FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Soarin’

Image: Disney

A debate ensued about this one, as both my wife and my editor stated an opinion about Soarin’ Around the World. Both of them believe that it’s inferior to the original attraction, Soarin’ Over California, especially in terms of immersion. For some, the infamous Eiffel Tower Bend and some other issues break the illusion, at least temporarily.

While I agree that this can be a problem for guests sitting on the sides of the IMAX theater, I still feel strongly that Soarin’ belongs. The immersion of this attraction demands your attention as you mimic the sensation of hang gliding over famous international landmarks. The thrill of flying past whales, bears, and elephants is too potent to exclude from this list, flaws be damned.

Space Mountain

Image: Disney

Darkness clearly matters on this list. It’s somehow easier to suspend disbelief when the lights are off. And we’ve known this since Peter Pan’s Flight arrived in 1955. However, the purest example came in 1975, when Space Mountain immediately redefined greatness in the field of roller coasters.

You’re technically a passenger at Starport: Seven Five, a guest employing intergalactic technology to travel to your destination. Unfortunately, it’s like a flight on Frontier or Spirit or one of those other low-budget airlines. You’ll hold your breath and hope for the best as you veer around tight corners, knowing that any minor collision will spray your internal organs across the cosmos.

Space Mountain tricks you into thinking that you’re surpassing the speed of light. In reality, you’re barely going faster than someone riding a Peloton. The rickety nature of the ride sells the premise that much more effectively.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Image: Disney

If the Hollywood Tower Hotel had a customer loyalty program, I’d have more gift cards than a Russian troll farm. I just can’t get enough of this attraction, which does a phenomenal job in telling a story that would warm Rod Serling’s (admittedly dead) heart.

From the moment that you notice the foreboding weenie in the distance, you’ll buy into the idea that it’s a functional hotel. Once you notice the cobwebs in the lobby, you’ll accept that it’s an abandoned one. Finally, when the ride cart exits the elevator shaft, you’ll fear that you’ve made a grave mistake in entering a cursed building.

The amount of time that you bounce up and down in the elevator shaft is minimal. But it seems protracted because of the build-up, which creates a level of immersion that dwarfed anything else at the parks before the introduction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Comments

I can say I agree with every attraction on this list. I love them all, and they do a good job of keeping you immersed in the story they are telling you. Especially Radiator Springs Racers, that attraction is simply amazing. I remember my first time on that attraction and being amazed by what the Imagineers have created.

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...