Soarin' Around the World!!! Did you ride it? TELL US PLEASE!!

[bozzles]

What do you guys think is the best strategy for Fastpass+ now Soarin is back up?

In my touring plans at the moment I've got two evenings at Epcot because we've only got three days to do all four parks this time. One of the days I'm going to AK in the daytime and am using our fastpasses there, and then other day i'm using our Tier 1 fastpass on Test Track. Our plan was just to line up for either Soarin or Test Track on the evening we couldn't use fastpasses in the park, and keep the Test track fastpass for the other evening. But because Soarin is new, do you think it would be better to use Fastpass for that, and then line up for Test Track? Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

[sgtdisney]

We rode it the very first day it was open. We were lucky too, as earlier in our vacation we got to ride it with the original film, so it was fresh in my mind and I could compare and contrast them. It was good. There were parts of it of it I liked. However it was very, very heavy with CG imagary. While the original showcased the natural beauty of California, this one really felt like it was showcasing the latest and greatest in CG imagery. Also we were on the right, top of the theater, and the bending of some of the buildings was extreme. So much so that when the Eiffel tower was on the screen, I assumed there was something wrong with the film (since it was the first day). I mean it was really bent, a lot and looked incredibly fake from my perspective. I agree with a poster as well, they really dove deep into the effects of "throwing" things in your face to get people to jump. It made it somewhat interesting, but I hope it doesn't get to become a tired trick, quickly, as time passes. Some of the scents were good, I missed the orange smell as well. That orange smell always reminded me of Horizons, when I'd smell it and it would make me smile. I did love the re-done finale, over Spaceship Earth. I heard that DCA has a different ending over Disneyland, which is pretty cool. I'll definitely ride it again (and again), it's good. I just felt it could be a little better. I hope, over time, they will re-show the original periodically for those of us who liked that one as well.

 

[shelemm]

I like the old Soarin' a lot more. Swooping down to ground level, right over kayakers, hearing them shout out to each other. Hearing the skiers swoosh through the snow. It just seems more real and more surprsing because the surprises are real. I imagine gliding as being quiet and peaceful and I got more of a sense of that with the old ride.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I was at Disneyland California last week and LOVED the new Soarin. Like others I do miss the orange smells but the new scenes are just amazing, especially the opening, going up into the clouds. I wonder how many people spotted Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany? Its inclusion is a nice subtle touch, as its the original inspiration for the Disney Castles.

 

[Barney Fife]

Why was I thinking Soarin' was closed for a year? I honestly think I read that and it bummed me out because we're going in December.

Does anyone have any idea where I saw that? I'm quite happy it appears I was wrong.

 

[Yahweh]

Why was I thinking Soarin' was closed for a year? I honestly think I read that and it bummed me out because we're going in December.

Does anyone have any idea where I saw that? I'm quite happy it appears I was wrong.

Probably it was referring to it being closed last september.

 

[KeithNotKieth]

I like to think that Disney eats rain clouds and poops out sunshine as much as the next guy, but I didn't enjoy this version at all. I would never think twice about riding again it with others, but it's just a waste of a refurb! Music and scents are all great as everyone has said.... however, it's like they sat down in editing and were like "What cheesy CGI gimmick can we through into this scene?!" for Each. And. Every. Scene.

The original version had tasteful CGI with the hanglider, golf ball, and of course the fireworks at the end. The new version reeks with what looks like Sims Characters placed in scenes instead of real people, fake animals, fake effects like avalanches and splashes, and heck -- the entire Taj Mahal scene is fake. I'm talking 100% noticeably fake scene that might as well been animated - trees, water, sky, Sims walking around - the whole thing! I'm not a fan, but now that it's digital hopefully it will be updated more often and feedback will help resolve some of the bad.

 

[Pepper pots]

My favourite Epcot attraction..Can't wait until October..Watched it on you tube ( just had to ) was hoping to smell Indian spices as you soar over the Taj Mahal..Ah well, can't have everything..

 

[Geoff_M]

The new film met the one "must" that I wanted: it kept the original score. My wife, son, and I saw it the 2nd day it was being shown. While we "liked it," we all agreed that the use of CG was way over the top. But even worse, its use was very obvious. Sure, the old film had some CG in the (golf ball and fireworks), but Disney really turned it up to "11" on this one.

 

[nilla]

After several rides, I still can't determine what's real and what isn't. For example, that entire Taj Mahal scene looks fake to me, and the guys in the canoes are pretty clearly CGI.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

so it appears that sitting in the middle section is important or at least helps for getting the best experience

I know in the past I have requested to be in the first row and that was accommodated but that was after being directed to your sections/glider entrance. Do you know if you can request to be in the middle glider? Even if you had to wait an extra cycle or too feels like it might be worth it

 

[Geoff_M]

After several rides, I still can't determine what's real and what isn't. For example, that entire Taj Mahal scene looks fake to me, and the guys in the canoes are pretty clearly CGI.

Agreed, I thought the canoes and paddlers were pretty clearly CG... which is one of the things that really bugged me. I mean, how hard could it have been to try and find some islanders with some dugout canoes to go a bit off shore and paddle under your helicopter mounted camera???

