JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
This was my Christmas present - Nikon D3400. I highly recommend as an entry level DSLR. It makes picture taking so so so easy!
-
Controversial Topics
Several months ago, I added a private sub-forum to allow members to discuss these topics without fear of infractions or banning. It's opt-in, opt-out. Corey Click Here
BOOKing It To Pandora - a June '17 TR *NEW 7/7 Pandora Photo Tour*
- Thread starter JessRose
- Start date
This was my Christmas present - Nikon D3400. I highly recommend as an entry level DSLR. It makes picture taking so so so easy!
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
There are so many amazing things to look at during the parade, I could never fault anyone for not taking pictures and just taking it all in.
This is definitely my favorite Disney parade!
Thank you and
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
The One Where...I Try My Hand at Dark Ride Photography
Before leaving for my trip, I (very last minute) decided I wanted to try my hand at dark ride photography. While upgrading to even an entry-level DSLR camera makes photographing dark rides much easier, there are certain rides/scenes that are still hard to capture or that turn out grainy. So, a few blogs specifically dedicated to taking good photos at Disney, I went out and invested in a 35mm lens with an aperture of f1.8. (For those not into photography at all, I promise the cool pictures are coming really soon).
So, needless to say, I was super excited to test drive my new lens. I took a moment to switch out lenses and double-checked my notes cheat sheet about what settings should work best on a dark ride. Adjustments made, I checked in for my FastPass+ at...
I wanted to preface by saying, I haven't edited or cropped any of these photos - for those interested in the photography aspect of Disney, I wanted to show off what you could capture with minimal effort on the 35 mm lens.
And we're off...
Scuttle eludes me every time. Little bird has a habit of closing his eyes for photos!
So, not too shabby! Quite a few of my shots were washed out because someone else on the ride was using flash to photograph on the ride. The beauty of having the DSLR is the flash isn't needed, so you have a better chance of capturing the scene as it appears on the ride, without harming the lighting that the Imagineers intended.
Upon exiting the ride, it was time for my next FastPass+. The skies weren't looking so friendly...
I can never resist trying to get a good picture of Rapunzel's tower...
It was about here...
When I realized I didn't have my poncho with me. I don't mind getting wet, but I had a brand new leather camera bag with me and an expensive camera. I was going to need to move quickly!
I hustled to...
I left my camera settings the same as I had on Under the Sea...however, Pirates presented a new challenge because the scene lighting varies between very dark, and the right amount of light. So, in the future, I'll need to adjust settings for each scene.
The posted wait was 35 minutes. With FastPass+, it was only about 8 minutes.
A lot of my shots were overexposed/washed out, but here are a few that were decent.
(Sadly, not Johnny Depp)
Upon exiting the ride, I knew I was rushing to beat a storm, but I could NOT resist stopping at Aloha Isle for something I saw on Instagram the day before my trip...
Yeah...Dole Whip Float IN a Pirate skull bug. Um...yes, take my money. Take it all. At $10, I found it to be reasonable.
As I walked as fast as humanly possible while chugging Dole Whip Float and trying not to spill, it began to sprinkle. I drank faster and faster, and by the time I made it under the train station, the skies opened up. It rained in my Dole Whip, but I didn't care. I made it to the bus stop for CSR, where it already looked like this:
As luck would have it, a bus had just pulled up. I was at the very end of the second row in line...and knew there was no way I was making it on this bus. But, Disney never ceases to amaze me - because I made it on the bus with room to spare. A+ effort on everyone's part to squeeze in so we could all make it back.
When we arrived back at CSR, I had at least finished my float, but it was now raining twice as hard. I RAN probably the fastest I've ever run for cover at CSR. It didn't matter, I was complete drenched. Like I took of my clothes and was able to ring water out of them drenched. The radar said the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, so I took the opportunity to unpack/reorganize a little and locate my poncho. Thankfully, my bags from Magical Express already arrived. I texted Lisa and she was at least an hour away due to Friday afternoon traffic, so I took a little nap. I was zapped from lack of sleep the night before and my early departure.
Up Next: Disney Rule Breaking and Happily Ever After
Before leaving for my trip, I (very last minute) decided I wanted to try my hand at dark ride photography. While upgrading to even an entry-level DSLR camera makes photographing dark rides much easier, there are certain rides/scenes that are still hard to capture or that turn out grainy. So, a few blogs specifically dedicated to taking good photos at Disney, I went out and invested in a 35mm lens with an aperture of f1.8. (For those not into photography at all, I promise the cool pictures are coming really soon).
So, needless to say, I was super excited to test drive my new lens. I took a moment to switch out lenses and double-checked my notes cheat sheet about what settings should work best on a dark ride. Adjustments made, I checked in for my FastPass+ at...
I wanted to preface by saying, I haven't edited or cropped any of these photos - for those interested in the photography aspect of Disney, I wanted to show off what you could capture with minimal effort on the 35 mm lens.
