Uh...Soarin'....50 feet in the air??!!

No one can or should talk you into or out of it. And, I for one, do believe it goes that high. My cousin is scared of heights, but wanted to give it a go, it was no problem asking for the lowest row (they are used to people requesting all kinds of things, so this is no big deal), and I sat beside him and kept an eye out for him. He did great. If you think you may want to, go ahead and get an FP for it, if you are getting one that is, that way you'll have it. I would also recommend learning some relaxation techniques (especially focusing on your breathing), so that you can shut your eyes on the ride if necessary and focus on your breath, the key is practicing first at home when calm and relaxed, then practicing when just a little anxious, and so on.
 
Im more afraid of drops, however, soaring is such a controlled lift and return, that I feel comfortable. The theater lights go dark when going up, that you barely feel the up, and then you just look straight out enjoying the view. If it helps, just close your eyes for those two seconds while going up. I have done it in all rows and never felt uncomfortable. Just remember to breathe, the aromas in each scene is a great extra.
 
Just don't jump out while you're up and you'll be fine. :D

EDIT: Doesn't really matter if it's 50 feet or 43.5 feet. It is fairly high on the top row. I love it, but if you're scared of heights I can understand why it would be a concern. If it helps, it's a gentle lift up and if you focus on the screen you won't even notice.
 
Oh boy....I think I'm rethinking this one now. :eek: My fear of heights is pretty bad. There used to be this bridge I absolutely panicked everytime I drove across it. Over the years it's gotten much easier. On an older post, someone said the different heights for Soarin were something like 50 in the top...I believe 30 in the middle and 15 on the bottom row. Some of the "up close and personal" projections kinda made me dodge and close my eyes from here at my computer desk. :faint: Not sure how I'm going to do with that where I don't have the stability that I do now in a none moving chair. It was said to ask for the bottom row and to sit somewhere in the middle. If I'm scared, my son will be too. In times like that, he feeds off my emotions. Our friends won't be with us that day, so he won't have someone else to pull his focus, so I have to be the "adult" one and reign in my emotions. :rotfl2: You guys have NO idea how much that amused me to type thinking about me on Soarin'....panicked and nervous and wanting the ride to hurry up and end. :lmao:He'd be okay if I changed my mind about it. So long as he rides Test Track and Spaceship Earth (one of the dark rides he enjoyed during his nothing dark please years) he's good! :goodvibes Oh and Figment too. He's got this thing about purple dragons. I guess since my husband owns a stuffed one...that might be it! :rotfl:

So let me hear from the amazing DISers. I know in the end, I am the ONLY one who can determine what I can handle. If our friends were meeting us that day, I think it would be easier because I'd have them to "talk me through it". I could ask them to join us, but the husband would have to take an extra day off work and I don't want him to that just because I'm a big ole baby! :rotfl2::rotfl2:
Soarin’ is my favorite ride, but… If you are worried and afraid, just don’t go on it. Don’t feel like you have to go on it. I have always felt that it a ride makes me feel uncomfortable or scared then I won’t go on it. Why ruin your happy Disney day with worry and fear? If a ride makes me feel uncomfortable, I do not ride it. For example, I do not ride the space ride at Epcot. I’m sure I never will. I would never try to talk children into riding something they were uncomfortable with. I feel sad when I see this happening.
When I am with somebody who loves a particular ride, I get both of us fast passes for that ride. Then they get to ride it twice by us switching MagicBands. We are both happy with this situation. Hope you have a wonderful trip!
 


I might be a weirdo, but I saw a clog other posters who said similar things to how I feel, so I wanted to chime in.

I have a fear of heights, but for me, all heights are not equal.

I don’t have a problem being in a tall tower. I can look over the side of the ship several stories up and be fine. I love to fly in airplanes. I don’t do ladders. I freak out unless I can clutch the side. If I were to stand on the top of my desk and you offered to pay me to jump, I wouldn’t. And there is no way on earth I would ever ever EVER bungee jump or sky dive.

For me, I think my fear is more about falling than the actual heights. I did not mind Soarin’ because I felt secure within the ride, and I had some to hold onto. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot.

