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

[Juliet0778]

Yes, this is what I was referencing.

 

[IrishNYC]

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!

I remember that guy. He was fairly new here, and had no avatar (no pun intended). He was adamant that Pandora was going to be a flop and positive reviews were only coming because no one wanted to lose their media passes, or something very much to that effect.

Edit: See post 2790 and 2793. I don't think we'll be seeing a review from him soon.

 

[rteetz]

Invited media are starting to receive special event Pandora MagicBands

ACE touch points in Pandora: The World of Avatar make new sounds

 

[CarolynFH]

Okay interesting observation today about fitting in the seats on FOP. Rode on May 2nd in theatre A. I fit but had to have the seat backrest pushed by CM to click. Rode today 3x. First ride theatre B fit with no help needed. Second ride theatre A, felt like seat had less room between seat and space above lap....also noticed my butt was hanging off the back.....fit but need help from CM to click the backrest. Also my daughter felt like her butt was hanging off the back in A but not B. Third ride theatre B again...noticeably more room....butt was fully on the seat and did not need help getting the restraints to click. My conclusion is that for some reason there is a significant difference in the amount of lap/butt room in A compared to B. At first I thought it was my imagination, but after riding B then A then B again, plus my daughter having the same conclusion before I even mentioned it to her. I am convinced more room in B then A. Good luck.

Yes, I noticed the same thing - different seats seemed to fit a little differently in terms of leg room and/or belly space, although I can't tell you which seats or theaters we were in (we rode twice Friday during the 6-8 PM preview and four times Saturday between 8 and 1). I wasn't sure whether it was the seat itself or that I positioned myself a little differently each time.

Also, the very first time we rode, DH thought he felt/heard the backrest click, but the CM pushed slightly to make it click in place. He didn't have any issues on later rides. He's about 6' and 300#, with relatively short legs and a big belly.

 

[Accident]

Also, the very first time we rode, DH thought he felt/heard the backrest click, but the CM pushed slightly to make it click in place. He didn't have any issues on later rides. He's about 6' and 300#, with relatively short legs and a big belly.

I heard mine click a lot, but it didn't lock until they were next to it to push into place. I didn't really push on me so I'm confused how it works. I think the back is mainly meant to push into the lumbar spot which on someone taller is higher so we're not skinnier in that spot for it to fully come up and into our back how the seat wants it to be.

 

[Ydnameht]

I did the 6-8 preview tonight. Got in line about 4:40 and was the last one before the break in the line. I'm not sure what time exactly they let us in.

Headed right to FoP, pretty much walked on (quite a walk though!) aside from a brief wait in the hallway before the 1st preshow room. Loved it. Everyone else in my theatre seemed to as well. My only complaint was that the glasses are too big and I had to keep pushing them back up into position.

The gift shop was what I expected. Line moved on the slow side.

I went on the River Journey after that. It's gorgeous and that animatronic is amazing. I wish there were a little more to the ride though.

I wandered around looking at things and taking a few pictures for a bit and getting the PhotoPass shots.

Around 6:30 I went back to FoP. CM said it was a 45 minute wait, the sign said 15. I figured I could handle 45 minutes and had plenty of time left so I got in line. I didn't find the rest of the people in line until the bioluminescent portion of the queue. The line moved slowly but mostly steadily. I had more time to take in the details, especially in the lab room. Got to the hallway before the pre shows a little over 30 minutes after I got in line. The preshow video this time was different than the first round. There was also a very long pause that seemed at first to be part of the experience but went on for a very long time (the room discussed whether or not we were involved in some sort of social experiment after a few minutes). Eventually we got to the second preshow, got through that, and then waited. And then were told the linking room was experiencing technical difficulties and we would get put in a different one. So we went back to the hallway and waited a bit and then got sent through both preshow rooms again. The first room didn't stop that time, at least, but I wish we'd been able to skip repeating the pre shows. Once we finally got on the ride it was still excellent the second time. Nobody i could see had trouble with the restraints either time I rode.

