An instant classic and among Imagineering's best achievements, Soarin' is the definitive attraction at the park where it debuted, Disney's California Adventure: It's a captivating Disney E-ticket ride; it's all about California and its legendary sights; and it's a giddy adventure that engages your senses and figuratively, if not damn near literally, sends you soarin'. It's so popular that Disney cloned the ride at Epcot. Now Florida audiences can experience the Soarin' hoopla.
Soarin' Up-Front Info
- Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 2.5
Gentle motion simulation, moderate height and "soaring" simulation. - Attraction Type: Motion simulation attraction
- Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)
- Location: Inside Epcot's The Land pavilion in Future World.
- Uses Fastpass
- Soarin' Photo Gallery
Instead of the vintage aircraft hangar that houses the West-coast version of the attraction, Epcot's The Land is the place to go Soarin' at Walt Disney World. Sharing the bottom floor with the huge Sunshine Seasons food court (where you can find some unique and delicious "fast-casual" fare), the entrance and queue area for the ride looks like a bustling modern-day airport terminal. Large murals of California's diverse ecosystems hang in the long walkway to the attraction and help establish the connection to The Land pavilion's theme.
After a brief pre-flight video from Patrick Warburton ("Seinfeld's" Puddy), guests enter one of two theaters that each contains nine motion base units with ten seats. The units have no floors, allowing passengers' legs to dangle. After riders secure their seat belts, a roof swings down over each unit to both provide the illusion of a hang glider and to focus passengers' field of vision on the huge, domed Ominmax screen ahead. (Universal Studio Florida's more intense Back to the Future attraction also uses an Omnimax screen.)
Should you try Soarin'?
The, um, soaring Jerry Goldsmith (composer of films including "Star Trek" and "Air Force One") soundtrack begins, the motion units rise up and toward the screen, and riders are soarin' over California. The illusion is stunning. The banks of seats have a fairly limited range of motion, but they sure make passengers feel like they're hang gliding.
If heights make you a bit queasy, let alone the thought of an actual hang gliding ride, don't necessarily dismiss Soarin's virtual hang gliding attraction. While the overall ride is exhilarating--thrilling even--the ride experience is quite gentle and doesn't contain any typical thrill ride gotchas. Once riders get past the initial sensation, it's smooth sailing. Very young riders might find the attraction a bit overwhelming, but the 40-inch height restriction will prevent them from riding anyways. If you're on the line, I'd say go for it; if you start feeling uncomfortable, close your eyes and the sensation should subside.
Hangin' around California
But most riders will want to keep their eyes wide open for Soarin's airborne journey. The adventure begins with a swoop above San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Then it's a float over a river alongside some majestic California redwoods. Other flyovers include a Sierras' ski resort, Yosemite Falls, the Anzo-Borrega Desert, and the California coast.
The transitions from scene to scene--clouds and fog momentarily obscure the view and set the stage for the next vista--are a bit perplexing. At some level, Soarin' demands a suspension of reality, but no amount of pixie dust can justify shifting from cacti to crashing waves in the blink of an eye. Also, unlike most vaunted Disney attractions, Soarin' doesn't tell a linear story; it's a bunch of wordless scenes mashed together into a grand travelogue.
Next page: Sensory Over-load
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