BEST. DAY. EVER. May '17 w/Chunkymonkey and Chubbyhubby NEW 8/28 x2 THE END!!

[warriorping]

Pandora looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[annie170]

I'm sorry it was so hot. AK always feels hotter than any other park, so that probably didn't help. At least you kept your sense of humor and made the best of it.

Flight of Passage sounds awesome! Thanks so much for this update and I'll be looking forward to reading about the rest of Pandora.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Hi Su-Lynn! Holy crap does that look amazing!!! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to ride, because those types of rides make me sick. Have you ever done the Simpson's ride at Universal??? Yep, didn't work out too well for me, and I don't think this one will either...BOO! HISS!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow Pandora and Flight sounds amazing. I am so torn about this because I'm not sure either my DD or I would be able to handle it with our motion sickness issues ...even Soarin' can make me queasy lol...so I'm not sure if we'll be able to swing it...might be worth trying to get an FP anyway just to even see the inside etc..even if we have to take the chicken exit (if there is one lol) But it does sound pretty amazing. I am excited about just walking through the land at night too though.

 

[Raeven]

Funnily DH and I made it onto Touring Plan's twitter account. Thanks @reelmom for the heads up! I would have had no idea as I don't really read Twitter that much!

You're famous Btw I love Steve's ice crown.

However this queue is very very long. I was told the FP line can hold up to 2 hours of people which leads me to expect the standby to hold much more than that. Just expect to be waiting for a loooong time.

It felt like we were walking forever! But then again I expect the waits will be hours long when it opens.

OMG I can't even tell you how AMAZING this ride is.

BEST. RIDE. EVER.

 

[kastoney]

OOOHH AHHH. That's all I got

Seriously though, loving all the details and your pictures. I've been a big avatarland opponent because I hated that dang movie, but flight of passage sounds completely amazing. And the visuals alone of the land, wow, just wow!!!! Thanks for being the guinea pig for all of us. 5 months and counting for us.

 

[coloredimage]

Oh that looks AMAZING! I cannot WAIT for Pandora!

 

[soniam]

I had to skip over some of your Pandora pics. I want to be surprised. I did see you guys on the TP feed. That's so cool I am excited to go. I know DS is going to want a ton of the merchandise. I want some of it too Did Tiffins or Nomad Lounge look really busy? I am hoping their business picks up, but I don't want them to get super crowded.

 

[dizneeat]

Thank you for the Pandora update. So interesting to read about it all.
The ice-crown comment is really funny and the twitter photo of you is just great.

 

[theskyisawake]

Thanks for the sneak peek! We leave in 2 weeks and I'm So excited to see it in person!

 

[anniebean]

Pandora looks amazing! Hubby and I will be there in September, and this will definitely be our first stop! I've not actually seen the movie yet so he's making me watch it before we go.

 

[BlvInMagic]

I'm even more pumped to go see and experience Pandora after reading your post! YIPPEE!!!! :-D

 

[RoliePolieColie]

May 20th: Pandora AP Preview First Impressions - Flight of Passage​

OK Now I'm going to time travel a bit...fast forward to our second May trip which just happened this past weekend. I just want to share our Pandora Annual Passholder Preview experience on May 20th. I know some of you are going very soon (ahem, @ArielSRL) so maybe this may get you even more excited! But if any of you don't want any spoilers and want to see it for yourself first hand, then please don't read this post! OK? There will be many pictures. And lots of ooohing and aaaahing. And lots of usage of the worlds "Incredible" "Amazing" and "OMG" because...
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OMG. PANDORA IS INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!
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I will quickly summarize some of my first impressions of the land and some detail on the rides. This past weekend was also very hot. Like VERY HOT. It was 90 degrees every day with a real feel of 100. We were sweating buckets. I think I lost about 4lbs in water weight alone even though I also drank my weight in water and various other liquids. Needless to say, it was not the most comfortable weekend to be outside at Disney waiting in line. So what did we do?​

We waited outside in line for 40 minutes. Because, duh, PANDORA. #sacrifices​

It was so hot in line that we started pouring water on our heads, I rubbed ice all over my arms, and DH even made a crown of ice cubes which were held up by his sunglasses. I labeled him Queen Elsa. Haha.
Funnily DH and I made it onto Touring Plan's twitter account. Thanks @reelmom for the heads up! I would have had no idea as I don't really read Twitter that much!

