I rode Soarin' 3 times today!

[UKDEB]

It's not officially open yet - not detailed on the Epcot park map, just billed as a 'preview' on the electronic schedule at the pin-trading station in Future World.

It was virtually a walk-on all day. We arrived at Epcot at around 10.30am and headed straight there. The wait time was 20 minutes, so we grabbed a FastPass and then got into the standby line.

There are effectively two holding areas - the main queue and then the area where you know you are going to be on the next 'flight'. We waited in the queue for 3-4 minutes and then got shepherded into the pre-flight area. Whilst you are in this pre-flight area, you are given a video 'safety' message (carry-on items in the stowage net under the seat, any shoes which could fall off on the floor in front of you, seat belts fastened) and then you move into the ride area.

90 people ride each time (3x3 banks of 10). The first time we rode we were in the second row. The first row ascends highest. From entering the Land pavilion to exiting the ride (including working out where the FP machines were) took around 25 minutes, so nowhere near the 20 minute wait time indicated. We were moving the entire time.

Our FP return time was 11.20-12.20 and we were off the ride by 11.10, so we went for a stroll. When we returned at around 11.45, it was literally a walk-on - they tagged us on to the back of a row which was about to enter the ride area. There are clearly two theatres - one for the standby line and one for the FP line - which are mirror images of one another.

When we exited, we got another FP - return time 11.35-12.35. The standby line was still showing a 20 minute wait.

We returned for our second FP ride at around 3.20. The standby wait time was still 20 minutes and as we walked down Concourse 1 (FP) we could see that the queue at Concourse 2 (standby) was an identical length. I'm guessing that they will be fully advertising the ride next week (the current park map still headlines Mission:Space on the front) and that it will start getting a lot busier.

The ride itself was very enjoyable. Not the most exciting ride in Orlando, but still well worth doing. The second and third times we rode, we were on the top row - dh reckoned we were about 60 feet in the air (the mechanism raises you at the start); a fact I told him I'd rather remain ignorant of! The 'smellivision' was a nice touch.

The rerurbished food court at the Land looks really nice as do the food choices. We wandered over to the BoardWalk for lunch today, but we'll probably give it a go next time. It didn't seem that busy at any of the times we were there today.

 

[kenleemela]

Can you tell me more about what the ride is? I get motion sickness on the simulator rides,is it like that?

 

[UKDEB]

Our friends didn't come on with us as they were both worried about motion sickness. It's very difficult to gauge for someone else. Dh gets motion sickness on coasters, but not on simulators so he was fine. For me, it was like a combination of Back to the Future (huge, several storeys high screen) but much smoother, and O Canada.

 

[momtoce&j]

Hey, NOT FAIR!!!! we were there the other day, Tuesday, and the castmembers said they weren't previewing Soarin that day.

Hope you had a good time.

 

[noladave]

I went to Disney today (Friday), just to ride Soarin. It was literally a walk on ride. Advertised time was 20 minute wait, but it was about a 5 - 10 minute wait to get to the pre-board "video". For those that don't know, the preboard video stars another "B" type actor - the only thing I could remember him doing was being Will Smith's partner in Men in Black 2.

The ride itself was wonderful. I went twice in about 30 minutes. I could ride it all day. I think there is a slight difference between Concourse 2 and Concourse 1, but it might be becuase I was looking hard for some kind of difference. It seems in Concourse 1, I could see the screen wall panels better than in concourse 2. Again, maybe it's just because I was looking harder at 1.

As for motion sickness, I think that if you really have a good case of motion sickness, you should pass on this ride. They do a very good job of making you feel like you are "flying" (or "soaring").

My favorite scenes were of the Ski Mountain, golf course, river kayaking, and the ocean/surfers.

I agree that few people knew about it. I went over to run a quick ride on Test Track, and the wait was over 60 minutes, and fast passes were over 2 and 1/2 hours later. I asked a couple of people in line at world of entergy (I had time to kill, and 45 minutes was a good amount of time), and none of them knew about Soarin.

Last note - a lot of high school kids at Epcot today.

 

[UKDEB]

I think there is a slight difference between Concourse 2 and Concourse 1, but it might be becuase I was looking hard for some kind of difference

Dh said the same, but we were in row 2, left-hand bank for our one and only ride on Concourse 2; row 1 middle bank for our first ride on Concourse 1; and row 1 right-hand bank (and the very two furthest right-hand seats) for our second ride on Concourse 1. The experience was slightly different each time. The smells were strongest when we rode right at the edge.

Last note - a lot of high school kids at Epcot today.

We've been noticing this all week (we've also been to MK and AK) - loads of groups in their school t-shirts.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

We rode it on Monday, and I loved it! When we got there at first, it was having 'technical problems' so not operating, but later we walked right on.
It is similar to O Canada, or any other IMAX-type movie, you do feel some movement sensation, but as others have said, it is hard to guage for another person.

 

[cdntourguide]

I rode on Wednesday. Rushed to Epcot in the morning to get on the ride as soon as possible to find that Soarin was down due to technical problems. It did not get up and running until nearly 4pm. I passed the notice board on the way to Ice Station cool and the posted time said "Down" , after tasting the Watermellon drink I headed for Innovations and glanced at the notice board and it stated wait time for Soarin was 40minutes, so I turned around and headed over.
The wait was only twenty minutes, however no fast passes were being issued.
It was a great ride. Unfortunately the "Smellivision" was not working.
The line/waiting area is pretty bleak, no posters or memorabilia as at Soarin/California Adventure. Also there is no, repeat, no gift shop for Soarin. No pins, no hats, no shirts: nothing.
As for the ride itself, there are no jerky movements. All motion is very soft, so I felt like I was floating. Once I was in the air I did not notice how high I was off the ground: which is good since I do not like heights.
This is a great ride.

 

[disneylizzy]

OOOH! Lucky you, getting to ride 3X. We got to ride once on 4/19, a Tues. We had PS's at 5:15 at LeCellier, so we got to Epcot early, hoping that we might be able to get on Soarin'. Well, it was posted at 55 min and the FP machines were all covered. We were checking out the area and I was telling DS's 12 and 14 that we couldn't wait that long because of our PS's when the CM handed us 3 FP's! We couldn't believe it at first! While the boys were saying, "Does this mean we can go on right NOW?", another CM came up and said to me, "We really appreciate pleasant guests!". What a magical moment. We all loved Soarin'. Like other posters have said, it is not jerky at all. You kind of get a feeling in your stomach when you fly over the mountains and it looks like you are so high, but I did not have motion sickness at all.