Unfortunately due to the technical difficulties on FoP, I got off the ride at about 7:45. I headed right to Satu'li Canteen because I was very hungry at this point and had been looking forward to trying the cheeseburger pods and blueberry dessert all day. But, at about 7:50, the doors were closed and multiple people were turned away. So I got no food, which was a very disappointing way to end things. If I'd known the food would close before 8 I would have eaten before trying to ride FoP a second time.

 

[yulilin3]

5 more days until the true craziness begins!!

 

[FastPasser.]

Apparently the Disney parks blog will be streaming some of the Pandora opening events. What and when I don't know yet.

A special dedication ceremony will take place under the floating mountains on Wednesday morning. Cast Members on property will be able to watch the LIVE stream beginning at 9:25 a.m. It will air on Cast TV screens across WDW. I won't be able to watch it on TV.

 

[sweetmama17]

Around 6:30 I went back to FoP. CM said it was a 45 minute wait, the sign said 15. I figured I could handle 45 minutes and had plenty of time left so I got in line. I didn't find the rest of the people in line until the bioluminescent portion of the queue. The line moved slowly but mostly steadily. I had more time to take in the details, especially in the lab room. Got to the hallway before the pre shows a little over 30 minutes after I got in line. The preshow video this time was different than the first round. There was also a very long pause that seemed at first to be part of the experience but went on for a very long time (the room discussed whether or not we were involved in some sort of social experiment after a few minutes). Eventually we got to the second preshow, got through that, and then waited. And then were told the linking room was experiencing technical difficulties and we would get put in a different one. So we went back to the hallway and waited a bit and then got sent through both preshow rooms again. The first room didn't stop that time, at least, but I wish we'd been able to skip repeating the pre shows. Once we finally got on the ride it was still excellent the second time. Nobody i could see had trouble with the restraints either time I rode.

I think I was in the same room as you!

This was my exact experience last night. 6-8 slot, got in line at 430 let in at 5. Walk on to FOP and it was amazing the first time! Did the river journey (best part about it is that animatronic) and ate at the canteen. I got the curry pod (was ok) but my DH's bowl was really good. Chocolate cake was ok.

Got in line just before 7pm to ride FOP again. Much longer wait but I enjoyed getting a closer look at the que. Was a little more than 30 min from just before "the lab" to being put in a room. There was an extended "pause" during the loading of the avatar (longer than the first time otherwise I may not have known the difference) but it restarted just as our room was about to bust into the "wave". We loaded on our banshee and then were told to get off and we'd go into a different pod. They then decided we would stay in the same pod and got the ride going.

There was something totally wrong with the screen. There was a background image of a waterfall to the right the whole time. At first I thought something was wrong with the glasses but then we realized we all could see it. It as distracting and took away from the experience. When we got off I said something bout the screen and the CM commented how they knew there was a problem but didn't offer another ride (it was almost 8 at this point). I'm glad I had gotten the first ride in earlier.

When working, it is an amazing ride, my DH was quite impressed too.

We stayed and "people watched til about 8:20 sipping out specialty drink (I thought the margarita was better than than non-alcoholic slushie (too sweet), you could kinda see the walkways glowing but I bet it will really look amazing when its really dark (though I can't imagine you will be able to appreciate it as much with the mass crowds).

This was by far the coolest perk of being a pass holder I've done so far. Glad we did it as a date night so we could really take it all in since neither of our kiddos meet the FOP height requirement (and we got an EE ride in too). The most disappointing part of last night is that we stayed over another hour only for Rivers of Light to be cancelled (anybody know what was up with that?)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I did the 6-8 preview tonight. Got in line about 4:40 and was the last one before the break in the line. I'm not sure what time exactly they let us in.

Headed right to FoP, pretty much walked on (quite a walk though!) aside from a brief wait in the hallway before the 1st preshow room. Loved it. Everyone else in my theatre seemed to as well. My only complaint was that the glasses are too big and I had to keep pushing them back up into position.