And we're off...
Scuttle eludes me every time. Little bird has a habit of closing his eyes for photos!
So, not too shabby! Quite a few of my shots were washed out because someone else on the ride was using flash to photograph on the ride. The beauty of having the DSLR is the flash isn't needed, so you have a better chance of capturing the scene as it appears on the ride, without harming the lighting that the Imagineers intended.
Upon exiting the ride, it was time for my next FastPass+. The skies weren't looking so friendly...
I can never resist trying to get a good picture of Rapunzel's tower...
It was about here...
When I realized I didn't have my poncho with me. I don't mind getting wet, but I had a brand new leather camera bag with me and an expensive camera. I was going to need to move quickly!
I hustled to...
I left my camera settings the same as I had on Under the Sea...however, Pirates presented a new challenge because the scene lighting varies between very dark, and the right amount of light. So, in the future, I'll need to adjust settings for each scene.
The posted wait was 35 minutes. With FastPass+, it was only about 8 minutes.
A lot of my shots were overexposed/washed out, but here are a few that were decent.
(Sadly, not Johnny Depp)
Upon exiting the ride, I knew I was rushing to beat a storm, but I could NOT resist stopping at Aloha Isle for something I saw on Instagram the day before my trip...
Yeah...Dole Whip Float IN a Pirate skull bug. Um...yes, take my money. Take it all. At $10, I found it to be reasonable.
As I walked as fast as humanly possible while chugging Dole Whip Float and trying not to spill, it began to sprinkle. I drank faster and faster, and by the time I made it under the train station, the skies opened up. It rained in my Dole Whip, but I didn't care. I made it to the bus stop for CSR, where it already looked like this:
As luck would have it, a bus had just pulled up. I was at the very end of the second row in line...and knew there was no way I was making it on this bus. But, Disney never ceases to amaze me - because I made it on the bus with room to spare. A+ effort on everyone's part to squeeze in so we could all make it back.
When we arrived back at CSR, I had at least finished my float, but it was now raining twice as hard. I RAN probably the fastest I've ever run for cover at CSR. It didn't matter, I was complete drenched. Like I took of my clothes and was able to ring water out of them drenched. The radar said the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, so I took the opportunity to unpack/reorganize a little and locate my poncho. Thankfully, my bags from Magical Express already arrived. I texted Lisa and she was at least an hour away due to Friday afternoon traffic, so I took a little nap. I was zapped from lack of sleep the night before and my early departure.
Up Next: Disney Rule Breaking and Happily Ever After
MeghanEmily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
Great dark ride photos, especially the Little Mermaid ones!
That dole whip float looks delicious, and the skull souvenir cup would make my life!
That dole whip float looks delicious, and the skull souvenir cup would make my life!
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
There weren't a lot of details on it - but I assume it was due to the recent release of Pirates of Caribbean - hopefully they still have for you this summer!
Yes! A little rain is OK, but Florida summer rain is intense!
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
The One Where...It's Still Raining, and We Break the Rules
I was able to sneak in a 45 minute nap - which was great, because I definitely needed it. When I woke up - it still looked like this...
And Lisa sent me a text that she was minutes away. I told her to just check in at the gate house with my name and room number and drive to Casitas 3. Well...that would have been a great plan at literally any other resort but CSR - which, unknown to me, had TWO gates and you need either a magic band or a room key in order to enter the 2nd set of gates. CSR is HUGE and the buildings can definitely feel like a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going.
I told Lisa to stay where she was and I would try to find her. I quickly threw the things I needed for the night in a bag - including my tripod, poncho'd up, and set off in search.
What followed was a hysterical series of texts, phone calls and google pin drops. I wish I could accurately describe the combination of frustration, four-letter words, laughing so hard our sides hurt, and helplessness, we both felt, but it was definitely a 'you had to be there' situation. After about 25 minutes - I finally found Lisa - on the far outskirts of the Convention Center parking lot.
I hopped in the car and we headed for the Polynesian.
The plan was for Lisa to get dinner at Trader Sams, Tambu Lounge or Kona Café and I was going to go to Magic Kingdom to watch Happily Ever After.
We got to the gate house at the Poly and were told we absolutely could not park there unless we had confirmed dining reservations - which I found silly. I also know this rule isn't strictly enforced, because in march when I had dinner reservations at 'Ohana, I was forced to valet park because all the self-parking was full. The cast member told me it was because DVC members were parking at the Poly so they could go to the Magic Kingdom for a special event that night.
In any event, we didn't want to mess with the TTC at this point - I would have missed the fireworks for sure - and Lisa didn't know where she was going on her own. And its still raining. I asked the guard if we could just pay for valet - which he said was fine. Um...OK. Got it. I'm not really sure what the difference was? Either way we were going to eat dinner at the Poly.
