Soarin' Over California Up-Front Info
- Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 2.5
Gentle motion simulation, moderate height and "soaring" simulation. - Attraction Type: Motion simulation attraction
- Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)
- Tip: Soarin' is one of California Adventure's most popular attractions and can generate huge lines. Use Fastpass. Guests staying on-property at a Disneyland Resort hotel can get into Disney's California Adventure before the park opens to the general public and get a no-line, no-wait ride on Soarin'.
- Soarin' Photo Gallery
Tucked just inside the main gate at Disney's California Adventure, guests make a mad dash for Soarin' Over California as soon as cast members drop the rope each morning. Its queue remains jammed all day--and for good reason. Soarin' is Disney Imagineering at its best.
A vintage aviation hangar, located in the Condor Flats district of the park's Golden State land, belies the high-tech attraction within. Two theaters each contain nine motion base units with ten seats. The units have no floors, allowing passengers' legs to dangle. After riders secure their seat belts, a roof swings down over each unit to both provide the illusion of a hang glider and to focus passengers' field of vision on the huge, domed Ominmax screen ahead. (Universal Studio Florida's more intense Back to the Future attraction also uses an Omnimax screen.)
Should you try Soarin'?
The, um, soaring Jerry Goldsmith (composer of films including "Star Trek" and "Air Force One") soundtrack begins, the motion units rise up and toward the screen, and riders are soarin' over California. The illusion is stunning. The banks of seats have a fairly limited range of motion, but they sure make passengers feel like they're hang gliding.If heights make you a bit queasy, let alone the thought of an actual hang gliding ride, don't necessarily dismiss Soarin's virtual hang gliding attraction. While the overall ride is exhilarating--thrilling even--the ride experience is quite gentle and doesn't contain any typical thrill ride gotchas. Once riders get past the initial sensation, it's smooth sailing. Very young riders might find the attraction a bit overwhelming, but the 40-inch height restriction will prevent them from riding anyways. If you're on the line, I'd say go for it; if you start feeling uncomfortable, close your eyes and the sensation should subside.
Hangin' around California
But most riders will want to keep their eyes wide open for Soarin's airborne journey. The adventure begins with a swoop above San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Then it's a float over a river alongside some majestic California redwoods. Other flyovers include a Sierras' ski resort, Yosemite Falls, the Anzo-Borrega Desert, and the California coast.The transitions from scene to scene--clouds and fog momentarily obscure the view and set the stage for the next vista--are a bit perplexing. At some level, Soarin' demands a suspension of reality, but no amount of pixie dust can justify shifting from cacti to crashing waves in the blink of an eye. Also, unlike most vaunted Disney attractions, Soarin' doesn't tell a linear story; it's a bunch of wordless scenes mashed together into a grand travelogue.
Next page: Sensory Over-load
