Skip FOP?

[Princess_Ariel_5]

Hello everyone! I’m going to WDW in April with my husband to celebrate me being cancer free

I grew up going to WDW every year, but this will be my husband’s second time. His first time was with me. We didn’t do AK that time because I don’t necessarily love it and he wasn’t interested. We want to do it this time though, mostly for the Safari and EE.

We don’t have any interest in Pandora - I’ve never seen Avatar and he didn’t like it. Should I still try to snag a FP for FOP or should I just focus on the safari and EE? I don’t know if we’ll regret not trying it. What do you guys think? Is it worth the aggravation of trying to get the FP when we don’t have a genuine interest in it either way?

 

[disneyvoice]

I don't necessarily like the movie Avatar either and was actually extremely skeptical about Pandora. I'm happy to say that I was totally wrong. FoP is now my absolute favorite ride in all of WDW. In my opinion it would be a shame to miss it. I don't think you have to like the movie to enjoy Pandora (honestly, I don't think it even matters if you haven't seen the movie).

Congrats on being cancer free!!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Don’t skip it!! I couldn’t care less about Avatar, but the ride is the best I’ve ever ridden. Seriously, get the FP!

 

[Davey Jones II]

Pandora is great, whether or not you saw or liked the movie. And FOP is an amazing experience.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

You do not have to know or like Avatar to enjoy FoP. This ride could have easily been called "fly through a mythical fantasy land on the back of a creature." If you like simulator rides and don't get sick from them this one is pretty much a can't-miss.

 

[mesaboy2]

I’ll be the contrarian and say FOP is skippable. Like Avatar the movie, it is very pretty to look at but otherwise did not impress me. If you manage to grab a FP great, but I would not stress if you can’t get one nor would I suggest waiting in a long standby line to see it. It is, at the end of the day, a simulator ride.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I’ll be the contrarian and say FOP is skippable. Like Avatar the movie, it is very pretty to look at but otherwise did not impress me. If you manage to grab a FP great, but I would not stress if you can’t get one nor would I suggest waiting in a long standby line to see it.

I'm with you.

I've seen Avatar, wasn't impressed. I've been to Pandora, rode NRJ, didn't have a fast pass for FOP. Didn't feel like I missed a thing, and didn't feel like I needed to stand in a two hour line.

And in fact, if I didn't have a fast pas for FOP for this next trip, I would be find skipping Pandora totally.

 

[Buckeye218]

My wife and I were unimpressed by the movie and with the current hysteria around this ride, we intend to skip it during our Jan 2018 visit. We love Animal Kingdom and there is plenty for us to enjoy outside of the madhouse that is Avatarland. If we can get on FOP with a 20 minute wait or less, great. Since that's highly unlikely, we'll just plan to hit it in a future visit a few years from now.

 

[John Marecek]

No, no, no, no. Unless you can't do simulators, the FOP needs to be the top priority. You don't need to watch the movie to love this attraction. It comes with it's own story, explains it well with an extensive pre-show, then you forget about all of it when the ride begins. There's really nothing like it.

What you can skip is the Na'vi River Journey.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

If we can get on FOP with a 20 minute wait or less, great. Since that's highly unlikely, we'll just plan to hit it in a future visit a few years from now.

There have been plenty of reports of 20-30 minute waits for FoP near closing time. This may be a good option for you.

 

[KenHutch]

YouTube the entire ride and you will get a good idea. I will try for a fastpass during our June 2018 trip but an 8 year old girl has warned me that if the wait is 2 hours + I had better not have had a drink because we will be waiting.

 

[Kelli72]

We just got back a couple of weeks ago. I personally did not ride, because I don't do well on simulator rides, but the rest of our group (3 40 somethings and 2 kids 9 and 13) said it was hands down the coolest ride they have ever experienced. I would definitely go if you can. I saw Avatar the day before we arrived lol and it is amazing how the land looks like the movie, I think they did a fantastic job and even though I won't do FOP, I can't wait to go back!

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I personally think it's the best theme park ride I've ever been on. The visuals are stunning and the simulator is the most life-like I've ever been on. I remember wondering how Disney was going to compete with the Harry Potter technology...FOP absolutely blows that away in my opinion.

 

[marshallabney]

My wife and daughter had never seen the movie and I didn't really care for it. We thought this was the best ride all trip. If there are only two of you, even if you don't snag a FoP FP+ ahead of time, refresh once in the park and you should be able to get one. It is definitely worth it in my opinion. That being said, you won't really know what you are missing if you skip it.

 

[mesaboy2]

My wife and daughter had never seen the movie and I didn't really care for it. We thought this was the best ride all trip. If there are only two of you, even if you don't snag a FoP FP+ ahead of time, refresh once in the park and you should be able to get one. It is definitely worth it in my opinion. That being said, you won't really know what you are missing if you skip it.

If it were that easy to get FP, I’d recommend FOP for the OP too. But it isn’t.

 

[marshallabney]

If it were that easy to get FP, I’d recommend FOP for the OP too. But it isn’t.

Respectfully disagree, we were able to get same day 4th or 5th FP+ for FoP over thanksgiving week two separate days for 2 or 3 people. Refreshing takes persistence, but it worked flawlessly for me on every single ride. Sometimes it helps to switch to one person, then once obtained get the other person's FP.

 

[BriLovesDisney]

I've never seen the movie, but loved Pandora.

I'd recommend checking the land out. I didn't ride FOP (because I get motion sick) but did ride NRJ and loved it.

 

[mesaboy2]

Respectfully disagree, we were able to get same day 4th or 5th FP+ for FoP over thanksgiving week two separate days for 2 or 3 people. Refreshing takes persistence, but it worked flawlessly for me on every single ride. Sometimes it helps to switch to one person, then once obtained get the other person's FP.

Refreshing constantly, sure there’s a chance for FOP. (I read your prior post as refresh once, not once in the park.) I don’t get the impression the OP cares enough about Avatar to go to those lengths.

 

[marshallabney]

Refreshing constantly, sure there’s a chance for FOP. (I read your prior post as refresh once, not once in the park.) I don’t get the impression the OP cares enough about Avatar to go to those lengths.

Fair, should have been more clear. And I guess what I was getting at was in my opinion only, it is worth riding and getting the FP

 

[ShadeDK]

I don't consider any ride unskippable. Although I think FoP is one of the best that WDW offers, no single ride appeals to everyone and that's okay. There's so much to see and do at WDW that skipping something shouldn't be a dilemma if it doesn't really interest someone. FoP will be there for quite awhile - the worst that might happen is that you ride it down the road and wish you had sooner.

A PP mentioned same-day FP for FoP. While it's not easy, it is very much possible. With some refreshing on the MDE app, I was able to get FoP as a 4th FP last week (when the standby times were averaging 3-4 hours) - and then move the FPs to later and later times throughout the afternoon so we could see Pandora at night. So if regret hits once you're at AK, it's an option to at least explore.