I had wanted to ride the
newest update to Soarin’ ever since it was announced, which was during my
Disney College Program back in 2015. In fact, refurbishment began the very same
day my program ended. This summer, I finally got the chance to ride it. I was
apprehensive about the changes, as I did not hear good things about them.
The only thing that seemed to
change with queue was the addition of monitors similar to the ones at airports
that post the time of flights. The monitors show trivia questions about the
different places Soarin’ takes its passengers. This is a great way to pass time
in line. I love that this adds an educational component to the attraction as
Epcot was made to be an educational park.
Fortunately, the preshow
video with Kronk Patrick Warburton still remains. Before he appears, a
video of an airplane flying over a map shows the audience where it will take
its passengers. My first impression of seeing the map was that there are a lot
of places on it, 13 to be exact. Turns out, this was the same number of
locations Soarin’ Over California took us.
This was the first time
riding Soarin’ that I was in the second row rather than the first. It is true
that you see the feet of the first row passengers dangling down. However, I
found it easy to focus on the screen and tune out the feet. The ride is about
30 seconds longer now, but it feels even longer than that. Everyone’s favorite
orange grove smell is gone, but there are other delightful smells like roses
when the ride takes us over the Taj Mahal.
The transitions between each
location were very well done, even though it did scare the teenaged girls
sitting next to me. My only complaint of the attraction is that they decided to
literally scream at every single transition. The unnecessary screeching took me
out of the moment a few times. But that’s a complaint about annoying guests and
not the ride itself.
I have heard complaints that
the ride isn’t “Disney enough” (whatever that means), but I disagree. There are
little nods to Disney all throughout the ride. For example, the first place the
ride takes its passengers is around the Matterhorn in Switzerland. As any
Disney Parks fan knows, the Matterhorn bobsleds are a famous attraction in
Disneyland. Another place is Sydney, Australia like in Finding Nemo. The flight
also goes around the stunning Neuschwantsteitn Castle in Germany, which served
as inspiration for the Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Then there’s the
Great Wall of China that was featured in Mulan and the Eiffel Tower, which can
be seen in The Aristocats and Ratatouille. Furthermore, Soarin’ Around the
World fits perfectly with the theming of Epcot. Even though the attraction
itself is in Future World, it is reminiscent of the World Showcase area of the
park. Both are designed to take guests around the world.
One of my other apprehensions
was about the Disneyland scene at the very end of the flight. Seeing Tinkerbell
fly in always put a smile on my face. To my surprise, the flight did take us
back to not Disneyland, but Epcot! This makes more sense for the Epcot version
as it feels as if guests are flying back to Epcot to continue their day
exploring the park.
Soarin’ Around the World
truly does fit the theme of Epcot so much better than Soarin’ Over California
did. However, I still wish the California version remained on the west coast,
as it would fit the theme of Disney California’s Adventure. This could also be
a compromise for Californians as the original version of the ride is special to
them. The technology upgrades are stunning and the longer runtime makes
standing in line for half an hour worth it. Soarin’ Around the World is a
testament that changes to the Disney Parks can be for the better.
Comments
Post a Comment