I forced myself to ride Tower of Terror because I was going to face my fear head on. Again, I was only the normal level scared you should be on a thrill ride, not panicked. And then there is Splash Mountain. You get a good close look at that huge drop on the way into the ride. I could NOT enjoy any part of the ride, because I kept thinking that big drop was coming after ever turn. The worrying about what was to come made it ten times more terrifying than Tower of Terror for me.
Of those three, Soarin was by far the least scary for me personally.

But I would definitely not ride anything that you are dreading from the moment you get on board. I loved the theming of Spash Mountain, but I did not enjoy one minute of the ride.
 
personally speaking, it doesn't really feel like your that high up at all once your up. ;)
 
Soarin' doesn't hit me in the sense of heights it's actually motion sickness that gets me. I still enjoy it though and my motion sickness isn't too bad on it.

The middle row is the best for that. The lowest level is the best as well IMO for height concerns. I would at least request the lowest level like others mentioned.

OP I do have limits when it comes to rides I feel may trigger my motion sickness or rides that have large drops or goes upside down. Some rides I want to attempt to ride them once and then I'll be able to swear them away if it didn't work out (my hard limit is large drops and goes upside down though no first ride at all for me there lol).

Don't feel bad about it if you end up not wanting to try it but also take some time to think about your particular fear.

Do you fly at all? For me the liftoff reminds me a lot of flying though I can understand how not having your feet touch something solid makes it different from flying in that sense.
 


I think regardless of where you sit, it's a good possibility you're still going to have the feeling of "soaring" hundreds of feet in the air. What would make you more nervous? Literally being 15-50 feet in the air, or the sense of being hundreds of feet in the air? Maybe see how you feel when the day comes. It's definitely a fun experience, but I don't have a serious fear of heights either
^^This!
My DH can get funny with heights and the first time we rode the new Soarin' he let out a "oh boy!" When you're at the part where you're going up the front of the Eiffel Tower. (In spite of the ridiculous bend in the tower!) He still rides it now, but the first time gave him that "uh oh" feeling at that scene.

For reference he won't ride TOT or Splash because if the height, he will do Soarin and EE even though that section of hill going up on EE where there's nothing on either side of the train freaks him out a little. He refused to ride EE for years until about 2 years ago when he decided to try it and now he loves it. But I learned that no matter what I say to try to reassure him, he has take the time he needs before he decides to ride something.
 
Oh boy....I think I'm rethinking this one now. :eek: My fear of heights is pretty bad. There used to be this bridge I absolutely panicked everytime I drove across it. Over the years it's gotten much easier. On an older post, someone said the different heights for Soarin were something like 50 in the top...I believe 30 in the middle and 15 on the bottom row. Some of the "up close and personal" projections kinda made me dodge and close my eyes from here at my computer desk. :faint: Not sure how I'm going to do with that where I don't have the stability that I do now in a none moving chair. It was said to ask for the bottom row and to sit somewhere in the middle. If I'm scared, my son will be too. In times like that, he feeds off my emotions. Our friends won't be with us that day, so he won't have someone else to pull his focus, so I have to be the "adult" one and reign in my emotions. :rotfl2: You guys have NO idea how much that amused me to type thinking about me on Soarin'....panicked and nervous and wanting the ride to hurry up and end. :lmao:He'd be okay if I changed my mind about it. So long as he rides Test Track and Spaceship Earth (one of the dark rides he enjoyed during his nothing dark please years) he's good! :goodvibes Oh and Figment too. He's got this thing about purple dragons. I guess since my husband owns a stuffed one...that might be it! :rotfl:

So let me hear from the amazing DISers. I know in the end, I am the ONLY one who can determine what I can handle. If our friends were meeting us that day, I think it would be easier because I'd have them to "talk me through it". I could ask them to join us, but the husband would have to take an extra day off work and I don't want him to that just because I'm a big ole baby! :rotfl2::rotfl2:
Ok, I absolutely hate heights and it took me almost a year before I would do this at DCA when it first opened, but honestly, I can handle this one. I think it is because I am securely seat belted in and I know that if it were to have a catastrophic failure, they have hand crank to bring it back down.
 
