My review of the Na'vi River Journey ride

[djc9699]

My daughter (14) and I waited about 50 minutes for it between a FOP and Everest FP. We really enjoyed it. We are planning to rope drop it in March with my almost 3 year old grand daughter. Thinking of it from a toddler standpoint it is wonderful for that age group. The colors and movement of the animals is interesting for young children. Given the lack of rides for families with small children at AK this is a welcome ride. They could have done more, but some little ones don't like drops of any kind so it is nice to have just a nice slow boat ride with so much to look at.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I just want 5 more minutes of it and I think it would be perfect, don't need a storyline but I have watched the movie

Don’t know why you’d object to a story ...everything outside this Disney does even eating establishments revolve around a “story”. I think it’s so odd how this ride doesn’t even have a subtitle storyline...I agree five more minutes would have been perfect. Preferably something like the movie that shows this beautiful imagery, and however if not careful it can be ruined.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We really enjoyed the ride. The scenes looked surprisingly realistic. Wish it were a longer ride. However, as others have mentioned, would not wait longer than 20 to 30 minutes for this.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Yes, this!!! It was like, “oh there she is...there she goes” - I would have loved the boat to stop there a minute to really feel like I was singing with her and a part of this journey.

I think that enhances the repeatability of the ride, and there are lots of other examples, such as the AAs (and the entire mine scene, even if it slows down) in 7DMT and the Ursula AA in the Mermaid ride. You can't take in all the details, so you want to ride again. The ballroom and graveyard scenes in Haunted Mansion are also good examples. If you can't see everything the first time, that makes the second and third ride worthwhile, too.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Don’t know why you’d object to a story ...everything outside this Disney does even eating establishments revolve around a “story”. I think it’s so odd how this ride doesn’t even have a subtitle storyline...I agree five more minutes would have been perfect. Preferably something like the movie that shows this beautiful imagery, and however if not careful it can be ruined.

When it comes to rides, "story" is a highly overrated factor. Rides are really all about experiences, and any semblance of a story is just an excuse to present those experiences. Pirates never had a story until they tacked on a very lame one involving Jack Sparrow. Haunted Mansion is a trip through various haunted parts of an old house. What's the story of Space Mountain? You're flying through space.

I don't think FOP really has a story, for that matter. You're flying on the back of a banshee, and you experience that. I could even argue that River Journey has more of a story; you're exploring the Pandora rain forest in search of the Na'vi Shaman, and you find her at the end (unless you're out of luck and she appears via video).

 

[Tomh]

I very much enjoy the ride. I think the scenes are stunning, the animals moving along the shore lines are well done, and believable. I now understand why the boats are so small, because it does emulate a small group of Na'vi rowing the river. The Shaman AA is amazing, and certainly the best AA I have seen at Disney.

Honestly, there are only two things that I think they could have done differently to improve the ride. As some others have pointed out, there is no story, nothing to clue you in to what it is you are going to see. For those who have never seen the movie, I think they should have used the queue area to kind of bring people up to speed about the Na'vi so that the ride would make more sense.

The only other thing I think would have been an improvement is simply if the ride had been a bit longer. It does seem as though it is over pretty quickly.

Neither of those really take much away from the ride for me though. It was an amazing experience, and I am certainly looking forward to riding again this coming summer!

 

[yulilin3]

Don’t know why you’d object to a story ...everything outside this Disney does even eating establishments revolve around a “story”. I think it’s so odd how this ride doesn’t even have a subtitle storyline...I agree five more minutes would have been perfect. Preferably something like the movie that shows this beautiful imagery, and however if not careful it can be ruined.

I don't object to a story, I just don't need one personally. I like that it's just a winding, relaxing, beautiful, river ride, to me the story comes implicit in the title of the attraction, it's a river journey of the Na'vi, personally I don't need some scene by even narrative. Again my personal opinion. If it has a story I'll be fine with that too I just wish it was longer

 

[dlavender]

I think the ride would be great.....as a 3rd ride in the land.

 

[Minnesota!]

