Flight of Passage: Overrated?

[KelNChrisKYDis]

When my husband & I rode for the first time in October last year, we had no idea really what we were in for, as we had avoided "spoilers" and just knew very minimal info. Having ridden Soarin' the day prior, and not loving it (the feet hanging in front of me, the E.D. Tower, etc.), I was not really expecting what I experienced. It was amazing, fun, exhilarating, thrilling, immersive and without question the best ride I've ever been on at any park. Your mileage my vary. We rode it 3x's, and while the first time was the best time, I'd give ride #1 a 10, and rides 2 and 3 a 9.9.

 

[goofyintoronto]

People actually get teary eyed over rides? Interesting.

I thought FoP was pretty awesome! Its very intense and honestly feels like your really on a banshee. Very cool ride indeed. I was impressed. But to be honest....Im not sure im going to stress about getting a FP for it next trip. Im happy I tried it once. Its good enough for me. I dont have the "I have to ride it all the time!" feeling with this ride though. ....I did feel nauseated when I got off the ride....maybe that had something to do with it? I dunno. I am a bit sensitive to motion simulator rides. Anyway its an impressive ride but meh. Whatever.

PS: Not sure why im comparing the two, but I was more impressed with Forbidden Journey at IoA than I was with FoP. Also....im not sure why people keep comparing FOP to Soarin. There's no comparison. They're totally different rides.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I could ride it 10 times in a row and never get tired. I was thrilled from beginning to end and got off the ride with a huge smile. Way better than soarin in my mind or any other ride at Disney.

 

[Magpie]

I was disappointed with FOP. I think it was wearing the glasses over my prescription glasses that made most of the ride blurry. Actually I was frustrated and kept trying different things like removing my prescription glasses or not looking through the bifocals. Nothing seemed to help. Soarin is still my favorite.

Maybe it depends on your prescription?

I have progressives (like bifocals but with lots more focal points to choose from) and am extremely nearsighted. Also, a bit farsighted. Basically, I don't see well at any distance, lol! I never remove my glasses, except to sleep, and I'm not allowed to drive.

I didn't have any trouble seeing while on the ride. I found the glasses a bit loose, so I tucked them under my headband and all was good after that.

 

[maryj11]

Maybe it depends on your prescription?

I have progressives (like bifocals but with lots more focal points to choose from) and am extremely nearsighted. Also, a bit farsighted. Basically, I don't see well at any distance, lol! I never remove my glasses, except to sleep, and I'm not allowed to drive.

I didn't have any trouble seeing while on the ride. I found the glasses a bit loose, so I tucked them under my headband and all was good after that.

Hmm well have decided maybe it was because we were close to the end both times we rode. Really I don't know why I have this problem but next time I'm going to try to get toward the center.

 

[Magpie]

People actually get teary eyed over rides? Interesting.

I thought FoP was pretty awesome! Its very intense and honestly feels like your really on a banshee. Very cool ride indeed. I was impressed. But to be honest....Im not sure im going to stress about getting a FP for it next trip. Im happy I tried it once. Its good enough for me. I dont have the "I have to ride it all the time!" feeling with this ride though. ....I did feel nauseated when I got off the ride....maybe that had something to do with it? I dunno. I am a bit sensitive to motion simulator rides. Anyway its an impressive ride but meh. Whatever.

PS: Not sure why im comparing the two, but I was more impressed with Forbidden Journey at IoA than I was with FoP.

People get teary-eyed over all sorts of things, for all sorts of reasons. There's nothing odd about having an emotional reaction to a ride, a show, fireworks, whatever. That's what the artists and designers were aiming to elicit, and it's lovely to see when it actually connects with someone.

Harry Potter probably just resonates more deeply with you on an emotional level than Avatar.

 

[Magpie]

Hmm well have decided maybe it was because we were close to the end both times we rode. Really I don't know why I have this problem but next time I'm going to try to get toward the center.

Oh, that could play into it! I sat close to center all three times. Clearly, I need to ride more and gather more data!

 

[goofyintoronto]

People get teary-eyed over all sorts of things, for all sorts of reasons. There's nothing odd about having an emotional reaction to a ride, a show, fireworks, whatever. That's what the artists and designers were aiming to elicit, and it's lovely to see when it actually connects with someone.

Harry Potter probably just resonates more deeply with you on an emotional level than Avatar.

I get what you mean.

And honestly, harry potter doesnt resonate more deeply with me....maybe a little bit. That could be why. But i just found that ride overall (the movement etc) and the walk-through more impressive. I dunno. To each their own.

 

[hsmamato2]

Sorry OP I disagree.... it's not overrated at all. It's amazing. Been on it 3 times now,and it's amazing each time. I LOVE it. I can't say enough about how wonderful it is. Soarin'? well,it's very nice still and all.... I always enjoy it too.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Anything that is very popular will be overrated to some people. Not everyone is going to love everything. Different strokes and all that.

That said, I just do not get how much people compare Soarin and FoP. I think that the rides are very different.

Soarin is like a ride on a porch.

FoP is a wild simulator that is a little too realistic if you’re not a fan of drops. There is much more movement.

I have never felt sick in the slightest on Soarin. FoP left me weak in the knees, shaky, and wanting to throw up.

It’s like comparing a kiddie cartoon to a gory horror movie IMO.

