I recently spent a day at Disneyland and California Adventure have a new favorite ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean was my favorite Disney ride for many years. While that remains my favorite Disneyland ride, I visited California Adventure for the first time and fell in love with Soarin’ Around the World. Maybe I’m just a bit sappy, but it brought tears to my eyes.
The concept of the ride is a trip around the world in a glider. The ride begins in an airport gate area with a rather humorous safety video by Patrick Warburton (the voice of Buzz Lightyear and Joe Swanson on Family Guy). Boarding begins after the safety video and each rider has a specific seat assignment.
After securing your carry-on luggage, fastening your seatbelt, and final “FA” safety checks, you takeoff…
All I can say is…wow. Here’s a video someone made of the experience:
But the video does not do the ride justice. The HD screen is amazing and the wind and scent effects make it more realistic than you’d think.
The ride was quite humbling for me, because I’ve been to all these places. Simultaneously, I was flooded with warm memories and newfound awe for the beauty of this Earth.
If you have a loved one who does not want to travel, take them on this ride and see if they change their mind. Admission to Disney is not cheap, but consider it the cheapest round-the-world ticket you can buy!
Soarin is awesome! I actually got scared on a few parts where it seemed we were really high and about to hit something haha.
Patrick Warburton is not the voice of Buzz Lightyear. You have him confused with Tim Allen. 🙂 “To infinity and beyond!”