We loved it. I found it so relaxing and beautiful. I know nothing about Avatar, but still really appreciated the ride.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We waited for about 75 min, and honestly- I would not wait longer than maybe 30 minutes. It was very...I hate to say “blah” but sort of. Kind of anti-climatic in a way. A friend compared it to Little Mermaid and that’s sort of how it felt, except without much of a story or anything going on. Outside is just as gorgeously themed, if not more so, without the wait. Definitely a letdown and my entire family agreed.

Then I will say it, blah. It was totally and completely "Blah."

I couldn't see waiting for more than maybe 15 minutes for it.

For me it had the feel of, This is it? Sorry, but is just another boat ride with pretty things to look at. Heck, at least ITASW has a song.

 

[sullyfam]

I thought it was beautifully done, very visually appealing but nothing that I would wait more than 30 minutes for ...

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

The imagineers put a lot into it, but we, overall, felt that it is not worth the hype. Glad we had a FP. We still waited 15 - 20 minutes with a FP and were disappointed. i would be upset if I waited an hour and half.

 

[robinb]

Then I will say it, blah. It was totally and completely "Blah."

I couldn't see waiting for more than maybe 15 minutes for it.

For me it had the feel of, This is it? Sorry, but is just another boat ride with pretty things to look at. Heck, at least ITASW has a song.

I felt that way the first time I rode it, but warmed up to it the second time.

I also think a backstory would help, especially in that long queue. They try to do a bit of a backstory with the informative plaques on what you're going to see, but it's really not enough.

 

[ALDSMD]

I too thought the ride was blah. I've only ridden it once and wouldn't wait more than 15 minutes for it. Maybe I need to give it another try.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I love this ride and am thankful there is something mellow for people like me.

I do wish it was a bit longer....maybe that's the "Pandora" magic we heard so much about when the movie was released.

 

[dwheaton]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It's a nice change of pace to just have a cool experience, and the projection effects were handled really well. It did seem rather short, and another few minutes would help. However, I don't think that's a deal breaker. I also like the smaller boats, which give you a better perspective than the boats used on Pirates or It's a Small World. We used a FP for it, so it's trickier when you think about waiting 80-90 minutes for it (the typical wait on MLK Weekend). The ride capacity is not as high as what's needed for such a popular land like Pandora, and I don't expect that to change soon.

 

[FortForever]

We will be riding it for the first time this August and I look forward to it. I LOVE the movie and highly recommend it to those of you who say you haven't watched it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

That being said, my hubby gets motion sickness from "Imax" type movies and rides. He has never ridden Soarin' for this reason. He has felt whoozy on Star Tours and usually closes his eyes. It's a bit of a downer, if you ask me. LOL. So I'm not sure if he will sacrifice and ride Flight of Passage? Our plan was to rope drop FOP (the girls and I go on it while he roams around the land) and get fast passes for Na'vi.

I do plan to watch the movie sometime soon! I've heard it's fantastic. Having a step-son that is paraplegic, it may have even more special meaning to us, so I am anxious.

If your hubby gets motion sickness, he should probably skip FOP. One of my adult daughters, who does Soarin', Star Tours, and Imax theaters without any issues, got really nauseous on FOP. Unfortunately, it was the first ride of the day, so it messed up half the day for her.

 

[Bullseye]

Everything in the ride is great but it's not long enough and there should be some climactic point like the drop in POC or FEA. A little bump in the excitement level.

 

[Deanie1]

We loved this ride. Rope dropped it both AK and rode it twice, back to back. Visually it was stunning and we had to ride it twice to see everything. Loved the little boats. It didn’t bother me that there was not a story line.

 

[dlavender]

Everything in the ride is great but it's not long enough and there should be some climactic point like the drop in POC or FEA. A little bump in the excitement level.

Seriously, one little section like Splash mountain where you go down the little drop through the bee hive, or a drop like POTC or FEA would really elevate the ride.

However, the speed pickup from the drop would get you through the ride in like 30 seconds vs 60. Lol!