Convince Me About Soarin'

[Quasialamodo]

And thanks everyone for your contributions! I really do appreciate them!

 

[fla4fun]

Hi folks!

I know as a DISer, I'm supposed to love everything about Disney
but there is one ride I just don't understand the appeal of. Every time I'm at the Land, I kind of shrug it off (yes, my fiancee tries to get me to pull a fp for it every time but I always somehow have an excuse). That ride is Soarin'.

So, while I'm planning my World Disneymoon, convince me to work to get a fp+ for this ride. Or conversely, praise me for my daring to be different. Your third option is to reassure me that my fps and my fiancee's fps don't have to be linked so I can get him on the ride and then go visit Figment.

Thanks!

Marriage is all about compromise. No better place to begin than on your Disneymoon. There will be some rides that are your favorites that may not be his, and vice versa. Sometimes you go in an attraction not because it's your particular favorite, but because you know it will make your SO happy. So long as you don't have issues with motion sickness or something that would cause you discomfort while riding, then the goal of the trip should be for both of you to experience the attractions you like best. He may not be as into Figment as you, and you obviously aren't as into Soarin' as him, but the two of you should go on both together - at least on this trip. After all, isn't the most important part of the Disneymoon spending time together?

 

[fishhunter]

Feels kinda like flyin'. Not sure there's much more to it.

I assume you've actually ridden it, but from your post that is not clear. If you haven't ridden it, do. If you have ridden it and were meh, then skip it. But Figment over Soarin'? You would definitely be a bit different. (Praise be.)

I've ridden Soarin twice, and we will ride it again in December because there is not much else to ride in Epcot. The man problem I have with the ride is the movie that is shown just seems old with out of date technology. I have read that this is supposedly going to be updated but no one knows when.

 

[gericoronado]

(yes, my fiancee tries to get me to pull a fp for it every time but I always somehow have an excuse.)

So, while I'm planning my World Disneymoon...

I say Yes. You should get the FP with your new spouse... as it's a good way to start your marriage. Indulge each other's whims on your honeymoon!

 

[skywaywaver]

I am not a Soarin' fan either. DH and I tried it pre-kids but since I'm afraid of heights, I was not thrilled. He didn't like it either since that was too "thrillish" for him (let's just say that the SDMT is causing anxiety already). That being said, DD8 and DS6 really want to go on so I'm taking one for the team and riding with them. If my parents were going to be with us one of our Epcot days, trust me, I would not be riding.

We may be different but I prefer my feet firmly planted on the ground at Figment. However, I do think that if you are physically able, try it. If you like it, great. If not, you tried it. There's nothing to really hate about it, just nothing to gush over, IMO.

 

[charmed59]

I loved Soarin in California Adventure. You go into what looks like an airplane hanger and then soar over the state that is the theme for the park.

In Epcot it makes no sense. You wander in through a food court, and then see a grainy version of a tour about California, in Florida, in a theme park about the future and the world. It needs a new movie. In a perfect world the outside would be themed like a futuristic airline terminal and the movie would be soaring over the world.

As most people said, its only popular because there is a dearth of rides in Epcot. Epcot's strength right now is the country pavillions. Eating/drinking/shopping around the fake world you can't do anywhere else.

 

[jco_direwolf]

In Epcot it makes no sense. You wander in through a food court, and then see a grainy version of a tour about California, in Florida, in a theme park about the future and the world.

More than once getting off the attraction, I've heard people talking about how Magic Kingdom use to look so much different than it does now.

I then try to explain, that wasn't Magic Kingdom, it DisneyLand.

 

[itchin2go]

Some clarity for everyone, just cause I can.

I have not ridden Soarin' yet, and soon to be DH doesn't see it as a dealbreaker. If fp or standby time is 10 minutes, I could be inclined but I've seen IMAX Star Wars, so I can't imagine how impressed I'm going to be by an in-flight advert for California with scents and movement.

I like cows (not the smell) and I'd probably be more inclined to visit Soarin' Over My Hamburger (or some such thing like that).

I have only ridden Soarin once, and I'm not much of a "rider" in general, so I hope folks will correct me if they think I'm WAY off base ....

but I didn't see the "over California" part to be the draw of the attraction. I think the "Soarin" part is the draw ....

that is, the sensation of flying is the point, not necessarily what you're flying over ...

sure, the scenes are nice, but I think part of why this ride has the potential to be versatile is that the point is the "soarin", and it could be over any number of things and still be cool (potentially cooler, even).

I am a ride BABY, practically scared of my own shadow, and for me, I really did get the sensation of being up high and flying over the scenes ... so much so that I had to look away so I wouldn't freak out.

I wouldn't expect THIS reaction from someone who loves TOT, but there's definitely something to Soarin. I can't imagine rejecting it without trying it, and this is from someone who was terrified to try it!

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

If you have never tried it IMO you should. It is like when you go shopping for clothes, you see a dress and love it and then when you try it on it is awful, but then you try on something that you think is awful (usually because someone else suggests you should) and you end up loving it. I don't see why you don't try it with a FP or go there first thing at rope drop. Imagination is usually short lines and then you can enjoy Imagination with your new husband

 

[itchin2go]

If you have never tried it IMO you should. It is like when you go shopping for clothes, you see a dress and love it and then when you try it on it is awful, but then you try on something that you think is awful (usually because someone else suggests you should) and you end up loving it. I don't see why you don't try it with a FP or go there first thing at rope drop. Imagination is usually short lines and then you can enjoy Imagination with your new husband

Imagination is usually NO lines ... although that may have changed with FP+.

