Na'vi River Journey - EPIC Disappointment

[MinnieMSue]

We liked the ride BUT we didn’t wait long at all the times we rode it. I would not find it worth even an hour wait. I’m sorry this happened to you. That is a long wait for any ride to me!

 

[chris benton]

My take for anyone thinking of skipping it because of this thread.
I would not wait more than 20 minutes as well.
The animals are pretty cool, especially the "dog" like creatures in a few scenes (if you liked the movie.)
The Shaman at the end is pretty cool.

It's a way cooler Pandora version of It's A Small World, with no creepy horror movie music, or bunch of horror movie dolls.

Don't wait more than 20 minutes for this attraction. 30 minutes if it's your first time, and you love Avatar. If I go on it again, it'll be because it's a walk on, and I'd probably just be refreshing for fastpasses the whole time.

 

[snappy]

We liked the ride BUT we didn’t wait long at all the times we rode it. I would not find it worth even an hour wait. I’m sorry this happened to you. That is a long wait for any ride to me!

I agree! We waited for about 100 minutes last August for FOP as try as I might, we could not get any fast passes for it. I thought that was too long and I like FOP a lot.

I would prefer to view live animals at AK than ride NA’vi river journey. I do love the food though at the adjoining counter service or drinks at the lounge outside of Tiffins.

 

[randumb0]

I actually love the ride but I wouldn't wait more than 30 minutes for it.

 

[Alison S]

My son (6) liked it quite a bit. We had a FP for it though!

Strangely enough, I could not get another day-of FP for it! FOP kept coming up but not this one.

 

[MinnieMSue]

My son (6) liked it quite a bit. We had a FP for it though!

Strangely enough, I could not get another day-of FP for it! FOP kept coming up but not this one.

Oh wow! That is very unusual!

 

[DOOM1001]

Public service announcement:Na'vi river is not worth any more than a 30 minute wait,if you see it any longer don't do it,come back 5 minutes before closing and give it a shot then.If I would have waited two hours when the posted sign was 80 I would have been fuming.

 

[kniquy]

We waited about 20-25 minutes for Navi during a DVC event and totally felt that it was not worth that long of a wait. It is beautiful, colorful and interesting but very anti-climatic - so when you get to the end of the ride you are say "that was it?" It would be worth a 10-15 minute wait but not much more. I recall hearing/reading that the ride was suppose to be longer, but i think during the planning/construction process of the land costs were high and the ride was cut short. I think the mexico water ride is better.

 

[Tomh]

This is such a sad situation. Honestly, I love NRJ. I think it is a visually beautiful experience, but it is a short ride, and in a part of the park that is insanely popular, so the lines for it get ridiculously long, leading to disappointment in the experience. We have always had FP for the ride, and so have never had to wait very long for it. I would not wait an hour to ride it, but I don't think the ride is a disappointment. The line for the ride is a disappointment.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

I agree the official attraction description can be a bit misleading but so is every WDW attraction description in some way. All Disney did was build a calm (available to all ages/heights/scared level), cool (temperature), beautiful attraction with the most advanced animatronic in theme park history and they are continually bashed for it.

The biggest downfall for NRJ is it sits next to the highest wait attraction in WDW, so when people go into Pandora, see the 140 minute wait for FOP and the two entrances to the attractions look very similiar, they say, "Let's just go in this line because it's shorter." Thus, they get in line for the 80 minute wait for NRJ.

 

[SteveH]

Been there done that won't do it again unless its a very (VERY) short line. I think had they integrated as part of the line for Flight of Passage it could have been a great introduction to the world of Pandora.

 

[chelseabun76]

We didn't mind it, but we went at park opening while everyone was lined up for FOP. We got to the park a tiny bit after it opened, it was a 9am opening and I think we got to the gate at 9:05 and walked over there first and we were able to walk straight on with no wait. I definately wouldn't classify it as worth an hour long wait... but if you can walk on it's ok. lol

 

[rteetz]

There was no "story" line. No intro. It says on the AK map that you go looking for a shaman, but there is nothing on the ride that indicates this. The line queue itself was incredibly dull as well. Could have had screens with story line (think Kilimanjaro Safari) and background indicating why you will go through the rivers looking for the shaman - or giving intros to the creatures you will see.... they could have done with a life size animatronic animal. Ellen's Energy adventure had better animals than this new ride. Okay, yes the colors were pretty and the little jellyfish-like things are cool. The actual Na'vi shaman was neat, but overall nothing spectacular from our perspective.

While I wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes for this myself that description is correct.

If you look at the animals and Navi people in the attraction prior to the Shaman they are all moving and heading towards her. This ride is all about showcasing the bioluminescence and life of Pandora.

 

[fla4fun]

I would not wait two hours for any ride, ever. There is no attraction at WDW worth a two hour wait. None. My maximum wait time for any ride is 30 minutes and I usually think twice for any line over 20 minutes.

I like Navi, but I can totally understand your disappointment after waiting so long. My first experience with Navi was at the passholder preview where we basically just walked on. So I didn’t have the frustration of a long wait affecting my opinion of the ride. That does make a difference.

 

[djc9699]

The first time we rode it we waited about 50 minutes for it, but that was because we had nothing else to do and wanted to experience it. We enjoyed it and still do. It is a good ride (with a FP or short wait) for those with toddlers. AK is lacking in rides for little ones and my granddaughter really likes this one.

 

[DavidNYC]

The ride is exactly what it sets out to be - basically It's a Small World on Pandora. If you accept that, they did a wonderful job of creating a beautiful environment and another ride that parents can take even the youngest of kids on. Would I ever wait more than 15-20 minute for it? Not at all. Definitely not worth it to me - but if you try to compare this ride to FoP or any of the thrill rides you're going to be disappointed. It's just the AK version of Peter Pan, Pooh, Ariel etc. All rides I love going on if I can snag a FP but nothing I would ever wait in line for.

What I always recommend for Na'vi is hit it up right at rope drop. We rode it twice last trip (actually got OFF second time through at 9:01 last trip since they started letting people ride about 8:45). It's a very enjoyable ride when you do it that way. But I always comment on it like I comment on Peter Pan - that anyone who doesn't know what to expect and waits over an hour will get off and say "I waited an hour for that???"

 

[dlavender]

It's ok....

But it could have been great had it not suffered the ax of Iger (budget cuts)...

 

[Duck143]

This is such a sad situation. Honestly, I love NRJ. I think it is a visually beautiful experience, but it is a short ride, and in a part of the park that is insanely popular, so the lines for it get ridiculously long, leading to disappointment in the experience. We have always had FP for the ride, and so have never had to wait very long for it. I would not wait an hour to ride it, but I don't think the ride is a disappointment. The line for the ride is a disappointment.

I agree with the above completely.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

In July we had time before our FP time at FOP. Our kids left us in Pandora while they went on Everest. DH and I saw Navi was 30 min wait so we figured we would go wait in line. I was in an ecv for the first time and had to maneuver through the que. The wait was longer than 30 mins and the ride was a disappointnent. The only good thing was I was able to practice wide turns in the ecv. Navi is now a must skip for us.

 

[jerseygal]

The first time we rode it we waited about 50 minutes for it, but that was because we had nothing else to do and wanted to experience it. We enjoyed it and still do. It is a good ride (with a FP or short wait) for those with toddlers. AK is lacking in rides for little ones and my granddaughter really likes this one.

One day when we are traveling with grandkids who are young, think it will be appealing!