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Hi! My name is Jackie and I am a bonafide Disney addict. Not the movies, mind you, but the parks. There is something absolutely magical about walking through larger than life movie sets with impeccable theming that you can interact with. Pandora: The World of Avatar is another amazing addition.
You do not have to be a fan of the movie to enjoy what Disney has created. The backstory is that a company named Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) has devised a way for humans to travel through space in order to reach Pandora. The story unfolds as you cross the bridge adjacent to Tiffins restaurant. You are instantly introduced to flora and fauna unlike our own. The very first thing that sticks out is the Flaska Reclinata, a gigantic plant that lays slightly reclined. Fun fact: You can interact with it by drumming on the large holes on its side to awaken the plant. (It is rumored that the Flaska needs constant touch to allow it to heal.)
The Pandoran plant life is absolutely otherworldly and takes on a life of its own in the nighttime when the bioluminescent forest awakens. Hues of pink, yellow and blue lure you farther into the land and towards the Valley of Moara’s floating mountains. If you’re wondering why they aren’t exactly floating, Disney has an answer for this as well: at some point in time, one of the mountains had gotten stuck and is currently sitting askew atop a giant rock, covered with moss and vines.
In the evening, the mountains are sparsely lit, but in the daytime you can see all the details-the jagged edges, vines and waterfalls coming from the rocks. I found myself stopping every few steps just to take photos of them in the sunlight, which made the peaks look majestic.
There is water everywhere on Pandora, with streams that lead to more alien plant life and even a pool with three octopus-like creatures that will spew water at you if provoked by sudden movements.
While the bioluminescence is very pretty to look at, I had actually expected a little more. I mentioned this to a cast member who told me that the forest was not done awakening yet. This leads me to believe that in the up-and-coming months, we are going to see a lot more lighting elements introduced to the area.
Another very interesting aspect to Pandora is that the typical Disney trademark is not prominent. What you will see are trash cans, stanchions, and signage that has been put there by ACE. Even the fastpass machines lack their traditional Mickey magic. Like most travelers visiting Pandora, my goal was to try and get as many rides on Flight of Passage as I possibly could. Thus began my journey into one of the largest queue lines I have ever been in! You begin by going slightly uphill and into a massive cave that is covered in ancient Na’vi wall drawings. From there, you pass through airlock doors and are whisked into an area that seems like you are back outside in the bioluminescent forest. This area also has its own story. You are passing an area that was formerly mined by the RDA and is currently being researched by the Pandora Conservation Initiative (PCI). On the wall, you’ll see several markings left over by the RDA, informing of humans of toxic Pandoran atmosphere.
And then comes PCI’s lab which includes a remarkable AA figure of an Avatar floating inside of a giant tube. I cannot explain how gargantuan the actual Avatar is once you’re standing in front of it!
Walking past the lab finds you in a large concrete room with a big video that shows other humans using their avatars to fly a banshee. From here, you are placed into one of four lines that will eventually lead you through the automatic doors of a briefing room that holds a total of 16 people. Soon after, you will be given your 3D glasses and escorted to the chamber that holds 16 ride vehicles separated into two groups of eight. You board the vehicle much as you would a motorcycle. After everyone is seated safely, a pad will come up against the small of your back while restraints also come up for the back of your legs. Your linking chair will vibrate and a small screen will indicate that you are linking to your Avatar. Once the link hits 100%, you are flying! Disney took the concept of Soarin’ and made it a zillion times better. Water, wind and the scents of this foreign land assault your senses as you follow your Na’vi guide in a breathtaking, long-awaited adventure. Is it worth all the hype? That depends on what type of attractions you like. It is most certainly not a roller coaster, nor does it feel like one. At best, it is somewhat of a combination between Soarin’ and Star Tours. I do consider it the very best simulator I have ever been on-just not the best attraction at Disney. Will it give you motion sickness? I think that if you can handle Soarin’, you’ll be fine. Although, if you are very sensitive to certain movements I might suggest you take a motion sickness pill before you ride. The movie itself is very crisp and not jerky. Tips: The back restraint can be rather snug. Despite a cast member telling you to push your chest against the chest pad, try to leave a little room. Try not to be seat 1 or seat 16 on the ride. Much like Soarin’, FoP has a curved screen and is more noticeable from those two locaions. If you are traveling with kids, the 3D glasses might be a little bit too big for them. CMs have suggested that the kids hold the glasses and not the handlebars while riding. Lastly, the ride has sensors on the sides of the walls. Do not try to touch the wall in front of you and do not extend your arms out in front of you during the ride. I was told that this may trip the sensor and result in a