Pandora is OPEN!
After watching our video, scroll down to read a detailed review and recommendations for Walt Disney World's land of Pandora, world of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom park!
Our adventure as some of the very first to attend the opening of Pandora, the World of Avatar, far exceeded our expectations! From the moment we walked in, we felt fully immersed in this magical land. Now you can learn from what we experienced & make your visit a great one!
Planning Ahead
As with any Walt Disney World vacation, it's important to book your trip as far out as you can. With Pandora, you'll want to get your trip booked at least 3 months ahead. This allows your 3D Agent to help you plan your days before the 60 day mark, which is when onsite guests can book their fastpasses. We'll use the crowd calendar, daily schedule and other factors to help you plan the perfect day to visit Pandora & when it's time to make those fastpasses, you'll be ready!
You do NOT need dining reservations to eat while you're in Pandora. Satu'li Canteen is a quick service restaurant and doesn't require Advanced Dining Reservations. When the pictures of the food first came out, we had concerns the food was going to be plastick-y and variations of fast food but with food coloring. Thankfully, we couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, the blue dessert and many of the drinks have coloring in them, but they're the exception and not the rule. The food was REAL food and being a vegan by preference, I personally enjoyed multiple new items that were freshly prepared and oh, so yummy! I was going to break down the items and review them individually, but during the Press Event/opening the chefs let me know they were trying out new recipes and the menu would be changing. I'm sure they'll pay attention to what guests order and do not order and accommodate accordingly. That being said, PLEASE order the curry vegetable dumplings. I'm already looking forward to another one!
As You Arrive
There are two plans of attack for Pandora, World of Avatar. Which one will you use?
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With Fastpasses to Na'vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage |
Without Fastpasses to Na'vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage |
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If you have fastpasses, you'll want to wait to enter Pandora until it's time for your first one. If you plan to dine at Satu'li Canteen, you'll want to pre-order on your My Disney Experience App and time it after you've completed both attractions. I recommend you enter Animal Kingdom at least an hour prior to your fastpasses, which means you should leave your resort about two hours prior to your first fastpass if this is your first place to visit that day. Your goal is to allow 30 minutes to simply walk through the land of Pandora, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells. Interact with a plant, visit with the "visiting" locals and take pictures. There will be Photopass photographers available to capture your visit & they'll even use your camera or phone to grab the shot for you even faster (at no charge)! If you have any concerns about fitting on Flight of Passage because you are Pooh-sized, extremely tall or have a disability, use the tester chair and ask the cast member any questions. Before leaving the land, make sure you've done everything on this checklist:
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If you don't have fastpasses, you'll want to arrive at Animal Kingdom an hour prior to opening and head straight to Pandora at rope drop. If you plan to dine at Satu'li Canteen, you can pre-order on your My Disney Experience App while waiting in line. If you have any concerns about fitting on Flight of Passage because you are Pooh-sized, extremely tall or have a disability, use the tester chair and ask the cast member any questions. Your first priority is visiting each attraction while the lines are as short as they'll likely be that day. Once you've accomplished both attractions, take a deep breath and simply walk through the land of Pandora, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells. Interact with a plant, visit with the "visiting" locals and take pictures. There will be Photopass photographers available to capture your visit & they'll even use your camera or phone to grab the shot for you even faster (at no charge)! Before leaving the land, make sure you've done everything on this checklist:
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But is it worth it?
Whether you're a die-hard Animal Kingdom fan or you think "Eh. Not for me." Pandora is a whole other decision to make.
I confess, I only watched Avatar the week before I went. It's not that I don't love sci-fi or fantasy movies - I DO! I'm actually a huge fan of both. It just didn't ever appeal to me. I watched it because Disney invited me to the opening, and I felt obligated. Thankfully, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It was campy and overly-emotional, but in all the best ways. I didn't feel like I was expected to buy into it as "real" but that instead I got to visit the crazy mind of James Cameron for a few hours. The squiggly tails connecting were a touch creepy for me, but I got past it.
Last year (2016) I got to visit the imagineer's area, where they were working on Pandora. I passed that same building with a smile when I was bused in for the press event last week. The gentleman who was giving my group the tour actually confessed he'd never watched Pandora, either. Why does this matter? Only ONE moment made me feel like I would have been missing out if I'd never seen the film, when I visited the actual land of Pandora. It was the moment on the River Journey, when the giant blue guy sings. Even if I'd never seen the movie, I'd have thought "Wow. He's huge. And weird." Having seen the movie, my thoughts expanded to "Wow. He's huge. And weird. But I get it."
Pandora is done VERY well. It's beautiful and immersive and you're completely whisked away into the magical realm. I couldn't help but compare it to the experiences I've had walking into Cars Land in Disney's California Adventure and into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando Resort. What these Disney Imagineers and, in the case of Harry Potter, Universal Engineers, have done is nothing short of spectacular.
But will you like it? Is it worth it? If you're at Walt Disney World and you have a limited time, is it worth the park ticket and trek over there? I'm going to give you a qualified Yes. If you're already in the park, then absolutely you should make it a priority to experience Pandora. That's completely unqualified. Older kids and adults will love flying on a Banshee. Younger kids will enjoy the River Journey, though the big blue guy may creep them out, too. As an adult, you'll marvel in their use of technology. I'm not a simulator fan, but between Jimmy Fallon's new attraction at Universal and now this one at Walt Disney World, I'm starting to change my mind. And I turn 45 this summer and get queasy VERY easy, so that's really saying something.
If you're at Walt Disney World for a limited time and you're trying to judge if it's worth your park day, I encourage you to give it a try at least once. Between Pandora and the nighttime events, along with the existing attractions already there, you are definitely going to find enough to make it a magical day. Will you want to go back each trip and linger? I'm not sure! I'm not sure how my own family will respond. I surveyed as many others as I could and there were a few opinions that rose to the top for all ages, genders, sizes and levels of Disney fan-dom.
- Avatar, Flight of Passage is a must do! It's incredible.
- Na'vi River Journey is cute, but not worth the trek all by itself.
- If you're going to Pandora, you need to go in twice - once during the day and once at night.
- Plan extra time for the gift shop's interactive purchases.
- The food was so much better than expected and unlike anywhere else on property.
Q&A
Q: Will littles Like Pandora?
A: They absolutely will! They can do the River Journey, explore the foliage, drink & eat flourescent colored food and if you let them, make a Banshee! Very small visitors would likely enjoy it best at night, when the whole place glows.
Q: How long should we spend in Pandora?
A: If you plan well and arrive first then or use fastpasses, then come back again for a nighttime viewing, you'll easily accomplish all of Pandora in a few hours, including a leisurely meal. This is a great land to include in your Animal Kingdom day which, along with all the new nighttime offerings, make it an amazing day of discovery!
What will you think? We'd love to find out! Message us at Info@3DTravelCompany.com and keep us in the loop. This is a brand new land, and we're still learning!
We're thrilled to be among the agencies invited to participate in the press event for Pandora, the World of Avatar, coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom in May of 2017. Join us here, on our blog & on social media as we take this journey of discovery into worlds unknown!