 

[Bullseye]

Kong isn't even in the same ballpark as FoP,it's a 3-D movie/simulator with the action happening in screens on both sides of the bus you're riding,I will say Kong is better than Fast and the Furious which is a similar ride to Kong and is in soft open mode,I've ridden that one four times with little wait and I agree with most people's reviews that it's not a great ride,it's okay at best.At Universal Mummy,Gringotts,Forbidden Journey,MIB,Spider Man and Transformers are rides that you could debate that they are better than FoP because they're excellent rides and even if they use screens they offer more by being actual rides.

Yes I was considering all of the rides at US/IOA you mentioned when I made my assessment that FOP was a the best ride overall. All of them are excellent rides. In fact, the first time I rode Spidey I remember thinking Disney better get on the ball with this technology if they want to "stay in the game." And they did in a big way....FOP is a step above those rides. Disappointed to hear Kong is not all that I was expecting it to be. Someone mentioned to me that it was better than FOP so I was anxious see what could be better than FOP as far as 3-D movie rides go.

 

[Magpie]

Yes I was considering all of the rides at US/IOA you mentioned when I made my assessment that FOP was a the best ride overall. All of them are excellent rides. In fact, the first time I rode Spidey I remember thinking Disney better get on the ball with this technology if they want to "stay in the game." And they did in a big way....FOP is a step above those rides. Disappointed to hear Kong is not all that I was expecting it to be. Someone mentioned to me that it was better than FOP so I was anxious see what could be better than FOP as far as 3-D movies rides go.

Oh, I loved Kong! I wouldn't say it's "better", mainly because it's a very, very different kind of ride. It's apples and bananas and which one you think is best is really going to depend on personal taste.

Kong: The queue is well done, even for FP. The ride consists of everyone loading into a vehicle similar to the ones we use for Kilimanjaro Safaris. And off you go on a bumpy, exciting ride. It's much more than just "looking at screens", as everything is very well integrated with the vehicle's movements, so that you get a very immersive effect. Plus some occasional splashing. There are also some audio-animatronics.

Kong is the kind of ride you'll want to go on multiple times, and not just because the animatronic driver changes from vehicle to vehicle, but also because there is action happening on both sides of the vehicle, simultaneously. Four or five rides later, I was still picking up on things I hadn't noticed on earlier rides.

If I had to compare Kong to something... I'd say it's more like a cross between the Kilimanjaro Safari and Star Tours.

 

[leebee]

I won't ever get to weigh in on this topic, because FoP is a simulator ride, and simulator rides make me incredibly motion sick. I close my eyes though about 1/4th of Soarin and have to sit for awhile after, to get my bearings back. It really worries me that so many new rides (not just at Disney) are simulators- because I can't ride them.

 

[greg9x]

First time ride FoP we did standby... Was an 80 minute wait but ended up being 2 hours due to break down. After got off was like "AMAZING !"
.
Next day had FP and rode again.. That time it was "Great, but not waiting 2 hours again to ride it"

It's a good ride, but slightly over hyped. But that applies to a lot of Disney rides. they're good, but not as good as the wait times lead you to believe they are.
2+ hours or getting to park 1+ hours early is a bit much for what it is. But will still try for a FP for it.

If they randomize scenes like Star Tours, that would up the re-ridability a couple notches.

 

[BobbyDukes]

Honestly I disagree with you, probably most immersive ride experience in the Western Hemisphere.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Forbidden Journey and Gringotts are both significantly better than FOP. I also prefer Hulk and Mummy to FOP, though Hulk is just a really good roller coaster. FOP is better than most rides at Disney, but I probably prefer Everest, Tower of Terror, and Splash Mtn. I mean, ultimately FOP is a good ride, but it certainly isn't very Disney-ish. I'd probably like FOP more if it was set in Aladdin's world (for example).

On edit, if FOP was a Star Wars ride it would be AWESOME! Hoping they do something like that for the new Star Wars land. There's just no emotional attachment there, at all. I can't tell you the name of the land, the characters, the animals, etc. Could barely watch the movie, and though it was successful I don't see a lot of people wearing Avatar t-shirts like I do with Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Disney generally.

 

[klacey1]

I liked FoP. I didn't love it. I thought the story lacked a conclusion and the male actor in the pre-show was very stilted and doesn't speak naturally. I think the ride vehicles are cool and it's visually pretty. That's really it. I'll ride it when I can and enjoy it.

 

[Jen4400]

I'm one of those crazy people who tears up during the ride because it is so intensely emotional for me, so I think it is amazing - it is my favorite ride by far. But everyone has different opinions and preferences.

I completely agree! When we rode it in February, we ran into the family who rode in the same room as us later in the day while in line for EE. The other mom and I spoke briefly and she mentioned that she felt our family had a connection to hers after riding FoP together. I totally agreed with her. We really loved FoP and can't wait for our next trip to ride again.

 

[zobow02]

The first time I rode FOP was back in August 2017. Me and my Mom had Fp's for Navi River but we had to wait at least 45 min before they started. So we decided to go on FOP since it only had a 95min wait (which is pretty short for the ride). Needless to say it ended up being a 2 hour wait for the ride and our fp's expired Anyways, my mom and I didn't have a clue what kind of ride FOP was and hadn't seen a video of FOP before we arrived at WDW. So we were like "this better be worth it!" It was the best part of my vacation. I now recommend this ride to anyone I know who is going to WDW and I also tell them "go on the ride! whether it is a long wait or not!"

 

[ekball]

Rode it for the first (and second) time last week. Went into it ready to pounce on Disney for yet another letdown (sorry folks, I'm feeling just a wee bit anti-Disney lately...too many disappointments for this long-time Disney lover), but I have to say - I loved it. A lot.