stoppage of the ride. The other attraction on Pandora is Na’vi River Journey. This queue line is entirely outdoors and underneath something of a thatched roof, which was created by the Na’vi themselves. Once you enter the show building, you are immediately at the loading/unloading area and get your first glimpse at the river boats. The vehicles are much smaller than any of the boats on Disney property and there is a reason why: they are made to look as if they’ve been weaved by the Na’vi. With only two rows they are only able to fit four to six riders which makes for a more intimate experience. On the ride, you cross through the bioluminescent forest with projections of odd, life-like creatures around you. It is delightful, relaxing and peaceful. For a moment, you can make believe you’re not on Earth. Towards the end of the ride, you will come face-to-face with a Na’vi shaman which is one of Disney’s BEST AA figures ever created. It is beautiful, with fluid movements and eyes that lock onto your own. Although it is a very pretty attraction, this is not something that I would wait for more than 20 minutes to ride, mainly because of its short trip. While I do recommend walking through the Flight of Passage queue at least once, I would suggest Fastpassing the river ride. If your flight or river ride has left you hungry, there is human food on Pandora, most of which can be found at Satuli Canteen, the RDA mess hall turned restaurant by the ingenious Na’vi. For breakfast, I was amused to learn that Satuli Canteen offered a food item that you had to be over 21 to order – oatmeal! Curious, I ordered it to find that these are not your normal steel cut oats. They are topped with almonds, caramelized brown sugar (think crème brulee style) and whiskey soaked raisins. Like the Satuli Bowls, it was quite plentiful. As for the taste? I believe it needed to be a little more sweet and will likely order it again and add some syrup.
Satuli has a few unique menu items that can only be found in that land. First is the Satuli Bowls which gives you the choice of one of four proteins: chicken, steak, tofu or fish; one base: potato hash, quinoa, rice or kale salad and one sauce: creamy herb, black bean vinaigrette or chimichurri. I chose the chicken, rice and creamy herb served in a bowl which the Na’vi had repurposed from the RDA. (Yeah, the theming even goes into that! If you look around before placing your order, you will even notice pictures of former soldiers on discolored concrete walls.) You get quite a bit of food for the price and I found it to be very tasty and something I would order again. Another item that I ordered just out of curiosity was the alien looking cheeseburger Bao Pod. This consists of a steamed bun stuffed with ground beef and cheese. I had heard mixed reviews about this item and found it to be rather good! So much so that I had it for lunch the very next day! The pods are served with house-made chips not unlike Terra chips. If you are vegetarian-not to worry-Disney also makes vegetable curry stuffed pods.
Satuli boasts two desserts-one being a chocolate cake and the other a blueberry mousse of some sort. Although I did not try either of those, I did find myself over at Pongu Pongu (Na’vi for Party Party), the local watering hole. Being a person that loves pineapple, I was excited to try the pineapple and cream cheese filled pastries known as the Pongu Lumpia. I am Cuban and know my pastries, which may be why I found this item lacking in some way. Not to say that it was bad per se, but there was definitely something missing. Pongu Pongu’s drinks are as wild as the land, with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic frozen beverages topped with passion fruit filled Boba Balls. I did not give either of these a try, but by the looks of my fellow travelers, these were the hot items. If you’re not into frozen drinks and prefer the beer route like myself, Pongu has two ales for you to wet your whistle. First is the Mo’ara High Country Ale, an amber colored spiced ale. Then, there is the green thing, Hawkes’ Grog Ale which was my fav as citrusy drinks are what suit my palate.
Finally, if shopping is your thing, adjacent to Pongu Pongu you will find Windtraders, which, according to Disney, will be the only place to purchase Pandora related merchandise. The shop is chocked full of Avatar goodies from glow-in-the-dark t-shirts to baby Na’vi. You can even make yourself into your very own Avatar action figure. But the highlight is an area on the left side of the entrance called The Rookery. This is where you’ll be able to adopt your very own banshee. Pick one from its perch, see if you’re able to create a bond with it. With the help of a cast member, you may be heading home with a very unique souvenir. Final thoughts: while Pandora: the World of Avatar is an amazing land created with Disney’s splendid imagineering, some people are going to be very disappointed that Disney took several years to create a land that is rather quite small. In other words: too much hype. I did enjoy the land and will return, but it won’t kill me if I don’t visit Pandora during every Disney trip.
Pack your patience, much like Frozen at Epcot and Seven Dwarves at Magic Kingdom, I suspect Flight of Passage will almost always have a long wait. Operations is still working out the kinks. If you are staying on property, make use of Extra Magic Hours (EMH). I believe the evening EMH are better suited as most of the crowds should have cleared out of the area. If you do find yourself waiting in a long line, remember: It is better to be waiting in line at Disney than to be sitting at home. 😉
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