Soarin over America...

[Dagger]

I love Soarin. I think they should make a whole bunch of them and it could be random combinations (think Star Tours.)

As mentioned, there's probably just no need as the ride still pulls the waits and is super popular, but it'd be cool.

"What combo did you get on Soarin'?"

Could be all the states, could be every country, could be continent based... would be so awesome and a great learning experience for kids, too!

 

[lego606]

That should be easy to program. No up or down, just the occasional turn.

Except for when, of course, because you're trainee pilots, Dr. Grant Seeker pilots you right into a hurricane.

 

[TP2000]

Is the Soarin in Disneyland digital projection?

No, it's film. But in Anaheim they have a much more advanced "clean room" system to keep the projection rooms for the two Soarin' Over California theaters at a different air pressure gradient and with medical-grade filtration systems to keep the rooms free of dust and debris that can impact the projectors and prints. When they built the Florida clone, TDO had them build the projection rooms without the clean room tech to save money, which is why the Epcot films often have dust bunnies and floaties on them.

"Floaties" is a technical term, but try and stay with me here.

Soarin' at DCA also has regular rehabs; this past fall each theater was closed for a week for screen cleaning and routine maintenance. The result is a clearer image and sharper looking presentation. I can't remember the last time each Soarin' theater at Epcot was mentioned as being closed for a week or two for rehab, can anyone?

 

[lego606]

No, it's film. But in Anaheim they have a much more advanced "clean room" system to keep the projection rooms for the two Soarin' Over California theaters at a different air pressure gradient and with medical-grade filtration systems to keep the rooms free of dust and debris that can impact the projectors and prints. When they built the Florida clone, TDO had them build the projection rooms without the clean room tech to save money, which is why the Epcot films often have dust bunnies and floaties on them.

"Floaties" is a technical term, but try and stay with me here.

Soarin' at DCA also has regular rehabs; this past fall each theater was closed for a week for screen cleaning and routine maintenance. The result is a clearer image and sharper looking presentation. I can't remember the last time each Soarin' theater at Epcot was mentioned as being closed for a week or two for rehab, can anyone?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soarin' (Over California) much more popular in Florida? Shutting it would increase backlogs on other Epcot attractions for that week (and, of course, Guest Services would never hear the end of it) - that said, they *really* need to do something about the screens/film, I agree.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Florida management needs to stop worrying about complaints and shut down rides for rehabs when needed.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soarin' much more popular in Florida? Shutting it would increase backlogs on other Epcot attractions for that week (and, of course, Guest Services would never hear the end of it) - that said, they *really* need to do something about the screens/film, I agree.

Soarin is popular on both coasts, only problem is that aside from Tron Track and Mission Space, EPCOT lacks high quality attractions. You're right though in that if Soarin were to go down for a lengthy refurb, other attractions would see an increase in wait time much like the case was when TT went down.

 

[djlaosc]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soarin' much more popular in Florida? Shutting it would increase backlogs on other Epcot attractions for that week (and, of course, Guest Services would never hear the end of it) - that said, they *really* need to do something about the screens/film, I agree.

They weren't necessarily saying close the entire ride - just close one theatre at a time - the only problem would be potentially longer lines

 

[wedenterprises]

To the OP: the film is from a ride called Flying over America, a soarin' clone at Window of the World in Shenzhen, China.

The film was produced by a design studio in LA called Super 78 and the ride was engineered by HUSS.

It has nothing to do with Disney except the fact that it's another Soarin' clone.

 

[lego606]

They weren't necessarily saying close the entire ride - just close one theatre at a time - the only problem would be potentially longer lines

It basically cuts capacity in half, yea. So I guess wait time would double? (on a ride that already can hit hour+ wait times in the slow season)

 

[djlaosc]

It basically cuts capacity in half, yea. So I guess wait time would double? (on a ride that already can hit hour+ wait times in the slow season)

The waits would go up, they wouldn't necessarily double (it would depend on how long people are willing to wait - this Christmas - it was around 4 or 5 hours), but at least it would still be open (and you would still be able to get Fastpass, although again the number would be cut in half as well)

 

[lego606]

The waits would go up, they wouldn't necessarily double (it would depend on how long people are willing to wait - this Christmas - it was around 4 or 5 hours), but at least it would still be open (and you would still be able to get Fastpass, although again the number would be cut in half as well)

Unless it's done after FP+ moves in.

 

[lunchbox1175]

How about a Soarin in each park, AK could get one of Africa, Epcot could get one of the wonders of the world or special landmarks, MK could get one of the universe and put it in Tomorrowland (lose stitch), don't know what HS would get, but these could be cool.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

How about a Soarin in each park, AK could get one of Africa, Epcot could get one of the wonders of the world or special landmarks, MK could get one of the universe and put it in Tomorrowland (lose stitch), don't know what HS would get, but these could be cool.

