- 10 Oct
Since the first Disneyland resort was built few decades ago, constant and continuous improvements could be seen. Over the years millions of guests visited this place to enrich their Disney filled experience and to be captivated by the charming views and attractions it possesses. One of these attractions is called Soarin’.
What Is Soarin’?
Soarin’ also known as Soaring: Fantastic Flight, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soarin’ Around the World. Just a few different names representing same thing around the world. It is a flight motion simulator attraction built in different Disneyland resorts namely Tokyo DisneySea, Shanghai Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Epcot in Florida. It is a mechanical lift system ride that is present inside a dome room consisting of a 180 degree dome screen. The projection is displayed on this screen. It is a hang gliding ride that takes you on a journey across six different continents and several locations around the world.
History of Soarin’
The first iteration of this attraction which was known as Soarin’ Over California was opened at Disney California Adventure on 8th of February 2001. The show took guests to different locations of California and presented a history of California’s aviation industry. Since it kept getting popular with the crowd second Soarin’ attraction was made in Epcot in 2005. On June 2016 it was introduced at Shanghai Disneyland Park and on July 23, 2019, 4th Soarin’ attraction was opened at Tokyo DisneySea.
How Does Soarin’ Works?
The first idea of Soarin’ was made in 1996 under the name “Ultra Flight” but due to lack of innovative design and high labor cost it was abandoned. Engineer Mark Sumner developed a different working model because of which ride became more efficient, loading of guests was easily managed and the construction and labor costs were greatly minimized. The ride vehicle consists of three rows of seats. It can accommodate 87 passengers at a time. Each seat is equipped with standard lap belt. After safely confining the guests the cantilever system lifts up the chairs forward into air and guests can now view a 180 degree dome screen from top of the dome till under their feet. The sensation of the ride includes scents, air streams, sea breeze which provides guests with real soaring.
The Ride Films Used In Different Soarin’
The first film showed hand glider tour of California which lasted for about 4 minutes and 51 seconds. The scents filled up the air and guests enjoyed flight sensation. Various landscapes were shown in the film that included Golden Gate Bridge, Redwood Creek, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe to name a few. According to the guests reviews they find ride as a magical and visually beautiful experience. Later at the Epcot attraction updated version of the film was announced that showed different landmarks from six continents of the world. Unlike the original version of the film, updated version was mostly based of computer generated graphics and animated transitions.
