Hey, hey, Amanda and welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel. I am so glad you asked this question because like Basil of Baker Street from Disney's The Great Mouse Detective I love to find out the facts. Once on an
Adventures By Disney tour, we went backstage to see how
Soarin' Around the World works and that is where I learned the magic of hang gliding Disney style.
There are three concourses, A, B and C that have three hangar entrances that are also A, B, and C. Each hangar entrance has three rows 1, 2 and, 3. Row 1 is the last group to enter and soars 50 feet off the ground, Row 2 lifts about 40 feet off the ground while you tour the world, and Row 3 enters first after Chief Flight Attendant Patrick finishes his announcement checklist and climbs to 30 feet.
Of course, you feel much higher but know you are very safe as you travel over the Matterhorn in Switzerland, see the polar bears in Isfjord, Greenland, visit P. Sherman in Sydney Harbour, Australia, Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany which is the basis for both Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castle, run with elephants in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania with Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, see The Great Wall of China in China, fly over the sandy Great Pyramids in Egypt, marvel at the serene Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, India, glide through the stone giants of the Mitten Buttes in Monument Valley, Arizona, voyage with the outriggers at Lau Islands, Fiji, see the majestic Iguazu Falls in Argentina and the sparkling Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and finally, the fireworks over
Epcot's
Spaceship Earth.
Disney Dad Tip 1: While on Soarin' Around the World look for the Hidden Mickeys (items arranged like Mickey's head). Here is a hint...look in the Monument Valley, Fiji, and Epcot scenes.
Disney Dad Tip 2: It is worth waiting for hangar entrance B(center hang glider) Row 1 or 2 and try and be in the center position for the best view. In Row B1 you will not see dangling feet but B2 you will have the best cinematic experience of the 80 foot, 180-degree screen. Imagineers designed the film from the center seat of Row B2.
Amanda, enjoy making many Magical Memories.
~Jason