Imagine an eagle's-eye view of the Downtown Disney area, with sweeping, 10-mile panoramas of Lake Buena Vista and environs. Downtown Disney greets summer guests with a new iconic attraction in the form of a giant tethered balloon – Aerophile – that will take guests 300 feet into the air from the waterfront. The 72-foot-diameter balloon can lift up to 30 guests at a time on a six-minute "flight," by day or night. Riders can catch the flight daily for $16 ($10 for ages 3-9).

Characters in Flight operated by Aerophile debuted at Downtown Disney's West Side in April 2009.

Have you ridden Characters in Flight? Share your experience HERE!

Read Jack Spence's Blog about Characters in Flight's Opening Day HERE.

approaching Downtown Disney from Saratoga Springs	aboard the balloon
Looking up into balloon	Looking down into center of basket
View from halfway up	Looking toward Epcot
Overlooking Downtown Disney	Looking toward Swan/Dolphin
Overlooking Saratoga Springs
from the UK pavilion looking toward Norway	from Crossroads at Lake Buena Vista