Can someone explain soarin?

[JenC025]

Do you get lifted high in the air? There are several horizontal rows of seats? I am probably the wimpiest rider here lol and just want to know exactly what to expect. Thanks
5 more days

 

[The Mick]

Do you get lifted high in the air? There are several horizontal rows of seats? I am probably the wimpiest rider here lol and just want to know exactly what to expect. Thanks
5 more days

Even the wimpiest of wimpy riders love this ride. I know a few and they have gone back over and over again. Believe me, it's exhilerating yet tame. I've never met a person who thinks it's "too much".

Check this out. It's from the DIS's Soarin' section. It explains it very well:

As those who have ridden this unique attraction already at Disney's California Adventure can attest, this is not your typical motion simulator type ride. Soarin' at Epcot uses the concept that was a smash hit on the West Coast, and brings it here to add to an ever growing list of impressive new attractions in Orlando.

I experienced Soarin' for the first time at Epcot, so I will not attempt to compare the attraction to the Anaheim original.

The ride building is attached to The Land Pavillion in Future World, with the ride entrance accessible through the former Food Rocks attraction. The building itself is shaped like a huge, truncated hangar, simillar to what you might find at a medium sized municipal airfield. The interior is also reminiscent of a municipal airfield, with chain link fencing in places. There is no seperate pre-show to speak of. However, when you are ready to load up into your moving theater, you are treated to a short safety spiel type video on an overhead monitor.

Inside the theater, you will be guided to one of three large ride vehicles. Each has three rows of seating, with the most desirable being the front row, closest to the screen. When the ride begins, the front row winds up being the highest in the air, and none of the other rows are visible, as they go below and slightly to the rear of the row in front. I rode in the middle row, which still offers a fairly immersive experience.

The theater seats, quite honestly are the most comfortable ride vehicle seats I've ever seen in any attraction, anywhere. They are very similar to slightly reclined lawn chairs, with a mesh seat and back, and are perfect for this attraction. They are also somewhat wider and larger than ride seating in most amusement park attractions. Safety is provided by a simple lap belt restraint, leaving you with a comfortable, free feeling as the ride begins.

At the starts, your ride vehicle is lifted swiftly and smoothly forward and up, with each row stacking vertically above the other, right in front of a massive theater screen. And then you begin to "fly" through stunning scenes filmed over the California landscape. You are swept over snow capped ridges, desert canyons, rocky seashores, and gorgeous beaches. The whole experience culminates with a swooping run up Main Street USA to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, ending among the evening fireworks display.

As the camera banks and turns through the scenery, your moving theater also banks and turns...In fact, each individual seat moves, banking you left and right, and angling up and down, in perfect synchronization with the camera angle on the screen. It truly does leave you feeling as though you were hang gliding over California's most breathtaking vistas.

The overall ride experience of Soarin' is certainly not to be missed. However, there were a few negatives that I also felt worthy of noting...At times, the picture quality of the film appeared to be a bit on the grainy side, and some of the cuts between scenery footage were a bit abrupt. During the ride, you are treated to the feeling of wind blowing in your face...I loved this part of the attraction, but I would have liked the wind to have varied a bit...I thought the ride could be enhanced by having the wind occasionally "gust" or lessen a bit as you banked through a turn. Lastly, on the negative front, guests who use wheelchairs and cannot transfer to a ride vehicle seat will not be able to experience this attraction, as there is no way to accommodate a wheelchair on the ride vehicles. disAbled access to the attraction, however, is good, with wide, gently sloping ramps throughout the queue area, and ample room to maneuver a wheelchair inside the ride theater. You just have to be able to get into the theater seats once you're inside.

This attraction earned a tremendous amount of hype while it was in operation in Anaheim. Most of that hype has been very well earned. There is very little not to like about Soarn' at Epcot, and a lot of reasons to make sure that this is one ride you don't want to miss on your next trip to the World. I give Soarin' at Epcot a grand total of 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars. A definite hit.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/epfw-soarin.htm

 

[4EverFigment]

I have trouble with heights and motion simulator rides, and went on Soarin' for the first time in May. And I cannot wait to get on it again! It was AMAZING. You can really, really suspend disbelief on this ride and truly experience the magic. You are really there flying over California's most beautiful scenes.

Be aware that this is one of, if not the most, popular rides at Epcot. The FP's WILL run out. The standby line gets insane (I have seen it over 150 minutes with my own eyes). I highly advise you to get there very quickly and get a FP so you can go enjoy Imagination or Living Seas while you wait instead of being caught in a kind of dull queue line. Or you might plan it around a mealtime, and eat there in the The Land while you wait for your time to come up. Also, even with the FP, there is a bit more of a line that other FP lines usually have.

But do, above all, go on Soarin'! It's great!

peace
figgy

 

[JenC025]

Thank you both for your fast responses!! I will have to do it.

 

[dzneelvr]

Without a doubt in our family's top 5 (and with teenagers casting 2 of the 4 votes) The imagery is fantastic and it is an attraction that involves all 5 senses fully. It is GREAT. Hopefully it will remain at EPCOT for many years to come! (if going during the summer or another busy time, you'll have to live by the fast pass. This summer it would've been impossible to go without the FP)

 

[alicenwonder99]

I've been on it both at DL and at WDW. And even though they are both identical rides, the one at WDW I like better. It just seemed smoother. I rode the one at DL right when it came out and I felt dizzy and like I was going to fall out of the seat. I actually had a tight grip on the armrests the whole time. I avoided the one at WDW until a few days ago, and it was great!! I didn't feel dizzy at all and I didn't feel like I was going to fall out.

HTH

Mary

 

[Cool-Beans]

There are 3 seating sections, each with 3 rows. Each row has about, I dunno, 15 people. When the ride begins, before the movie stuff starts, each section is lifted up and moved forward. For a couple of seconds, you kind of whoosh along...but it isn't a big deal. Don't expect a big thrill. I don't remember how high you go, but by the time you start thinking, "Oh, geez! We're moving!" it is either done or within seconds of being over.

The movie is really the attraction. If you go see Omnimax movies, you have a good idea of what it is like, only your row is up in the air, your feet can swing.

The second and third rows are each a little lower than the one in front of them (so everyone can see.) If you are in the front row, you just see the movie. But if you're in row #2 or #3, you see the feet of the people in front of you, at the top of the screen, swinging away. It can be very distracting, so you might want to prepare yourself to ignore it.

Soarin is a lot of fun, but not a thrill ride. It would never even occur to me to call it a motion simulator...it isn't anything like those herky-jerky motion simulator rides. You just sit there; very easy, no problemos. Have a great time!