This was the line in front of us:​

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And the Touring Plan's Tweet! Do you see us? I was laughing at DH at his Queen Elsa Ice crown.​

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Here's Steve's ice crown and me and Betsy (@tankgirl427 , who kept piling ice on his head!​

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The line grew exponentially after we got on line. @ariane37 and her DH came by since they were in AK after their preview that morning and they said that it was amazing. I was sooo excited but so so hot! They offered to get us some napkins since we basically just looked...WET, but it was ok, we would just have poured more water on ourselves anyways. Haha.​

Ariane texted me as she was leaving the park and she said the line extended all the way past Discovery Island close to the entrance of the park. Crazy! The CM at the front of the line said we'd get in at 4:55pm, I asked them if they could tell us where the rides were and she said Flight of Passage will be on the right as you enter, and Navi river ride will be straight back into the park.

True to their word, they started scanning bands and letting us in at 4:55pm

We were going into Pandora!!!

I was all sweaty and frizzy and gross but I didn't care...

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ENTERING PANDORA:

Most of what you see when you enter is just a long walkway/bridge with lots of shrubbery. And there's a partition which hides some of the land, not sure this will be there on opening day or if they were just trying to hide it from spectators peeking in.​

And as you walk further on, your jaw just drops at the sight of the floating islands in the Valley of Moara...​

OOOOOH!!!​

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AAAAAAH!​

Everything was lush and beautiful, there were amazing plants and fauna, some real, some fake but they all blended together seamlessly. It was incredible. The attention to detail was amazing.​

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Lots of thought was put into every facet of the land. ​

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FLIGHT OF PASSAGE:

We immediately turned to the right to head to the Flight of Passage ride. The ride has a minimum height of 44 inches, just an FYI. Now the queue for this ride is built to hold A LOT of people. We went through the standby line, obviously it's not the regular crowds so we whizzed through it but I couldn't help but feel we had covered about a quarter mile of queue outdoors even before the line moved indoors. The scenery though is amazing, lots of photo ops while on line and they tried to provide some sort of shade from the sun with foliage and trees but still, it's gonna be hot just standing there.

Then the interior part of the queue begins and you're pretty much indoors the whole time thereafter.

A caveman-like setting for the first part of the interior queue:

Don't forget to look up! Lots of paintings on the walls and ceilings

There are several different rooms of queue, each one is pretty amazing and there is lots to see. However this queue is very very long. I was told the FP line can hold up to 2 hours of people which leads me to expect the standby to hold much more than that. Just expect to be waiting for a loooong time.

Another room in the queue: bio-luminescent room:

After the bio-luminescent room you enter the "lab" room

The Avatar is pretty cool and freaky at the same time, it moves and bobs up and down like it's actually floating in the water.

You are separated into different rooms which are on different levels, and there were many levels and rooms it seemed.

Right before they load you into the Decontamination/DNA Matching rooms:

In the first briefing room, you are assigned a number and you stand on that number. This will correspond to your seat later.

The video changes a bit it seems each time we went. I think it depends on what room you get. We were "decontaminated" the first and third times but not the second time we went on. Decontamination just means they pump the room with blasts of air and feels like a mini tornado. Yeah you don't want to be decontaminated.

Then you are matched to an avatar while watching yourself dance on screen in "night vision" mode. It's pretty funny.

Here's the ride's 3D glasses. They were very cool as it kinda has more of a surround enveloping effect rather than just your regular 3D glasses. They are large and loose so they fit over regular glasses. They are also amazingly lightweight, and I barely felt them after a while.

In the second briefing room they tell you more about the ride and safety messages, where to store your bags etc.

After this point, no cameras were allowed as we went into the actual ride area. Sixteen people are allowed in a section and groups of 8 are separated by a wall. When you walk in the room there are 8 of the "motorcycle" like seats facing forward and then another 8 next to it separated by a wall. You store your stuff on the wall in the back on shelves and find your seat number.

