.
Conversely, if you’re not a drinker, the only real benefit to you is the aforementioned kid-free experience. To some, that alone is worth the upgrade, while others don’t mind being around kids, rendering the extra expense unwarranted.
Additionally, if you’re being budget conscience, then the additional cost of the Happy Half Hour ticket may be prohibitive or at minimum, unappealing to you. If so, you’d be better off purchasing a standard ride and applying what you saved towards something else.
To save big on standard and “Anytime” High Roller tickets (and tickets to many Las Vegas attractions), purchase through my preferred partner, Viator, at this link.
You’ll save up to $15 per ticket by purchasing through Viator and by doing so, you’d be supporting Inked with Wanderlust.
