***Official*** Pandora: The World of Avatar Information Thread

[FastPasser.]

Woah boy. Just when I thought I'd be able to give the ride a try, as @yulilin3 had been so helpful in reassuring me. Looking at that amount of movement, I am pretty sure I would not be able to handle the "drops."

And not everyone can ride FoP. A big part of yesterdays operating issues was that a few people did throw up and when that happens, that entire theater is out of action for about, I'm guessing, 30 minutes.

 

[wilkeliza]

And not everyone can ride FoP. A big part of yesterdays operating issues was that a few people did throw up and when that happens, that entire theater is out of action for about, I'm guessing, 30 minutes.

There was a throw up right before our grouo. Got to see the 3 custodial CMs go to action and assumed throw up since they were waiting for the ride to stop.

 

[FrancoFun]

And not everyone can ride FoP. A big part of yesterdays operating issues was that a few people did throw up and when that happens, that entire theater is out of action for about, I'm guessing, 30 minutes.

Oh nooooo. Ack! Okay. My FP+ window opens Wednesday, and I'll be trying for NRJ. It's too bad, because I really like the idea of the ride. But basically, I want to watch the ride video while sitting on a stationary banshee.

 

[randumb0]

Oh nooooo. Ack! Okay. My FP+ window opens Wednesday, and I'll be trying for NRJ. It's too bad, because I really like the idea of the ride. But basically, I want to watch the ride video while sitting on a stationary banshee.

I didnt even get to use my FP for NRJ. I was literally able to walk right on

 

[wilkeliza]

I didnt even get to use my FP for NRJ. I was literally able to walk right on

If you mean the one you got for your AP/DVC preview that was not a Fastpass. They just used it as a way to check credentials so you used it by entering Pandora.

 

[FrancoFun]

I didnt even get to use my FP for NRJ. I was literally able to walk right on

I don't know that that walk-on ability will remain during the time when I'm visiting in July, though. It won't be timed previews anymore.

 

[Accident]

So I had my preview and just got home.. Here's my quick and dirty run down..

I had the 6-8 time slot, we got there about 4:50 and found the line way back by the animals in the entrance but not all the way back. Fastpasses did say 5pm but we didn't have one for ours (more in a moment). As I was one of the last to get in, I can say that it was approximately 1000 they let in. They used the paper fastpass to flights and standby for the boat ride.. We got to stay until 8:30 so it was the best time slot to have and we had almost 3 1/2 hours there.

Getting in took a moment for me as my fastpass didn't match the time slot I was given but brought a print out, they had 3 guest relations people right there and we joined the few that didn't have one as well. took maybe a minute, we got right in and we get to keep another time slot to go back and we got in at 5:15. most before us had the right now time slot for their fast pass so they all got in line to get in. Ours was 30 minutes later so we just started to look around, after hours type of empty and got some great video and pictures. By the time we finished the outdoor stuff, it was our turn for fastpass. Took abut 50 minutes of waiting to ride. not horrible but they were only using a fraction of the queue.. I'd say about 30 minutes of that was probably going through the different pre-flight show they do which was nice.. it'll get old fast like dinosaur did. All the men seemed to get female avatars and the woman got male. some got the right gender.

So the ride itself. I was the person that almost didn't fit.. First that seat is uncomfortable, it's like sitting on a 4 inch wide board. and not much in the way of a saddle. I had trouble getting locked in but did get in. First problem was my height (6'4, not all legs but a lot) and size 14 sneaker. I couldn't get my knees fully under the "console" at the front and my shoes didn't allow my feet to be forward. eventually we sorted out if I lifted my heel it moved just enough forward to let it lock in place. Now because I couldn't get my knees under the console it put my torso too far back for the other brace to lock in place. eventually we sorted out how what posture I needed and it locked but it just locked. I was almost that person that couldn't fit and volunteered for disney to contact me if they go to fix the seat for taller while being heavier guests. but I got to ride it. It was a nice ride, I had more of a technical what is going on kick then really getting into it and that's just fine. that's the disney I like. the way you sit you really don't see everyone around you. Many would call it aggressive in it's movement, it seems to lower up to 2 feet and raise up to 2 feet from starting point. ends of the row are going to get the most movement which are spots 1,2,7,8, 9,10, 15,16. It's 2 groups of 8 and there is 3 levels. One group goes up, one groups stays and another group goes down a flight. My daughter loved it. it really doesn't move that much but how you sit it feels much worse. My seat didn't feel like it was breathing or anything but that could be because of how I wasn't really in the right spot they designed it for, my daughter said she felt it..