I know there's been a lot of talk on the comfort of the seat and how it may not accommodate larger or taller people. I think it depends on how you are built as well. Steve, Betsy and I are all around the same height and we all found it comfortable enough. For reference I am 5'6" and have wide hips, large/long appendages (legs, arms), broad chest/shoulders, average waist size, and a flat butt. You are sitting on the seat like a saddle and you're supposed to lean forward. The seat had plenty of room, I don't think the seat part is an issue. Leaning forward is not the most comfortable position when you're just sitting there but once the ride begins it makes sense to do so. When they activate the "safety restraint", if you will, it's like a bar that comes up the rear of the seat and rests on the small of your back that has to be locked in place so that it doesn't move. This keeps you leaning forward. This is the only part which I would feel may not fit some people especially if you take up the length of the seat and have a larger midsection, as there may not be a place for the bar to rest upon and "lock" into place. If you can lean forward enough, it should be fine though. I think they can fix this by increasing the degree of rotation of the bar in order to lock. It seems that currently it has to be 90 degrees or less, but if they can increase it, it may work for more body types. I'm not sure, I'm just guessing here, but that is what I felt. My sister Chunkysis kept asking me about the ride and to let her know if she'd fit. Yes, she'd fit. She'd be fine. I saw people larger than her on the ride, locked in place, although not sure about their comfort level!

It does get a little squishy in the midsection but it also depends on how far forward you sit when they lock you in place. I learned the second time around to not lean forward all the way so there is some wiggle room. If you feel it's too tight you can tell them and they will unlock and re-position the bar for you as someone did on one of the rounds. In addition to the bar in the back, there are bars or flaps that envelope the back of your knees, so it feels like you're riding a saddle. I think this is what people meant when they said the calf size matters. I have big calves and it wasn't a big deal at all. I think it was more for effect rather than locking your legs into the seat.

Once everyone is locked into place the ride begins.

OMG I can't even tell you how AMAZING this ride is.

BEST. RIDE. EVER.

It truly feels like you are FLYING. Some people compared it to Soarin' but it is a loose comparison. Yes, the entire screen is as large if not larger than the Soarin' ride, but each of the vehicles you are on moves in accordance with the scenery so it looks and feels like you're flying high, banking right, diving low, gliding, it was AWESOME. Also there are scents and water effects in addition to the 3-D. (So I guess it's like 4-D!). It was amazing. Even your seat...the bars in the front and back and the flaps around your legs, they move and vibrate with the ride. It supposed to feel like your riding on a living BREATHING banshee and it does! But just an FYI, the vibration on the waist area does tickle a bit at first, mostly because I wasn't used to it, and I cracked up for the first 10 seconds of the ride.

The first time I rode it, I was so BLOWN away, I didn't even realize we were in a theater with other sections (this part is like Soarin'). I was just so amazed with what was in front of me I didn't pay attention to anything else. The second time we rode it, we were in a section above the one we were in before, and I looked around and saw all these other sections and multiple levels of riders - I am thinking 4-5 levels of 16 riders each. I'm not sure. I'm also not sure how many theaters there are. We were trying to figure it out. We were thinking between 80-128 people at a time. I hope it's greater as that would speed up the line. It was pretty cool to see how the whole ride works though. It's like Soarin' on steroids!

After the first time, we got out and went right back on. The first time riding, our wait was barely 10 minutes and our ride section was only half full. The second time, our wait increased to 30 minutes. This let us take in more of the ride queue and I made a video which you can see here (compiled from videos taken from several times through the queue):

Still the BEST RIDE EVER! Although definitely made me a little dizzy after back-to back-rides. Motion sickness-prone, I recommend taking something or wearing a seaband. I also think closing your eyes helps at times since it's mostly simulation. You can also just walk the queue and do the chicken exit at the end. The whole queue is kinda like a maze and I've heard people get lost in it. We also wondered what would happen if you had to use the bathroom while on line. We did however see a working water fountain so you can ensure you will stay hydrated.

The third time we went on the ride was closer to 8pm, the end of our preview time. We waited 15 minutes and the crowds had dissipated so our section was once again half full.

