Pandora

brad813

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
If I can't get a Fastpass for Flights of Passage or Na'vi River Journey before 11AM, what would be the best strategy for for those two attractions? I can skip them altogether or try to do one or both. I know I certainly would not be without things to do for my Animal Kingdom day, but my Fastpasses for my first day open tomorrow(8/23) and I am not sure how to handle this yet.
 
Rope drop! Be at the park 90 minutes before the official opening time, be in front of the crowd headed to FoP, and then head over to Navi River. I did this a couple of weeks ago and was back out in front of FoP at 9:01am (they obviously started the ride a bit early) and was back out wandering Pandora after Navi River at 9:17am. See my detailed trip report here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/first-visit-to-pandora-8-4-17.3623699/

Yes, I know that it still means a 90 minute wait. But that will probably be a shorter wait than the wait during the rest of the day. And for some reason waiting at rope drop seems to feel shorter to me. Perhaps because it was three different waits, one short one at Security, then at the tapstiles, and finally the wait at the rope headed into Pandora.
 
Rope drop! Be at the park 90 minutes before the official opening time, be in front of the crowd headed to FoP, and then head over to Navi River. I did this a couple of weeks ago and was back out in front of FoP at 9:01am (they obviously started the ride a bit early) and was back out wandering Pandora after Navi River at 9:17am. See my detailed trip report here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/first-visit-to-pandora-8-4-17.3623699/

Yes, I know that it still means a 90 minute wait. But that will probably be a shorter wait than the wait during the rest of the day. And for some reason waiting at rope drop seems to feel shorter to me. Perhaps because it was three different waits, one short one at Security, then at the tapstiles, and finally the wait at the rope headed into Pandora.

I am lucky enough to have a 8:15 breakfast at Tusker House that morning, so I will be in the park and at least headed to Pandora, if not already in line for FoP when the park opens. Thought about doing the Safari first, but with the waits at Pandora I figure a little backtracking may be worth it. I am doing my Animal Kingdom day on 9/22, so FP+ opened up for me for that today. Staying off site though.
 
We did the rope drop this past Monday, which was EMH day for AK. We arrived around 7. We were about 10 people from the beginning of the security line start. Do not bring a bag so you can use the fastest security lane, then head left to scan your band and always keep left until you reach the bridge to Pandora, then shuffle to the right to keep with the FoP group. You should be able to get into the first or second ride. You can then head for the standby line to do the other one or grab a breakfast at the Canteen (that's what we did).
 


We did the rope drop this past Monday, which was EMH day for AK. We arrived around 7. We were about 10 people from the beginning of the security line start. Do not bring a bag so you can use the fastest security lane, then head left to scan your band and always keep left until you reach the bridge to Pandora, then shuffle to the right to keep with the FoP group. You should be able to get into the first or second ride. You can then head for the standby line to do the other one or grab a breakfast at the Canteen (that's what we did).

As mentioned above, I will be in the park about 45 minutes prior to opening due to an ADR.
 
As mentioned above, I will be in the park about 45 minutes prior to opening due to an ADR.
Are you sure that it's not EMH on that day ? If so, be prepared for getting to FoP with at least a 120 min wait after your breakfast. If not, you'll have to eat fast and trek all the way back to the bridge since they do not allow people to go to Pandora from the Africa trail until later in the morning. Good luck getting FP+...
 
Are you sure that it's not EMH on that day ? If so, be prepared for getting to FoP with at least a 120 min wait after your breakfast. If not, you'll have to eat fast and trek all the way back to the bridge since they do not allow people to go to Pandora from the Africa trail until later in the morning. Good luck getting FP+...

It won't be. The EMH is Sunday for AK that weekend. MK has it that day. I do eat fairly quickly, though I do still have an open slot for that meal(had to book for two to get the package I wanted). I have heard Flight of Passage has a single rider line as well. Not sure on the veracity of that though. I am doing the River Journey later in the day unless an early fast pass opens up for one or the other, but that will be fine since I have to come back into Pandora from more Earthly destinations to have dinner anyway.
 
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We were there a few weeks ago. I managed a FP for the Navi River Ride at 1pm. Unfortunately the FoP ride is still super long. We were there before 8am, got in line... but still waited for 2.5 hours. We probably should have walked faster to get in line. The que was cool tho! Even tho it was a long wait, I didn't get bored lol.

With that said, i would just get there at opening and walk very fast to the line. You might be luckier than me. lol
 
We were there a few weeks ago. I managed a FP for the Navi River Ride at 1pm. Unfortunately the FoP ride is still super long. We were there before 8am, got in line... but still waited for 2.5 hours. We probably should have walked faster to get in line. The que was cool tho! Even tho it was a long wait, I didn't get bored lol.

With that said, i would just get there at opening and walk very fast to the line. You might be luckier than me. lol

Does FOP have a single rider line?
 
So I gotta ask, if I do EMH/rope drop for AK and I am NOT going to Pandora, is there a separate line/area? I just want to do my usual early morning Safari!
 
So I gotta ask, if I do EMH/rope drop for AK and I am NOT going to Pandora, is there a separate line/area? I just want to do my usual early morning Safari!

Seems to me, from what I read, you will just go to Africa instead, but you may want to consider Tusker House at 8AM, either as a stand alone or a Rivers of Light package.
 
So I gotta ask, if I do EMH/rope drop for AK and I am NOT going to Pandora, is there a separate line/area? I just want to do my usual early morning Safari!
The last time i was there for EMH the wait times for everything in the park was like 5 minutes. I think the Safari was open too. I think. Everyone literally swarms into Pandora that early in the morning.
 
The last time i was there for EMH the wait times for everything in the park was like 5 minutes. I think the Safari was open too. I think. Everyone literally swarms into Pandora that early in the morning.

How is FoP in the afternoon? Not sure where to fit it in my day's schedule.
 
How is FoP in the afternoon? Not sure where to fit it in my day's schedule.
I went during a busy time in August .. by 12N it was like 150-175 wait. I don't think it dipped lower than 150 the whole day. Even with the evening EMH it was still 120 minutes.
 
I went during a busy time in August .. by 12N it was like 150-175 wait. I don't think it dipped lower than 150 the whole day. Even with the evening EMH it was still 120 minutes.

I wonder if it will taper off over the next few weeks with kids going back to school now. I'm a little under 4 weeks out now.
 
I wonder if it will taper off over the next few weeks with kids going back to school now. I'm a little under 4 weeks out now.
I have a feeling it will too. I probably won't be going back to AK until next year so hopefully the hype dies down just a little bit lol.
 
I have a feeling it will too. I probably won't be going back to AK until next year so hopefully the hype dies down just a little bit lol.

At least we know it will no later than 2019. Honestly, though, if Pandora had more than two rides it wouldn't have become so bottlenecked.
 
So I gotta ask, if I do EMH/rope drop for AK and I am NOT going to Pandora, is there a separate line/area? I just want to do my usual early morning Safari!

When I was there a coupe of weeks ago the Pandora crowd was held at a rope just past Tiffins. If you want to head to the Safari continue past the Pandora crowd towards Africa and you will find the rope just past Pizzafari.
 

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