The gift shop was what I expected. Line moved on the slow side.

I went on the River Journey after that. It's gorgeous and that animatronic is amazing. I wish there were a little more to the ride though.

I wandered around looking at things and taking a few pictures for a bit and getting the PhotoPass shots.

Around 6:30 I went back to FoP. CM said it was a 45 minute wait, the sign said 15. I figured I could handle 45 minutes and had plenty of time left so I got in line. I didn't find the rest of the people in line until the bioluminescent portion of the queue. The line moved slowly but mostly steadily. I had more time to take in the details, especially in the lab room. Got to the hallway before the pre shows a little over 30 minutes after I got in line. The preshow video this time was different than the first round. There was also a very long pause that seemed at first to be part of the experience but went on for a very long time (the room discussed whether or not we were involved in some sort of social experiment after a few minutes). Eventually we got to the second preshow, got through that, and then waited. And then were told the linking room was experiencing technical difficulties and we would get put in a different one. So we went back to the hallway and waited a bit and then got sent through both preshow rooms again. The first room didn't stop that time, at least, but I wish we'd been able to skip repeating the pre shows. Once we finally got on the ride it was still excellent the second time. Nobody i could see had trouble with the restraints either time I rode.

Unfortunately due to the technical difficulties on FoP, I got off the ride at about 7:45. I headed right to Satu'li Canteen because I was very hungry at this point and had been looking forward to trying the cheeseburger pods and blueberry dessert all day. But, at about 7:50, the doors were closed and multiple people were turned away. So I got no food, which was a very disappointing way to end things. If I'd known the food would close before 8 I would have eaten before trying to ride FoP a second time.

I think I was in the same room as you!

This was my exact experience last night. 6-8 slot, got in line at 430 let in at 5. Walk on to FOP and it was amazing the first time! Did the river journey (best part about it is that animatronic) and ate at the canteen. I got the curry pod (was ok) but my DH's bowl was really good. Chocolate cake was ok.

Got in line just before 7pm to ride FOP again. Much longer wait but I enjoyed getting a closer look at the que. Was a little more than 30 min from just before "the lab" to being put in a room. There was an extended "pause" during the loading of the avatar (longer than the first time otherwise I may not have known the difference) but it restarted just as our room was about to bust into the "wave". We loaded on our banshee and then were told to get off and we'd go into a different pod. They then decided we would stay in the same pod and got the ride going.

There was something totally wrong with the screen. There was a background image of a waterfall to the right the whole time. At first I thought something was wrong with the glasses but then we realized we all could see it. It as distracting and took away from the experience. When we got off I said something bout the screen and the CM commented how they knew there was a problem but didn't offer another ride (it was almost 8 at this point). I'm glad I had gotten the first ride in earlier.

When working, it is an amazing ride, my DH was quite impressed too.

We stayed and "people watched til about 8:20 sipping out specialty drink (I thought the margarita was better than than non-alcoholic slushie (too sweet), you could kinda see the walkways glowing but I bet it will really look amazing when its really dark (though I can't imagine you will be able to appreciate it as much with the mass crowds).

This was by far the coolest perk of being a pass holder I've done so far. Glad we did it as a date night so we could really take it all in since neither of our kiddos meet the FOP height requirement (and we got an EE ride in too). The most disappointing part of last night is that we stayed over another hour only for Rivers of Light to be cancelled (anybody know what was up with that?)

"When working, it is an amazing ride" - reminds me of Spider Man at Universal ... had one ride where it broke in the middle of an action scene and sort of ruined the "impressiveness" feeling for me - but when it works properly it is great

Glad you both got in the first ride where things worked well. Bummer about the Canteen being closed up @Ydnameht

 

[rteetz]

The parks blog will have the dedication live!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-avatar-dedication-live-may-24-at-925-a-m-et/

 

[Spridell]

I have a question about FOP dont know if it's been answered yet.