Just don't jump out while you're up and you'll be fine. :D

I absolutely....can....not!!! :rotfl2::rotfl2:

Soarin' doesn't hit me in the sense of heights it's actually motion sickness that gets me. I still enjoy it though and my motion sickness isn't too bad on it.


Do you fly at all? For me the liftoff reminds me a lot of flying though I can understand how not having your feet touch something solid makes it different from flying in that sense.

I have a fear of heights and a wonky sense of motion sickness. Where it really hits me is when my eyes see one thing, but my body is doing the opposite. It TRULY messes me up. When we are on the ferry waiting for the boat to head in to MK or back to TTC, I have to remember to focus on people on the ferry or something on the ferry. If I look out over the water before we start moving....I'm done. :faint: Teacups I'm okay if no one spins the cups anymore and if I focus on someone in the cups with me and not let my eyes wander outside the teacup....if I do...again.....:faint: I haven't flown in a LONG time, but you've already said it...my feet not having anything solid beneath them doesn't help.

^^This!
My DH can get funny with heights and the first time we rode the new Soarin' he let out a "oh boy!" When you're at the part where you're going up the front of the Eiffel Tower. (In spite of the ridiculous bend in the tower!) He still rides it now, but the first time gave him that "uh oh" feeling at that scene.

For reference he won't ride TOT or Splash because if the height, he will do Soarin and EE even though that section of hill going up on EE where there's nothing on either side of the train freaks him out a little. He refused to ride EE for years until about 2 years ago when he decided to try it and now he loves it. But I learned that no matter what I say to try to reassure him, he has take the time he needs before he decides to ride something.


Splash doesn't bother me one bit, because the height is inside where I can see us going up. I LOVE that drop down. I'm going to ride EE for the first time ever when we go, but I'm going to have two friends with us who can help keep my son and I distracted. I'm going to sit with my friend Jaye and let my son sit with her husband Chris. They've been our family friends for well over 20 years. This will be their first time meeting our son! party: I think my son will do better sitting with Chris because he's done EE NUMEROUS times and will be able to keep Moshe calmer than I could as a first time rider! :lmao:


I might be a weirdo, but I saw a clog other posters who said similar things to how I feel, so I wanted to chime in.

I have a fear of heights, but for me, all heights are not equal.

I don’t have a problem being in a tall tower. I can look over the side of the ship several stories up and be fine. I love to fly in airplanes. I don’t do ladders. I freak out unless I can clutch the side. If I were to stand on the top of my desk and you offered to pay me to jump, I wouldn’t. And there is no way on earth I would ever ever EVER bungee jump or sky dive.

For me, I think my fear is more about falling than the actual heights. I did not mind Soarin’ because I felt secure within the ride, and I had some to hold onto. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot.

I forced myself to ride Tower of Terror because I was going to face my fear head on. Again, I was only the normal level scared you should be on a thrill ride, not panicked. And then there is Splash Mountain. You get a good close look at that huge drop on the way into the ride. I could NOT enjoy any part of the ride, because I kept thinking that big drop was coming after ever turn. The worrying about what was to come made it ten times more terrifying than Tower of Terror for me.
Of those three, Soarin was by far the least scary for me personally.

But I would definitely not ride anything that you are dreading from the moment you get on board. I loved the theming of Splash Mountain, but I did not enjoy one minute of the ride.

As I said in a previous reply, Splash doesn't bother me one bit. LOVE IT! What I bolded on your post is EXACTLY it! I would possibly be doing Soarin' standby and if it's a 30 or 45 minute line, all I'm going to do the whole time is worry and get all anxious. In no way would I be able to enjoy the ride. I think had I not read about how high it was, I would have given it a go. I would have asked for a lower row anyway, but I wouldn't be as nervous. :worried: I talked to my son about it and he said if I didn't want to ride it, we don't ride it. All he truly cares about is Test Track, Figment, and Spaceship Earth! I just ADORE my boy! :cloud9: He feeds off my emotions and I don't want to ruin his fun because he's so worried about his momma being scared.