As we were leaving Pandora we got to see some of the bio-luminescence. It is nothing fancy, it's most just black lights and uv paint, but it's done very well. Only the floor lights were working that day but they said the whole area will be working come nighttime on opening day. It will surely look super cool.

​

In my next post I'll show more Pandora pics, talk about the Navi' River Ride as well as show you some food, drinks and our Photopass Pictures!
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Following along!! OH. MY. GOSH. I cannot wait to see Pandora when my family and I go in November!!! I loved the movie and I just can't wait to see how they brought it to life! Reading your post and seeing your pictures gave me goosebumps!

 

[chunkymonkey]

So looking forward to this--able to check Pandora out next week!

Yay! Have an awesome time and good luck! I hope you don't get crazy crowds but you'll have to let us know!

Yay for Pandora info! I am looking forward to it!

You will have an awesome time! Even if you don't go on the rides, just taking in all the detail and the impressive floating islands will be so much fun!

Yes, I've read 4-6 hours for standby! Crazy. My Dh and AJ have FPs. Unfortunately with my motion sickness issues and my claustrophobia issues, I most likely won't attempt a ride.

ugh, that's like an entire day of just waiting in line! I don't think any ride in the world is worth that wait but I do indeed think it is the best ride in Disney, motion sickness aside.
I think it is definitely more of a motion-sensitive ride rather than claustrophobic.

Wow thanks so much for the Pandora update
We just arrived today but since this trip was so last minute we do not have FP's I think we will wait till our November trip and get FP's.
It's so hot and humid today and the weekend will be in the upper 90's

I hope you are doing ok in the heat! We had to drop a bunch of our plans just because it was so hot and it really drained us.
I would probably steer clear of the Pandora rides if you don't have FPs. But you can still walk around the land and enjoy the sights!

Can't wait!! Thanks for reporting on it!!

You're welcome! It really is amazing!

Duh. Of course. You're soooo right though. It was pretty wild hot last weekend. At one point Saturday driving our rental car the temperature gage got up to 99.

Ugh it was insanely hot. Glad to have gone to Pandora but do not wish to be back in the heat!

When we took our Caring for Giants tour the CM driving the van was talking about Pandora, and I liked how she said it was hard to tell the difference between which plants were real, and which plants were "Disney real" hahah

Haha that's funny. Well Disney paints the grass green too so I guess everything has been Disney-fied!

I'm worried about this one for sure!! I was thinking I'd skip it, but now that everyone is saying it's the best ride ever I might try to take some dramamine and do it just once just to be able to experience it.

Yes i would just take the dramamine to ride it once even if I never ride it again. It think you need to see what the hype is all about and you don't have to ever ride it again if you don't like it. Maybe you'll end up loving it!

OMG, hotter than the last time we were there in May for sure

Can't believe what a difference it was!

LOL my Steve seriously thought your Steve was dying, the guy had water pouring down his head like a waterfall He was so relieved when Betsy told us he had ice cubes up there!!!

My Steve thinks he should patent his sunglass-ice crown for weather like this. Kinda like those spray things with the fans attached. Hahaha. He thanks you guys for your concern though!

You looked fine Remember my hair the day before, when we first met in Epcot? HUGE. Like a young Michael Jackson, except Caucasian and with a horrendous singing voice.

I thought you looked so cute! Curly hair suits you. I have naturally frizzy hair and I also have a perm so I'm like two-fold on the frizz.

I've heard the SB line is built to hold 5-6 hours worth of guests

That's just crazy! But I can totally see that being the wait time on opening day. What happens if you have to go to the bathroom? We were wondering about that. We saw the water fountain but no bathrooms...

Agree! Just told someone that this morning who is going in Nov.

It is one of those rides that lives up to the hype!

Ugh, I feel for you. That's how it was last weekend when we were there. Put ice cubes on your head and use your sunglasses to hold them in place like @chunkymonkey 's DH

Haha when Steve patents his ice crown sunglasses he'll probably have some free prototype samples for my Disboard friends

It does look amazing. I guess I should probably see the movie before I go back so I know what I'm looking at.

Haha yeah watching the movie would help, although I've really only seen it once in theaters and that was it. But you kinda get the gist of it even if you skim through the movie.

