Na'vi River Journey

[hakepb]

It's a nice ride. Most of the hate I have seen isn't that the ride is bad, but that people are disappointed that they waited so long for it. Had they waited a more reasonable time, I think they wouldn't lash out as much.

Frankly, I feel that was Disney's fault. There is a lot they could have done with the queue to make the wait feel shorter. There is much they could have done with the ride capacity so that it could handle more people. There is a lot they could have done with the ride to make it feel more worth the wait.

Yes. I’ve read that NRJ was initially going to be a longer, better ride (possibly inside and outside) but was really scaled back. The low capacity certainly doesn’t help.

Fortunately, It sounds like Disney learned that lesson and is going out at SWGE, making the Rise of the Resistance dark ride better than an amazing Millennium Falcon simulator ride.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Yes. I’ve read that NRJ was initially going to be a longer, better ride (possibly inside and outside) but was really scaled back. The low capacity certainly doesn’t help.

Fortunately, It sounds like Disney learned that lesson and is going out at SWGE, making the Rise of the Resistance dark ride better than an amazing Millennium Falcon simulator ride.

The "double ride" (where there is a mini ride before the queue) that they are doing for the Dark Ride is pure genius. That will definitely help to make the wait feel shorter - even if it's not. That's the type of thing I expect from Disney, master of the queue line. Still I am positive that some people will come out of the ride and express anger at something or another. In this case, probably "it didn't feel like star wars to me". Okay - what WOULD feel like star wars to you? The problem Disney will face - somewhat more so in SWGE than Avatar - is that everyone has in their heads their own childhood vision of what it would be like to live in that galaxy far, far away - and for some Disney will get it right, but for some I guarantee they won't hit the mark of what that person dreamed.

 

[KellyHonos]

So happy you feel this way! I think the comparisons to FOP are what's killing people's interest in it. They are two totally different rides and should be seen that way. Even if you don't find the ride visually interesting (uhh...how could you not, though?), at least its a place to rest your feet for a few!

 

[Disfan454]

I thought this ride was a huge waste of time. Anyone using a fast pass on it will be very disappointed in my opinion. Unless it is walk on, I would not recommend it. Even then, its questionable.

 

[Chami]

I thought this ride was a huge waste of time. Anyone using a fast pass on it will be very disappointed in my opinion. Unless it is walk on, I would not recommend it. Even then, its questionable.

I think this is why there is such a variety of rides at Disney. We were newbies and fast passed this twice. We seriously looked forward to our second ride after we experienced the first.

I was incredibly disappointed with SDMT. However, I am guessing others really enjoy it. Everyone is going to like different things.

 

[KenHutch]

Considering how bad the movie really is, that makes a lot of sense, I would say in the long term Disney is going to have to retheme this land, as Avatar doesn't have staying power.

This could end up being a case of the rides help carry the next film.

 

[KellyHonos]

Considering how bad the movie really is, that makes a lot of sense, I would say in the long term Disney is going to have to retheme this land, as Avatar doesn't have staying power.

I thought this movie got rave-reviews and has a cult-following? Personally I had seen it once when it came out years ago, but didn't care about it. But with the announcement of the new land in Disney, I re-watched it and found it to be a great movie. It had a lot of valuable lessons in it as well as being stunning and beautiful. I don't think Disney would have invested the time or $ into it without knowing it would be a hit. Of course I realize we're all entitled to our own opinion, I just found it interesting that you said it was a bad movie.

 

[KellyHonos]

I think this is why there is such a variety of rides at Disney. We were newbies and fast passed this twice. We seriously looked forward to our second ride after we experienced the first.

I was incredibly disappointed with SDMT. However, I am guessing others really enjoy it. Everyone is going to like different things.

Sadly, the Seven Dwarfs Mine train let me down a little too. I'll still make it a point to ride it anytime I'm there because it's still a nice, newer ride, but I felt like it lasted .0002 seconds! It started and then suddenly it was over! When we came back to get out of the train, I was like, "wait, that's it?!"

 

[GoingSince1990]

I love it. But I'm easy to please. I even liked Ellen's Energy Adventure.

 

[jo-jo]

I thought the shaman was the beginning of the story line, not the end of the ride.

 

[jkh36619]

Visually appealing for sure. It could have definitely benefited from some narration and lengthening . There's just no story being told but I could see where people would like the quiet serenity of the attraction.

 

[monkyby87]

I thought this movie got rave-reviews and has a cult-following? Personally I had seen it once when it came out years ago, but didn't care about it. But with the announcement of the new land in Disney, I re-watched it and found it to be a great movie. It had a lot of valuable lessons in it as well as being stunning and beautiful. I don't think Disney would have invested the time or $ into it without knowing it would be a hit. Of course I realize we're all entitled to our own opinion, I just found it interesting that you said it was a bad movie.

There are also several sequels in the works, so the Avatar name and brand will be around for quite a while. I don't think Disney made the decision to invest in a huge and expensive addition on a whim.
And honestly, even if people don't really know or care about Avatar, that doesn't mean they won't find the rides interesting. FoP is cool for the type of ride it is. Even if you don't know the story, you might be able to appreciate the ride.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I agree with the posters who say that it unfortunately lacks a storyline. Our family also happens to find the shaman's voice a bit grating. To us, he sounds off-key.

