I have read it is opening May 25th.
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I haven’t seen an official announcement from Disney directly, but lots of Disney sites are reporting dates. They seem to be a little inconsistent though. One site says it will open May 25 in Disneyland and PRESUMABLY in Epcot on the same date. Another site says it will open in Epcot on May 25, and in Disneyland on July 2.
Has anyone seen an OFFICIAL announcement from Disney as to the date?
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Yea, Disney world has said it will open by Memorial Day. Here’s a link to the blog: Deals, Updates, and More Fun During Summer at Disney World - Disney Parks Blog
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More details about the locations visited in this post today! Looks incredible. Can’t wait to ride it.
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There’s a fairly decent chance we will get one day at EP and one at HS next month 
I picked EP as one of the two parks FOR Soarin’ Across America. I’m so so hopeful.
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Portland gets all the fame but York and Ogunquit are where it’s at!
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I am working on a TP for my daughter and friend for Epcot on 6/11/26. When Soarin’ reopens, do you think it will be a Tier 1 or a Tier 2 LL?
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I have read it will remain tier 2.
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If people want to see it, the full video is here.
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Crazy that a CM got one online already. I thought CMs weren’t supposed to take POV videos during previews … I know at UOR at least, TMs would get in trouble for that. I’m guessing Disney is different.
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I’ll hold off watching it. We planned an entire trip in August BECAUSE of this, so don’t want to spoil it ahead of time.
One thing I was HOPING to see, however, was for them to avoid the well-known/popular sites across America. That was, to me, a rather fatal flaw of Soarin’ around the World…showing us a lot places we have seen before countless times. I was/am hoping they have plenty of footage from lesser-known, but no less beautiful, places across the country. Regardless, even if that ends up not being the case, a lack of CGI will make me much happier.
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I think this was inevitable … people have expectations and they will be disappointed if they are not met. LOL. Also they are well-known for a reason – they are some of the very best this country has to offer.
But I do agree with you that it would be nice to have a couple more obscure, but no less awe-inspiring, sites.
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I won’t mind some famous places, but hope more less-known. I think I saw a photo showing Mt. Rushmore. I mean, personally I wouldn’t have chosen that as a locale. SO well known, that people have seen it a billion times in various media.
My favorite moments in SATW and SOC, both, are the places which are LESS widely known or experienced. Like the Iguazu Falls. (Technically, those are famous, but who gets to ever see them from that fly over perspective like that?) But, the Great Wall, and Taj Mahal? I would have left them out. (By reference, each time I watch the China pavilion movie, I’m in awe of some of the things we get to see there that is NOT the Great Wall. That’s the kind of thing I’d love to see.
It might be harder to pull that off with SAA, though, so it will be great is if they can pull some immersive flyovers (similar to Iguazu Falls), and not rely on CGI gimmicks.
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Well as an Arizonan I am going to be very proud when we fly over the Grand Canyon. 
(Counterpoint: Monument Valley is a good example of a less well-known, but equally majestic site! That is what is in Soarin’ Around the World.)
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I’ve both flown over and been to the Grand Canyon. It actually wouldn’t be my first choice, either. We’ll see in the actual footage…but I think the scale of Grand Canyon really won’t translate well to a 15 second clip. The Monument Valley scene is fine…ruined a bit by the hot air balloons…but, I don’t think the length of the clip really captures the grandeur very well. Actually, as I’m talking through this, I’m starting to realize the difficulty in really picking the best locations NOT just from a fame/beauty perspective, but also to capture what makes it that in 15 seconds!
Well, anyhow, I’m really excited and have faith that this version will satisfy!!! I’m merely talking from a wish list kind of perspective!!!
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From what I’ve seen of the cinematography so far (which is not much, and I will not watch the POVs) I am cautiously optimistic. They seem to be going for realism / crisp images with good color. Not to say there won’t be a dolphin that just happens to pop up over a surfer on Waikiki or something. 
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That actually looks really nice.
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I BELIEVE that photo is a real photo, not AI. I can’t be 100% sure though.
ETA: Looking at it more closely, I’m not sure it is real. There ARE actual photos of dolphins jumping near surfers, but the lighting on the dolphin in that photo doesn’t seem right.
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It could be merely photoshopped or even just slightly filtered / doctored.
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