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

[HydroGuy]

let's say the ride is operating at full capacity and they load fp and sb in the regular way (any ratio, maybe a room for fp only, etc)
Walk up from front entrance to pre loading area: 5 minutes if no one is taking their time taking pictures and if there's no backed up line for fp.
You're on hold in the pre loading room for about 5 to 10 minutes, again if everything is running smoothly
Load into the first pre show room: 10 minutes total of load and movie
Load into second pre show room: 10 minutes total of load and movie
Load into ride vehicle, safety checks and actual ride: 10 minutes
This is if everything is running smoothly

This makes sense to me! Thanks. But it is unrelated to how long the SB line is.

It helps to know going into next Saturday (for me!) that FoP FP boarding may be unusually longer than the typical FP.

 

[yulilin3]

Yes, the video did help, a little. Thanks. If I slow it down I can see that your feet would be placed more forward than the "knee pad" things. But now I'm trying to better understand what those "knee pads" are for.

Not sure exactly what your question is?
The knee pad you are referring to are the side ones? is that it?

 

[yulilin3]

This makes sense to me! Thanks. But it is unrelated to how long the SB line is.

It helps to know going into next Saturday (for me!) that FoP FP boarding may be unusually longer than the typical FP.

yeah it won't matter how long standby is if you have a fp. It'll just be a long fp wait between arrival and exiting

 

[wilkeliza]

For those who have ridden FoP - can I double check something with you? This is the photo from the article about how those in wheelchairs can transfer.
View attachment 238436

Where I placed the red circle - is your foot going UNDER there and then your shin is resting on the pad where I put the blue circle? With the darkness and shadows it's harder to see and I want to make sure there is more room for your foot to move forward. And then where I put the yellow circle, that is the leg restraint that swings behind you leg? I've seen many picture of the ride vehicle but I have only seen photos taken from side and this picture is a better angle.

I'm going to place the original photo below here so you can see it without all my circles.
View attachment 238442

It depends on you height and size but my feet did go forward more and my knees were in the pad you circled. I've heard it hits the shins of people over 6'5" to 6'7" and that is one reason why taller people have a problem.

 

[heidica]

I'm not following.

The photo I posted shows the leg restraints in their "deployed" position to give an idea as to the required leg position. My shins weren't resting on anything, but my knees were against the pads near the blue circles. If one were short enough, I suppose they could have the feet farther forward and closer to being directly under the knees so that the shins contact the padding. I had to put my feet behind my knees in order to fit.

Thank you for clarifying. Now I understand. This is what I was looking for. So from your description it sounds like you are on the tall side and you had to bend your knees more and it was your knees resting on the pad. Got it.

I'm asking because I'm short with large calves and seeing the picture made me think that if I can have my feet more forward, there will be room for the leg restraints when they swing out. But that depends on how my knees hit those pads. If so, that reinforces the "sitting properly" description others have been describing.

 

[Lost Yeti]

Thank you for clarifying. Now I understand. This is what I was looking for. So from your description it sounds like you are on the tall side and you had to bend your knees more and it was your knees resting on the pad. Got it.

I'm asking because I'm short with large calfs and seeing the picture made me think that if I can have my feet more forward, there will be room for the leg restraints when they swing out. But that depends on how my knees hit those pads. If so, that reinforces the "sitting properly" description others have been describing.

I gotcha.

I actually only average height for a guy (5'10"). I tried sitting with my feet in a more forward position just to try out something different, but was told by a CM to pull them back. Seems like one of those YMMV situations. I think you'd be fine.

 

[heidica]

Not sure exactly what your question is?
The knee pad you are referring to are the side ones? is that it?

What I'm calling the "knee pads" I circled in blue and are above where your feet would be and the leg restraints that will be behind your legs when engaged, I circled in yellow.

I posted my question because I'm short with large calves and then I saw the picture, I thought if I can get my feet more forward, there could be room for the leg restraints but it depends on where that "knee pad" hits my legs.

ETA - Definitely going to try in August and will report back. It's nice to have all the info available here in The Dis.

 

[Raetz]

Forgive me, I am an engineer and an analytical type.

This makes no sense to me. If they were to use a 10 to 1 SB to FP ratio on FoP (or on any ride), the length of the SB line would be irrelevant. The only number that would matter is how many FPs were allotted for that hour. And unless Disney allotted a larger number of FPs than normal (say than what it would for TSMM) then there would be no "back-up" for 45 minutes or any back-up at all more than the usual back-up for other FP rides.

Now if CMs were pressured into say a 20 to 1 ratio because of the SB line length, then that of course would matter for FP wait time. But if they did that, then the FP line would not move as it should and it would just keep growing longer all day long.

I am not an engineer, but an analytical type. You have the ratios flopped, FP is always a higher number than SB unless of course there is a lull in FP riders.

 

[HydroGuy]

I am not an engineer, but an analytical type. You have the ratios flopped, FP is always a higher number than SB unless of course there is a lull in FP riders.

Ooops, I misread the @yulilin3 post about the ratio. Thanks for correcting me! My point is the same that the length of the SB line should have no effect on FP wait time.

 

[FastPasser.]

Definitely going to try in August and will report back..

If that's you in your Avatar, plus you said you're short, so unless you have abnormally over-sized calves, I can almost guarantee that you'll be fine. I've been at the previews since day two, with the last day being yesterday, so I've become a good judge at who can ride. During that time I've selected hundreds of guests exiting Pandora specifically to ask them what they thought and if they had any issues being able to ride FoP. Based on that, I say you're good to ride.

