My review of the Na'vi River Journey ride

[Magpie]

Count me in as another who loves this ride. We rode it twice, back to back, right before park close just about two weeks ago - it was raining, so it was a walk on. And then we rode it again, a little later in the week, again just before park close. The wait time board said 25 minutes, but it only took about 10 to walk through the queue.

My husband and I thought it was absolutely lovely, and doesn't need a storyline at all. If anything, I found the Shaman a little weird and probably my least favourite part (though that doesn't mean I don't like her well enough, since I very much enjoyed everything). She's just a wee bit Uncanny Valley for my tastes.

Why I love this ride... There is so much to see, and it's so relaxing and everything smells nice and sounds good! I felt like we were exploring Pandora! And getting to see wildlife and glimpses of the people. It's not the same as just walking around the trails outside, even if they both have glow-y plants.

That said, we're both fans of slow boat rides. We very much enjoy Little Mermaid, Living with the Land, Small World, etc. Every park should have at least one of these, (if only to accommodate people who can't ride the headliners), and this one definitely does Animal Kingdom justice.

Also, I really feel there are no rides worth waiting over an hour for, and an extended wait can take the shine off even a terrific ride, as it'll never measure up to the anticipation. I refused to ride Goofy's Barnstormer for years after waiting 45 minutes for it once. I thought the ride was the Worst. Ride. Ever. after that experience. But, then I happened across it when it was a walk on, gave it a second chance, and was like, "Why did I ever hate this ride? It's cute! And fun! I love it!"

Moral - nothing's worth waiting a super long time for. It'll just ruin your experience.

 

[Gabriel Lam]

Count me in as another who loves this ride. We rode it twice, back to back, right before park close just about two weeks ago - it was raining, so it was a walk on. And then we rode it again, a little later in the week, again just before park close. The wait time board said 25 minutes, but it only took about 10 to walk through the queue.

My husband and I thought it was absolutely lovely, and doesn't need a storyline at all. If anything, I found the Shaman a little weird and probably my least favourite part (though that doesn't mean I don't like her well enough, since I very much enjoyed everything). She's just a wee bit Uncanny Valley for my tastes.

Why I love this ride... There is so much to see, and it's so relaxing and everything smells nice and sounds good! I felt like we were exploring Pandora! And getting to see wildlife and glimpses of the people. It's not the same as just walking around the trails outside, even if they both have glow-y plants.

That said, we're both fans of slow boat rides. We very much enjoy Little Mermaid, Living with the Land, Small World, etc. Every park should have at least one of these, (if only to accommodate people who can't ride the headliners), and this one definitely does Animal Kingdom justice.

Also, I really feel there are no rides worth waiting over an hour for, and an extended wait can take the shine off even a terrific ride, as it'll never measure up to the anticipation. I refused to ride Goofy's Barnstormer for years after waiting 45 minutes for it once. I thought the ride was the Worst. Ride. Ever. after that experience. But, then I happened across it when it was a walk on, gave it a second chance, and was like, "Why did I ever hate this ride? It's cute! And fun! I love it!"

Moral - nothing's worth waiting a super long time for. It'll just ruin your experience.

I think the Radiator Springs Racers is worth waiting an hour for

Yes I agree, every park should have a slow ride. Hollywood Studio's is still lacking one and none are in announcement (Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is certainly not one of those).

In terms of the other comments up there, this 4.5 minute ride I find is alright. maybe another 2 minutes would have been ok but I do agree that Shaman is a bit fast. (For camera nerds: the boat was still slow enough for me to capture a sharp photo of Shaman at 1/40s shutter speed, refer to my first OP post)

I think while I said I like the right. I think I didn't get as much of the wow factor cause I may have expected it to look and have a feel like their 2013 concept art(image below). If the area felt like it had more depth to it with more open space, rather than overstuffing their tight area with too many bioluminescence plants. then I probably would have been wow'd more.

 

[KellyHonos]

I can see how this ride fell flat for some, but I also feel like it is really underappreciated at the same time. Just reviewing this ride on sights alone, this ride is breathtaking. And that animatronic (spelling)....just wow. Looked like a living, breathing creature! It's crazy how far technology has come. And the bio-luminescent scenery was also beautiful. I do agree, the ride would be more captivating if it had some kind of story line, but nonetheless, its a few minutes off your feet and a nice view.