We were finally allowed past the gate house, and there is a bit of a fork in the rode. The sign here, very clearly says "Disney Buses Only" to the right, and Self-Parking and valet to the right. I knew from my trip in march, you just follow the self-parking route down and the valet is off to the right past the bus stop.
Well...the guard literally came chasing after us saying we couldn't go that way and had to go to the right. I know, in his mind he thought for sure we were just going to self-park - but we honestly were going to valet! I've never gotten in so much trouble when I was actually trying to follow the rules haha!
We dealt with the valet and then made our way upstairs. I pointed out Tambu Lounge and Kona to Lisa - and she thought she was going to try Kona.
I made my way to the monorail - and a train had just pulled up. Unfortunately, I got delayed on that train about 10 minutes. I was certain I was going to have a horrible spot for the fireworks, but I managed to find a decent one in the center of main street, a few rows back from where they have the walking path cleared before you get to the hub. Ideally, this section would have been perfect if I was in the front, as you have a good amount of separation between you and the people in front of you. I wasn't successful getting good fireworks pictures on my last night - so I took out my notes cheat sheet (again) and got everything set up including my tripod. The tripod was definitely the best investment I made since my last trip. I got a great deal on one from Best Buy and it was AWESOME! Very light weight and I could break it down myself in a matter of seconds. I could even do it while I was walking in a crowd back to the best stop.
Anyway...I had about 20 minutes to wait, in which time I witnessed my first ever Disney fight. A young girl, I say "young" because based on maturity level, I would assume her to be about 19, which is actually an insult to 19 year olds everywhere - and an older woman, I would guess about 50-60, got into quite an altercation. From what I could gather - there was some disagreement between the two further back in the crowd. They both apparently continued to inch their way forward, ending up directly beside me.
The current disagreement was because young girl (YG) felt the lady (L) was crowding her space (she wasn't in my opinion and was following cast member instructions to move all the way forward). YG was actually yelling at L at this point about how if she wanted a good space, she needed to get there sooner. L responded saying she was just following instructions. YG continues berating L about how she's supposed to be an adult (over, and over, and over again "You're an adult, you're an adult, you're an adult). I was kerfuffled about what YG was supposed to be - because she definitely was not acting like an adult. YG goes on to yell at L that she needed to back up because she was saving a space for her boyfriend. Oh, the irony.
L responds (calmly) that if her boyfriend wanted a good spot, he should have gotten there earlier (point for L). At this point, I was working up the courage to say something, because YG was way out of line in speaking to this woman that way, and also way out of line in berating this woman for exactly what she herself was doing. At this point, YG, manages to bring me into the argument by saying "if you wanted to get a good spot, you should have gotten here earlier, like this lady (pointing at me)."
I think YG thought I would back her up - but I was squarely not on her side. The yelling, her pointing her finger in L's face - not cool. Whether L was right or wrong, girl needed to show some more respect. So, I said the only thing I could think of - "You're actually the one acting ridiculous, and if you don't knock it off, I'm going to film you and put it on YouTube."
I internally winced. Not cool to sink down to someone else's level - but it worked. A hair flip, a scoff and a massive eye roll followed, but she turned around and didn't say another word.
Argument over - it was time for fireworks.
I was actually furious initially when the news broke Wishes was ending. Like red in the face mad. I cried on both of my last times watching Wishes. Not like sobbing or anything, but definitely teary eyed.
No fireworks show could ever. possibly. take the place of wishes. Except for - these fireworks.
Breathtaking. Jaw-dropping. Inspiring. All the feelings. And yes, even tear-jerking. I was overwhelmed with Happily Ever After.
Everything was perfect. I was happy I shot long exposure shots and used a tripod because all I had to do was push the button each time the shutter closed. I had quite a few shots that were way over exposed, but these were great for a first attempt I thought!
I love the quote at the end of Happily Ever After:
And so our journey comes to an end
But yours continues on
Grab hold of your dreams
And make them come true
For you are the key to
unlocking your own magic
Now go, let your dreams guide you
Reach out and find your
Happily Ever After
I literally had chills! I wanted to just stand there in amazement, but I did not want me, or my camera to get trampled. I booked it back to the monorail (disassembling tripod as I went) - and managed to catch the first resort monorail back to the Poly.
It was time for drinks at Trader Sam's - which normally I would put in a separate post, but if you're feeling rushed, its because I am rushing to try and get to Pandora!
We had some confusion about being added to a wait list or if there even was a wait list at Trader Sam's, so that resulted in going outside on the patio where you can get the same drinks and food! It was hot, but frankly, I was starving and I know Lisa wanted a cocktail.
I started with...
HippopotoMai-Tai - Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curacao, Orgeat (almond), organic agave nectar, and fresh lime juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass for $21; without glass for $11
The cost of the glass is less than what it is in the gift shop, and it says Trader Sam's Grog Grotto on the back of it. I was happy I finally got my glass after foregoing one on my last trip. And, in keeping with tradition, the drink was knock you right on your kiester strong.
