Credit: DisneyEPCOT has been in a sustained period of transformation for several years now, and the results of that investment are visible throughout the park in ways that guests who visited five or ten years ago would find genuinely striking. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind reshaped what a theme park roller coaster could be. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure brought the France Pavilion to life in a way that significantly expanded the World Showcase’s entertainment identity. Test Track has been reimagined. The overall guest experience at EPCOT has shifted in a direction that the park’s most devoted fans have been hoping for across multiple eras of the resort’s development.
The next major EPCOT update was scheduled to arrive on May 26, the same day as a significant wave of openings and debuts across Walt Disney World that has been generating anticipation for weeks. Soarin’ Across America, a reimagined version of the beloved Soarin attraction in The Land Pavilion, was set to replace Soarin’ Around the World for a limited-time run tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebration. The new version features an entirely new ride film showcasing famous United States landmarks, coast-to-coast scenery from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore to the New England coast, updated visuals, and the returning scents that longtime Soarin’ fans have associated with the attraction since the California original defined what a flying theater experience could feel like.
The official opening date was May 26. The ride opened on May 22. Guests at EPCOT discovered this week that Soarin’ Across America had soft-opened ahead of its scheduled debut, with hours and wait times appearing in the My Disney Experience app before the official opening day. As of noon today, the wait time for Soarin’ Across America was 25 minutes, which is a genuinely reasonable window to experience the new film before the official opening-day crowds arrive and push that number significantly higher. That kind of early soft opening is not unusual in Disney’s operating philosophy, and it means that guests visiting EPCOT between now and May 26 have a real opportunity to experience the new version before the anticipated surge.
One important note for guests planning to use Lightning Lane is that it does not appear to be available for the attraction yet and likely will not be until the official May 26 opening date.
What Soarin Across America Actually Is
The ride itself is the same Soarin’ experience that EPCOT guests have been riding for years. The technology, the hanging theater seats, the sensation of flight, and the physical mechanism of the attraction have not changed. What has changed is everything guests see and smell during the experience. The new film takes guests on an airborne journey across the United States, featuring the country’s most iconic landmarks and landscapes, and is explicitly framed as a celebration of the nation as it approaches its 250th birthday. The scents, which have always been one of Soarin’s most distinctive sensory elements, have been updated to match the new American scenery.
For guests who grew up riding the original California version of Soarin’ and have a strong nostalgic attachment to that film, the shift toward American landscapes in the new version is likely to resonate deeply. Disney has described the experience as honoring the heart and spirit of the nation as it soars into its 250th birthday celebration.
How This Changes EPCOT Rope Drop Strategy
The official May 26 opening is going to reshape how experienced EPCOT guests plan their mornings, and that shift may last well beyond opening week.
For years, Soarin’ has been treated by veteran EPCOT visitors as a midday or late-afternoon attraction, a high-capacity ride that efficiently absorbs guests, so rushing it at rope drop was rarely necessary. That calculus is about to change. Soarin’ Across America carries the combination of limited-time status, nostalgia, and broad audience appeal that tends to create the kind of sustained, elevated demand that does not fade quickly.
The guest population most likely to arrive at EPCOT’s rope drop and immediately head toward The Land Pavilion includes longtime fans who want the new film experience, guests who still associate Soarin with the original California version and are curious about an American-themed update, and families who appreciate that Soarin’ has no significant height restrictions or thrill components that would exclude younger or older members of the party. That combination of nostalgia and accessibility gives the attraction one of the widest potential audiences of any ride at EPCOT.
EPCOT’s standard rope drop patterns send guests toward Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Frozen Ever After, depending on their priorities and Lightning Lane strategy. May 26 and the weeks following it may see a significant number of those guests redirecting toward The Land Pavilion instead, which could create unexpected crowd redistribution across the park in the early morning hours.
Lightning Lane availability for Soarin’ is likely to become more competitive than the attraction has seen in years once the limited-time film and anniversary context fully register with the park’s guest population. Guests who historically skipped Soarin’ in their Lightning Lane planning may find themselves competing for return times much earlier in the day than they expect.
The 25-minute wait time at noon today is a number worth acting on for anyone currently at or near EPCOT. That figure is almost certainly going to look very different by the time the official May 26 opening arrives and the full wave of guests who have been anticipating the new version begin flowing through The Land Pavilion. Getting on Soarin’ Across America during the soft opening window, while Lightning Lane is not yet available and the wait time is still manageable, is the most straightforward way to experience the new film before the crowds make that calculation significantly more complicated.
Check the My Disney Experience app for current wait times before heading to The Land Pavilion. The official opening is four days away. The 25-minute window is right now.
