Soarin at EPCOT

[trevorsem]

Is Soarin open yet?

My Wife is scared of heights and is worried about being 45 feet up in the air.
I'm trying to convince Her it's like ET...

 

[sunshine state]

Its expected to open sometime in May, i know they were having AP previews last weekend so its not going to be too long before its open to everyone.

 

[TracyK]

This is a brilliant attraction. If your wife requests the third row she won't be that far off the ground.

Tracy

 

[vernon]

My Wife is scared of heights and is worried about being 45 feet up in the air.

Physically you're a little higher than ET, I'd guess an extra 15-20 feet higher than ET gets (even if you're on the lowest setting of Soarin) but if you don't want to be on the wrong end of a handbag bashing LOL I'd warn her that the ride does simulate you being A LOT higher than on ET. I don't want to put a downer on the idea, but in order for her not to get REALLY miffed at you (if she doesn't like the ride) I think you need to better manage her expectations of the ride. It's a great ride and a lot of fun, if she's OK at being able to remind herself that she isn't really that far off the ground ( and knows that going in) then your life islikely to be a lot less painful after the ride .

IMHO it's important to remember their are two aspects to the ride ( and the fear of heights) there is the physical aspect of it, but also the psychological aspect of where they pretend to take you. For someone with a deep fear of heights if their fear takes over the logical area of their thought process and convinces them they really are as high up as the simulation shows getting them back to reality is not going to be easy, particularly when you're strapped in 40 feet up in the air.

 

[KayleeUK]

Is it opening May 5th??

 

[SimonV]

May 5 is the day of the big media event at Epcot, with the park closing to guests at 3pm There will be the grand opening for all the big-wigs, TV cameras, note-takers, etc, and all the media will then get to ride it for the next few hours. It will then be fully open to all on a regular basis May 6. However, it seems there have been 'soft' openings of the ride for several weeks now, as is usually the way, so the chances are you will still get to ride it at least a week before May 5. On a different note, the whole of Disney will be VERY busy with the media event May 4-6, and I would advise avoiding MGM on the 4th, ALL the parks on the 5th (with Epcot closing early and other events at MK, there will be more people crammed into less space than usual), and Animal Kingdom on the 6th.

 

[Mumof2]

Our whole family rode Soarin twice in California Adventures last year. My hubby has a fear of heights but loved this ride. My daughter (4 at the time) was the one who wanted to go on again (though I must admit so did I).

My son (6 at the time) had to be convinced to go on again and he says he will not do it at EPCOT. He wasn't happy on it at all the second time - I think it was his feet dangling that upset him. Yet he loved Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror etc.

So I don't think whether you'll enjoy this ride is just about a fear of heights.

I would talk to your wife and you could always suggest that if she isn't happy or feels uncomfortable that she closes her eyes. It honestly doesn't last that long.

Good Luck whatever you decide.

 

[signtalker]

I think i will be closing my eyes alot then by the sounds of it!!!

im very scared of heights and dont do, coasters or anything like that. I would love to try this as it sounds good, can anybody equate it to another ride theyve been on, in terms of motion,feelings, simulations.

for instance I hate back to the future in US,but am fine on spiderman in islands of adventure, would the feelings of height equate to either of these??.

Jules

 

[Peebee]

The ride seems to be open pretty much full-time now. We rode it a couple of days ago and were very impressed. I did the standby line the first time as it was only a 15 min wait, but can see this getting very busy once everyone realises the ride is operating. Fastpass is your friend

Very hard to compare the experience with any other ride. Including the initial 'takeoff' the movements are pretty subtle and relatively mild (to me, at least).

The makeover for the inside of the land pavillion also looks great - very smart indeed. The food court seemed to be in final preparation on Wednesday, but we'll check this out again over the weekend.

Paul

 

[Miffy2003]

Hey Paul!

Hope you are having a fantastic time

 

[thefoxes]

Hello All,

Are there any video clips of this ride on the internet, so i can see it prior to riding it ?

 

[Dimplenose]

I hate back to the future in US,

Me too. The first time I rode it I thought it was just our car with its own screen and was quite happy to go on again. The second time I looked off to one side and saw lots of cars and a big drop and was terrified - I won't be doing that ride again!
It is the perception of danger that takes over e.g. on Splash Mountain I'm just going down the side of a mountain and therefore can't fall off but on Goofy's Barnstormer - well I couldn't even get onto that one!
So as for Soarin' I just don't know whether to give it a go or not.

Libby

 

[diswix]

Please don't worry about the height. We rode soarin over the Easter period. I am really scared of heights and was so nervous when I first sat down; but it was a truly breathtaking experience -I would not have missed it for the world. I know you will feel the same once you have experienced soarin.Have a wonderful time.

 

[trevorsem]

May 5 is the day of the big media event at Epcot, with the park closing to guests at 3pm There will be the grand opening for all the big-wigs, TV cameras, note-takers, etc, and all the media will then get to ride it for the next few hours. It will then be fully open to all on a regular basis May 6. However, it seems there have been 'soft' openings of the ride for several weeks now, as is usually the way, so the chances are you will still get to ride it at least a week before May 5. On a different note, the whole of Disney will be VERY busy with the media event May 4-6, and I would advise avoiding MGM on the 4th, ALL the parks on the 5th (with Epcot closing early and other events at MK, there will be more people crammed into less space than usual), and Animal Kingdom on the 6th.

Hi Simon.

Bought your book yesterday
Do you know if the stunt show is due to open on the same day at MGM?

T