 Soarin Review
by Kevin Klose
As those who have ridden this unique attraction already at Disney's California Adventure can attest, this is not your typical motion simulator type ride. Soarin' at Epcot uses the concept that was a smash hit on the West Coast, and brings it here to add to an ever growing list of impressive new attractions in Orlando.
I experienced Soarin' for the first time at Epcot, so I will not attempt to compare the attraction to the Anaheim original.
The ride building is attached to The Land Pavillion in Future World, with the ride entrance accessible through the former Food Rocks attraction. The building itself is shaped like a huge, truncated hangar, simillar to what you might find at a medium sized municipal airfield. The interior is also reminiscent of a municipal airfield, with chain link fencing in places. There is no seperate pre-show to speak of. However, when you are ready to load up into your moving theater, you are treated to a short safety spiel type video on an overhead monitor.
 Inside the theater, you will be guided to one of three large ride vehicles. Each has three rows of seating, with the most desirable being the front row, closest to the screen. When the ride begins, the front row winds up being the highest in the air, and none of the other rows are visible, as they go below and slightly to the rear of the row in front. I rode in the middle row, which still offers a fairly immersive experience.
The theater seats, quite honestly are the most comfortable ride vehicle seats I've ever seen in any attraction, anywhere. They are very similar to slightly reclined lawn chairs, with a mesh seat and back, and are perfect for this attraction. They are also somewhat wider and larger than ride seating in most amusement park attractions. Safety is provided by a simple lap belt restraint, leaving you with a comfortable, free feeling as the ride begins.
At the starts, your ride vehicle is lifted swiftly and smoothly forward and up, with each row stacking vertically above the other, right in front of a massive theater screen. And then you begin to "fly" through stunning scenes filmed over the California landscape. You are swept over snow capped ridges, desert canyons, rocky seashores, and gorgeous beaches. The whole experience culminates with a swooping run up Main Street USA to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, ending among the evening fireworks display.
As the camera banks and turns through the scenery, your moving theater also banks and turns...In fact, each individual seat moves, banking you left and right, and angling up and down, in perfect synchronization with the camera angle on the screen. It truly does leave you feeling as though you were hang gliding over California's most breathtaking vistas.
 The overall ride experience of Soarin' is certainly not to be missed. However, there were a few negatives that I also felt worthy of noting...At times, the picture quality of the film appeared to be a bit on the grainy side, and some of the cuts between scenery footage were a bit abrupt. During the ride, you are treated to the feeling of wind blowing in your face...I loved this part of the attraction, but I would have liked the wind to have varied a bit...I thought the ride could be enhanced by having the wind occasionally "gust" or lessen a bit as you banked through a turn. Lastly, on the negative front, guests who use wheelchairs and cannot transfer to a ride vehicle seat will not be able to experience this attraction, as there is no way to accommodate a wheelchair on the ride vehicles. disAbled access to the attraction, however, is good, with wide, gently sloping ramps throughout the queue area, and ample room to maneuver a wheelchair inside the ride theater. You just have to be able to get into the theater seats once you're inside.
This attraction earned a tremendous amount of hype while it was in operation in Anaheim. Most of that hype has been very well earned. There is very little not to like about Soarn' at Epcot, and a lot of reasons to make sure that this is one ride you don't want to miss on your next trip to the World. I give Soarin' at Epcot a grand total of 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars. A definite hit.
 Click Here for the Dedication Ceremony of Soarin
Soarin' Queue:
Soarin' is infamous for its lengthy standby wait times. (DIS Tip: Get there early and get a FastPass.) Disney has introduced new technology to make the wait in the standby line enjoyable. There are large overhead screens with interactive 'video games'. Similar to the Nintendo Wii, the players physical movements dictate the direction of the game. One game has guests directing a bird through a forest. You'll hear "lean left, lean right" as everyone tries to help. At times the group becomes so engrossed that they don't realize the line has moved. Early reviews give this innovation a "thumbs up."
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