 

[rndmr2]

Thank you for posting the preview, wow it does look really cool! Can't wait to see it for myself. We do have very tentative plans to go in February so hope that happens.

DH and I are both in the high risk for not being able to ride FOP but I hope we can. I heard they are tracking how many aren't able to ride so maybe they will make the adjustments you mentioned. Maybe they can at least add some different seating along the back so people who cant ride on the Banshee can at least experience the movie part.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Pandora looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for reading! It was an amazing experience. I know the next time I see Pandora it will be with 2-hour waits and huge crowds. It's worth it though!

I'm sorry it was so hot. AK always feels hotter than any other park, so that probably didn't help. At least you kept your sense of humor and made the best of it.

Ugh the weather was awful this past weekend but we were excited and Pandora made up for it in many ways. Although the weekend didn't quite pan out as fruitful as we had planned. We got express bus thinking we'd use it a bunch of times but we only used it twice. We were just so drained we couldnt' park hop even with the buses!

Flight of Passage sounds awesome! Thanks so much for this update and I'll be looking forward to reading about the rest of Pandora.

It is the best Disney ride ever, with Hyperspace Mountain a close second haha. Granted I've never ridden the Tron ride in Shanghai which sounds awesome, but so far Flight of Passage is a winner!

Hi Su-Lynn! Holy crap does that look amazing!!! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to ride, because those types of rides make me sick. Have you ever done the Simpson's ride at Universal??? Yep, didn't work out too well for me, and I don't think this one will either...BOO! HISS!

I actually cannot remember if I've done the Simpsons ride. I think I may have but all of Universal is a vague memory in my mind now. I am going again in Sept so I'll have to refresh myself. I didn't feel sick on any Universal ride though from what i can remember. The fun thing about FoP is that it's all first person, and you move along with the motion, so it's more in sync that most other motion simulation rides I've been on. Hope you can ride it at least once and it can work out for you! Otherwise at least you will never need to wait in those crazy long lines!

Wow Pandora and Flight sounds amazing. I am so torn about this because I'm not sure either my DD or I would be able to handle it with our motion sickness issues ...even Soarin' can make me queasy lol...so I'm not sure if we'll be able to swing it...might be worth trying to get an FP anyway just to even see the inside etc..even if we have to take the chicken exit (if there is one lol) But it does sound pretty amazing. I am excited about just walking through the land at night too though.

It is definitely a very full-on simulation ride. But I hope you get to try it once just to see it for yourself. I did feel queasy the 2nd time around but we had been in 95 degree heat for most of the day by then and were also quite dehydrated and probably running on adrenaline by then. It was so awesome the 3rd time though!! HAhaha.
I'd definitely spend some time in the queue as there is so much to see.

You're famous Btw I love Steve's ice crown.

Haha, that's so funny. The crown served it's purpose! Although there was water pouring down his face because it was melting so quickly.

It felt like we were walking forever! But then again I expect the waits will be hours long when it opens.

I know! The line is sooo long! But I guess it will serve it's purpose once the ride opens to the public. I can't wait to see what the opening day crowds are tomorrow!

OOOHH AHHH. That's all I got

That's really all you need to know.

Seriously though, loving all the details and your pictures. I've been a big avatarland opponent because I hated that dang movie, but flight of passage sounds completely amazing. And the visuals alone of the land, wow, just wow!!!! Thanks for being the guinea pig for all of us. 5 months and counting for us.

The movie was visually stunning but I thought the story was very cliched and predictable. But everything about this land takes that visually stunning part and brings it to life. Really awesome to see in person!

Oh that looks AMAZING! I cannot WAIT for Pandora!

It was really quite stunning!!

I had to skip over some of your Pandora pics. I want to be surprised. I did see you guys on the TP feed. That's so cool I am excited to go. I know DS is going to want a ton of the merchandise. I want some of it too Did Tiffins or Nomad Lounge look really busy? I am hoping their business picks up, but I don't want them to get super crowded.

