Soarin’ Around the World is a must-do ride at EPCOT. In fact, it’s one of the most popular attractions in the park. The combination of the excellent ride mechanic, the beautiful views, and the stunning soundtrack all make for a great experience. However, depending on where you sit, the experience may suffer. Because of this, Disney is now offering a new paid first-class experience for Soarin’.
Nothing is worse than being put into boarding row 2 or 3 on Soarin’ unless you enjoy looking at feet during the ride. It’s also not fun being loaded into sections A or C. For most of the ride, it doesn’t make too much of a difference. However, there are scenes where the video on the screen bows. The most famous scene is the Eiffel Tower. When you’re not sitting in the center rows, the Eiffel Tower looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Luckily, for a small fee, you can experience Soarin’ in the perfect way. The way it was meant to be. With the new Soarin’ first class upgrade, you will be automatically seated in row 1 of section B. This is the optimal row to sit in. In this row, there are no feet in front of you above your head. Also, you get to be dead center on the screen, so the picture doesn’t bow. There is no better seating on Soarin than this row.
To upgrade to first-class seats for your Soarin’ Around the World flight, it will cost $10 per person. This guarantees you will be seated in the best section on the ride. In fact, people who pay for Soarin’ first-class tickets will have priority seating on the ride. They will board sooner and faster than the other guests in line. However, this first-class pass does not act as a Lightning Lane for the attraction.
How to purchase a first-class upgrade for Sorain’?
You can get your first class upgrade for Soarin’ in the My Disney Experience app. Under the “My Disney Genie Day” tab, you can go to the Tip Board. From there, make sure to select EPCOT as your park. Then scroll down to Soarin’. You will see an option to upgrade to first class for $10. The My Disney Experience app tracks your location. Because of this, you can only see and select the first-class upgrade option when you are in line.
When you buy your first-class upgrade, show it to the Cast Member right before they direct you to your concourse. They will direct you to the correct concourse and put you in a special First Class line. This special first-class line will move a little bit faster than the main queue line, so it sort of acts like a Lightning Lane for part of the line. From there, cast members will seat you in the top middle row for your Soarin’ flight!
Guests can purchase as many first-class upgrades as they want for Soarin’ in a day. This is not like Lightning Lane, where guests are limited to one Lightning Lane per ride per day. That’s a big letdown. It’s nice Disney is allowing guests to purchase multiple first-class upgrades in a day if they choose. However, it’s possible that due to demand, Disney may change that rule and limit the amount of first-class upgrades per guest in a day.
There is one more perk we want to mention. You will also be given extra pretzels for upgrading to first class! We recently reported here that Soarin’ will be sponsored by Southwest Airlines. As part of this sponsorship, Southwest will hand out pretzels to guests before the ride. Those sitting in first class will get an extra pack of pretzels for their ride or to snack on later in the day.
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Ha ha! You had me going there for a moment!