Soarin over Florida!

netslave · Post by **netslave** » Oct Thu 12, 2006 6:55 pm

I liked it. Growing up in Florida, it made me miss it!

Would have been nice to see something from the keys, and north florida.

laurie5658 · Post by **laurie5658** » Oct Thu 26, 2006 3:02 pm

I like it...two thumbs up.

csquare77 · Post by **csquare77** » Oct Thu 26, 2006 9:21 pm

All this talk about Soarin' Ive never been on it... Last time I was in Disney was 2003, So what am I missing?

G2-4T · Post by **G2-4T** » Oct Thu 26, 2006 10:29 pm

Gotta say, I'm amazed at the work someone put into this! Well done, still doesn't sell me on the concept - I can't say I recognize any of that where I can easily recognize most all of the Soarin' now [and I live equally far from either state!]

Disneys America · Post by **Disneys America** » Oct Fri 27, 2006 8:58 am

I like the concept but I think there could have been some other choices made for the video. Like so many others, I'd have liked it to end in the MK. Overall I give it a B+

Post by **js3901** » Dec Sun 03, 2006 8:45 am

Esmeralda wrote: If I were an imagineer, I'd try to get a Soarin' around the world for EPCOT, including each country in world showcase.

we (Dr. Ravenscroft and myself) were talking to a CM on Soarin' just yesterday and he said that will not change the movie for many years because soarin' is THE most popular ride that Disney has EVER built in WDW. too many people like it as it is.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Dec Mon 04, 2006 5:03 pm

js3901 wrote:
Esmeralda wrote: If I were an imagineer, I'd try to get a Soarin' around the world for EPCOT, including each country in world showcase.
we (Dr. Ravenscroft and myself) were talking to a CM on Soarin' just yesterday and he said that will not change the movie for many years because soarin' is THE most popular ride that Disney has EVER built in WDW. too many people like it as it is.

I wouldn't put too much stock into that; CMs are known for their oft erroneous or in some cases plain made-up information. Soarin' is popular, but I don't think it's because of the movie I think it's because of a) the sensation and b) it is a truly family-friendly ride. Re-filming a movie to give that sensation would not be too difficult, in fact go to any iMax/Omni theaters and they almost always have a movie which features those same types of sweeping landscapes; and as mentioned I don't think it's necessarily the specific film that draws the guests.

I'd also be interested in finding out where they got the info that it is the most popular ride ever built at WDW. I'm sure it's based on gate counts or something, but I wonder how much it factors in the growth or decline of park attendance rates. I mean I guess I can definitely buy that it's one of the most popular, but going up against things like Splash Mountain or even Peter Pan and rides like that that ALWAYS draw hugggggge crowds and have continued to do so for years I find it hard to believe it's the most popular. Okay, so Splash has a height restriction which limits guest counts (does Soarin'? I didn't think so but I can't remember) but I'm sure there are others that if the statistics are bent the slightest way due to variables would easily top Soarin.' Soarin's got lonnnnng lines but it's also a relatively low capacity/turn around ride system; yea it takes like 15 ppl at a time but there are what? 4 theaters? and the show time load/unload is upwards of 8 minutes I would estimate anyway. So that's roughly 480 people per hour - compare that to something like Pirates or Splash, or virtually any dark ride in fantasy land that has a constant load unload of 4+ people and I'm sure that their capacity per hour blows Soarin' out of the water. That's why it's hard for me to believe Soarin' is the most popular, because I don't see how it could match something with a higher capacity in that ride's hayday.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Dec Mon 04, 2006 10:09 pm

It's possible that it was the most popular attraction (although who knows by what measure?) in a recent time period, given that it's new and all the locals had to check it out as well as the usual tourists.

But I agree that CMs very often give out inaccurate information, so it could be complete fiction. Most of us assume that they are somehow "in the know", but most fanboys tend to know more about the parks than they do.

Post by **js3901** » Dec Mon 04, 2006 11:34 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote: Soarin's got lonnnnng lines but it's also a relatively low capacity/turn around ride system; yea it takes like 15 ppl at a time but there are what? 4 theaters? and the show time load/unload is upwards of 8 minutes I would estimate anyway. So that's roughly 480 people per hour - compare that to something like Pirates or Splash, or virtually any dark ride in fantasy land that has a constant load unload of 4+ people and I'm sure that their capacity per hour blows Soarin' out of the water. That's why it's hard for me to believe Soarin' is the most popular, because I don't see how it could match something with a higher capacity in that ride's hayday.