Without a storyline, the ride has no thesis.

Compare it to other WDW boat rides. The purpose (message/thesis) of many WDW rides is clear. IaSW is super clear, "There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware it's a Small world after all." The rest of the ride supports the opening thesis/theme. The world is small, because all people love dancing, singing, sharing, and spending time together.

The old Norway ride also gave us an immediate purpose, "Those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure—but more often, find beauty and charm. We have always lived with the sea, so look first to the spirit of the seafarer." We're supposed to explore the culture of Norway.

Why are we going to the land of the Na'vi? What is the ride trying to show us?

Since there's no story, there's no theme. We're only given the superficial appearance. We can't understand the shaman; we can't appreciate his message. If he sounded nice, we could perhaps appreciate his sound the same way we enjoy the opening lines of the Lion King, but he doesn't sound so pleasant.

[I just re-watched LK. Do you know the Zulu translation of the LK opening?
(It means:
Here comes a lion, father
Oh yes it's a lion. (x 2)
lion
We're going to conquer
lion
a lion and a leopard come to this open space.)

Maybe not too deep after all, but at least it sounds nice. At least the rest of the song has a big message!]


Meanwhile, what was the literary theme (message, thesis) of the original Avatar movie? Call me crazy, but I thought the message was deeper than, "this place is pretty." I thought the ENTIRE message of the movie was about how important it is to value the CULTURE of the planet in order to protect/preserve the entire ecosystem of this world. It is worth loving. It is a bit like the theme of both IaSW and Maelstrom combined, no?

In effect, the omission leads us - more or less- to the opposite conclusion: only appearance matters. In essence, it undercuts the theme of the movie entirely.

It is a bit of head stretcher really. Why did they omit any semblance of a storyline?

 

[trickiwoo]

My first visit to Pandora I got a FP for FOP. My second visit to Pandora, I wanted to try NRJ so I got a FP. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did! In fact, as soon as I got home, I booked another FP for NRJ for my next trip because I wanted to ride it again.

 

[Disfan454]

I think this is why there is such a variety of rides at Disney. We were newbies and fast passed this twice. We seriously looked forward to our second ride after we experienced the first.

I was incredibly disappointed with SDMT. However, I am guessing others really enjoy it. Everyone is going to like different things.

You are definitely correct. That is why I like to stress the "in my opinion". Glad you enjoyed it though. I unfortunately saw it as The Seas With Nemo with better lighting and no real animals. SDMT wasn't as fun to me as BTM but I like it.

 

[NickDubs34]

I personally don’t love it but I agree that it’s more the idea of waiting a long time to do it that I can’t get on board with. Likewise, I can’t imagine getting there super early and rope dropping to go to River Journey. If you’re going to all that trouble to get there early for Pandora, it just doesn’t make sense to me to go on that rather than FoP (unless you’re susceptible to motion sickness and the like). Fastpass is the best option, IMO. Whether it’s because you can’t get one for FoP and take Navi instead or get it as an additional (which I’ve found pretty easy to do), it’s the best way to not use a bunch of time and still see it.

 

[tobikaye]

I do agree that it is visibly stunning and have informed others of this, but I still found the attraction quite blah. Luckily, we had a FP for it about a week after it opened and had no long waits. I cannot really pinpoint what I do not like about the attraction, I just do not care for it.

I figure I am now good and will only need to ride it if I am with someone that has not and wants to, or my sister that enjoys the boat attractions.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Considering how bad the movie really is, that makes a lot of sense, I would say in the long term Disney is going to have to retheme this land, as Avatar doesn't have staying power.

I thought this movie got rave-reviews and has a cult-following? Personally I had seen it once when it came out years ago, but didn't care about it. But with the announcement of the new land in Disney, I re-watched it and found it to be a great movie. It had a lot of valuable lessons in it as well as being stunning and beautiful. I don't think Disney would have invested the time or $ into it without knowing it would be a hit. Of course I realize we're all entitled to our own opinion, I just found it interesting that you said it was a bad movie.

Then there is that little issue that there is not one sequel. Not 2 sequels. Not 3 sequels. But FOUR (4) sequels planned - with release dates from 2020 to 2025. That's 7 years of stay right there - long enough to power any land for a long, long time. Disney obviously thinks Avatar has a lot of staying power.

 

[TinkerPan]

The problem for me and my husband is that this was the most difficult ride to get in and exit. For being a new ride that was so disappointing. I have to say for that reason we'll probably skip it next time. Just not worth getting hurt.

 

[Searc]

Then there is that little issue that there is not one sequel. Not 2 sequels. Not 3 sequels. But FOUR (4) sequels planned - with release dates from 2020 to 2025. That's 7 years of stay right there - long enough to power any land for a long, long time. Disney obviously thinks Avatar has a lot of staying power.

Sequels are planned. It doesn't mean they'll actually be shot and make it to a theater. Projects are scrapped all the time.