Soarin’ Review June 2008
Soarin’ Over California is one of our favorite rides at the Disneyland Resort in California. During our short trip to Walt Disney World this is one ride my 5 year-old son really wanted to ride.
At Walt Disney World this ride is located at Epcot in the Land portion of the park. The queue for Soarin’ is entirely inside at Epcot and twists and turns its way through the building to accommodate all of the people in line. Even the Fastpass line must go through this long queue to reach the boarding area.
Once you get to the front of the line you are sent either to your left or right to prepare for boarding. Once you go to the side your wait will be minimal. At this point you are simply waiting to be split into section A, B or C for your hang gliding adventure.
Each of the sections holds 3 rows with row 1 being the front, and row 3 being the back. While every seat is a great seat, the best ones are the front row because you won’t see feet from the guests in the other rows if you are in the front.
Before you enter the theater to get into your glider you will see a short pre-show hosted by Patrick Warburton. He will tell you where to store your items such as camera’s and hats. If you are wearing sandals or shoes that can come off easily you will also want to pay attention to what he says. You can either store these under your seat or simply remove your shoes and place them on the cement in front of your seat. Since you will return to the same place losing them is not an issue. If they fall off while on the ride though you will be unable to get them back so be sure to store your shoes before your flight.
While at Walt Disney World this attraction is simply called Soarin’, it is the same ride that you will see at Disney’s California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort. All of the smells and video have been added to Epcot. It is actually a little bit surreal to be on this ride in Epcot. Soarin’ literally takes you flying over California with a final scene in which you fly over Disneyland at night. It is amazing that you can be at Walt Disney World and go to California for just a few minutes.
Like it’s counterpart at the Disneyland Resort, Soarin’ at Epcot is a must see attraction.