1
Credit: DisneyA Walt Disney World Resort guest recently shared their experience getting stuck 40 feet up after a failed flight on Soarin’ Around the World.
Soarin’ Around the World opened in The Land Pavilion at EPCOT in May 2005, four years after Disneyland Resort’s Soarin’ Over California attraction.
The simulator attraction pulls guests between 30 and 60 feet in the air on a flight highlighting Earth’s natural and man-made wonders, from the Eiffel Tower to the Egyptian pyramids. Shanghai Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort later created their own versions of the ride, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight.
Last week, one Disney Park guest shared their experience getting trapped on Soarin’ Around the World at EPCOT. Disney cast members creatively kept the magic alive for guests as they worked to evacuate the attraction.
“Rode Soarin today,” u/Pedialytepixie wrote on Reddit. “The ride was amazing, as it should be, but at the end of our ride we saw a blue screen, and were stuck in the air for about 10 minutes.”
Disney cast members immediately informed guests that the attraction was having an issue and instructed them to remain seated. While scary for those with a fear of heights, the ride failure gave guests a behind-the-scenes look at Soarin’ Around the World.
“They said ‘there’s too much fog to land, we’ll have you moving immediately’ and then we waited ten minutes,” the Disney Park guest continued. “We did get to see a little door open through the screen, a cool behind the scenes moment, but it was a lil scary being stuck up 40 feet in the air!”
Thankfully, it appears that all guests safely evacuated Soarin’ Around the World. Walt Disney World Resort rarely issues public statements on ride malfunctions, but Soarin’ Around the World was again operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.
Have you ever evacuated a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort attraction? In the comments, share your story with Inside the Magic.