Rivers was nice.. it's short, very well air conditioned. I was very surprised to see it was the pump based rail boat ride. It was bumpy like all other WDW boats but overall really interesting how they did the ride. I would have liked a few more minutes but overall it was nice. especially when the wait was 1 minute to get on..

So the land itself...

It's nice.. It's not the spectacular that everyone is saying. The outdoor areas is much smaller than I expected and makes hollywood studios look huge. It's exactly the standard and way Joe Rohde designs thing and it was great. It was designed to not be seen elsewhere so it was more encompassing than anywhere else in WDW so far, but not more than cars land in disneyland is. I found the mix of real and fake plants to be very obvious, It was very disney and how well done their artistic department does things like fake rocks and such. I'm not a fan of the movie so maybe it was spot on to the movie but it wasn't as blended as people have been saying. Everything was well placed and it's very detailed, but that's disney when the money stops being in the way so it's disney getting back to doing what they do best. The biggest difference is stuff over your heads and because of the height, water features you don't find elsewhere on proerty... It was nice but the rest of animal kingdom is just as nice, just different (well maybe not dinoland, what happened there?).

Food, it was nice and fresh.. best counter service on property but it's not the high end signatures. I would give the land about a 6 and this place about a 7. to compare I give pretty much all of MK a 4 and HS a 5. some of the small stands around AK I would give a 7 also but their portion size is not on par with what you got here so 7 on taste, 5 on portion/price. I would eat here again and I would come in specifically to eat here before heading to something else if I dont' stop at the lounge heading into pandora.

There is some stuff you can tell is going to be for performances. For example a large drum in the drum area. my really high up camera happened to be able to peak in and it looks like an animatronic will be popping up to play drums with you... the animatronic itself was not there, but you can tell it wasn't meant for a person to stand in. So I guess we will be getting some navi aroudn the outside areas

EDIT TO ADD: I also want to point out that my favorite things in life are music followed by fireworks. I just came off an amazing week of lots of fireworks so take some of this with a grain of salt. To a small degree, some of my opinions are probably influenced that this is not fireworks and I just saw some amazing fireworks, multiple days in a row.

 

[randumb0]

I'm 6'2" and I did find FOP a little awkward in terms of the seat. I feel like it was designed for people 5'10" or less. I entered the line at 7 and only had about a 10 minute wait before entering the video room

 

[FastPasser.]

If you mean the one you got for your AP/DVC preview that was not a Fastpass. They just used it as a way to check credentials so you used it by entering Pandora.

Don't get me started on the one hour before your session NRJ FP issue. And we'll have to deal with it and explain it for the rest of the previews because everyone attending has one.

Me, do you have a 6 to 8 preview?
Guest, yes, but I have a FP for 5pm on NRJ, so I'm here early for that.
Me, actually that's not a FP for NRJ, it's just there so that they can scan your MB in order to enter Pandora. You'll be given a FP for FoP when you enter and NRJ is usually a walk on.
Guest, what, I don't understand.
Me, you're not alone, at least half of the people in line don't either.

Multiply that scenario about 100 times per CM working the line before each session.

 

[Accident]

I forgot 1 VERY important piece about flights of passage....

There is a strobe light in your eyes when it starts and ends.. If you have any sensitivity to strobe lights, DO NOT RIDE or be prepared to close your eyes when the ride starts. You'll feel when the ride seat is moving to know when to open them and the second time your banshee stops is when you want to close them again until you feel the restraints unlock.