Lisa decided to go with something a bit more mundane:
Mosquito Mojito - Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, organic agave nectar, Falernum, mint and fresh lime juice topped with soda water $10.75
This was also delicious!
For snacks, we decided to share:
Hawaiian Poke - with Sriracha aioli $12.99
This was yummy, super fresh and a very large portion (we felt) for the price given the quality of the tuna.
Roasted Chicken Pork Pate Banh Mi Sliders $9.99
These were SUPER tasty. The bread was fresh - crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The Pork Pate was more of a pork sausage in terms of flavor, and the pickled slaw on tip was crisp and added a nice amount of acid. This was also a generous portion for the price!
I loved our "meal" here and this has, after two visits here, become a first day tradition! There are still lots of things I'd like to try on the menu here!
It was close to 11 by the time we finished, so we went straight back to the hotel. We had to be up at 5:00 AM the following morning!
I was able to sneak in a 45 minute nap - which was great, because I definitely needed it. When I woke up - it still looked like this...
And Lisa sent me a text that she was minutes away. I told her to just check in at the gate house with my name and room number and drive to Casitas 3. Well...that would have been a great plan at literally any other resort but CSR - which, unknown to me, had TWO gates and you need either a magic band or a room key in order to enter the 2nd set of gates. CSR is HUGE and the buildings can definitely feel like a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going.
I told Lisa to stay where she was and I would try to find her. I quickly threw the things I needed for the night in a bag - including my tripod, poncho'd up, and set off in search.
What followed was a hysterical series of texts, phone calls and google pin drops. I wish I could accurately describe the combination of frustration, four-letter words, laughing so hard our sides hurt, and helplessness, we both felt, but it was definitely a 'you had to be there' situation. After about 25 minutes - I finally found Lisa - on the far outskirts of the Convention Center parking lot.
I hopped in the car and we headed for the Polynesian.
The plan was for Lisa to get dinner at Trader Sams, Tambu Lounge or Kona Café and I was going to go to Magic Kingdom to watch Happily Ever After.
We got to the gate house at the Poly and were told we absolutely could not park there unless we had confirmed dining reservations - which I found silly. I also know this rule isn't strictly enforced, because in march when I had dinner reservations at 'Ohana, I was forced to valet park because all the self-parking was full. The cast member told me it was because DVC members were parking at the Poly so they could go to the Magic Kingdom for a special event that night.
In any event, we didn't want to mess with the TTC at this point - I would have missed the fireworks for sure - and Lisa didn't know where she was going on her own. And its still raining. I asked the guard if we could just pay for valet - which he said was fine. Um...OK. Got it. I'm not really sure what the difference was? Either way we were going to eat dinner at the Poly.
We were finally allowed past the gate house, and there is a bit of a fork in the rode. The sign here, very clearly says "Disney Buses Only" to the right, and Self-Parking and valet to the right. I knew from my trip in march, you just follow the self-parking route down and the valet is off to the right past the bus stop.
Well...the guard literally came chasing after us saying we couldn't go that way and had to go to the right. I know, in his mind he thought for sure we were just going to self-park - but we honestly were going to valet! I've never gotten in so much trouble when I was actually trying to follow the rules haha!
We dealt with the valet and then made our way upstairs. I pointed out Tambu Lounge and Kona to Lisa - and she thought she was going to try Kona.
I made my way to the monorail - and a train had just pulled up. Unfortunately, I got delayed on that train about 10 minutes. I was certain I was going to have a horrible spot for the fireworks, but I managed to find a decent one in the center of main street, a few rows back from where they have the walking path cleared before you get to the hub. Ideally, this section would have been perfect if I was in the front, as you have a good amount of separation between you and the people in front of you. I wasn't successful getting good fireworks pictures on my last night - so I took out my notes cheat sheet (again) and got everything set up including my tripod. The tripod was definitely the best investment I made since my last trip. I got a great deal on one from Best Buy and it was AWESOME! Very light weight and I could break it down myself in a matter of seconds. I could even do it while I was walking in a crowd back to the best stop.
Anyway...I had about 20 minutes to wait, in which time I witnessed my first ever Disney fight. A young girl, I say "young" because based on maturity level, I would assume her to be about 19, which is actually an insult to 19 year olds everywhere - and an older woman, I would guess about 50-60, got into quite an altercation. From what I could gather - there was some disagreement between the two further back in the crowd. They both apparently continued to inch their way forward, ending up directly beside me.
The current disagreement was because young girl (YG) felt the lady (L) was crowding her space (she wasn't in my opinion and was following cast member instructions to move all the way forward). YG was actually yelling at L at this point about how if she wanted a good space, she needed to get there sooner. L responded saying she was just following instructions. YG continues berating L about how she's supposed to be an adult (over, and over, and over again "You're an adult, you're an adult, you're an adult). I was kerfuffled about what YG was supposed to be - because she definitely was not acting like an adult. YG goes on to yell at L that she needed to back up because she was saving a space for her boyfriend. Oh, the irony.
