January 10th, 2014: Construction begins at Pandora: The World of Avatar. May 27th, 2017: Animal Kingdom opens the newest area of the park. November 4th, 2017: I was fortunate to visit Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Since the announcement of this new world, I was extremely excited to visit the newest expansion of Animal Kingdom. I had been a fan of the movie, and I couldn’t wait to see how Disney brought the planet to life in Orlando. Since Pandora opened, I’ve been seeing a lot on Instagram and Youtube about this new world, and I was so anxious to go.
I was not disappointed.
This world is beyond gorgeous. Everything from the floating mountains to the dreamcatcher-like structures built by the Na’vi people to the plants, animals and waterfalls was so perfect.
The first thing I did in the area was Flight of Passage. The storyline is based on a Na’vi rite of passage— riding on the back of a banshee. It’s the major attraction of the area, and I waited about two hours to ride this. Not only was the queue absolutely gorgeous (there was a full-sized moving avatar in one of the rooms!), but the ride was absolutely worth the wait. I couldn’t stop smiling! To ride, you sit in link chairs and put on flight visors to link to the banshee you are about to ride on. Once it starts, you fly through all of the major areas of Pandora. Not only are you seeing every beautiful thing Pandora holds, you are also smelling the flowers and the different areas, and even getting splashed by some water when you fly by the ocean (you don’t get wet). You literally feel like you are right there, especially since you can feel the banshee breathing between your thighs when you sit on the link chairs. Flight of Passage has quickly become one of my favorite rides, and I would undoubtedly do it again. Oh, and for those who are concerned about it being too rough, it is perfect for the whole family. The ride is super smooth, and there aren’t any scary parts to it. I could try to describe more in depth what this ride was like, but my words simply cannot do it any justice.
Unfortunately, I was unable to ride the Na’vi River Journey that day. However, it has been compared to it’s a small world at Magic Kingdom, just at night and on a different planet.
After riding Flight of Passage, I walked around the area for a bit and took tons of pictures (totally Insta-worthy). As I was walking around, there was a Na’vi drum circle performing, which was super interesting and high-energy. Some of my favorite spots for pictures were the moss wall, the floating mountain overlook, the little lake area, and between the waterfall and the dreamcatcher statue of the Shaman of Songs. Everywhere I looked, I found another picture I needed to take or something I needed to stop and look at.
Now for the most important part of any travel review: food. The Satu’li Canteen is located in the back corner of the area, near the Windtraders gift shop, the restrooms, and the exit to Flight of Passage. The menu seemed a little strange at first, but my family and I decided to order the cheeseburger pods and a grilled chicken bowl. The food was surprisingly amazing; the flavors were really unique and definitely something I would go back for.
After my meal at Satu’li Canteen, we decided to head around the rest of Animal Kingdom. I got to see Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical, both of which I love. I also rode Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari, saw It’s Tough to Be a Bug, met a bunch of characters, and took a bunch of pictures in the Africa and Asia sections of the park. Discovery Island was a little hard to take pictures in since they were filming the Disney Holiday Specials for TV in front of the Tree of Life. I also had a slice of pizza at Pizzafari and a Mickey pop (classic me).
Pandora is supposed to become bioluminescent at night, and the ground is even supposed to light up, but I couldn’t make it back in time because of Rivers of Light.
At the end of the night, I was very lucky because I got into Rivers of Light on standby. Half of the theater is dedicated to Fastpass+, a quarter is for one of the Dining Plans, and whatever is left over is for standby. Even if you don’t get seating, there are standing areas around the lake. The show was spectacular, and it wasn’t your typical Disney show. There were no Disney characters involved, or even songs from movies. It was solely based on nature, water, and projections onto water (and maybe a little fire). Everything was so pretty to watch and look at, and the lighting of it all was so gorgeous. The show was the last thing we did that night, and it was definitely a great way to end the night.
All in all, Pandora was a super amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. Even if you have never seen the Avatar film, or you aren’t a huge fan, don’t worry, Pandora has something for absolutely everyone. I would go back in a heartbeat, and trust me, it’s an experience you won’t regret trying. As they say on Pandora, Sivako— rise to the challenge.
Leave a Reply