How do you know what level you are on? When I went on it Thursday night could not tell if I was on level 1, 2 or 3.

 

[Spridell]

Hey guys - I have a FoP question- I've read a lot about how it's Soarin' on steroids or a combo of Star Tour and Soarin'. What I haven't been able to find, however, is what the ride vehicles actually do. Is the screen directly in front of you like on Star Tour or do you get lifted into the air like on Soarin'?

I love Star Tours, but I'm terrified of Soarin' (mostly because they raise you so far in the air and your legs dangle). I'd like to try FoP, but after nearly having a panic attack on Soarin' I'm a little worried. (Note: the video part of Soarin' doesn't bother me, it's the physical being so high with nothing under us.)

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Rode Soaring and FOP back to back on Thursday so I was able to get a good perspective.

With FOP it is like they perfected soarin.

On soarin you can really see the curve of the screen and you can see the peoples legs dangling and quick look to the side you can see the room you are in.

On FOP very hard to see the curve of the screen. Either the screen is more curved or they just push you into it more. Also you really have to go out of your way and look to see the room.

Much harder on FOP to tell you are high up. I have no idea what level I was on in FOP.

 

[CarolynFH]

I have a question about FOP dont know if it's been answered yet.

How do you know what level you are on? When I went on it Thursday night could not tell if I was on level 1, 2 or 3.

When you get to the "grouping" area you'll see a broad up-ramp in front of you and a somewhat narrower down-ramp to the right. If you go down the ramp on the right you'll ride on level 1. If you go up the wide ramp and load into a room at the top of the ramp, you'll ride on level 2. If you go up that ramp and then climb stairs, you'll ride on level 3.

 

[jack flash]

Hey guys - I have a FoP question- I've read a lot about how it's Soarin' on steroids or a combo of Star Tour and Soarin'. What I haven't been able to find, however, is what the ride vehicles actually do. Is the screen directly in front of you like on Star Tour or do you get lifted into the air like on Soarin'?

I love Star Tours, but I'm terrified of Soarin' (mostly because they raise you so far in the air and your legs dangle). I'd like to try FoP, but after nearly having a panic attack on Soarin' I'm a little worried. (Note: the video part of Soarin' doesn't bother me, it's the physical being so high with nothing under us.)

Thanks in advance for any insight.

the ride vehicle is stationary. THERE IS A LOT OF MOVEMENT ,FORWARD , BACK, LEFT AND RIGHT. Its nothing like Soarin which is very gentle. It does get intense at times. The screen is in front of you. much more immersive than Star Tours though. Great ride though. Going to be huge lines.

 

[wilkeliza]

the ride vehicle is stationary. THERE IS A LOT OF MOVEMENT ,FORWARD , BACK, LEFT AND RIGHT. Its nothing like Soarin which is very gentle. It does get intense at times. The screen is in front of you. much more immersive than Star Tours though. Great ride though. Going to be huge lines.

The ride vehicle isn't stationary. The floor disconnects and drops about 2 feet then moves up and down itself through out the ride.

 

[FastPasser.]

The parks blog will have the dedication live!

It'll be interesting to see if it'll be open to day guests or just invited guests.

 

[rteetz]

It'll be interesting to see if it'll be open to day guests or just invited guests.

I would think mainly just invited guests for the dedication since this is all part of the media events.

 

[Spridell]

When you get to the "grouping" area you'll see a broad up-ramp in front of you and a somewhat narrower down-ramp to the right. If you go down the ramp on the right you'll ride on level 1. If you go up the wide ramp and load into a room at the top of the ramp, you'll ride on level 2. If you go up that ramp and then climb stairs, you'll ride on level 3.

Great info thanks.

I was on level 2 then

So basically if you walk up steps you will know you are on the top level.

 

[jack flash]

The ride vehicle isn't stationary. The floor disconnects and drops about 2 feet then moves up and down itself through out the ride.

The ride vehicle isn't stationary. The floor disconnects and drops about 2 feet then moves up and down itself through out the ride.[/