Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS
Once you enter the main theater, you're secured in a seat
not unlike the ones used on inverted roller coasters (in which the coaster is suspended
from above). Once everyone is in place, you are suspended with your legs dangling. Thus
hungouttodry,youembarkonahangglidertourofCaliforniawithIMAX-qualityimages
projected below you, and with the simulator moving your seat in sync with the movie.
The immersive images are well chosen and slapdab beautiful, though scene transitions are
jarringly abrupt, and the once-pristine film has lately become scratched and dirty. Special
effects include wind, sound, and even olfactory stimulation. The ride itself is thrilling but
perfectly smooth, exciting, and relaxing simultaneously. We think Soarin' Over California
is a must-see for guests of any age who meet the 40-inch minimum-height requirement.
And yes, seniors we interviewed were crazy about it.
TOURING TIPS
Aside from being a true technological innovation, Soarin' Over California
also happens to be located near the entrance of the park, thus ensuring heavy traffic all
day. Soarin' should be your very first attraction in the morning after experiencing Cars
Land, or, alternatively, use Fastpass or the single-rider line. If you arrive later and elect
to use Fastpass, obtain your Fastpass before noon. Later than noon you're likely to get a
return period in the hour before the park closes, or worse, find that the day's supply of
Fastpasses is gone. Interestingly, while this ride is virtually identical to Soarin' at Epcot,
the line for DCA's version moves much more efficiently.
PACIFIC WHARF
THIS LAND INCORPORATES
a Cannery Row-inspired eatery area adjacent to Paradise
Bay with a diminutive winery, situated at the base of Grizzly Peak and across from
a bug's land, making it the smallest of the Golden State-themed areas. It would be a
stretch to call it an attraction, much less a themed area. You'll also find the Boudin
Bakery Tour, a walk-through exhibit where you can watch Rosie O'Donnell explain
thebread-makingprocesswhilesnackingonsomefreesourdough;evenonthebusiest
days, you should be able to enter without a wait. Next door is the new Ghirardelli's
Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, where you can indulge in diabetes-inducing ice
cream sundaes.
Golden Vine Winery and Blue Sky Cellar
What it is
Exhibit of attraction concept art.
Scope and scale
Minor attraction; exhibit.
When
to go
Anytime.
Duration of film
6½ minutes.
Probable waiting time
10 minutes for film.
DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS
This Mission-style complex, squeezed into the side of
Grizzly Peak, offers a demonstration vineyard. The rest of the facility, predictably, is oc-
