Two issues. Overpriced and overrated. I won’t tell anyone not to go, because others may very well have a completely different experience from the one I had. Nonetheless, I will share the details of my experience so that those who choose to go will have the benefit of being informed. A benefit which I was not afforded at the time. Granted I read on TripAdvisor that it was somewhat overpriced, but I thought it would at least be worth it. And to be honest, I suppose I got exactly what I deserved seeing as though my sole motivation for wanting to go was based on one of my favorite reality shows, The Amazing Race.
First, let me discuss the price. They tickets ended up costing what would equate to $50 U.S. dollars; the same price we paid for admission to Hong Kong Disney. Now, one would think that this attraction would be absolutely amazing and mind blowing for that amount of money, especially for an attraction here in China. I had limited knowledge on the attraction beyond the bubble cars which is the only thing I was looking forward to doing. I grumbled and griped a bit and even tried to haggle to no avail, but I eventually purchased two tickets and proceeded to the entrance.
Now, accessing the elevator to go to the first observation deck is completely bonkers to me. You go through a lobby, past one set of elevators, a fancy piano and a couple of shops to go wait in a line to get on one employee operated elevator while the other two elevators remain empty. If you know anything about the lines in China, then you know the lines are crazy long. So we waited for essentially 30 minutes to get on a crowded elevator because only one was being operated at a time. Bonkers. But whatevs, after a bit of confusion, because the employee didn’t give us instructions upon exiting the elevator, we found our way around the first observation. We took a couple of pics, many of the Chinese tourists took pictures of us as well and then proceeded to wait in line again for the elevator to the second observation. Why two observation decks you ask? I have no idea.
We spent MAYBE two minutes on this second deck before taking the steps up to the main attraction – the bubble cars. That was the most exciting feature of the entire experience. Our party of four had an absolute blast taking a single albeit very slow whirl on the bubble car track overlooking Guangzhou and the Pearl River. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t go around more than once especially since that was our main reason for going.
So all in all, I wouldn’t do the Canton Tower again unless it was FREE or significantly reduced. The view of Guangzhou from the top isn’t really all that impressive and the lines are ridiculous. The bubble cars are the highlight and should be offered as a separate attraction price from the observation decks. Now if you decide to go, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re getting. Either way, make the most of it. I always do!
Veni! Vidi! Que...? 