The three Soarin’ attractions that have called Disney California Adventure home are all travelogues of familiar places I’ve been before, but my favorite version of the hang-gliding flight simulator attraction takes me to places I’ve always wanted to go.
I rode the new Soarin’ Across America five times on Thursday, July 2 during the opening day for the new attraction at Disney California Adventure. The Florida version of Soarin’ Across America opened in May at Epcot.
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Some people rank their favorite Soarin’ rides by familiarity.
Soarin’ Over California was one of the marquee rides when Disney California Adventure opened in 2001 and still remains a favorite a quarter century later.
Soarin’ Around the World debuted in 2016 and has racked up plenty of fans over the past decade.
It will take a few years before enough people get to ride Soarin’ Across America and build up an affinity for the airborne trip across the United States.
Disneyland has built its reputation on nostalgia, but I’m much more interested in what’s new and what’s next.
For me, all three Soarin’ rides are about aspirational travel. Take me to places I’ve never been and that I’ve always wanted to visit.
Here’s how I rank the three Soarin’ attractions and why.
1) Soarin’ Around the World
Soarin’ Around the World is my favorite of the three rides because it makes me want to get more stamps in my passport.
I love to travel and see the world. I’ve been to a lot of places, but there’s so much more I want to see.
I’ve visited very few of the spots on the Soarin’ Around the World itinerary. I’ve traveled to Monument Valley in the Southwest U.S., the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Epcot.
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I’ve been to Switzerland but never the Swiss Alps and Germany but not Neuschwanstein Castle.
The rest of Soarin’ Around the World reads like my travel wish list: Australia, African safari, China, Egypt, India, Fiji islands and South America.
2) Soarin’ Across America
Soarin’ Across America is my second favorite of the rides because it makes me realize there’s so much more to see across this great land as we celebrate 250 years of independence.
I’ve traveled all over the U.S., but there are still about a dozen states I need to visit.
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I’ve climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty and spent plenty of time in New York City.
I went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a kid.
I grew up outside Washington, D.C. and saw the landmarks along the National Mall on school trips.
I’ve done fall colors tours in New England and seen plenty of lighthouses along the coast.
We spent our honeymoon in Hawaii.
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I have logged way too many hours on Los Angeles freeways. I saw the Hollywood sign yesterday.
And I’ve been to Disneyland and Epcot (and seen both endings of the ride).
What I like most about Soarin’ Across America is seeing the places I haven’t been to yet.
I’ve done New Orleans during Mardi Gras and a Blues road trip through the South — but I’ve never done a swamp tour of a Louisiana bayou.
Silver Dollar City in Missouri is one of my favorite theme parks, but I’ve never ridden on the Branson Scenic Railway in the Ozark Mountain region.
I’ve stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon and hiked down a few trails — but I’ve never rafted along the mighty Colorado River through the massive terraced cliffs and slopes.
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My biggest gap in U.S. travel: The Great Plains and Upper Midwest. South Dakota has an outsized presence in Soarin’ Across America — with Mount Rushmore and a buffalo herd at Custer State Park.
I still have to get to Alaska, which will likely happen on a cruise a bit later in life.
3) Soarin’ Over California
Soarin’ Over California is my least favorite of the three rides because I’ve criss-crossed the state and ridden the attraction for half of my life.
I live about 10 minutes away from Disneyland and have been a California resident for nearly four decades.
I’ve visited virtually all the landmarks in the state that make an appearance in Soarin’ Over California. The only spot I haven’t been to is Lake Tahoe.
An Eastern Sierra road trip along California’s Highway 395 through the high desert landscapes and historic ghost towns remains on my bucket list — and would naturally end around the Lake Tahoe/Reno area.
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The orange groves of Camarillo in Soarin’ Over California make me want to visit Ojai — a nearby oasis that I don’t get to often enough.