Soarin over Hollywood I guess. It could fly over Burbank and go over the Disney lot then go up north in San Fran and fly over Pixar. Then Marvel and Lucas Film headquarters. Could even fly over celebrity houses. Talk about a ride target marketed toward the paparazzi!

 

[Timekeeper]

They weren't necessarily saying close the entire ride - just close one theatre at a time - the only problem would be potentially longer lines

The attraction is extremely unique in that it could be rehabbed in segments, without complete closure. I can't think of many attractions that would accommodate the same.

 

[djlaosc]

The attraction is extremely unique in that it could be rehabbed in segments, without complete closure. I can't think of many attractions that would accommodate the same.

I can think of...

Mission: SPACE
Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
Stitch's Great Escape
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Tomorrowland Speedway (although it would probably be like Space Mountain)


Space Mountain is two seperate tracks, but they couldn't rehab one side while running the other.

 

[Timekeeper]

Kilimanjaro could withstand some degree of refurbishment, depending on where, as the vehicles could be re-routed...

 

[IlikeDW]

It is not that simple as it is not an off the shelf IMAX projector. @marni1971 has gone into ita number of times. I am sure he will be along to explain the details better than I can.

so here is a basic outline of the difference:
Quick background: IMAX film, which debuted in 1970, is 70 mm wide (about the size of a post card), and each frame has 15 perforations. With a true IMAX projector, the film is run through horizontally -- so audiences see the width of film in the height of the frame.
Of the four IMAX theaters, only one in Dallas, the Museum of Nature and Sciences, projects in the native 70 mm format. The other IMAX theaters in Dallas are using digital projectors, in a format often lovingly referred to as lieMAX. So, what's the difference between the 70mm and digital?
IMAX Digital typically uses two, side-by-side 2K Christie projectors. As Peter Sciretta, ofSlash Film reported, the two digital projections are layered over each other, giving the film a super size. Here's our problem:
Say, for example, you're checking out The Dark Knight Rises (squee!), which will boast themost IMAX footage ever shot for a Hollywood movie, on a dual-digital IMAX projector (like AMC Northpark). You'll see the film on a screen about 25x58 feet. Cool, right?
Except that true IMAX, as Slash Film reported, broadcasts on a screen that's 76x97 feet. The difference is breathtaking.

Via Slashfilm​

​

 

[TP2000]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soarin' much more popular in Florida? Shutting it would increase backlogs on other Epcot attractions for that week (and, of course, Guest Services would never hear the end of it) - that said, they *really* need to do something about the screens/film, I agree.

It's equally popular on both coasts, and can be argued is the signature attraction of the Disney California Adventure park, where it's known as Soarin' Over California.

Easy fix for the rehab issue at Epcot, which is a park woefully short of top-notch rides...
1. Pick two weeks with low attendance in the off-season
2. Shut down one theater for a week to clean the screen, paint and scrub the pre-show and theaters, fix the smellitizers, etc.
3. Reopen both theaters for the weekend
4. Shut down the opposite theater for a week to clean the screen, paint and scrub the pre-show and theaters, fix smellitizers, etc.
5. During the weekday rehabs of each theater, disable the Fastpass system for the ride and just run Standby as the only line with honest wait times posted to let visitors decide for themselves whether or not to ride
6. Enjoy!

See, it's not that hard to do. That's basically how DCA handles the Soarin' rehabs the ride gets every 12 months or so at DCA. It just takes some planning, some management backbone, and some cash to pay for the maintenance services and supplies used during the rehab.

 

[Horizons78]

"I call it a "Salute to All Nations but Mostly America"! - Sam Eagle

"You've got a minute and a half!"

 

[Alektronic]

It's equally popular on both coasts, and can be argued is the signature attraction of the Disney California Adventure park, where it's known as Soarin' Over California.

Easy fix for the rehab issue at Epcot, which is a park woefully short of top-notch rides...
1. Pick two weeks with low attendance in the off-season
2. Shut down one theater for a week to clean the screen, paint and scrub the pre-show and theaters, fix the smellitizers, etc.
3. Reopen both theaters for the weekend
4. Shut down the opposite theater for a week to clean the screen, paint and scrub the pre-show and theaters, fix smellitizers, etc.
5. During the weekday rehabs of each theater, disable the Fastpass system for the ride and just run Standby as the only line with honest wait times posted to let visitors decide for themselves whether or not to ride
6. Enjoy!

See, it's not that hard to do. That's basically how DCA handles the Soarin' rehabs the ride gets every 12 months or so at DCA. It just takes some planning, some management backbone, and some cash to pay for the maintenance services and supplies used during the rehab.

They already tried to do that. The IMAX projectors need some serious downtime for a good refurb and cleaning. They have been waiting for a long time since Test Track was down they weren't allowed to anything except normal cleaning. So they scheduled it originally for Feb, so that gave Test Track time to work the bugs out and it was a slower time in the park. Each theater was scheduled for a downtime of 3 days. One was running while the other was being throughly cleaned. But it got cancelled by the Epcot Maintenance Director, they are only worrying about the head count not the show quality.