***Official*** Pandora: The World of Avatar Information Thread

[ThistleMae]

the banshee breathing comes from the center. So the inner part of your legs/thighs. Just like you would feel from a horse

OMG...this sounds so awesome!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Squeeze your thighs together

the banshee breathing comes from the center. So the inner part of your legs/thighs. Just like you would feel from a horse

Thank you! That is what I thought but wanted to confirm!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Awe...really? I haven't ridden the new soarin' yet, why would they make it less awesome? And thanks for the thumbs up on FOP!

With the new Soarin' I think where you sit matters a lot. Ask to sit in row B1 and you will be in the middle (so less distortion) and not have any feet in your field of view.

 

[lovethattink]

I sat in the test vehicle. I'm claustrophobic and minded it. The back piece didn't bother me though. The thing that touched my calves was actually painful. I'm 4'10'', kid sized. Wondering if there's a way to make the calf restraint less painful. Have any of your kids said anything about the calf restraint hurting?

I am going to ride it once! I tackled cancer, I can handle 5 minutes cooped up to ride!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Awe...really? I haven't ridden the new soarin' yet, why would they make it less awesome? And thanks for the thumbs up on FOP!

This isn't a thread about Soarin' obviously, but I found the new version no less awesome than the original. I had read a lot of criticism about the CGI and "distortion," but I wasn't bothered by either and enjoyed it very much.

 

[marciemi]

FWIW, we rode NRJ FP both Saturday and Sunday. Both days it was pretty quick. 10 minutes, maybe 15.

We rode it with FP both Sat and Sun as well and it was under 5 minutes each time (late afternoon both days).

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I sat in the test vehicle. I'm claustrophobic and minded it. The back piece didn't bother me though. The thing that touched my calves was actually painful. I'm 4'10'', kid sized. Wondering if there's a way to make the calf restraint less painful. Have any of your kids said anything about the calf restraint hurting?

This doesn't sound too promising... I've been worried about my calves; height-wise I don't think I'd face the same issue, but now I'm wondering about my kids...?

 

[marciemi]

This isn't a thread about Soarin' obviously, but I found the new version no less awesome than the original. I had read a lot of criticism about the CGI and "distortion," but I wasn't bothered by either and enjoyed it very much.

Agreeing I'm off topic, but I wasn't bothered by the CGI or the distortion (even though it's obvious), but the abrupt transitions. Even after many times they still bother me so I usually close my eyes for a couple seconds at the end of each scene.

 

[wareagle57]

I've been trying hard to keep up with this page over the weekend and tracking wait times and closures.

Does anyone have a brief rundown of how things were handled each morning and EMH evenings? I'm mostly curious in live reports of how the EMHs have been handled each night. The app shows the rides closed well into EMH most nights, but then will update around midnight showing both rides at an hour or more. What do you think can be reasonably expected to accomplish moving forward over the next month? Do they open the ride lines only for a few minutes and then close them again so it's only possible to ride one?

 

[PrincessV]

thanks for the review. The restraint system squeezing you sounds like a malfunction given your height and weight. This it the first time I've heard of a situation like this. Were you positioned any differently on the seat the 2nd time? Not good IMO.

I think it's possible that I settled myself farther forward before the restraints came up the second time, but not by much if I did. Next time I ride, I'll try to leave a little wiggle room and see if it changes things. I'm very short-waisted (in addition to just being short to start lol!), and my bottom ribs hit against the front pad on the console. So with the back restraint super tight the second time, there wasn't space enough to draw a deep breath because my ribs hit the front before they could fully expand, if that makes sense. If I got up on my tiptoes and lifted my ribs above the pad, I could breath deeply, but that wasn't a comfortable way to experience the ride. It's short enough that it wasn't a major issue, but my first round with a less-tight back restraint was definitely more enjoyable!

My son, FWIW, is a few inches taller than I, but 10 pounds lighter, and he said his back restraint was tighter the second time, too, but his ribs all cleared the console, so it was a non-issue.

f you want to see the full effect you have to be in Pandora when it's completely dark and not just during actual sun setting. Last night sunset was at 8:17pm but complete darkness was closer to 9pm.

YES, ITA! We started in Pandora in daylight, exited FOP at sunset, and stayed until after full dark - it was very cool to watch the full transformation.

