The 81 people were on a boat which was unable to leave the structure's upper gondola when a hydraulic gate failed to open.
Scottish Canals said those affected were either given refunds or booked onto a later sailing.
The wheel is a rotating boat lift which links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal 35m (115ft) above.
It is Scotland's busiest tourist attraction outside a city centre.
The wheel opened as part of the Millennium Link, an Â£84.5m project that restored Scotland's inland waterways to a navigable state for the first time since the 1960s.
A Â£1m programme to revamp visitor attractions at the wheel was announced in March.
Passengers were led to safety from the Falkirk Wheel after it became stuck for about 30 minutes on Sunday.