Fly like Mary Poppins aboard Downtown Disney's Characters in Flight

Characters in Flight, operated by Aerophile, is a
giant tethered gas balloon with a whimsical Disney
design featuring a dozen of Disney's animated flying
characters. © Disney

If the Disney-Pixar film "Up" made you want to go on a balloon adventure of your own, there's no better place to fulfill that wish than at Downtown Disney.

Characters in Flight is an attraction at Downtown Disney's West Side where guests can board a giant tethered helium balloon, which floats 400 feet above the air and hovers over the Downtown Disney area for a flight of approximately eight to 10 minutes. Since the balloon is tethered, this provides a greater sense of security to those who might be scared to death of heights, allowing for a more comfortable trip than if they were on a true hot air balloon.

Guests fly on a yellow and red vessel imprinted with the silhouettes of flying Disney characters such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Aladdin and Tinkerbell. This balloon holds the title of the world's largest tethered gas balloon with a volume of 210,000 cubic feet, a diameter of 72 feet, a circumference of 240 feet and a height of 105 feet. It was built by the French balloon-maker Aérophile S.A., well-known for their tethered gas balloon designs for theme parks around the world, including the PanoraMagique at Disneyland Resort Paris.

While in flight, guests aboard the balloon can observe a panoramic view of the areas surrounding Downtown Disney up to 10 miles away, not limited to but including the Disney parks. The vessel has a maximum capacity of 30 per trip - 29 guests and the pilot.

Characters in Flight takes off daily from 9 a.m. to midnight, weather permitting. Adult admission (10 and up) is $16; child admission (ages 3-9) is $10.

If you want to fly on a hot air balloon on your trip to Orlando, click here for my analysis on Orlando's hot air balloon charters.