We saw a lot of people with the pet banshees on their shoulders. I wasn't that impressed though because I didn't think the controls were attached to the banshee and when I found that it was it was less interesting for me. But there was some cool stuff in the store. We got the passholder t-shirts. They were ok but when in Rome...
I have never seen Tiffins or Nomad ever that busy but at 2pm that Saturday was probably the busiest I've seen it. Nomad was quite busy but was never "crowded". I hope they stick around for a long time because I need to have that octopus dish in my life for a while longer.

Thank you for the Pandora update. So interesting to read about it all.
The ice-crown comment is really funny and the twitter photo of you is just great.

Haha it was the hottest day ever but we had a great time in Pandora despite it. Goes to show that Disney Magic can overcome even the worst heat wave, but barely.

Thanks for the sneak peek! We leave in 2 weeks and I'm So excited to see it in person!

You're welcome! Thanks for reading. I hope the weather is better for you guys! It's amazing regardless!

Pandora looks amazing! Hubby and I will be there in September, and this will definitely be our first stop! I've not actually seen the movie yet so he's making me watch it before we go.

It is amazing! The land, not the movie. I did like the movie and thought it was visually great, but story line and characters were predictable. But I'd definitely watch it to get some context.

I'm even more pumped to go see and experience Pandora after reading your post! YIPPEE!!!! :-D

It's soooooo awesome!!

Following along!! OH. MY. GOSH. I cannot wait to see Pandora when my family and I go in November!!! I loved the movie and I just can't wait to see how they brought it to life! Reading your post and seeing your pictures gave me goosebumps!

Thank you for reading! Pandora is amazing! When will you be there in Nov? We're there the first week!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Thank you for posting the preview, wow it does look really cool! Can't wait to see it for myself. We do have very tentative plans to go in February so hope that happens.

Fingers crossed you get to go in February!

DH and I are both in the high risk for not being able to ride FOP but I hope we can. I heard they are tracking how many aren't able to ride so maybe they will make the adjustments you mentioned. Maybe they can at least add some different seating along the back so people who cant ride on the Banshee can at least experience the movie part.

I think they should just remove a few of the saddles and put in some regular seating so at least you get to experience to movie first person like everyone else. I really do hope you get to ride when you're there. At least the weather in Feb will be better!

 

[TXMNie]

Just stumbled upon your report and am loving it so far! Pandora looks amazing! Your trip looks wonderful. My hubs and I stayed at the Boardwalk Villas for our honeymoon. I would be curious to hear how you liked renting points! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[chunkymonkey]

May 20th: Pandora AP Preview First Impressions - Nav'i River Ride, Satu'li Canteen, Photopass Ops

This is the second part of my "first impressions" review of Pandora during our AP preview. Here's some additional pics of Flight of Passage's queue:

After we did Flight of Passage twice we went to the Nav'i River ride. The ride is very similar to Pirates and Small World in that it is just a boat ride but through the Pandora jungle. There are projections/animations, some animatronics, and the entire ride is pretty much in the dark.

Here's some pics of the ride queue. There wasn't really much of a wait during the preview.

And some from the ride. Since it's so dark, it's hard to capture picture in here.

It was quite cool and the animatronics and projections were probably some of the best I've seen, but after Flight of Passage it just wasn't as exciting. But I guess this is a very family-friendly ride that everyone can experience together.

Here's a little video I took. Sorry the sound isn't too good, not sure what happened there.

After twice on the Navi' River Ride we went to grab a bite at Satuli Canteen. I really wasn't terribly hungry and too be honest we were all more thirsty than hungry, but I wanted to try the cheeseburger pods which look like Chinese steamed pork buns but with a cheeseburger filling instead. I also wanted to try some drinks at Pongu Pongu which is a drink stand just outside of Satuli Canteen.

Exterior of Satuli:

Interior of Satuli:

Ordering stations:

Here's Betsy's Slow - Roasted Grilled Beef rice bowl: Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef marinated in a blend of Garlic, Herbs, Red Pepper Spice, and Red Wine Vinegar topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Boba Balls served with your choice of Base and Sauce

It was simple and tasty. Instead of rice you can get kale salad. We all had a few bites. She got it with two of the sauces, the roasted onion chimichurri and the creamy herb. The creamy herb is just like mayo so I'd skip that if you don't like the stuff. The chimichurri was pretty good. Overall this was a nice solid dish of rice and meat. It was seasoned pretty well. They put the veggie slaw on everything it seems. I'd eat this if I were hungrier.