L responds (calmly) that if her boyfriend wanted a good spot, he should have gotten there earlier (point for L). At this point, I was working up the courage to say something, because YG was way out of line in speaking to this woman that way, and also way out of line in berating this woman for exactly what she herself was doing. At this point, YG, manages to bring me into the argument by saying "if you wanted to get a good spot, you should have gotten here earlier, like this lady (pointing at me)."
I think YG thought I would back her up - but I was squarely not on her side. The yelling, her pointing her finger in L's face - not cool. Whether L was right or wrong, girl needed to show some more respect. So, I said the only thing I could think of - "You're actually the one acting ridiculous, and if you don't knock it off, I'm going to film you and put it on YouTube."
I internally winced. Not cool to sink down to someone else's level - but it worked. A hair flip, a scoff and a massive eye roll followed, but she turned around and didn't say another word.
Argument over - it was time for fireworks.
I was actually furious initially when the news broke Wishes was ending. Like red in the face mad. I cried on both of my last times watching Wishes. Not like sobbing or anything, but definitely teary eyed.
No fireworks show could ever. possibly. take the place of wishes. Except for - these fireworks.
Breathtaking. Jaw-dropping. Inspiring. All the feelings. And yes, even tear-jerking. I was overwhelmed with Happily Ever After.
Everything was perfect. I was happy I shot long exposure shots and used a tripod because all I had to do was push the button each time the shutter closed. I had quite a few shots that were way over exposed, but these were great for a first attempt I thought!
I love the quote at the end of Happily Ever After:
And so our journey comes to an end
But yours continues on
Grab hold of your dreams
And make them come true
For you are the key to
unlocking your own magic
Now go, let your dreams guide you
Reach out and find your
Happily Ever After
I literally had chills! I wanted to just stand there in amazement, but I did not want me, or my camera to get trampled. I booked it back to the monorail (disassembling tripod as I went) - and managed to catch the first resort monorail back to the Poly.
It was time for drinks at Trader Sam's - which normally I would put in a separate post, but if you're feeling rushed, its because I am rushing to try and get to Pandora!
We had some confusion about being added to a wait list or if there even was a wait list at Trader Sam's, so that resulted in going outside on the patio where you can get the same drinks and food! It was hot, but frankly, I was starving and I know Lisa wanted a cocktail.
I started with...
HippopotoMai-Tai - Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curacao, Orgeat (almond), organic agave nectar, and fresh lime juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass for $21; without glass for $11
The cost of the glass is less than what it is in the gift shop, and it says Trader Sam's Grog Grotto on the back of it. I was happy I finally got my glass after foregoing one on my last trip. And, in keeping with tradition, the drink was knock you right on your kiester strong.
Lisa decided to go with something a bit more mundane:
Mosquito Mojito - Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, organic agave nectar, Falernum, mint and fresh lime juice topped with soda water $10.75
This was also delicious!
For snacks, we decided to share:
Hawaiian Poke - with Sriracha aioli $12.99
This was yummy, super fresh and a very large portion (we felt) for the price given the quality of the tuna.
Roasted Chicken Pork Pate Banh Mi Sliders $9.99
These were SUPER tasty. The bread was fresh - crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The Pork Pate was more of a pork sausage in terms of flavor, and the pickled slaw on tip was crisp and added a nice amount of acid. This was also a generous portion for the price!
I loved our "meal" here and this has, after two visits here, become a first day tradition! There are still lots of things I'd like to try on the menu here!
It was close to 11 by the time we finished, so we went straight back to the hotel. We had to be up at 5:00 AM the following morning!
Hannahinwonderland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2014
Definitely following along! Can't wait to see your pics of Pandora, I'm sure they're great!
Self_resqing_princz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2010
I love the middle fireworks picture with the multi color fireworks on either side and the purple castle... BEA-U-TIFUL!
Those drinks look delicious!
And seriously?! 5 A.M.... ON VACATION?! I don't get up that early on work days.
Those drinks look delicious!
And seriously?! 5 A.M.... ON VACATION?! I don't get up that early on work days.
BishopsMoM
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
Following along.... Can't wait to hear about Pandora, as I impatiently wait for our October trip. 
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
Thanks! And welcome!
Next post!
Yes - very early, but it was worth it. Even though we needed an afternoon nap haha.
Thank you!
Definitely all the feels!
Following along.... Can't wait to hear about Pandora, as I impatiently wait for our October trip.
Oh! I bet this place will be AWESOME in the fall!
Welcome back! And thank you!
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
The One Where...Toto, We Are NOT in Kansas
Alright folks, it's time! A brief disclaimer that the following posts will contain many spoilers of Pandora. Pictures, descriptions, details of the ride! I would love to have you all join me for the journey - but understand if you want to be surprised. I myself had to avoid the internet and most forms of social media in the days leading up to our trip.