Nobody including disney has been warning about this.

edit: the effect makes it so you can't see the wall moving to start the ride.. it's well done but not the greatest choice in how to pull it off. It's a screwed up detail that will impact someone.

second edit: They will come and check the restraints and when the CM leaves the room is when you want to close them at the start, you don't have to sit there closed while the restraints are locked. It's not a subtle strobe, it's designed to make you not see the wall open and suddenly the screen working.

 

[randumb0]

I forgot 1 VERY important piece about flights of passage....

There is a strobe light in your eyes when it starts and ends.. If you have any sensitivity to strobe lights, DO NOT RIDE or be prepared to close your eyes when the ride starts. You'll feel when the ride seat is moving to know when to open them and the second time your banshee stops is when you want to close them again until you feel the restraints unlock.

Nobody including disney has been warning about this.

I didnt even think about that good point

 

[wilkeliza]

Don't get me started on the one hour before your session NRJ FP issue. And we'll have to deal with it and explain it for the rest of the previews because everyone attending has one.

Me, do you have a 6 to 8 preview?
Guest, yes, but I have a FP for 5pm on NRJ, so I'm here early for that.
Me, actually that's not a FP for NRJ, it's just there so that they can scan your MB in order to enter Pandora. You'll be given a FP for FoP when you enter and NRJ is usually a walk on.
Guest, what, I don't understand.
Me, you're not alone, at least half of the people in line don't either.

Multiple that scenario about 100 times per CM working the line before each session.

I got in line early but hust said I'm here early for 3pm. Cms kept saying you know you won't get in until evwn though yor FP said 2? I said yep I know but we already walked AK have FPs for rides later and ate so I kind of just want to sit here and wait. The confusion around it all seems to be going both ways haha.

Got to sout out to the CM Brad though. He was great in saying look you can wait but you don't have to since everyone in our group would get a FP. He was super nice about it to not the confused almoat judemental feel we got from the CMs earlier when we first tried to line up. Heck had they just told us that Nomad was open and a great place to wait as we could see the line from outside we would have gone over there. We went over there by ourselves after we were told a few times there was no reason to wait and it was the right choice but CMs seemed confused when people understood it would be a wait and still wanted to.

 

[HopperFan]

I forgot 1 VERY important piece about flights of passage....

There is a strobe light in your eyes when it starts and ends.. If you have any sensitivity to strobe lights, DO NOT RIDE or be prepared to close your eyes when the ride starts. You'll feel when the ride seat is moving to know when to open them and the second time your banshee stops is when you want to close them again until you feel the restraints unlock.

Nobody including disney has been warning about this.

edit: the effect makes it so you can't see the wall moving to start the ride.. it's well done but not the greatest choice in how to pull it off. It's a screwed up detail that will impact someone.

second edit: They will come and check the restraints and when the CM leaves the room is when you want to close them at the start, you don't have to sit there closed while the restraints are locked. It's not a subtle strobe, it's designed to make you not see the wall open and suddenly the screen working.

Someone brought this up earlier in a post who did the CM previews and I did ask if it was indeed a strobe because if it is Disney HAS to make that information known upfront as it can trigger seizures. Even when I use to use them for .... parties (long story) .... I made sure to post a sign outside that strobe lights were in use. No one in my family has an issue but I find it disturbing if they are not warning guests, especially since it sounds like it is close and purposeful.

 

[sm4987]

We had a wonderful time in Pandora. Our preview time was from 6-8 and they let us in around 4:55. I highly recommend getting in line early. We were in line around 4:25 and we were pretty close to the front, but the line behind us was extremely long.

FOP was fantastic! Our fast pass time was immediately, so we went straight to the attraction. I am so glad we had the chance to experience the ride. Both of them in fact. None of us had a problem fitting into the seats. I'm 4'10 and 135 pounds, my daughter is 5'1 and 120 pounds, my son is 5'3 and 150, and my husband was the one we were worried about. He is 5'10 and 290. He fit with no problems and he said nothing was tight on him. The restraints all fit us differently for instance I really didn't feel the calf restraints yet my husband and son did. Not uncomfortable at all but my daughter and I did miss out on some of the feelings that the ride gave in the calf area. One person in the room was unable to fit into the restraints after multiple tries. He didn't seem very big but he could not fit. Loading and waiting is very slow, and I have to agree with the poster above who said it was more like the Simpsons and not Soaring. If I had to compare it I would say Simpsons, movements like Star Tours, on a cooler bike than E.T. Lol. I can't say enough great things about the ride. The glasses are rather big and a few people had a hard time keeping them on. We also went back in to experience the standby que and the attention to detail is amazing.