Here's the cheeseburger pods. Steamed Cheeseburger Pod stuffed with Ground Beef, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle, and Cheddar Cheese served with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Vegetable Chips. This is the regular portion. The kids portion comes with only one "pod"

It tasted like McDonalds a bit. But that is ok with me. Nothing terribly exciting though and needed a bit more oomph in the filling. Also I didn't notice much cheese in it. I think there was slightly too much bun to filling ratio, but overall it was fine and I liked how it was portable in case I needed to eat it on the go. Perhaps a snack while on line for FoP in the future? The buns were very soft which i liked. It was served with some terra chips and a veggie slaw which I thought was a bit blah but I was never a slaw person.

Here's the bar outside Satu'li Canteen called Pongu Pongu:

From Pongu Pongu we got a Night Blossom, which is the non-alcoholic slushie on the menu. Here's the description: "Mixture of Limeade with Apple and Desert Pear flavors topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls." It is basically violet lemonade. Yup you can get violet lemonade at AK now, year-round. I never had violet lemonade before but Betsy loves the stuff and she tried it and said it was definitely violet lemonade. I usually steer clear of anything with flowers in the name as I feel like I'm eating perfume but I did kinda like this drink. It was sweet and I think provided me with the electrolytes which I was severely lacking because of the amount I was sweating. I definitely felt much better after it. So thanks Night Blossom for the replenishment!

Its supposed to be layered with green and purple slushies but mine just melted all together, LOL. I don't care for bursting boba but it pretty much just floats at the top anyways.

DH got the High Country Ale which is NOT the green beer, sorry I don't have a picture but he said it was good. He had heard the green beer wasn't good so we didn't try it but one day I think I'd like to get it so I could say I had green beer.

We also got the pineapple cream-cheese lumpia, which is basically a dessert egg roll stuffed with cream cheese, and pineapple and deep fried.

It had good flavor but I thought it was too sweet. The cream cheese was sweetened which combined with the sweet pineapple was just a little too syrup-y tasting for me. Maybe I was just at a sugar overload but I did think they should tone down the sugar and just have the pineapple shine. I can imagine if a Dole whip was made into an egg roll it would be similar.

Overall eating at Pandora was fun and I would probably try more food on another trip. However with Tiffins being so close to the entrance I'd probably just grab a night blossom or one of those margaritas and head to Tiffins for food!

There are a few photopass ops around Pandora. Here's the first photopass pic we did upon entering the park. Notice Steve's wet t-shirt? It's from the melting ice crown but it just looks like sweat. Ew.

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The best one is this one in front of the floating islands where you can also do a magic shot with a banshee.

Betsy said me and Steve were pointing in different directions (I was pointing back instead of to the side) so it's a good thing you can't see where I'm pointing in the pic above. Haha.

And these were in front of Satu'li Canteen. The same PP photographer takes your pic in front of the Mech below, then she turns around and you can pose with the floating islands in the background.

We had an amazing time at Pandora. It is awesome, and Flight of Passage is the most amazing ride. I am actually considering making most of DH and my FPs for August at Pandora every other day just so we could ride FoP! Although the 2 hour wait even with FP is kinda deterring me a bit...I hope it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Hope you enjoyed my first impressions of Pandora during our AP Preview!

OK now back to regular Trip Reporting...coming up soon is May the 4th at Hollywood Studios!​

 

[chunkymonkey]

Just stumbled upon your report and am loving it so far! Pandora looks amazing! Your trip looks wonderful. My hubs and I stayed at the Boardwalk Villas for our honeymoon. I would be curious to hear how you liked renting points! Looking forward to reading more!

Hi there and welcome! Thank you for reading!
Pandora was amazing, and exceptionally so because of the Passholder preview. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to breeze though those ride lines like we did for a long time to come.
The Boardwalk was so great! We liked renting points, as it was cheaper than just staying on the Inn side. We never really cared if we got serviced every day or not. So that wasn't really an issue. I'd prefer a king-sized bed but I'm not sure the studios offer that. But the location was just so great, wasn't it?