Squeeze your thighs together

This!!! ^ I haven't been riding in years, but I used to ride horses - I kept finding myself "steering" the banshee with my thighs exactly how I would a horse, because the sensation was so realistic and felt so responsive!

 

[PrincessV]

Some random observations I forgot to mention...

1. It was hella HOT in Pandora after sundown. "Stifling" barely begins to describe it. I'd love to see WDW install some big fans up in the trees all around Pandora to help with summer heat.

2. I tried the Mo'ara margarita... a bit much for me. Light on booze, heavy on fruit slush, too sweet for my taste. But I sprang for the silly glowing seed thingy because it felt right to get into the glowing thing lol!

3. My group kept ooing and aahing over the "bio-luminescent" paths... then laughed and laughed at ourselves as we realized how ridiculously exciting some glow-in-the-dark paint and black lights was because Disney. I may or may not be considering painting the sidewalks of my condo and installing black lights in some of the outdoor light sockets.

 

[mesaboy2]

Some random observations I forgot to mention...

1. It was hella HOT in Pandora after sundown. "Stifling" barely begins to describe it. I'd love to see WDW install some big fans up in the trees all around Pandora to help with summer heat.

2. I tried the Mo'ara margarita... a bit much for me. Light on booze, heavy on fruit slush, too sweet for my taste. But I sprang for the silly glowing seed thingy because it felt right to get into the glowing thing lol!

3. My group kept ooing and aahing over the "bio-luminescent" paths... then laughed and laughed at ourselves as we realized how ridiculously exciting some glow-in-the-dark paint and black lights was because Disney. I may or may not be considering painting the sidewalks of my condo and installing black lights in some of the outdoor light sockets.

Given how all-in Disney is with theming this area, I can't imagine that will ever happen.

 

[PrincessV]

Given how all-in Disney is with theming this area, I can't imagine that will ever happen.

IDK - the foliage is so dense in there, I think they could easily disguise them.

 

[mesaboy2]

IDK - the foliage is so dense in there, I think they could easily disguise them.

They reportedly don't have even hidden Mickeys in there to keep with theming, so there's that. Not sure I buy it, but still....

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Given how all-in Disney is with theming this area, I can't imagine that will ever happen.

If that's true, I think that's ludicrous. Theming is one thing, but disregarding guest comfort for theming? That would be a shame.

 

[wareagle57]

My family and I were at AK at 6:00 am for a 7:00 am opening today. We weren't the first ones there but we were close to the front at the beginning. Trying to push a stroller through the crowd held us up and we dropped back from our original position quite a bit. Despite that we went straight to FOP and had very little wait. Afterwards we went into the Navi store and bought a couple shoulder banshees for my two boys.
We were in the line for the Navi River Journey by 8:00 am with roughly a 30 minute que.
Afterwards we ate breakfast at the Satu'li Canteen using the mobile app ordering system...very quick service and good food in my opinion.
We left Pandora for a few fast pass rides elsewhere in AK before returning to eat lunch at the Satu'li Canteen...quick service again despite being quite a bit busier than they were earlier in the day. We liked their lunch menu as well.
Following lunch we had a FP for a second round of FOP...loved it as much as the first time.

I spent a good portion of the rest of the day trying to modify our FP selections with a third round of FOP, I just kept hoping someone would drop their FP for some reason and I could snap it before anyone else....no such luck.

Thanks for this update. It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for. We are really hoping to make the most of our 7AM EMH the a month from now. How long did you spend in the gift shop? I'm wondering if it would be possible to get both rides in before 8 am. With this being opening holiday weekend it sounds like it will be possible!

 

[Firsttimer15]

It is outside and everyone knows Florida is hot. People can bring their own personal fans in my opinion.
Somebody that cannot handle heat very well should vacation during cooler month

 

[OhStuffandFluff]

After reading the latest on the crazy crowds with the opening of Pandora, I am wondering how the rest of AK is. Is the whole park crazy busy as well? We are arriving this weekend and planning for a half day at AK next week. Now I am wondering if it is even worth it to try. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

It is outside and everyone knows Florida is hot. People can bring their own personal fans in my opinion.
Somebody that cannot handle heat very well should vacation during cooler month

They have fans in other locations in WDW, AK included! No reason for them not to try to make guests more comfortable.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

"Pandora was really immersive... LOVED it... except for those FANS... kept me cooler, but REALLY took me out of the story... what a miss..."

Pretty sure this would be said by no one.