Pandora "Grand Opening" Strategy?

[eccobleu]

We are planning to go for AM EMH and arrive around 6:30am. Do you think it'll be crazy crowded this early? This is the last day of our trip so we can't go another day.

 

[coolbrook]

We will be there that weekend too for a short trip with three park days and no hoppers. My DD13 suggested that we skip the opening day and go to AK before the opening to avoid the crowds. A girl after my own heart! We will be at a different park that day. She said that Pandora will be there next year and we will see it then. Multiple rides on Everest and she will be happy!

 

[AngiTN]

We happen to be there that time. I haven't decided what we'll do that day. We just happened to be at MK when NFL opened too. I don't remember anything specifically bad about that day. I do think this will be bigger, more crowded. I'm sure we'll try to get by there at some point, to say we did. But I think we'll use the Express Bus vs. trying to go through the front gates. I've seen the lines at security at AK on a good day. I can't fathom what they'll look like on the 27th

 

[mousefan73]

The parking lots never technically close. You could get there at 2am if you wanted fo

Really, they have the booths open? In that case i'd get a van and camp out there!

 

[AlexisK]

We'll be there the week right after opening and while Pandora wasn't one of our favorite movies, I'm counting on Disney to have the area just as visually stunning as the movie was. That's what I'm 'excited' about. I'm hoping that the tunnel is decked out and gorgeous, and from some of the aerial pictures I've seen, the plants and scenery look wonderful. My kids are too young to have seen the movie (maybe we'll watch before we go to gauge their interest), and have other places they want to see/do while we're there, so I guess we'll just play it by ear and see what happens. I'll certainly want to walk through it though...all those trees, early June in Orlando, here's hoping for some shady spots. LOL.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Alexis

 

[AngiTN]

Really, they have the booths open? In that case i'd get a van and camp out there!

The parking lots don't close but there are hours the booths are manned.

We'll be there the week right after opening and while Pandora wasn't one of our favorite movies, I'm counting on Disney to have the area just as visually stunning as the movie was. That's what I'm 'excited' about. I'm hoping that the tunnel is decked out and gorgeous, and from some of the aerial pictures I've seen, the plants and scenery look wonderful. My kids are too young to have seen the movie (maybe we'll watch before we go to gauge their interest), and have other places they want to see/do while we're there, so I guess we'll just play it by ear and see what happens. I'll certainly want to walk through it though...all those trees, early June in Orlando, here's hoping for some shady spots. LOL.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Alexis

DGD hasn't seen Avatar. Not really planning to watch it before our trip. Since the land is Pandora, not Avatar, I don't think it's necessary to enjoy the area. As you said, it's going to be visually stunning and fun. Knowing the movie won't impact that. Much like, few people have seen Song of the South but they still enjoy the theme of Splash Mountain. Because it's visually impressive and fun. I see Pandora as the same thing

 

[yulilin3]

The parking lots don't close but there are hours the booths are manned.


DGD hasn't seen Avatar. Not really planning to watch it before our trip. Since the land is Pandora, not Avatar, I don't think it's necessary to enjoy the area. As you said, it's going to be visually stunning and fun. Knowing the movie won't impact that. Much like, few people have seen Song of the South but they still enjoy the theme of Splash Mountain. Because it's visually impressive and fun. I see Pandora as the same thing

I'm going to watch the movie before our preview and my daughter will not. We want to see if it makes a difference, I am also of the thought that it won't matter that much but we will see

 

[yulilin3]

Really, they have the booths open? In that case i'd get a van and camp out there!

you basically park for free when there is no one manning the engtrance, I've also gone to the parks about an hour and a half before closing to find there's no one manning the entrance either

 

[mousefan73]

This I never knew! Just really surprises me they don't have gates or anything. Or security checking on left cars. I mean if one is really pinching it, arrive at 5 am, park for free, nap and tope drop!! Do people do this ??

 

[yulilin3]

This I never knew! Just really surprises me they don't have gates or anything. Or security checking on left cars. I mean if one is really pinching it, arrive at 5 am, park for free, nap and tope drop!! Do people do this ??

there's all kinds of people, some probably do, though I don't think it makes a huge difference in Disney's pocket

 

[CAS239]

This I never knew! Just really surprises me they don't have gates or anything. Or security checking on left cars. I mean if one is really pinching it, arrive at 5 am, park for free, nap and tope drop!! Do people do this ??

