Oct 12
6
Is Soarin’ Too Short?
Hello friends! The family and I have returned from yet another amazing trip to WDW to partake of the festivities that surrounded the 30th anniversary of Epcot. While I will tell you that it was amazing, I won’t get into the details now because I am saving that for another time. However, I did want to share with you something interesting that I came across one day while we were in The Land.
Anyone who knows me and Mark knows that as soon as we get into Epcot, we hightail it to The Land to grab fastpasses for Soarin’. It is a must do for us because it is one of our favorite attractions. So, following our usual procedure, we went to get fast passes but we noticed that there was hardly a wait time for the ride, so we decided to go ahead and get in line. Usually, there are wait times of anywhere from an hour to longer depending on the demand. We were able to get into line and then because I was using a wheelchair, I was moved ahead.
Soarin’ itself was amazing. Ok, I will admit that I could tell that some things needed to be tweaked, such as the projection screen needing to be cleaned. There were some spots where you could tell it was a little dated and not as crisp as it once might have been. However, it was not what I focused on as I soon forgot those trivial things once I was in the air. I was enveloped in the sounds and the scents of pine, ocean, and oranges. For me, there is nothing like being whisked over snowy mountains, pretending to dangle my feet over an ocean, or smelling the oranges of the orange grove. I am terribly afraid of heights, so for me this is the closest I will ever get to hang gliding.
Now, here is the interesting part. When we got off the ride, we were directed to the exits. As I was leaving, I heard a woman say “I thought it was way too short”. This got me to thinking about whether or not Soarin’ is too short or if it is the right length. Obviously, waiting in lines can be no fun, and there are often very long waits for this attraction. What we have to keep in mind is that Soarin’ is extremely popular, so the higher the popularity, the longer the wait. As for the film itself, I do not believe that Soarin’ is too short. Let me explain.
I believe that Soarin’ lasts just the right amount of time because it plays to an audience that has other things they want to do besides spend all day on one attraction. Some people such as myself may have a fear of heights, so a shorter amount of time would be good for the attraction. There are also children who love the ride. Some children tend to have a shorter attention span though and could get wiggly. Also, it could be that Disney wanted to focus on one area, and instead of incorporating every nook and cranny which they obviously could have, they decided that gliding over certain areas would be more memorable.
Please keep in mind that these are my opinions. I don’t know why Disney chose to make Soarin’ as short or as long as it is. All I know is that I love it and it is one of my favorite Disney attractions of all time. For those of you who know me and Mark, you know that we love Patrick Warburton as the flight attendant for the pre-show so it is always a treat for us to get to see this attraction. So, reflecting on all of this, I would say that although some changes need to be made or at least thought of, for what it is currently, I would say that Soarin’ is fine just the way it is.