Soarin' has a capacity of alot more than 15 people at a time. on each lift, there are 3 rows of 8 (maybe 6, I'll check tomorrow). there are 3 lifts per theater. 2 theaters. time from preshow to exit is approximately 8 minutes. so 144 (approx) per ride.

Soarin is the most popular due to how quickly fastpasses sell out, and the stand-by times at even the slowest periods. later in the evening (within the second hour of EMH, when the park is really starting to clear out), we had a wait time of 60 minutes. by comparison, Test Track had a wait of 10 minutes, mission Space had 5.

I'm sure that all rides, classic or contemporary, were/are popular in their own rights. but when this one ride draws bigger crowds than any one of these on any one day, I'd have to say it is the most popular.

soccermouse · Post by **soccermouse** » Dec Tue 05, 2006 11:40 am

kronk's angel wrote:Great idea, except I think you need mountains to actually hangglide, so that leaves Florida out since as I recall the tallest point in the state is Tower of Terror. Of course, hanggliding off of the ride would probably be a terror in itself. Okay enough goofiness...

I heard that Expedition Everest is now the tallest mountain in Florida.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Dec Tue 05, 2006 4:26 pm

js3901 wrote:
Mr.ToadWildRider wrote: Soarin's got lonnnnng lines but it's also a relatively low capacity/turn around ride system; yea it takes like 15 ppl at a time but there are what? 4 theaters? and the show time load/unload is upwards of 8 minutes I would estimate anyway. So that's roughly 480 people per hour - compare that to something like Pirates or Splash, or virtually any dark ride in fantasy land that has a constant load unload of 4+ people and I'm sure that their capacity per hour blows Soarin' out of the water. That's why it's hard for me to believe Soarin' is the most popular, because I don't see how it could match something with a higher capacity in that ride's hayday.
Soarin' has a capacity of alot more than 15 people at a time. on each lift, there are 3 rows of 8 (maybe 6, I'll check tomorrow). there are 3 lifts per theater. 2 theaters. time from preshow to exit is approximately 8 minutes. so 144 (approx) per ride.

Soarin is the most popular due to how quickly fastpasses sell out, and the stand-by times at even the slowest periods. later in the evening (within the second hour of EMH, when the park is really starting to clear out), we had a wait time of 60 minutes. by comparison, Test Track had a wait of 10 minutes, mission Space had 5.

I'm sure that all rides, classic or contemporary, were/are popular in their own rights. but when this one ride draws bigger crowds than any one of these on any one day, I'd have to say it is the most popular.

Maybe I misunderstood the amount of theaters or lifts per theater but I estimated based on 5 per row, 3 rows although I think you're right in that there are closer to 8 per row. Now that you mention the 3 lifts I do recall seeing a 2nd lift in the theater because there was a walkway that split, but I don't recall a 3rd; regardless I did underestimate it capacity by a significant number.

However, I still disagree with it being the most popular ride "EVER" built in WDW. The explaination you gave would explain it to be the most popular ride CURRENTLY at WDW, but I hardly think that classifies it as the most popular ever. I think it's impossible to make such a proclaimation so early in its run at WDW to compare it stuff that's been there for years if not decades which still retain long lines and sell out FPs i.e. space mountain, splash mountain, etc. I don't think it's fair to judge how popular an attraction is in terms of the entire existance of the park when it has only been open for such a short period of time; there's no way to tell how consistant those numbers will be in say 5 years or 10 years etc. When Winnie the Pooh first opened I remember FPs being sold out by noon with 2+ hour long lines, and that's a constantly load/unload ride system with a shorter turn around the Soarin' but I don't think anyone would argue that because of that it is the most popular ride EVER built at WDW. I literally waited 5-7 minutes for it on July 3rd of this year and that was at maybe 10:30-11:0 in the morning. Granted, it's still early for the biggest rush, but it's definitely not park opening either, by that time Peter Pan already had a 15-20 minute wait going.