What You'll Get
Balloon animals may look cute, but even the horses are incredibly hard to ride. Board a more buoyant balloon with today's Groupon for a ride in a hot-air balloon from Orlando Balloon Rides. Choose between the following options:
- For $105, you get an adult admission to a sunrise ride in a hot-air balloon and a breakfast buffet and a champagne toast (a $175 value).
- For $59, you get an admission for a child age 4–10 to a sunrise ride in a hot-air balloon and a breakfast buffet (a $175 value). Children younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
The seasoned pilots at Orlando Balloon Rides offer their passengers the rare opportunity to enjoy an open-air climb through the clouds. Each sunrise ride meets at the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration about one hour before sunrise (anywhere from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., depending on the month) with up to 18 passengers per trip. Once prepped, air-bound voyagers watch as the balloon fills with hot air and a can-do attitude before it lifts them skyward for a 60-minute tour of greater Orlando. Riders will take in panoramic views of Florida's expansive natural preserves, Disney World, and the urban skyline from their vantage point above the treetops but still below the elevation at which clouds are edible. On touchdown, all guests will cap their adventure with a champagne toast (soda or juice for children), a commemorative flight certificate, and a hearty buffet breakfast. The entire experience lasts 3–5 hours.
Operating aboard 2007 model balloons, Orlando Balloon Ride's team of FAA professional pilots double as tour guides, providing friendly narration as they sail above local landmarks and the rarely seen bald spots of the Orlando Magic. With 100 years of combined experience, the commercially insured outfit boasts an impressive safety record and expertly accommodates special occasions such as marriage proposals with an on-staff photographer.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Aug 17, 2012. Amount paid never expires. Limit 2/person for child option, may buy multiple as gifts for adult option. Valid only for option purchased. Subject to avail. 48hr cancel notice or fee up to Groupon price may apply at appt. Must be 4 or older and accompanied by an adult if under 18. Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol. Must sign waiver. Subject to weather. No pregnant flyers. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Orlando Balloon Rides
During 29 years of drifting through the Florida skies, Orlando Balloon Rides had already amassed an impressive fleet of gargantuan flying inflatables when a new balloon arrived. The product of an ambitious factory in Spain, the newcomer holds more than 400,000 cubic feet of hot air and stands as tall as an 11-story building. Four times the size of the average hot air inflatable, it's among the most massive hot air balloons currently flown in the United States.
Now reigning as a popular vessel for the company's sunrise tours, the mammoth balloon can fly away with a basket of 24 passengers as it commands the skies, dwarfing most clouds and giving the Goodyear Blimp an identity crisis. From any of Orlando Balloon Rides' baskets, passengers take in high-altitude views of Walt Disney World and the city's skyline, sights visitors rarely get to see from above. Each of the company's hot air balloons is piloted by an FAA-certified pilot who also serves as a knowledgeable narrator of the scenery below.