Donna, I would be happy to give you a review of Soarin' as it rates as my new favorite ride in any park, Disney or not. I think you and your husband will love it should you choose to ride! I will try to describe the ride to you as to answer your question about motion sickness without spoiling the ride for you.
The premise of Soarin' is a virtual hangliding ride over the "landmarks" of California. Now, anytime hangliding comes up it can induce some queasiness and in this case it is "virtual" hangliding which can add to the possibility of motion sickness if you ask me.
The seating is like a big swing in the form of a bench seating 8 people I think, with a back to the seat, and a seatbelt. The screen that shows the film is IMAX which is several stories tall and a couple wide, as well as curved. The "swing benches" are 3 across the theater, and there are 3 rows of them. You load onto them like a swing, your feet able to touch the ground. But then that all changes....
As the film starts you are lifted up and forward so you are closer to the screen and up at the same level. One of the rows is up facing the top of the screen, one lands facing the middle, and one lands facing an area towards the bottom. I road twice, once in the top row and once thing the middle, both offered an excellent view. Now here's the deal with motion sickness. You are high up...like I said the screen is several stories tall, so if you are in the front(top) row...so are you. If you have a fear of heights, this is going to get you right away, even before I get to the film. My fiance is afraid of heights mildly, and felt it he said. He never felt like he was going to fall but he could feel the height and the film only escalates this. You are brought up to "screen level" in darkness and once the film begins, you are completely immersed in the film. If anything, the biggest problem people would have, including myself a bit is disorientation. Your body will feel like you are in a hanglider flying high over California and it won't doubt it for a second.
Of course a hanglider is known to "soar" over the land and indeed you do in the film. The sights you see of California are all from the height of a hanglider(high!) and the film makes it so it appears you are moving at the speed of a hanglider too. The actual movement is minimal, more like that if you were sitting in a recliner chair and just leaned back slightly. You don't go forward, just a little side to side but not much either. In this sense, you don't have the typical motion sickness worry that might come from Star Tours or other "flight simulators" that have turbulance or drastic movement.
That's the thing about Soarin' though, you don't have that kind of movement because the film does it for you. Because of the curve of the screen I told you about, you REALLY feel like you're moving and other than the feet dangling above you, all you see is the film, nothing else. It is extremely realistic and honestly took my breath away when the film began. If you watch the film the entire time and don't try hard to look to the side to see other people, you really feel like you're in that screen. If you've ever been to an IMAX, you know how overwhelming it can be and to be practically right up in the screen makes it all the more so. I don't have a problem with flight simulators, I even worked at Universal Studios' Back to the Future, which if you've ever been on it has the same idea but you are in a "car" looking at a similar shaped and sized screen. But the thing about that ride is, you aren't nearly as close to the screen and you're not kinda "hanging" out there with your feet dangling and all.
At a few points in Soarin' I did feel a little overwhelmed and the first time I went I was looking around as to not look at the screen the whole time. This helped a bit and by the second time, knowing what to expect, I had no problems at all and was still in awe. It's the most unique and beautiful ride I've ever been on and like I said Disney has more than impressed me for a long while. If I had the choice, I would have just ridden this all day while my fiance did everything else.
In my opinion it is not to be missed. If you or your husband have a fear of heights though, I would think twice. In the end, if your motion sickness is stimulated by roller coasters or fast moving, turbulant rides I wouldn't worry. If you have a problem with simply being overwhelmed with the disorienting and realism of a ride then I would also think twice.
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you and your husband have a great time!
DisneyDork <IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused">
