Pandora Opening: Crowd Impact

[KalamityJane]

I know it's all a crap shoot, but any ideas on how to maximize getting to actually ride the Pandora rides the first week it opens? Can't get any ressies (will keep watching but highly doubtful). How horrible was FEA when it opened? Did they have FEA FPs when it first opened or was that later?

 

[Anal Annie]

I know it's all a crap shoot, but any ideas on how to maximize getting to actually ride the Pandora rides the first week it opens? Can't get any ressies (will keep watching but highly doubtful). How horrible was FEA when it opened? Did they have FEA FPs when it first opened or was that later?

We just missed the FEA opening last year by like a week - I remember reading the waits were like well over 3 hours that first week....plus it kept breaking down...

If I were you and I didn't have any FPs I would make sure to be there well before rope drop on an EMH morning and head straight there and try to get both things done before the regular park hours open. My guess is the Banshee ride will be the longer wait, partially due to load times and partially due to the new thrill ride popularity factor.

 

[KalamityJane]

We just missed the FEA opening last year by like a week - I remember reading the waits were like well over 3 hours that first week....plus it kept breaking down...

If I were you and I didn't have any FPs I would make sure to be there well before rope drop on an EMH morning and head straight there and try to get both things done before the regular park hours open. My guess is the Banshee ride will be the longer wait, partially due to load times and partially due to the new thrill ride popularity factor.

We fly in Sun night from overseas... I'm going to try and make the EMH on Monday but oosh, that might be a hard sell for the kids. If not, I will just have them there at regular rope drop and hope for the best.

 

[Anal Annie]

We fly in Sun night from overseas... I'm going to try and make the EMH on Monday but oosh, that might be a hard sell for the kids. If not, I will just have them there at regular rope drop and hope for the best.

Is there another EMH morning while you're there? Maybe you can plan for that, after your jet lag eases up? I know it's tough to stay up but we've always found when dealing with a big time difference we're better off to try to stay up and acclimate to the new time zone...

When we go in July the EMHs are on Saturday and Wednesday mornings...I guess they switch them around at some point between May and July?!

 

[KalamityJane]

Is there another EMH morning while you're there? Maybe you can plan for that, after your jet lag eases up? I know it's tough to stay up but we've always found when dealing with a big time difference we're better off to try to stay up and acclimate to the new time zone...

When we go in July the EMHs are on Saturday and Wednesday mornings...I guess they switch them around at some point between May and July?!

It's on Mon for AK for the 29th (probably because it's new and it's Memorial Day). I'm not too concerned with them staying up, but since Europe is ahead of the US, I don't know if I will be able to get them up and moving that first day LOL They could prove me wrong though. We are getting APs, so we can see it later but figured I'd at least try while we are down there.

We leave that Wed night for home and it doesn't have it scheduled for EMH that day

 

[sabrecmc]

We will be there the weekend it opens. Pure coincidence. I'm sort of ambivalent about it. On the one hand, something new is cool. On the other hand, I have zero interest in Avatar. Looks pretty, I guess? Eh. We will try for FPs, if only because there isn't a huge reason to get FPs for other things at AK. I'm assuming they will do tiers like EPCOT and not let you have Everest and Banshee?

 

[holden]

Anyone expecting FP+ will be tiered now in AK? We are heading in June and I'm hoping we can hit both of the new Pandora rides, but if the FP+ becomes tiered maybe not. We might have to visit another day (had only planned one day at AK) to do both rides.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm really hoping that they don't tier FP at AK. Outside of people speculating on DIS, I haven't seen anything to suggest that they will -- anyone?

 

[HopperFan]

Anyone expecting FP+ will be tiered now in AK? We are heading in June and I'm hoping we can hit both of the new Pandora rides, but if the FP+ becomes tiered maybe not. We might have to visit another day (had only planned one day at AK) to do both rides.

Without tiers I think it will be chaos.
DS even suggested that AK is a park that could actually support 3 tiers.
He broke it out for me and it made sense.
Personally I hope it is tiers so onsite guests don't scoop up all the FP+ for the two rides and ROL.
Especially since the banshee, depending on how many theaters would likely load much slower than Soarin'.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Without tiers I think it will be chaos.
DS even suggested that AK is a park that could actually support 3 tiers.
He broke it out for me and it made sense.
Personally I hope it is tiers so onsite guests don't scoop up all the FP+ for the two rides and ROL.
Especially since the banshee, depending on how many theaters would likely load much slower than Soarin'.

