For everyone who’s never done a hot air balloon ride, I would definitely recommend it! My husband and I had the best time ever and ticked off another item on my bucket list. Not sure what the weight limit was but apart from us there were 10 other people in ours whereas the other ballon had only 4 instead of our 12. We got picked up at 5.10 am from the hotel lobby. It was pretty cold outside that early in the morning so once we got into the hot air balloon, the heat coming from above was helpful in keeping us warm. For the taller person, it is a good idea to bring a hat so you don’t get too warm. Gliding through the north rim of the Sonoma valley nearly touching the vineyards, hovering over the trees, floating on top of the mountains and then witnessing the magical sunrise was amazing. Its the feeling like when you sometimes dream of being able to fly. The concept of a hot air balloon fitted with two large propane tanks that flies people in a wicker basket (read no windows) where you work with the wind on the day is simply mind boggling if you think about it. The crew watches the wind from noon the day before to gauge what the wind patterns will be like for a sunrise cruise. The views were amazing. There was good camaraderie and working together between the pilot Jose and Chad the guide who gave the directions. For the wine/champagne enthusiast there was some champagne toasting after the ride at 7.30 in the morning. We had to return early back to the hotel and they were kind enough to and drop us back too. We recommended the ride to everyone we knew!