A little background - I had not seen the Avatar film prior to experiencing the park. I have since watched it - but I wanted to go into the park having never seen the film and really not knowing much about the premise of the movie.
Our plan was to leave the hotel no later than 6:15. The park had Extra Magic Hours from 7-8 AM this morning and again from 11PM - 1 AM. Our goal was first one in to last woman standing.
I apologize because the first part of this post will be word heavy and picture-lite, but I promise it picks up on the pictures.
Leading up to the trip - it occurred to me that since Lisa was only a day guest, she couldn't be 'officially' added to my room reservation. I had called Disney reservations multiple times before our arrival and asked if Lisa was able to attend EMH - and was told each time she could, but that we needed to register her as a day guest at the resort.
Now, I know that CMs on the phones are notorious for giving out incorrect information. But given that I was provided the same information each of the three times I called, I left feeling completely confident Lisa could join me for both sets of EMH.
However, when we arrived at the front desk to register her Friday night, we were told by TWO cast members that if was really up to the cast member at the park if she could attend EMH (what?!). I’m not going to lie, I was a little peeved. We had a team pow-wow about what to do – and Lisa said we should stick with our original plan – if she couldn’t get in, she would go have breakfast at Boma (by herself). I felt like a horrible friend – but she was insistent that my whole reason for going on this trip was Pandora – I needed to go early.
So, off we headed to the park by 6:15 – right on time. It’s a REALLY short (and easy) drive to Animal Kingdom from Coronado. We parked the car in the first row of Unicorn, and obviously did not need to tram it up to the front. We made it through security easily enough. We discovered they had already let everyone in from the main tapstyles (it was about 6:30 at this point). We made our way to the left which was for resort guests – and had my band scanned. They only scanned one of ours and we were free to go. Easy as can be!
We headed towards Pandora – which wasn’t hard, follow the sea of people. I have a hard time guesstimating how many people are in front of me usually, but if I needed to give my best, educated guest – there was no more than 100 people ahead of us.
I had on my snazzy Avatar-inspired mouse ears:
My original plan was to ride Na’vi River Journey first. It was shorter and less popular. FoP is a high capacity ride – and in my mind, I was thinking the initial rush of people would be mostly cleared out of there by the time we got in. Literally as they dropped the rope, I said “I think we better due Flight of Passage first!”
So off we went to flight of passage. Below is the excerpt from my blog where I reviewed the ride. I apologize, it’s pretty lengthy. Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, you can check out some pictures I took much later in the day to help illustrate the ride experience.
Without question - Flight of Passage is the flagship attraction of Pandora. It flawlessly connects the Avatar film to Pandora in a fully immersive way - making you completely forget you're at Disney World and instead making you feel as if you've been transported to this far away land.
The attraction begins long before you enter the pre-flight sequence. You'll find yourself trekking past waterfalls, lush landscape and bioluminescent plants and you'll get a perfect view of the land's floating mountains. As you enter the base of the mountain, you enter a cave featuring Na'vi drawings before wandering into an abandoned RDA building.
You'll notice the bioluminescent forest has begun to encroach on the dwelling. It's not until you enter the Pandora Conservation Initiative (PCI) labs that you become fully immersed in the World of Avatar.
Science experiments grace a workstation in the center of the room, and off in the corner you'll find the most photographed scene since the land opened. This scene single-handedly cements the relationship between the film and the land. In the film, Avatars were only computer generated. Floating in an amnio tank, you'll find a moving, breathing Avatar - bringing the film to life before your eyes.
After exiting the science lab, you'll be directed to the final queue area. You'll be divided into groups of 16 and loaded into the first of two pre-show rooms. There are three floors to the ride - the higher two floors do require you to climb stairs.
The first room you enter is the genetic matching room. Here you're given a brief background on how the process of linking to an Avatar works. You're then genetically linked to your Avatar by doing some funny wiggling around.
You'll then file into the next show room, where you meet Dr. Jackie Ogden - a fictional character as it relates to Avatar, however, she is named after the real life Dr. Jackie Ogden - who acted as the Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment for Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. She was a fundamental piece of the Animal Kingdom Park, and it was nice to see her get a nod in this attraction.
The fictional Dr. Ogden explains the right of passage, or Iknimaya you're about to experience by flying on the back of a banshee, or Ikran. You're given some flight instructions, before being directed to Sivako! Or - rise to the challenge.
When you enter the ride room, you'll be directed to sit on your "banshee". Which basically looks like a bicycle without wheels from the Tron movie.
Now - it's time to don your flight goggles and experience a thrilling, beautiful journey past floating mountains, over oceans and among a bioluminescent forest.