 

[Klayfish]

so it appears that sitting in the middle section is important or at least helps for getting the best experience

I know in the past I have requested to be in the first row and that was accommodated but that was after being directed to your sections/glider entrance. Do you know if you can request to be in the middle glider? Even if you had to wait an extra cycle or too feels like it might be worth it

Yes, gate B, row 1 is the best place to be. Sure, you can ask to be up front. The response will depend on the CM, but they should let you wait. Gates A and C have significant distortion of tall objects such as the Eiffel tower. It's still a great show, but it's very weird to see things bend like that. Beyond that, I really liked Soarin'. We rode it 4 or 5 times. Park opening and closing are great times, as the lines are really short. When I rode it, I wasn't looking to try to pick out things that were CGI, I just wanted to "enjoy the ride". Yes, some of it is CGI, but at least to me nothing looked ridiculously out of place. It's not like they put an iceberg in the middle of the desert. Didn't bother me at all that they threw CGI stuff in. It's a fun ride. In some ways, I agree that I liked the old one as much or better, but I still really enjoyed this and look forward to doing it again.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yes, gate B, row 1 is the best place to be. Sure, you can ask to be up front. The response will depend on the CM, but they should let you wait. Gates A and C have significant distortion of tall objects such as the Eiffel tower. It's still a great show, but it's very weird to see things bend like that. Beyond that, I really liked Soarin'. We rode it 4 or 5 times. Park opening and closing are great times, as the lines are really short. When I rode it, I wasn't looking to try to pick out things that were CGI, I just wanted to "enjoy the ride". Yes, some of it is CGI, but at least to me nothing looked ridiculously out of place. It's not like they put an iceberg in the middle of the desert. Didn't bother me at all that they threw CGI stuff in. It's a fun ride. In some ways, I agree that I liked the old one as much or better, but I still really enjoyed this and look forward to doing it again.

Thanks - can't hurt to ask I figure

And I am like you in that I just want to enjoy it, at least the first time, and not try to pic out the CGI - it just seems like some of the distortion if you are on the ends is pretty hard to ignore

 

[nilla]

Thanks - can't hurt to ask I figure

And I am like you in that I just want to enjoy it, at least the first time, and not try to pic out the CGI - it just seems like some of the distortion if you are on the ends is pretty hard to ignore

I'm in "spoiling my Trip Report" territory here (), but section B (middle) was closed on one of our rides (it was right before park close). We had to sit in C1 (right side), and we were pretty far over. The bending on the Tower was pretty bad. That was where it was most noticeable. We've been requesting to wait for B1 for years, so I don't know if it was an issue with the old film as well.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm in "spoiling my Trip Report" territory here (), but section B (middle) was closed on one of our rides (it was right before park close). We had to sit in C1 (right side), and we were pretty far over. The bending on the Tower was pretty bad. That was where it was most noticeable. We've been requesting to wait for B1 for years, so I don't know if it was an issue with the old film as well.

don't worry - I'll still act surprised and amazed when you get to it in your TR

We've requested the front row in the past but that was to the CM at the gate we were assigned to so just was wondering about requesting the gate as well - good to know at least potential for that

 

[revdon64]

Saw it last week and thought it was great! I didn't really even realize that most if not all of the characters in it were CGI until a cast member friend told me so. It was and still is a must do for my family.

 

[qa4ever]

We rode it 4 times at DCA in California on Saturday (all with FP ). My DD11 and I both loved it and think quite frankly it may be the best ride we've ever been on.

I did find the movement more gentle than the last, but I thought that was fine. My daughter did comment that there was a lot of "graphics", but I didn't mind it either.

I loved the music, and how they were able to incorporate the original score. I think they did a very, very, very good job with it. I will miss the old one, but only because it was my 2nd favorite ride of all time, haha. Would be nice at some point if they open up one theatre to show the old one.

 

[nilla]

don't worry - I'll still act surprised and amazed when you get to it in your TR

We've requested the front row in the past but that was to the CM at the gate we were assigned to so just was wondering about requesting the gate as well - good to know at least potential for that

When you get to the CM who tells you which gate to go to, you ask if you can wait for B1.

 

[huskies90]

I want to throw my $0.02 in here.

The old version of Soarin’ was my favorite attraction at Disney. I rode it 50+ times and loved it every time. When I heard about the update, my feeling was: with all the attractions needing work, updates or replacements all over the resort, why the heck would they change one of the most popular attractions that pretty much everyone loved as is?

I am one of the frequent Disney visitors that likes changes and updates to attractions rather than keeping the nostalgia of the “way it was”. I thought (and still think) the new Test Track is an improvement over the old version. So, I went into the new ride with an open mind. I rode Soarin’ 4 times last week - twice without fastpasses so, first off, the new theater is a great addition. The crispness and cleanliness of the picture and sound was also great.

But unfortunately, each time I rode Soarin’ around the world, I liked it less and less. There are several reasons why:

1) I could not get passed how computer generated everything was. I couldn’t stop myself from pointing out what was real and what was fake. Clearly all the animals, people and effects were fake but I felt a lot of the scenery was too – The Taj Mahal looked completely CGI to me. And the bending was awful. We sat in row 1 middle twice and on the sides twice and the Eiffel Tower bending is ridiculous and very noticeable even in the middle.

2) I am not sure why, but I did not get the sense of flying on this version. I felt a lot more like I was watching scenes in an iMax movie from a seat in a theater and the fact that it is mostly CGI, not even a good iMax movie.

3) I could not relate to most of the scenes. I have been to many of the places in California and could almost picture myself flying over some of them on a hang glider. I did not get that feeling going over most of the world scenes.

4) The music was always one of my favorite parts of the old show. While they incorporated the old music nicely, it did not have the same crescendo effect the old ride had.

5) After years and years of seeing the old Soarin’ many times, there was always applause as the ride ended and you backed up to your launch spot. Not one of the 4 rides I was on last week received the thunderous applause from the audience at the end. That tells you something.

The new Soarin’ is still a great ride. I like the world concept and some of the effects are neat/cute. I am sure I will ride it again and again but to me, this update was a downgrade. My hope is they clean up the old film and bring it back on occasion or dedicate one of the theaters to California – like a second destination in a airport.