You can bust most don't. You will see occasionally an RV in the parking lot.

A car has to be there for a few days before it has a possibility of being towed

 

[Keels]

Thanks, y'all!

@tigger536 and I were able to snag a room with check-in on the 27th, so we get EMH at 7 a.m. for Opening Day! We're planning to use our RunDisney experience and will be in the parking lot at, oh, 5:30 a.m. so we can get in line to get into the park AND get to Pandora.

I'm watching for FP+s on Saturday, but there was nothing available ... but, oddly enough, I was able to get PP-SDMT-Splash late afternoon on Saturday with NO problems which seems super odd to me for a major holiday weekend. So, we'll do our best at AK that day and try to ride both rides (IF WE CAN), head to MK and California Grill for Happy Ever After that night, and then back to AK for 11-1 EMH.

On Sunday, I have FP+s for EE, Banshee and RoL. Again, we have access to EMH that night as well, so I'm hoping we can get a second ride on Banshee or River Journey.

 

[tigger536]

Thanks, y'all!

@tigger536 and I were able to snag a room with check-in on the 27th, so we get EMH at 7 a.m. for Opening Day! We're planning to use our RunDisney experience and will be in the parking lot at, oh, 5:30 a.m. so we can get in line to get into the park AND get to Pandora.

I'm watching for FP+s on Saturday, but there was nothing available ... but, oddly enough, I was able to get PP-SDMT-Splash late afternoon on Saturday with NO problems which seems super odd to me for a major holiday weekend. So, we'll do our best at AK that day and try to ride both rides (IF WE CAN), head to MK and California Grill for Happy Ever After that night, and then back to AK for 11-1 EMH.

On Sunday, I have FP+s for EE, Banshee and RoL. Again, we have access to EMH that night as well, so I'm hoping we can get a second ride on Banshee or River Journey.

This is going to be awesome!!

 

[rontu78]

May 27 is our last day. We have FPs for Flight of Passage beginning at 10:30 and dining package for Rivers of Light. We will drive to Animal Kingdom and plan on being there no later than 6 a.m. I'm prepared for a LONG day!

Will the park reach capacity, you think? I had planned on us going to a park someplace and taking an afternoon nap in the car, then going back for the evening. I don't want to be where we can't get back in, though!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Will the park reach capacity, you think?

There hasn't been speculation that AK will reach capacity.

There has been discussion in the Official Pandora thread that Pandora itself may be regulated due to capacity issues although no one knows what the projected and safe capacity is for Pandora.

 

[pat fan]

But I think we'll use the Express Bus vs. trying to go through the front gates.

Express bus??? What's that?

 

[Bronte]

Are you sure there are no gates or barrier at the parking booths ...
A few years ago I think it was Christmas Eve we went there and could not get into the parking lot early (we where staying on property but wanted to get there really early but could not get past the booths)

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I was at NFL on opening day - there was a presentation on the main stage at Cinderella Castle that was great. Members of the cast of Once Upon a Time were there.
Back in NFL, they had racks of the costumes for the area for people to look at (but not touch!). It was nuts in NFL that day but I had so much fun. Maybe because I was solo.

I figure Pandora is going to be crazier since it seems like it would be a smaller space. I'm hoping I have as much fun on opening day. I will have my 21 year old son with me so it may be trickier to stay together. I was able to get FP+ for FOB so we have that in the afternoon.
I figure I'll get there and try to ride NRJ standby. Then we'll walk around Pandora and then do the rest of the park. My thing is getting to the park for 7am EMH - I don't know if I can do that but I'll try. No idea if my son will get up early enough to go with me or not. Hope so!
I also plan on staying in AK until 1am so that will be another chance to ride NRJ if I can't stand the lines in the morning.

 

[AngiTN]

Express bus??? What's that?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/n...ay-or-29-week-schedule-page-1-post-1.3563694/

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

We happened to be going this weekend. We actually arrive in the afternoon of May 26 and then boom Pandora is opening on the May 27. Obviously nothing was planned for it originally, but since we are there until May 31 we are going to try go on the first day and get it done. We are going to try to fit in the Flower/Garden Festival at Epcot as well as have plans with my daughters dance team dancing in Disney Springs plus a workshop so we are limited on what days we can do what. For us May 27 happened to be our original AK day so we are going early and with a lot of patience knowing it will a LONG crowded day.