Flight of Passage: Overrated?

[Linkura]

I didn't like it at all. I don't like Soarin', and it's basically Soarin' Over Pandora. I expected to have some motion sickness issues, but I didn't at all- a lot tamer than I expected. I preferred NRJ- clearest screens I've ever seen on a ride and a calming experience.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm one of the few who aren't crazy about it, I only ride it with my son is with me because he loves it. If I'm solo, I skip it. It's a nice enough ride for me but does make me a little uncomfortable, not full on sick just a little off and having to fight to keep the glasses on my head doesn't help.

 

[BillFromCT]

Sometimes I think people who have been going to the World over and over again get a ride that's new and different, they like it more than those of us who haven't been on every other ride 500 times (i.e. the Mine Train Phenomenon). I liked FOP. I'll FP it again when I go in a few months. Would I wait more than 30 minutes to ride it? No.

 

[Disney.Denise]

I'm one of those crazy people who tears up during the ride because it is so intensely emotional for me, so I think it is amazing - it is my favorite ride by far. But everyone has different opinions and preferences.

THIS! I had tears after riding because it was that good.

 

[GeneralTso]

I think it's the most advanced and spectacular ride any Disney park has to offer. You are getting a wide range or reactions because everyone has an opinion! You need to make one for yourself.

 

[holden]

I don’t care for Soarin at all, especially the new version. I go on it because my family wants to. If I were alone, I’d skip it.

I think FOP is one of the best attractions in WDW. For me, it’s completely immersive. I really feel as though I’m flying on the back of the banshee. I’ve ridden it several times and I still get the same feeling.

For the record, I’ve never seen the entire Avatar movie. I fell asleep.

 

[slpeters]

I thought it was amazing. Would I stand in line for 2 hours to ride it? probably not. But I can't think of much I would stand in line that long for. The two times we rode FOP with FP were our longest waits on a weeklong trip (about 20 minutes) and I thought it was well worth it. I think I enjoyed it more the second time as well. I think it was because the first time I was actually a little afraid going in (I'm very afraid of heights--Soarin' is sort of a white-knuckle experience for me). Once I knew that it wasn't an issue on FOP I was able to relax and really enjoy it the second time. I think the ride is just astonishing--definitely the best I've experienced. It really felt like you were flying.

 

[Monykalyn]

I think the queue is over rated and so many people gush about that- but the ride itself is pretty darn good. Better now that they've adjusted the glasses so they fit normal size heads.

Personally I've never gotten the the hype over Soarin'. That to me is definitely an over rated ride!

 

[Miffy]

Yep - totally over-rated. Hear that everyone? Please go ahead and book all your FP's for Primeval Whirl so I can begrudgingly ride this over-rated simulator multiple times with no wait...

Perfectly said.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I find FOP to be at a level that far surpasses Soarin'. It feels personal: you can feel the banshee breathing, for heavens' sakes. The fact that you are on your own animal makes it feel like it's just you and the creature flying, and the 3D element adds so much. I don't think there's really any comparison, especially since they RUINED Soarin' with the ridiculous curved Eiffel Tower. I don't even care if I go on Soarin' anymore: fake animals, distorted images, disjointed story. They wrecked one of my favorite rides. I'll take FOP any day for its immersion, beauty, and thrills.

 

[emilymad]

I like the ride part of FOP. The incredible long and cheesy pre show ruins it for me though. It makes an already long wait even longer. It took me 45 minutes with a FP+ this past trip. The last time I rode it fellow passengers were cracking jokes and making fun of the ridiculous "move around" part. It ruins what could be a great ride.

 

[Magpie]

Opinions, everyone's got one!

Try looking at the situation logically, putting aside your own opinion for a moment. If Flights of Passage was over rated wouldn't the lines have died down by now? Would people still be lining up for hours to ride it, and then getting back in line to wait hours to ride it again? Would people be struggling to get Fastpasses? The ride has enormous capacity!

Most nights, by park close, Navi River Journey is either a walk on or close to it. The other headliners (Safari, Everest) are incredibly easy to get into.

If, all these months later, people are still losing their minds over FoP, the ride is clearly not over rated.

Obviously it won't be everyone's cup of tea. And if you found it underwhelming, there's nothing wrong with that. But conversely, everyone else who was blown away by the experience is equally "correct" in their opinion of the ride. It can't be "over rated". It's rated exactly how people rate it, and if the majority rates it higher than you would, that's their right.

Personally, I think the ride is gorgeous, and on my third go through I took my eyes off the screen and had a look around at the ride mechanism. Amazing! I like it much better than New Soarin', where the distortions and Uncanny Valley critters bug me slightly. As for Journey... it's showing its age in comparison to FoP, being less immersive with more jarring scene changes and less convincing animations, though the ride itself is definitely more thrilling (and nausea-inducing). I love Journey slightly more, only because Harry Potter resonates more with me than Avatar. But I feel like FoP is a technologically superior ride (especially since they've fixed the headgear).

 

[piratepride]

Best ride of all four parks at WDW in my opinion!

 

[mousefan73]

All I know is this middle aged mom’s face hurt after the ride as I had a huge smile on my face during the whole experience.

Similar to Soarin yes and no. I find FOP more 4D and encomposing. Would I wait 3 hours no. But I wouldn’t wait 3 hours for anything that lasts a few minutes.

Now if there was a ride that physically transported me in a different time, dimension, place. Yes i’d wait 3 hours. ( that’s just me being crazy now)

 

[ars0525]

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.

Yup. But that was in early October on a Sunday. I am local AP holder so I went in with the mindset knowing it was going to be a wait without a FP so I wasn't in a hurry or pushing to get near the front. And honestly I wasn't super prepared for the fiasco of RD that morning. Just getting into the parking lot area & parking was 20-30 minutes when usually it's drive up. Then the security area before the entrance was a mess of nobody knowing where to go & I didn't even have a bag but had to walk around it (I noticed since then they have MUCH more organized). And once you got inside the park 95% of the flow of traffic was all going to the same place so unless you were going to run over people to get a little further ahead in line there was nothing else to do.

 

[dlavender]

We were blown away by it the first couple of times.

Unfortunately, with all simulators, the re ride-ability just isn't as great as traditional rides.

Done Space Mountain 100 times, and love it each time.

Have ridden FOP 5 times, and it loses something everytime.

But those first few times were amazing.

 

[mommykds]

It is THE best ride I have ever experienced. I literally say "no, no, no" when it gets to the end and I've probably ridden over 20x? Love it.

 

[North of Mouse]

Nope, not overrated at all!! And this coming from someone that can't ride it. I rode it once in Dec. with dh, but because of a bad astigmatism I really felt out of it and dizzy, 'in' and after the ride. I loved it and was so sorry to be affected like that.

Just returned from a trip and let my dh have his and my FP's for it. He loves it. Is the best ride there in our opinions.
By the way, most people share those feelings!!

As for Soarin', it has been basically 'ruined' for me with the 'new and improved' second one - loved the first one and could do it many times, not so now! So obviously fake!!

 

[maryj11]

I was disappointed with FOP. I think it was wearing the glasses over my prescription glasses that made most of the ride blurry. Actually I was frustrated and kept trying different things like removing my prescription glasses or not looking through the bifocals. Nothing seemed to help. Soarin is still my favorite.

 

[Tonyz]

You can of course have any opinion you want about any attraction. But in this case I’m sorry to say that you are objectively wrong.