Pandora to open May 27th, 2017

[Anal Annie]

Well this will make things more interesting for us. I wonder if they'll make either of the rides available for the 60 day fastpass window, or just wait until opening weekend.

I was just wondering if they would make the FPs available 60 days out to May 27th?! We go June 30th so I'm keeping a close eye on what's going on....trying to decide if we should plan going to AK park 4x over our 8 days (2 mornings and 2 evenings) or if 3x will be enough...decisions, decisions. (I'm anticipating that it will look totally different at night...)

 

[rteetz]

Photo

Avatar is very alive tonight

https://twitter.com/blog_mickey/status/829123258872127488

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm so excited!! I think that the website puts a nice touch to it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well this will make things more interesting for us. I wonder if they'll make either of the rides available for the 60 day fastpass window, or just wait until opening weekend.

I've been wondering about the FP situation too.

I know with FEA they have FPs start after a certain time..will they do something like that from the beginning or will it be just something they look at over time with how the crowds are which still brings up when would they start the FPs (from the beginning, a short time later or a decent amount of time later). And it is slightly different because you'll have two rides but the river ride seems like more variety of folks can ride it whereas the banshee one is more limiting due to the type of ride.

 

[Willow1213]

Wow! We will arrive on the 29th, staying at AKL Kidani. Now we just have to wait for the details on the rides like height requirement for banshee and FP. Plus, I'm sure this will change park hours to allow for nighttime enjoyment of the park. We were going to skip the hopper option this year, but now we might have to change our mind to get more AK time.

 

[elaine amj]

Soso excited!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

To continue the FP discussion...Does anyone think that we will see AK turn into a tiered FP system with the additions of Avatar and Rivers of Light? I really hope not.

 

[rteetz]

To continue the FP discussion...Does anyone think that we will see AK turn into a tiered FP system with the additions of Avatar and Rivers of Light? I really hope not.

It could but I'm not sure it will.

 

[beer dave]

Awesome... we'll be waking up AKL club the morning of the 27th... I'm sure reviews will be in long before that. Hoping they fly the dragons (or banshees?) during opening ceremony as they did for FLE....

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Awesome... we'll be waking up AKL club the morning of the 27th... I'm sure reviews will be in long before that. Hoping they fly the dragons (or banshees?) during opening ceremony as they did for FLE....

You geeked, Dave?

Want me to send you a carepackage with matching tshirts and sunscreen?

 

[TwoMisfits]

To continue the FP discussion...Does anyone think that we will see AK turn into a tiered FP system with the additions of Avatar and Rivers of Light? I really hope not.

Yes - Tier 1 will be Avatar 1, Avatar 2, and ROL. Tier 2 will be the rest. To do otherwise will continue the destruction of Disney's offsite guest numbers, which if you look at the recent data, they can't afford, since they had a 5% attendance drop while having 91% occupancy - that drop's gotta be all offsite guests. They can't really add any onsite #s w/o new builds, but they can still crater the rest of their offsite crowd.

And do you really want to tell your guests that on the same weekend Universal is opening their new park that at Universal, no one has to wait in line and everyone can have a shot to ride every ride, but at Disney, we have this brand new park area but if you're not in a Disney hotel, you have no shot to ride anything in it without 3-4 hour waits all summer? That's summer park suicide...

 

[Disneylvr]

And chance of soft openings for regular guests? We will be there on the May 23-31st but would rather avoid the massive grand opening crowds with our DD who has autism.

 

[rteetz]

And chance of soft openings for regular guests? We will be there on the May 23-31st but would rather avoid the massive grand opening crowds with our DD who has autism.

There is always a chance. Nobody knows how great that chance is until it happen.

 

[closetmickey]

Yes - Tier 1 will be Avatar 1, Avatar 2, and ROL. Tier 2 will be the rest. To do otherwise will continue the destruction of Disney's offsite guest numbers, which if you look at the recent data, they can't afford, since they had a 5% attendance drop while having 91% occupancy - that drop's gotta be all offsite guests. They can't really add any onsite #s w/o new builds, but they can still crater the rest of their offsite crowd.

And do you really want to tell your guests that on the same weekend Universal is opening their new park that at Universal, no one has to wait in line and everyone can have a shot to ride every ride, but at Disney, we have this brand new park area but if you're not in a Disney hotel, you have no shot to ride anything in it without 3-4 hour waits all summer? That's summer park suicide...

But is there any chance that some guests won't be interested in Avatar? Especially if the Banshee ride has a height restriction. This could be pretty limiting to some.

 

[dclpluto]

How bad do you think attendance will be? I'm going from 3 June to 11 June
When I mean bad I'm talking about crowded. Also going in mid September and early December. Just wondering nothing I can do about it now. Plane tickets already bought for June.im excepting close to Christmas crowds in June hopefully im wrong

 

[Madonna3]

I just priced out the first week in June and while there was availability, it was expensive.

 

[DizneyPilot]

This awesome news! We arrive on May 30 for 7 days.

 

[beer dave]

You geeked, Dave?

Want me to send you a carepackage with matching tshirts and sunscreen?

Yeah, I did...... sorry--- I've actually been excited for this one--- I'll be joining your ranks if it disappoints though...... kind of a "this one has to be a hit" moment.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Yeah, I did...... sorry--- I've actually been excited for this one--- I'll be joining your ranks if it disappoints though...... kind of a "this one has to be a hit" moment.

...I'm so misunderstood. My "ranks"...officially...is that I hope it's the greatest thing ever...Which is same everytime.

(Ok...not frozen in Epcot...but that is pretty much nonsense and I've been vindicated)

I always want a "splash mountain" moment. Where the sum is way more Than the parts. Pirates...haunted mansion...the original imagination...tower of terror...rockinroller coaster...

But if it isn't great...after 6 years and god knows how much money spent that I'll now have to reimburse them for...then they got some "SPLAININ'" to do.

I had hopes for fantasyland...but man was that a sham. Moved some pieces around, a flat with no ingenuity, the zippy dippy coaster, and the most overrated cafeteria in Disney history...

"Magic"...for sure.

Perhaps if they lifted a finger more often I could find the goodness in my heart?

I'm actually upbeat now...

...wait...I just remembered "disney springs"...nevermind

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I just priced out the first week in June and while there was availability, it was expensive.

It's expensive because they've boned the pricing...hence the "attendance down"...in an unprecedented economic boom...for what? 3 quarters now? 4?

But back to the point: nobody is all of a sudden booking a trip because of avatar opening. That was never in the cards for the core reason we have been kicking like a soccer ball for 6 years...

It's not "that" thing...though with good word of mouth it may increase attendance over time.