Seriously, when we go to Imagination, there is generally no one in front of us, and no one behind us ... and we're alone in the ride. Freaks me out a little (but then what doesn't? ).

 

[DisneyFive]

Some clarity for everyone, just cause I can.

I have not ridden Soarin' yet, and soon to be DH doesn't see it as a dealbreaker. If fp or standby time is 10 minutes, I could be inclined but I've seen IMAX Star Wars, so I can't imagine how impressed I'm going to be by an in-flight advert for California with scents and movement.

That being said, I can't imagine how Star Tours is not 10x better than Soarin', for the person that was dissing ST earlier (or did I imagine that? I can't imagine anyone not liking ST, one of the versions possibly but not the whole of ST...)

I like cows (not the smell) and I'd probably be more inclined to visit Soarin' Over My Hamburger (or some such thing like that).

I could probably spend a day and a half just in Innoventions and I have a history of riding ToT to the point of obsession...so do with that what you will.

My personal feelings about Soarin? Well, it's the one, single ride in all of WDW that signifies WDW to me. I just haven't experienced anything else like it, and I've been to many Theme and Amusement parks. To me, Star Tours does not compare. I love Soarin so much more. (...and I'm a big Star Wars fan).

Getting lifted smoothly, high in the air, with a screen covering pretty much your entire field of view. The beautiful scenes, the great music, the cool pumped in smells, it's just one of those magical rides. It's serene, and not meant to be a HIGH thrill ride. (I love thrill rides too)

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend you try it once.

Dan

 

[stitchrulz]

Since you will be on your honeymoon maybe just this one time go on the ride to make your future spouse happy.

And, you can file it away for future use the next time you want to do something: "Honey, remember when I rode Soarin with you even though I really didn't want to?" Just kidding, although my DH still reminds me about the time he gave his Mickey head ice cream to me when the stick came out of mine. Apparently, that debt will never be repaid!

We also went to Disney for our honeymoon, so whatever you decide, you'll have a magical time. Congratulations!!

 

[SandiR]

Soarin' is probably my favorite ride in any park. I don't really know that I can articulate what is so great about it, but I do know that my kids and I (my husband not so much) really enjoy it a lot. I think my husband would appreciate it a lot more, if not for the 1 hour + wait times. That being said, I'm not really motivated to convince you to like it, as the wait times are terrible enough and I don't want to convince more people to line up for it. Anyway, you're never going to like everything at Disney. The character meet and greets are arguably some of the most popular events at WDW and no one in my family has ever had any interest - even when my kids were very little. To each his own!

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

A few minutes after my very first ride on Soarin' I started to cry with pure JOY!
It is one of the very most joyful rides I have ever been on.

Through my tears I saw a little girl, about 4, jumping up and down with her
Grandfather (?) yelling: "Let's Do It Again, Let's Do It Again!"

Soarin' is very special!

 

[Jewel3k]

We love it. I especially love it when I'm hot and tired after a long walk around the world showcase. Slip off the shoes and let the wind blow on my tired feet. The ride is serene, scenery beautiful and has a nice cool breeze.

 

[prgal0715]

I absolutely love Soarin'...the sensation, the smells and the MUSIC (how I adore the music!). For me, it's much less about one particular aspect of the ride and more about the overall experience. I also love leaving my sandals on the floor before takeoff. (Is that weird?)

To enhance the experience, I always ask to ride in the first row so I don't see other people's feet dangling over my head. It might be a weird thing, but I like a clear view of the screen! LoL

So, IMHO, I'd give Soarin' a try once. If you hate it, you never have to do it again and can hang out with Figment all you want. FWIW, I'm also a big fan of ToT and ST and could ride both until they wouldn't let me anymore.

 

[jco_direwolf]

And don't forget to catch the golf ball.

My son's first time on it, I caught the golf ball for him and on the exit he tried to give it back to the CMs for the next group of people.

Once the CM understood what he was trying to say (dad helped translate) they told him it was okay they had lots of golf balls.

 

[LJSquishy]

Give it a try! Maybe you will love it, maybe you will hate it. I think you should ride it once, though.

I don't find Soarin' an amazing ride by any means...but I thought it was fun and worth riding. There are a few rides we skipped during our trip in 2012 (small world, dumbo, primeval whirl, etc) and I regretted skipping them (well, I don't regret skipping Dumbo). We're going back Oct 2015 and I want to do it all!

Soarin' was cute and fun. It's a relaxing ride and neat to smell the oranges. The screen & film need to be redone but it doesn't ruin the experience. I loved the way the ride moved around and it really does make you feel like you're paragliding (within a realistic amount). Would I wait 45 minutes for it? No. Then again I wouldn't stand in line for 45 minutes for much (benefit of going during slow times). I think it's worth a Fastpass if the standby line is long, especially since you've never ridden it. If the wait is under 30 minutes I would just stand in line I guess.

 

[Drinehart811]

Here's a little bit of a different perspective. I totally get not being that into a ride that everyone else is over the moon about. My reason for choosing to go is a little different though.. Soarin is a tier 1 FP, unless you're planning on doing living with the land twice (once on your own and once thru standby with your fiancé) you might as well just go on Soarin to check out the hype for yourself. Since at EPCOT you get 1 tier 1 and 2 tier 2s and your fiancé is picking soarin you might as well go along, most of the other tier 1 choices are "must dos" for most people so you'll probably want to go on those too.