No one can or should talk you into or out of it. And, I for one, do believe it goes that high. My cousin is scared of heights, but wanted to give it a go, it was no problem asking for the lowest row (they are used to people requesting all kinds of things, so this is no big deal), and I sat beside him and kept an eye out for him. He did great. If you think you may want to, go ahead and get an FP for it, if you are getting one that is, that way you'll have it. I would also recommend learning some relaxation techniques (especially focusing on your breathing), so that you can shut your eyes on the ride if necessary and focus on your breath, the key is practicing first at home when calm and relaxed, then practicing when just a little anxious, and so on.
Im more afraid of drops, however, soaring is such a controlled lift and return, that I feel comfortable. The theater lights go dark when going up, that you barely feel the up, and then you just look straight out enjoying the view. If it helps, just close your eyes for those two seconds while going up. I have done it in all rows and never felt uncomfortable. Just remember to breathe, the aromas in each scene is a great extra.

Such wonderful advice from the both of you....but I think for this time, I'm going to sit it out. If my husband goes with us on our next trip, I will definitely give it go then. He's GREAT keeping me calm on rides like that! pixiedust:
 
There are 3 rows. If you get on the bottom or even the middle row you should be fine. My mom was deathly afraid of heights and we talked her into going on it. She loved it. During the liftoff, she was definitely apprehensive, but once it got going she forgot all about it. I am a little afraid of heights (but I will still do things, it just makes me queasy) and I had no problem at all.

ETA: My mother rode this 2 times, and I mean, she is really afraid. She went up in a tower, took one step off the elevator (situated in the center of the platform), and plastered herself to the elevator's outside wall, paralyzed. As soon as the next door opened, she was on it.



Do you know how high the lowest row is off of the ground?
 
I figured they were Robo. Which is why my anxiety set in. Again, I don't want my son terrified because I am....so I'll have to make the decision while we are the park that day.
How old is your son? Could he ride alone?
I'll revise my estimate that my toes would be 18, 12 or 6 feet off the ground depending in which row I was in
Somebody six feet tall would typically have a knee-to-floor distance of two feet or less. Even in the back row, one's feet would be more than ten feet off the floor.
The belts on Soarin’ are like lap belts in a car, so I don’t get the same sense of security I do on a coaster.
There is another belt that goes between the legs for added safety. Now, I've never seen adults use it, but it's there.
 
My elderly Mom is terrified of heights but she tried the third row and was fine. It doesn't 'feel' like you are as high as you are and being on the third (lowest) row really does feel like you are a great deal lower. The other two rows slide up and forward. The third row just feels like it is going forward and lifting a tiny bit. I barely felt higher than floor level.

I would request the third row in the centre (less warped screen view in the centre section) for the first time and see how it feels to you. Explain your fear of heights to the CM directing you to the line where you wait to enter. You should be fine.

Good luck!
 
If you do ride, use the extra belt between your legs. we had to do that with my mother because she was convinced that she was going to slip out.

Yes, I used the extra belt in the middle the first few times I rode Soarin. :scared: My family still kids me about it. This is great advice, btw, to use the extra belt that is meant for kids. I felt so much more secure. In my defense, the first time I rode Soarin, I was buckling in my grandson who was riding next to me. I was terrified that he, and I, would slip out. I also had a death grip on the handles. These days, I do much better, but there is still a part of me that is forcing myself to relax. :tilt: But I really do love Soarin!

There is another belt that goes between the legs for added safety. Now, I've never seen adults use it, but it's there.

I know of at least one adult that used it! :crazy:

Ok, I absolutely hate heights and it took me almost a year before I would do this at DCA when it first opened, but honestly, I can handle this one. I think it is because I am securely seat belted in and I know that if it were to have a catastrophic failure, they have hand crank to bring it back down.

Do we know this for a fact? I hadn't thought about how I would feel if we got stuck up there.
 
Ok, I absolutely hate heights and it took me almost a year before I would do this at DCA when it first opened, but honestly, I can handle this one. I think it is because I am securely seat belted in and I know that if it were to have a catastrophic failure, they have hand crank to bring it back down.
Not actually accurate according to MouseMagic https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/soarin-at-epcot.903379/#js-post-6862995 "Yes, the ride carriage can return to the load level if the power goes out. It's all on generators, plus they have fail-safes in place."
 

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