After we left the attraction my daughter and I wanted to buy a Banshee. Be prepared to wait because the lines were long, however if you get the right cast member they tell a fantastic story. She brought a teal one and mine is purple. Very neat souvenir. We also ended up with passholder pins, a floating rock and beautiful lamp that my daughter wanted and a my son wanted a lava lamp Pandora style. No AP discount on the Banshee, but discount on the rest of the merchandise.

We really liked the river ride. Really beautiful and it had great attention to detail. It is a slow moving ride, but the great thing about my family is that we enjoy everything from thrill rides to slow rides that we can just take in and enjoy. The Navi River was one of those ride. There are times when I wish the ride was even slower because I would hear or see something and it went by faster then I could really get a good look at it. We rode it twice and I saw something different the second time around.

Nothing was lit. We were talking to some of the cast members and they said they did not want to show to much and were saving the characters and the lighting for the after the land officially opened.

I can't comment on the food or the drinks. We ate at rainforest before we entered the park. We did see some delicious food coming out of the restaurant however.

Overall we loved the area. It is a little small and I can see it getting really congested once the land opens, but it will be very much worth getting in if you can. We live in the area only 20 minutes away but will be doing a 3 night stay at the Boardwalk on Memorial Day to experience Pandora at night for resort guest. I really can't wait to see the land all lit up and see what other things that Disney has in store for the land.

 

[Accident]

Someone brought this up earlier in a post who did the CM previews and I did ask if it was indeed a strobe because if it is Disney HAS to make that information known upfront as it can trigger seizures. Even when I use to use them for .... parties (long story) .... I made sure to post a sign outside that strobe lights were in use. No one in my family has an issue but I find it disturbing if they are not warning guests, especially since it sounds like it is close and purposeful.

I didn't specifically go to look. the cms at the entrance had pages of images of the ride and seat to look at before you got into line which I didn't look at.. I just know it was a surprise that I didn't hear anyone mention before it was happening to me.

 

[wilkeliza]

Someone brought this up earlier in a post who did the CM previews and I did ask if it was indeed a strobe because if it is Disney HAS to make that information known upfront as it can trigger seizures. Even when I use to use them for .... parties (long story) .... I made sure to post a sign outside that strobe lights were in use. No one in my family has an issue but I find it disturbing if they are not warning guests, especially since it sounds like it is close and purposeful.

I wonder if they don't say it as they aren't true strobes. The 1st one is basically fast blinking leds for a second and the final one is in the video itself and not lights. Similar to "hyper speed" in Star Wars movies.

 

[Accident]

I wonder if they don't say it as they aren't true strobes. The 1st one is basically fast blinking leds for a second and the final one is in the video itself and not lights. Similar to "hyper speed" in Star Wars movies.

I worked for the company that ran the ads back in the 90s that caused seizures.. not being an actual strobe, doesn't mean it wont have a negative effect on someone sensitive to it.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

So accident "meh" overall?

 

[cordage]

Still no fastpass or email for my dvc preview. Could this be because my fastpass for my AP preview on the same day is showing. Anybody doing both in the same day?

Not sure if anyone replied to you... I'm doing DVC and AP previews tomorrow. Both preview FPs are showing in MDE. I recieved a separate email for each preview.

 

[HopperFan]

I wonder if they don't say it as they aren't true strobes. The 1st one is basically fast blinking leds for a second and the final one is in the video itself and not lights. Similar to "hyper speed" in Star Wars movies.

Yes that went back to my question to first one to post, do you think they are strobes? I don't think one flash is an issue but multiple that close to you could be. Time will tell but having been with someone who had a seizure triggered at a theme park attraction it concerns me.