Constellation Carousel
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Overview
Constellation Carousel puts a much more ambitious spin on the traditional theme-park carousel.
Instead of rows of horses moving up and down around a central pole, you ride celestial creatures including lions, bears, dragons, peacocks and other animals inspired by constellations in the night sky.
The whole attraction travels in a continuous circle, but the individual ride vehicles also rotate independently and move across the carousel as they rise and fall. Some can lift riders up to six feet above the platform, creating a flowing, almost dance-like movement rather than the predictable up-and-down motion of a conventional carousel.
Music, lighting and the enormous star-filled canopy above you are synchronised with the movement, and there are different music and movement sequences rather than every ride being exactly the same.
There is no minimum height requirement, although children under 48 inches / 122 cm need to ride with a supervising companion. Handheld infants cannot ride.
Queue Details
Constellation Carousel sits in the centre of Celestial Park beneath its enormous domed canopy, so you can see and hear much of the attraction before you reach the loading platform.
The queue is outdoors, flat and covered by the attraction canopy.
It uses a series of switchbacks alongside the carousel, with views of the attraction and surrounding Celestial Park while you wait.
Standard manual wheelchairs can use the attraction queue.
ECVs and powered wheelchairs cannot be taken through the queue. If you arrive using one, you need to transfer to a standard manual wheelchair before joining the queue.
If you cannot transfer from your powered mobility device to a standard wheelchair, speak to a Team Member at the attraction before joining the queue so they can explain the available arrangements.
Transfer Info
Guests using a standard manual wheelchair can remain in their wheelchair for the attraction.
The wheelchair-accessible vehicle is a large Peacock carriage. Your wheelchair rolls directly into the vehicle, so no transfer into a conventional ride seat is required.
The rear of the Peacock folds down to form the first section of the boarding ramp. A second portable ramp is then brought into position and secured to it, creating a continuous route from the platform into the vehicle.
The ramp is fairly steep, so some wheelchair users may need assistance when boarding or leaving the vehicle.
Before boarding, a Team Member provides a seatbelt which secures around both you and the wheelchair.
Once inside, the wheelchair is secured before the ride begins.
Unlike some wheelchair-accessible carousel vehicles which remain at a fixed height, the Peacock rises and falls during the ride. It returns to the same loading height for unloading.
Moonship-style seated vehicles are also available for guests who cannot or do not want to use one of the saddle-style celestial creatures.
If you arrive using an ECV or powered wheelchair, you need to transfer into a standard manual wheelchair before entering the queue. You can then remain in that wheelchair when using the Peacock.
Sensory Experience
What do these sensory tags mean?
- Spinning
- The ride vehicle or seating rotates around its own axis or repeatedly circles.
Sensory experiences vary between people. These tags describe elements that may be present, not how strongly any individual guest will experience them.
Constellation Carousel combines continuous circular movement with individual ride vehicles that rotate and rise independently.
This means it can feel quite different from a traditional carousel. You aren’t simply travelling around one fixed circle: your individual creature can turn through 360 degrees while its position and height change as the entire attraction continues rotating around you.
Some vehicles rise as much as six feet above the platform. There are no coaster-style drops, but the combination of elevation, rotation and changing direction can create more sensation of movement than its carousel appearance might suggest.
The movement is accompanied by a large musical score and changing coloured lighting across the ride vehicles, floor and enormous canopy overhead.
At night these lighting effects become much more prominent, with the surrounding Celestial Park darker and the illuminated stars, planets and ride vehicles standing out against it.
The attraction follows different music and movement sequences, so the exact combination of motion and soundtrack isn’t necessarily identical every time you ride.
For anyone sensitive to spinning, the important thing to know is that there are two layers of rotation happening together: the carousel itself continually circles while individual vehicles can also rotate.
The wheelchair-accessible Peacock also rises and falls during the ride, so remaining in your wheelchair does not mean experiencing the attraction from a stationary-height platform.
There are no enclosed dark sections, 3D glasses, screens or coaster-style drops.
Practical Tips
If remaining in your wheelchair is essential, check that the wheelchair-accessible vehicle is operating before joining a long queue. Because there is only a specialised accessible option, maintenance on that vehicle can affect whether you are able to ride.
If you are deciding between the celestial creatures and a Moonship, ask to see the seating before boarding. The two options use very different riding positions, so seeing them in person can make the choice much easier.
If you want to experience one of the different music and movement programmes, riding again later in the day can genuinely give you a different version rather than just repeating exactly the same cycle.
Seatbelt extenders are available for the standard ride seating if required, so ask a Team Member before boarding rather than assuming the restraint will not work for you.
The boarding ramp into the Peacock is fairly steep. If you think you may need assistance getting up or down it, let a Team Member know before boarding.
The accessible Peacock still rises and falls during the ride, so don’t assume the wheelchair position remains at platform level throughout the cycle.
And yes, “we need to ride it again for research” is unusually convincing when the carousel actually has multiple programmes.
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