The two things I found most exciting about the ride was how you focus on different areas of scenery depending on where you are positioned within the ride system itself - making this a unique ride each time - even though the film sequence does not change like it does on Star Tours, for example. You can also "feel" your banshee breathing beneath you as you ride, giving you the impression you are truly linked to each other.
OK, so obviously – we loved the ride. LOVED. THE. RIDE. We resisted the extremely tempting urge to dilly dally in Wind Traders and made our way to the Na’vi River Journey.
As we walked by the entrance to Flight of Passage – the wait time was…
Wait for it…
250 MINUTES! Now, do I think that was a great exaggeration on Disney’s part? Yes. Yes, I do. But regardless – we made the right choice. We made it to Na’vi and the posted wait time was 20 minutes – which was exactly correct.
FYI – this is an outdoor queue for about 97.5% of the time you’re going to wait. There are those extreme turbo fans, but honestly, they can’t move all of the hot air. So enjoy the time you’re standing in front of them.
The pictures I got of this ride were not great. I had set up my camera for this being a dark ride, and while that is true in the technical sense of the word – it is so aglow with black lights and bioluminescent plants, that its very bright. Here are a few OK pictures:
So, my thoughts on Na’vi River Journey are a little different. It is very pretty to look at. It is incredible short though – I would definitely not wait more than 30 minutes for it on another trip.
The Shaman audio-animatronic is incredible. They say there are more hydraulics in the face of this animatronic than there are in the entire bodies of any of the other ones at Disney. So, while it was awesome to see that – I didn’t connect to this ride the way I did Flight of Passage.
Up Next: Breakfast at Satu’li Canteen, Shopping at Windtraders, and a Pandora Photo Tour.
Alright folks, it's time! A brief disclaimer that the following posts will contain many spoilers of Pandora. Pictures, descriptions, details of the ride! I would love to have you all join me for the journey - but understand if you want to be surprised. I myself had to avoid the internet and most forms of social media in the days leading up to our trip.
A little background - I had not seen the Avatar film prior to experiencing the park. I have since watched it - but I wanted to go into the park having never seen the film and really not knowing much about the premise of the movie.
Our plan was to leave the hotel no later than 6:15. The park had Extra Magic Hours from 7-8 AM this morning and again from 11PM - 1 AM. Our goal was first one in to last woman standing.
I apologize because the first part of this post will be word heavy and picture-lite, but I promise it picks up on the pictures.
Leading up to the trip - it occurred to me that since Lisa was only a day guest, she couldn't be 'officially' added to my room reservation. I had called Disney reservations multiple times before our arrival and asked if Lisa was able to attend EMH - and was told each time she could, but that we needed to register her as a day guest at the resort.
Now, I know that CMs on the phones are notorious for giving out incorrect information. But given that I was provided the same information each of the three times I called, I left feeling completely confident Lisa could join me for both sets of EMH.
However, when we arrived at the front desk to register her Friday night, we were told by TWO cast members that if was really up to the cast member at the park if she could attend EMH (what?!). I’m not going to lie, I was a little peeved. We had a team pow-wow about what to do – and Lisa said we should stick with our original plan – if she couldn’t get in, she would go have breakfast at Boma (by herself). I felt like a horrible friend – but she was insistent that my whole reason for going on this trip was Pandora – I needed to go early.
So, off we headed to the park by 6:15 – right on time. It’s a REALLY short (and easy) drive to Animal Kingdom from Coronado. We parked the car in the first row of Unicorn, and obviously did not need to tram it up to the front. We made it through security easily enough. We discovered they had already let everyone in from the main tapstyles (it was about 6:30 at this point). We made our way to the left which was for resort guests – and had my band scanned. They only scanned one of ours and we were free to go. Easy as can be!
We headed towards Pandora – which wasn’t hard, follow the sea of people. I have a hard time guesstimating how many people are in front of me usually, but if I needed to give my best, educated guest – there was no more than 100 people ahead of us.
I had on my snazzy Avatar-inspired mouse ears:
My original plan was to ride Na’vi River Journey first. It was shorter and less popular. FoP is a high capacity ride – and in my mind, I was thinking the initial rush of people would be mostly cleared out of there by the time we got in. Literally as they dropped the rope, I said “I think we better due Flight of Passage first!”
So off we went to flight of passage. Below is the excerpt from my blog where I reviewed the ride. I apologize, it’s pretty lengthy. Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, you can check out some pictures I took much later in the day to help illustrate the ride experience.
Without question - Flight of Passage is the flagship attraction of Pandora. It flawlessly connects the Avatar film to Pandora in a fully immersive way - making you completely forget you're at Disney World and instead making you feel as if you've been transported to this far away land.
The attraction begins long before you enter the pre-flight sequence. You'll find yourself trekking past waterfalls, lush landscape and bioluminescent plants and you'll get a perfect view of the land's floating mountains. As you enter the base of the mountain, you enter a cave featuring Na'vi drawings before wandering into an abandoned RDA building.
