Flight of Passage: Overrated?

[jimmyk79]

We rode soarin on 1st day and the last day of our stay in earl April. In between we rode FOP 4 times and it makes soarin seem likes it's moving slower. Just not as fun or impressive after FOP. That being said FOP isn't worth a 2-3 hour wait.

 

[The VWL Five]

Rode once and thought it was GREAT. I called it Soarin on steroids when I walked out.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I actually liked it more the 2nd time I rode it for some reason... we liked it the 1st time but it wasn't life changing. Maybe I was able to relax and focus more the 2nd time around?

We've now ridden it multiple times with various friends/family and only one group has really gushed about it. I tried really hard to not hype it up, though. Maybe I should have... When I asked about their favorite rides at the end of their trip, it's never FoP (which kills me since I scored FP's for them!).

I DO find new cool things each time I ride so it will take a long time before it's stale.

 

[saraheliz]

I expected to be underwhelmed by FoP but I was not. I loved it. My legs were jello for 10 minutes afterwards, which does not happen with any other ride. That being said, I love Soarin' just as much. Just something about it tugs at my heartstrings....watching my 8 year old's face a couple of weeks ago when she rode it for the first time was maybe my favorite moment of the trip. So, not overrated, but just different for me, anyway.

 

[mikejuliestl]

I need to ride it again to fairly decide.

I rode it once last October. Waited in line the 2+ hours at RD which I knew & planned for. I didn't mind as it gave me time in the new area & to see everything as I waited & the line wound around. I don't know if maybe my glasses were blah or cause they kept falling off my face I was missing being "in" the ride...I just didn't get it? I walked out feeling underwhelmed by it. I've had friends tell me how amazing it is so I think I need to try again. Now I do enjoy walking thru the new area & the theming is really good (especially at night I feel) so it's not like I am trying to hate the ride or anything. The boat ride is good but waaaaaay too short for the wait time it takes. I don't know what else they could have done in there, but it needs to be double the length in ride time. And not just cause the boats get jammed up waiting to unload.

Wait,,, you waited 2 hours AT ROPE DROP? Yikes! We are going mid August and I was hoping we could RD this one as FP's arent a sure thing. Zero chance I would wait 2 hours for a ride at RD! Any particulars you could add? Were you up front, middle, rear at RD? Get there an hour early? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[KevM]

Wait,,, you waited 2 hours AT ROPE DROP? Yikes! We are going mid August and I was hoping we could RD this one as FP's arent a sure thing. Zero chance I would wait 2 hours for a ride at RD! Any particulars you could add? Were you up front, middle, rear at RD? Get there an hour early? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I rope dropped it on Monday, which was Ak’s morning EMH, so it opens at 8. I got there about 7:20. I was able to maneuver my way up towards the front, thanks to picking quick moving lines going into the park. I was off the ride before 8:15.

 

[BrianL]

Rode it for the first time last trip. Was it awesome? Sure.

Was it markedly different from Soarin in Epcot or California Soarin in California Adventure? No. My opinion is that the only major change is that you're hunched over a barrel in FOB, whereas you're in a comfy ride seat with a lap bar for Soarin. At the end of the day, you're moving around in a seat in front of a big screen.

If we get a FP for it in the future, I'll definitely ride it again, and I'll enjoy it again. But, I think I was expecting some sort of life-changing experience based on how cast members and other folks talked about it. For me, it didn't happen. It's now on my list of "it'll be nice if we can ride it, but I'm not going to be disappointed if we can't."

Sorain' actually barely moves at all. Other than the gentle swing of your seat a little bit upwards, any motion you feel is actually just the projection tricking you. FoP on the other hand is more of a motion simulator that actually moves in synch with the video.

I don't really think FoP is overrated myself. I thought it was rather incredible.

 

[lynch34]

Soarin' stinks compared to FoP.

 

[rg35]

If FoP is a similar experience to Soarin' because they both take place in front of a screen, then Splash Mountain must be almost like Living With The Land because they both take place in water.

 

[AngiTN]

I love Soarin, but in my opinion it doesn't come close to FOP. I personally don't think FOP is overrated at all. It is hands down the best ride I've ever ridden.

Exactly my thoughts
I have used the phrase Soarin' on steroids to describe FoP and still don't back of that
I don't find it overrated
I've never walked out of Soarin' and heard guests saying wow, and taking about it down the ramp. And I rode the new one on day one
I do about FoP every to.

 

[BigB0882]

Each person is allowed their own opinion so like what you want. That being said, to even put Soarin in the same breath as FOP is just ridiculous. Have you ever done Soarin and not sat directly in the middle? The entire picture is distorted and curved. It really takes you out of the moment. If they could update that video and bring it anywhere near the quality of FOP then it would be in the conversation. FOP is just on another level. Much like Journey at Universal, which takes the amazing visuals AND combines it with more of a ride feel with a moving vehicle. FOP kills Journey on visuals but Journey has the added feature. Both are, IMO, head and shoulders above every other ride in the country.

 

[BrownHP800]

Boarin' er I mean Soarin' is way over rated. I don't get the fascination. Its an imax movie with smells.

 

[DavidNYC]

Overrated? Based on the feedback of the overwhelming majority of people who have ridden it, it's rated exactly as it should be. Technologically it's so far ahead of Soarin you cannot compare it objectively.

 

[Micca]

I'm indifferent at this point. Yeah it's really cool, but I'm not waiting more than 20-30 minutes for any ride, and the stress over getting a FP for it really diminishes the fun factor for me. We have FP for our next trip and we just discovered DGD is an inch short of the height requirement. I volunteered to do something else with her while everyone else rides FOP. I'll ride it on another trip.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I think FOP is the best ride at WDW! I really enjoy Soarin and think FOP is so much more. More thrills, more drops, more sensations, more sensory involvement..... more, more and more!

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Based on all the hype ahead of our trip about FOP I was certain I was going to be let down when we finally experienced the attraction last November. I had really built up its awesome factor in my head. Can a ride at WDW really be that amazing?

I went ahead and booked 8 fastpasses for FOP over the course of a 12 Day trip just in case it really WAS thebombdotcom.

Holy bananas! What a ride experience. Outside of a little nausea on my DDs part that is.

Seriously - mind blown.

This ride isn’t remotely close to Soarin and it’s curved Eiffel Tower IMO. Not. At. All.

 

[720L]

I've ridden FOP twice now, and I'm just not in love with it. Maybe because I didn't like the movie? A previous poster mentioned Radiator Springs Racers, now that ride wowed me. When I rode Soarin for the first time I was wowed.

 

[Bullseye]

Best ride in WDW or US/IOA in my opinion! I haven't rode Kong yet but will this June.

 

[DOOM1001]

Best ride in WDW or US/IOA in my opinion! I haven't rode Kong yet but will this June.

Kong isn't even in the same ballpark as FoP,it's a 3-D movie/simulator with the action happening in screens on both sides of the bus you're riding,I will say Kong is better than Fast and the Furious which is a similar ride to Kong and is in soft open mode,I've ridden that one four times with little wait and I agree with most people's reviews that it's not a great ride,it's okay at best.At Universal Mummy,Gringotts,Forbidden Journey,MIB,Spider Man and Transformers are rides that you could debate that they are better than FoP because they're excellent rides and even if they use screens they offer more by being actual rides.

 

[katherine52478]

Eh, FOP was a one and done for me. Soarin’ too. I think I just don’t like simulator rides!

I do have a FP for it next week when I’m there since my hubby hasn’t gone yet and refuses to go on alone (sigh) but I would have preferred a FP to Dinosaur or Kali.

So there are a small group of non-believers our there!