"Soarin" - OK for Physically Frail Senior?

[michellex2]

I'm trying to sort out if "Soarin" would be an OK ride for my physically frail Mom in her eighties. Jolts or bumps would be potentially damaging to her. She's done rides like the Haunted House and Peter Pan which were very gentle and enjoyed them. Also, she does not understand things very well at this point in her life and can get frightened by very unusual things, but she is not afraid of heights. She can transfer from her wheelchair as long as there is adequate time to enter the ride. Can anyone give me some feedback as to whether I should take her on this ride or not? (She did "OK with Honey I Shrunk The Audience" as I prepped her beforehand that it would seem real but wasn't. She wasn't frightened and enjoyed it.)

One last question, would I be sitting right next to her in the ride? That would make her much more mellow, if I am.

 

[Aneille]

Thats a tough one.

I would suggest you ride it first and then make a decision.

It is a gentle ride so I wouldn't worry about bumps and her getting hurt from them.

I would be more concerned about confusion although you say she doesn't get afraid of heights the ride is a simulator so you can get lost in the sensation that you really are hang-gliding. And if I remember correctly there is a part where they kind of make you feel like you are going to crash into something. I don't remember the details. Its not scary, but for someone that is easily confused by unusual things that might be enough.

And I wouldn't worry about the transfer. They give you plenty of time to get seated. The other good thing is you will get to sit directly next to her and there will be no barrier between the two of you in case she does get confused.


I think you need to ride it first.

 

[MainStreetFan]

The ride only entails sitting in a long row of seats, that are raised up in front of a large screen. Your feet are hanging down, this may confuse her. Then you appear to be flying over the California landscape. No jolts or bumps. Can you give it a try first? My dad (76) loves this ride. Good Luck! It is really great.

 

[mrscoobs]

My grandmother (89) loves this ride and she transferred from her ECV. There is plenty of time to transfer. The only surprise that I think that she may have would be the initial "liftoff" from the ground into the theatre, especially if you are seated in the front row (you go from on the floor to about 30+ feet in the air if you are in the front row in one swift gentle motion). No jolts as mentioned, very gentle. If she can handle the three D movies with all the special effects then I think that she should be fine. If she is easily startled or confused by the three D movies (like Mickeys Philharmagic) then it may be a tough call. As mentioned, you probably may want to try it first.

 

[lsutigger2]

There are also seat belts for young children. Maybe there is something they could do for her to belt her in the seat, just in case. Or is my memory fading and everyone gets belted in??? I know there is something for children who do not reach a line on the back of the seat.
Maybe I need to ride it again soon to refresh my memory??

 

[Eljay]

I've ridden it about 10 times and there are no scary images. There is a fireworks scene that has a "BOOM" that shakes your seat a little.

Everyone is belted in and there is a little loop that goes between the legs that you can pass the seatbelt through for extra security.

I think she will love it if you explain that it's a movie.

You will be right next to her so you can hold hands. You will be able to speak to her if she needs reassurance.

Actually, this is a perfect, gentle, thrill ride for anybody with limitations.
Enjoy!

 

[Pooh1219]

This can be a very delicate situation for an elderly woman who has trouble understanding things. I lost my mom a few years ago, and for several months before she died, she suffered from a mild form of dementia where she had trouble comprehending everyday things. Soarin is a wonderful ride, but I truly believe it would have been much too much for her to handle. Things that are perfectly fine for us can be overwhelming for some older folks who have some coping problems. Please ride this yourself before you take your mom along for the ride. Once she is on, there's no getting off, and I would hate for this to be an uncomfortable experience for her. What's fun and exhilirating for us can be terrifying for someone who may be more delicate mentally than we are.

 

[michellex2]

Thanks for the input. How long is the ride? (It will be just she and I, so I don't want to leave her too long by herself for me to try riding it first.) It sounds like a hard call to know for sure. After listening to everyone's input, my tendency at this point would be to hold off on the ride until later in our stay so that I can see how she does with the other rides and try it if all else goes well, but skip it if she has trouble with some of the other rides/shows. We'll spend alot of time at Epcot/Future World as those are her favorite parks, so we can easily save that until closer to the end of the week.

 

[mrscoobs]

I believe the ride itself from taking a seat, watching film, and then exiting the theatre is about 6 minutes. That being said, even if you have fastpass the wait that your mother would have would be probably twenty minutes for you to comeback where she was (you have to get split to your screen, wait a cycle, line up for rows, wait a cycle while watching safety video, be admitted and have your ride cycle, then have a pretty good size walk back to the ride entrance).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Let's see...
The "thing you're going to crash into" is a golf ball that looks like it's going to hit the riders, although it's on the screen the whole time.
If your mom wears slacks, you should be able to thread her seatbelt through the loop they require be used for kids under a certain height.
If she's in an ECV, the CMs are pretty much going to demand (politely, but still...) that she ride in row three. These seats only lift about ten feet off the ground, and her seat will be the one closest to where she parks the ECV.
The ride/movie itself is 4.5 minutes, but this doesn't include boarding time. Yes, she will have adequate time to board. Get your mom seated first, fasten her seatbelt after threading it through the loop, then seat and belt yourself.

 

[BCV23]

Our daughter uses a power wheelchair and had plenty of time to transfer. We then moved the chair where CMs directed. At the end of the seat once and over to the side another. We rode in both the front and back rows. My husband, son and daughter rode one time without me and I think that time they were in the second row.

I am afraid of heights and get motion sicness and had no problems at all on this ride. It is very gentle and lots of fun.

If she can understand about her feet dangling, I would think she would do fine. Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[zmichele]

My FIL with Alhzheimers enjoyed the ride although we had to explain things to him ahead of time.