You'll notice the bioluminescent forest has begun to encroach on the dwelling. It's not until you enter the Pandora Conservation Initiative (PCI) labs that you become fully immersed in the World of Avatar.
Science experiments grace a workstation in the center of the room, and off in the corner you'll find the most photographed scene since the land opened. This scene single-handedly cements the relationship between the film and the land. In the film, Avatars were only computer generated. Floating in an amnio tank, you'll find a moving, breathing Avatar - bringing the film to life before your eyes.
After exiting the science lab, you'll be directed to the final queue area. You'll be divided into groups of 16 and loaded into the first of two pre-show rooms. There are three floors to the ride - the higher two floors do require you to climb stairs.
The first room you enter is the genetic matching room. Here you're given a brief background on how the process of linking to an Avatar works. You're then genetically linked to your Avatar by doing some funny wiggling around.
You'll then file into the next show room, where you meet Dr. Jackie Ogden - a fictional character as it relates to Avatar, however, she is named after the real life Dr. Jackie Ogden - who acted as the Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment for Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. She was a fundamental piece of the Animal Kingdom Park, and it was nice to see her get a nod in this attraction.
The fictional Dr. Ogden explains the right of passage, or Iknimaya you're about to experience by flying on the back of a banshee, or Ikran. You're given some flight instructions, before being directed to Sivako! Or - rise to the challenge.
When you enter the ride room, you'll be directed to sit on your "banshee". Which basically looks like a bicycle without wheels from the Tron movie.
Now - it's time to don your flight goggles and experience a thrilling, beautiful journey past floating mountains, over oceans and among a bioluminescent forest.
The two things I found most exciting about the ride was how you focus on different areas of scenery depending on where you are positioned within the ride system itself - making this a unique ride each time - even though the film sequence does not change like it does on Star Tours, for example. You can also "feel" your banshee breathing beneath you as you ride, giving you the impression you are truly linked to each other.
OK, so obviously – we loved the ride. LOVED. THE. RIDE. We resisted the extremely tempting urge to dilly dally in Wind Traders and made our way to the Na’vi River Journey.
As we walked by the entrance to Flight of Passage – the wait time was…
Wait for it…
250 MINUTES! Now, do I think that was a great exaggeration on Disney’s part? Yes. Yes, I do. But regardless – we made the right choice. We made it to Na’vi and the posted wait time was 20 minutes – which was exactly correct.
FYI – this is an outdoor queue for about 97.5% of the time you’re going to wait. There are those extreme turbo fans, but honestly, they can’t move all of the hot air. So enjoy the time you’re standing in front of them.
The pictures I got of this ride were not great. I had set up my camera for this being a dark ride, and while that is true in the technical sense of the word – it is so aglow with black lights and bioluminescent plants, that its very bright. Here are a few OK pictures:
So, my thoughts on Na’vi River Journey are a little different. It is very pretty to look at. It is incredible short though – I would definitely not wait more than 30 minutes for it on another trip.
The Shaman audio-animatronic is incredible. They say there are more hydraulics in the face of this animatronic than there are in the entire bodies of any of the other ones at Disney. So, while it was awesome to see that – I didn’t connect to this ride the way I did Flight of Passage.
Up Next: Breakfast at Satu’li Canteen, Shopping at Windtraders, and a Pandora Photo Tour.
Last edited:
MeghanEmily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
I had on my snazzy Avatar-inspired mouse ears:
So cute!
\
Oh my gosh. I would be so frustrated. But thank goodness you both got in fine for EMH.
This is so neat!!
Holy smokes! Yeah, you definitely made the right call on that one. That's wild. I'm looking forward to FOP—despite being really concerned about motion sickness issues—but I'm pretty sure I couldn't wait that long in line for any ride ever. Thankfully, we've got our FP, so hopefully we'll be ok for August unless something crazy happens.
I'm really excited to see this! But I've tempered my expectations for the ride for sure.
JessRose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
I've had a lot of people ask me about motion sickness on the ride - I thankfully don't suffer from motion sickness - although Star Tours and Mission Space can mess with me. What I would say is - the ride is even smoother than Soarin'. Like, a lot. But you have the sensation of moving a lot faster. Its not jerky or bumpy like Star Tours is. You don't do anything upside down, but you are going fast through narrow passageways at one point.
I hope that helps!
I also read on another blog that one woman was fine the first time she rode, but went on again for a 2nd ride right away (they were there during the AP preview) and that is when the motion sickness hit her.
MeghanEmily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
Ok, this helps a bit! I've also heard that some people who usually have trouble with motion simulators don't mind it because it's synced really perfectly to the video so it doesn't confuse your brain. I usually have a problem with simulators, and there is even a moment in Soarin' that gets me a little bit when you feel like you're moving faster at the end of the Great Wall scene, but I figure I can always just close my eyes if I have to. I don't want to miss out if I can manage to ride at least once.
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