Soarin' Around the World will have it's world debut at Shanghai Disneyland on the 16th June 2016, and will open at both Disney World's Epcot, and Disneyland Park the following day. Soarin', in its original form, opened on 5th May 2005, and was an instant hit! Located in Future World West, Soarin' joined 'Living with the Land' and 'Circle of Life' in the Land Pavilion. Soarin' was, and still will be, a motion similator attraction with various 4D effects, including wind, water and smells. The Soarin' film is projected onto an 80ft IMAX screen, and you are placed right in the middle of the action on a 'hanglider', allowing you to look around 180 degrees and see the stunning scenery! The original Soarin' attraction showed destinations in California, whereas on the new Soarin' Around the World, you will fly over great worldwide icons such as the Great Wall of China! Although Soarin' is not a frightening ride those afraid of heights may want to wait on the ground!

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Soarin' is certainly a very popular e-ticket attraction at Epcot, with standby queues regularly reaching over 2 hours. To help aleviate these queues, and as part of the change to Soarin' Around the World, a third theater is being installed, along with brand new digital projection systems in the existing facilities too. FastPass+ is available for this attraction, which is a 'Band A' in Epcot's tiered FastPass+ system. The ride is available during both morning and evening Extra Magic Hours.

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There is a height requirement of 40 inches to ride this attraction, and children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. When onboard Soarin' you are required to use a lap belt restraint. The ride itself lasts approximiately 5 minutes, but the pre-show makes the whole experience take around 10 minutes. Upon exiting the ride, a gift shop awaits outside to buy attraction themed merchandise such as t-shirts, mugs and pins. There are no scheduled refurbishments for this attraction. The overall Soarin' ride experience is certainly one that shouldn't be missed when visiting Walt Disney World - and we can't wait to ride the new Soarin' Around the World experience, when it re-opens in June 2016!

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"Simply Breathtaking" Peter Warner, 2011

"As the ride begins to ascend, the sensation of flight is amazing, i've never felt such a thrilling experience in my life"

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"Best Ride on Disney Property" Samantha Stark, 2014

"Dispite the two hour long queue, this attraction is something you'd never have experienced before! It's truly stunning!"

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A few facts about Soarin'

- Soarin' uses an IMAX omni-max projection system with the video content being played back at 48fps, thats twice the quality and speed as a normal film or television show!

- The ride system was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, and was originally created using an Erector Set model kit by Mark Sumner. One million pounds of steel are used in the ride structure, and during each ride cycle, 37 tonnes are lifted!

- Due to airspace restrictions above Yosimite, it took several months for Disney to get permission to fly a helicopter over Yosimite National Park to get the ride footage. The last time a helicopter had flown across this area was in the mid-1900's!

- When filming for the original Soarin' attraction, Disney had to pay rights to fly above some locations - strangely, Disneyland was the most expensive segment to film!