 

[PaintsWithAllTheColors]

Random note: After experiencing Pandora and riding FoP, I recently watched Maleficent. In my opinion, there are aspects of the land and FoP that bore a striking resemblance to the Moors in Maleficent. Obviously Pandora is based on Avatar, but seeing the way the Moors are depicted, it gave even more support for the fact that you don't need to be an Avatar fan to enjoy this movie. Anyone who enjoys fantastical lands and breathtaking scenery/environments will enjoy Pandora for what it is.

 

[Dashcomplete]

Report re: 6-8 previews on Saturday 5/20

I got in line around 4:15 and ended up right in front of @Tamiami, which was a funny surprise. We were let in right at 5pm. I went straight to FOP and walked on (no fast passes were distributed). As everyone has said, the ride is amazing. There was no fit issues in our group. Since there was no one loading behind us after our first ride, the cast member let us ride a second time. While I didn't feel sick after the first ride, I did feel sick after the second consecutive ride. For comparison, I don't get sick on Soarin', but I generally cannot do the any of the simulator rides at Universal without getting sick. That being said, it was totally worth it to ride even if it did make me ill (I cannot say the same for any Universal simulator ride).

re: Banshees, I purchased two for my nephews. They ran out of the one that is red with blue highlights by the time I went to purchase them (~7pm).

Other thoughts:
The Night Blossom drink at Pongu Pongu was too sweet for me but very interesting.
I ended up getting to ride FOP a third time when I went around 7:30 and it was a walk on. I felt slightly queezy after that ride (but it's worth it).
I did the mobile ordering at Satu'li Canteen and it was great. I can see this being a huge time saver once it is rolled out to other vendors.
There were two photopass photographers, from which I got great photos!

Overall, it was a very satisfying visit and I appreciate all the prior trip reports!

 

[Accident]

Took a week but if you want a nice 360 look around pandora here is my video.. remember to look up, things float overhead.

For the curious, it's basically outside around the mountain, then part of the na'vi river ride queue (only 1 spot, the others looked horrible). then a full walk both outside and inside of the flight queue and exit.. .. basically once you hit the "wicker holding up ceiling", everything after that scene is the queue to flight and the exit path from it and just outside the shop...

 

[Spridell]

Took a week but if you want a nice 360 look around pandora here is my video.. remember to look up, things float overhead.

For the curious, it's basically outside around the mountain, then part of the na'vi river ride queue (only 1 spot, the others looked horrible). then a full walk both outside and inside of the flight queue and exit.. .. basically once you hit the "wicker holding up ceiling", everything after that scene is the queue to flight and the exit path from it and just outside the shop...

Excellent job!!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We did the AP preview yesterday in the 12-2 pm group. There were a lot of confused people in line who really didn't know what to expect. I think it helped to read what others have said on thie Dis.

We went straight to FoP after we asked some cast members where it was located. The signage is so subtle that it is hard to find. We walked through the standby line and it was hard to go slow. Everyone seemed to want to spend through it. We only had eight people in our group and everyone fit on the bikes. My husband is 6'3" tall and didn't have any trouble. Neither did I.neither of us felt the leg restraints. We rested our legs against the side of the vehicles and could feel the in and out breathing of the"creature".

I am prone to motion sickness and won't go on rides like Star Tours. I can do Soarin' just fine but usually have to close my eyes at any "swooping" motions. I kept my eyes open but did get very queasy. I was glad when the ride ended and was very shaky afterward. I plan to ride it again in July but will take Dramamine first. It was a little intense for me.

 

[heidica]

If that's you in your Avatar, plus you said you're short, so unless you have abnormally over-sized calves, I can almost guarantee that you'll be fine. I've been at the previews since day two, with the last day being yesterday, so I've become a good judge at who can ride. During that time I've selected hundreds of guests exiting Pandora specifically to ask them what they thought and if they had any issues being able to ride FoP. Based on that, I say you're good to ride.

That is me in my avatar but I do have disportionately large calves. I never found a wide boot that will fit my calves and believe me, I've tried on a lot of boots. With everyone's description of the ride, although pooh size, I haven't been worried about my butt or chest, but the discussion of the calves worried me. I will give it a try for sure. And I figure between next weekend and August, we will have a better picture of the situation, including wait times.

 

[cigar95]

You've got the wrong guy.

Could well be - I'm remembering something about 2-3 weeks ago. Maybe you were posting about the same time that there were other posts about how the positive reviews were all coming from paid bloggers and ultra-fans. But if it wasn't you, I'll take your word for it - not going back through 200+ pages!

 

[aviva5675]

To save someone 5 seconds, to get to FOP just go in Pandora, go straight back, it kind of dead ends at NRJ, make a right and walk not far and you'll see it.

 

[adamreisinger]

I finally got around to unpacking today and played with my banshee a little bit. One note for us Pooh or Baloo sized folks (or gym rats with Dwight Howard-esque shoulder structure): the magnetic "stand" that slides onto your shoulder might not slide on all the way like it would on someone with slim shoulders, but if you play around with the positioning a bit -- both of the stand and the hind legs on the banshee itself -- you should be able to get it on a spot that'll stay secure as you walk at a decent pace.

Plus, it's just a really fun toy for messing with your cats... I mean, not that I spent the last 30 minutes doing that or anything...

 

[rteetz]

Pandora's main media opening event will be May 24th.

Here are some of the names that will be in attendance.

James Cameron, Jon Landau, Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and others.

I'm sure Joe Rohde and Bob Chapek will also be there. No word on Bob Iger.

I will post more as I know more. Media events start Tuesday.