I find the tiers so restrictive -- I hate them. I get the idea behind them, but I just hate what it does to planning.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

RoL has apparently not necessitated tiers.

My guess is that there will be two tiers. Pandora rides will be tier 1, everything else will be tier 2. You would be able to choose 3 from tier 2.

This will allow FP for Pandora to last twice as long.

 

[iona]

It's on Mon for AK for the 29th (probably because it's new and it's Memorial Day). I'm not too concerned with them staying up, but since Europe is ahead of the US, I don't know if I will be able to get them up and moving that first day LOL They could prove me wrong though. We are getting APs, so we can see it later but figured I'd at least try while we are down there.

We leave that Wed night for home and it doesn't have it scheduled for EMH that day

We find the jet lag that results from arriving from Europe makes it really easy to get up the first day and therefore always start with whichever park has EMH so you might find that it's the kids waking you up that morning!

 

[HopperFan]

RoL has apparently not necessitated tiers.

My guess is that there will be two tiers. Pandora rides will be tier 1, everything else will be tier 2. You would be able to choose 3 from tier 2.

This will allow FP for Pandora to last twice as long.

Just because they haven't done it doesn't mean it won't be necessary. I think it just made no sense to do it until Pandora opens, then it's only one change.

Since they opened ROL FP+ timed with the show starting, everyone was on even footing. As folks begin to scramble and not get FP+ and SB lines are long they will begin to get complaints .... even at 3 shows a day, every day, it's not expected to be able to handle the demand, especially once Pandora opens and park is more crowded.

Two tiers makes sense based on history, but with 3 new offerings and still some good ones like the Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur ... it could certainly handle three.

 

[DrummerBoy523]

I think that it will be significant. We're utilizing EMH one morning, with the hope of lower (already preparing the kids for long lines) waits for Pandora's rides, then hopping after using FP for the others. One evening we'll try to catch ROL and another to walk through Pandora to check out the land at night. We will try to avoid the afternoon crowds on all of those days.

Edit: We'll be there right after it opens. It will be nutso for us.

looks like we'll be there about the same time and at the same resort!

 

[magpomom]

Is it terrible that we are planning to be there Memorial Day for AM EMH in hopes of avoiding Pandora? I never had the intention of being there for opening weekend, and the family consensus is that we are fine with skipping it altogether. So I'm hoping everyone will be heading to the new land so we will have Safari, EE and Dinoland to enjoy in the morning. We have a late breakfast planned at TH, and then we'll hop to another park.

 

[KalamityJane]

Is it terrible that we are planning to be there Memorial Day for AM EMH in hopes of avoiding Pandora? I never had the intention of being there for opening weekend, and the family consensus is that we are fine with skipping it altogether. So I'm hoping everyone will be heading to the new land so we will have Safari, EE and Dinoland to enjoy in the morning. We have a late breakfast planned at TH, and then we'll hop to another park.

This has also crossed my mind

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Other parks stay the same, attendance goes up at AK. Why? Because Disney will see an overall increase in attendance once Pandora opens.

 

[capegirl]

When you consider that there will be two new attractions, one a thrill ride, and the other a family ride, plus RoL, I'm thinking a mass of humanity will descend upon AK that will far surpass last summer's FEA crowds. I think those tiers will be 100% necessary.

 

[mamamelody2]

We're going in November. I am looking forward to seeing reports on how things go after it opens. Should be interesting!

 

[cigar95]

Two tiers makes sense based on history, but with 3 new offerings and still some good ones like the Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur ... it could certainly handle three.

Trying to think of other ways this might work. One thing I keep in mind is that Tower of Terror is not Tier 1 despite being an obvious headliner, so AK might do the same thing with Everest or (more likely, I think) the Safari. Maybe both.
Another possibility is that tiers could be added, but allowing two tier 1 attractions. That would depend on how many go into the top tier.
This time, at least, the decision can be made with the hindisght of a couple years worth of tiering at the other two parks for guidance.