Soarin’ Over California Epcot
Soarin' Over Calfornia closed January 4, 2016 to make way for a new movie and new technology: Soarin' Around the World.
INTRODUCTION
The popular "Soarin' Over California" attraction at Disney's California Adventure is also part of the LAND pavilion at Walt Disney World. The grand opening took place May 2005.
ATTRACTION
This attraction sends you on a sweeping flyover above the wondrous Golden State for a bird's-eye view of the rich landscape and topography. Soarin' is the most recent addition to The Land pavilion at Epcot, complementing the popular pavilion's agriculture and ecology theme.
The unforgettable experience combines cinematic artistry and state-of-the-art motion base technology. You are literally lifted 40 feet inside a giant projection screen dome and completely surrounded with the beauty and wonder of the state of California as their elevated theater seats take them on a scenic tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwood forests, Napa Valley, Yosemite and more. The free-flight experience intensifies as guests feel the sweeping winds and smell fragrant orange blossoms and pine trees around them.
Soarin' Fast Facts
Location: Epcot, The Land presented by Nestlé USA
Area of attraction: 59,895 square feet (includes ticketing area, Great Hall, skyway, Concourses 1 and 2, gate areas and two flight theaters)
Great Hall: Before boarding, guests pass through the Great Hall where five of Earth's biomes are depicted in 20-foot-wide panoramas, along with interesting facts and quizzes displayed on large flat-screen monitors. The featured environments are: polar ecosystem, mountain ecosystem, desert ecosystem, rain forest ecosystem, temperate (deciduous) forest ecosystem.
Flight experience: A breathtaking glide over the majestic and diverse natural wonders of California
Duration of ride: The Soarin' experience, including pre-flight briefing, is ten minutes. The Soarin' flight lasts approximately five minutes.
Locations featured: San Francisco, Monterey Coast, Yosemite National Park, Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, San Diego, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Los Angeles, Malibu and Disneyland in Anaheim.
Scents experienced: Orange blossoms, pine forests and ocean spray
Music: Orchestral musical score created by renowned film and television composer Jerry Goldsmith ("Mulan," "Air Force One," "Star Trek: First Contact")
Projection system: IMAX projection system, with high-speed (48fps) high definition Omni-max film projectors (twice the speed of normal motion picture film)
Size of projection screen dome: 80-foot diameter
Ride system: Walt Disney Imagineering-developed motion-based technology, the original ride inception was based on an erector set model created by Imagineer Mark Sumner. One million pounds of steel provides the ride structure and 37 tons are lifted during each ride cycle.
Height guests are lifted into screen: 40 feet
Total number of guests per each ride cycle: 87
Queuing options: Standby line, singles line, FASTPASS
Minimum guest height requirement: 40 inches
Accessible: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer from their wheelchairs to experience this attraction.
TOURING TIPS
Soarin' is a FASTPASS attraction! Be sure to get one as the lines and wait times for this attraction tend to be very long! The good news is the entire queue is located indoors!
MOTION SENSITIVITY: Folks with motion issues take caution. Although it is a gentle ride, you will be lifted off the ground and there is movement of the seating. In addition, you are right in front of a huge IMax movie screen.
AT LARGE NOTES — Rob G — 5/2006 — I'm 6'2" 400lbs, with a 58 inch waist. I just returned from a week at WDW where among other rides I was able to ride 'Soarin' at Epcot. If you dont know, the ride is a long bench-type seat with armrests dividing up the individual seats with lap belts to hold you in place. I fit pretty snug in between the surrounding armrests and in the event my seatbelt would not have gone around me I'm positive I would've been held in place by my hips and legs. The seatbelt was more then long enough to go around me and the only real problem I had was finding the connector which was at the moment beneath my right side and I could not find the slot and had to ask my mother-in-law to connect it for me. Other then that, I had no problem on the ride and really enjoyed it.
For other AT LARGE reports visit: http://allears.net/tp/rdszep.htm
ASTHMA – Joseph Orosz writes: Several different smells are part of the sensory effects during Soarin'. I think it would be a good idea to mention that it's possible that the chemicals used to produce to aroma's included in the ride may induce asthma attacks if you suffer from asthma. My wife had this happen when she rode the ride and the attack was bad enough that she will no longer ride on this attraction. Personally, I love the ride and am disappointed that I can't share it with her.
Queue Update… On Thursday, July 5, 2007, a section of the queue for Soarin' in Epcot became home to a new, interactive videogame area. It uses motion-detection equipment, heat sensors and computer-generated videos shown on huge screens. You can actually control the games with predetermined body movements. While waiting in this section of the queue, you have the opportunity to play up to five different games. One of the games pits the five sections of the queue against each other in a bird race. You can 'train' your bird by leaning right, left, hard right, and hard left. In "Pop the Blob," you have to try to pop (by clapping your hands) blobs that reveal a picture. When the games were first introduced, the line wasn't intentionally held, but now this section of the queue only advances in between games. This increases the amount of time in between line movement, and this can make you think the attraction is down. But now when the line does move, it moves a greater distance.
KIDS AND CHARACTERS
Kris writes: We just returned from WDW – the most outstanding attraction we visited this year was Soarin' – what a show! It was (for lack of a better word) awesome. My 5-year-old thought it was pretty cool, and I thought it was absolutely amazing. We used FastPass and only waited in line for about 10 minutes (each time we rode). Don't skip this one!!
Epcot Characters At A Glance
Character Meet and Greet FAQ!
INTERESTING FACTS
Our California correspondent Laura G. describes California Adventure's version of Soarin' Over California as follows:
"Soarin' Over California is an innovative attraction that provides guests with a truly "bird's-eye" view of California. (And I'm not talking brussels sprouts, here!) Guests enter a large enclosed theater with a huge IMAX screen, then sit side-by-side on one of the three rows (10 seats per row) of long bench-like seats, with their legs dangling, and fasten their seat belts. Think of it like a very large Ferris Wheel.
The benches then lift into the air, and scenes from 12 different locations in California are projected on the screen. As you "fly" over places like San Francisco, Yosemite, Palm Springs, and Disneyland, the benches rock a little bit forward and backward to simulate movement, although the seat is quite secure and never feels like you could fall out. There's also the sensation of wind blowing on your face and various scents that complement the scenes you are viewing, like oranges (a la Horizons!) or pine. "The scenery in the movie is beautiful, and it really *does* feel like you're hang-gliding through the air. It's an amazing experience – the only drawback of the ride is that it's not long enough!"
If you have comments or tips to share with others about touring Epcot, please email us . Thank you.
