Avatar Flight of Passage reviews, comments and questions

[sedati]

I'm back after a few day trips to the park and I gotta say - I'm changed after Pandora. I can't stop thinking about it. The incredible size and scope of that land is breathtaking. I couldn't stop taking pictures and videos the entire time to capture something otherworldly.

Navi River Journey is a very nice experience. The queue was nothing to write home about, aside from the ambient sounds from the jungle that surrounded you. I'm one of the people who has enjoyed many of the recent attractions/overlays from Disney, so this small attraction really excited me. It's a very calming experience, something to draw you in and imagine. Nothing jaw dropping here. The screens are decent (you can always tell it's a screen), but it does create a very cool sense of depth to the scenes. Of course the Animatronic is super impressive. She's huge too! I was kinda shocked at how big of a creature she was, with incredible wingspan. I did like how the Avatar theme blended with the new song the Shaman sings.

We headed back to Flight of Passage at night (thank god). A lot of the queue was outside and we would have been scorched and even the cave system was very hot. I don't believe there were any fans in there and the only air conditioning seemed to be coming from the RDA doorway. I really loved the section after the cave, where it transitions to night, followed by the Avatar program facilities. The ride itself really blew me away as well. It's so unexpected and shocking to start that I could barely catch my breath as I was flying around. I honestly couldn't help but smile and laugh the whole time.

The store was fine, but didn't really hold anything I'd consider buying aside from a t-shirt and a banshee. I didn't come home with either. I was shocked the banshees sold out two days after my visit, as they seemed well stocked with priceless first additions.

We ordered 4 different meals from the canteen. The Steel Cut Oats which was a GIANT bowl of oatmeal, fit for two people. The French toast was enjoyable, but needed more topping. The cheese burger pods were just alright. They were a bit bland and needed some sauce or cheese. I wouldn't order that again. The Tofu bowl with Hash and (I forget the sauce, but it was white) was an outstanding meal. Probably the best meal we've ever head on property.

I went into this land with the same thoughts as most people, trying to compare it to Harry Potter since that's what everyone wants us to do, but personally, I think this beats Harry for me. Obviously they are completely different experiences and shouldn't really be compared, but I would pick visiting Pandora over most things.

Thank you for your report. I'd like to ask you a simple question that I think might clear up a lot of qualms many still hold for this area.

Did it feel Disney? I think many wonder, even if it is a quality land, that it would feel an odd fit for not just the park, but the resort in general.

 

[Jones14]

Thank you for your report. I'd like to ask you a simple question that I think might clear up a lot of qualms many still hold for this area.

Did it feel Disney? I think many wonder, even if it is a quality land, that it would feel an odd fit for not just the park, but the resort in general.

I would say that it does not feel 'Disney' in the same way that the Magic Kingdom does, but it feels 'Animal Kingdom' from top to bottom. It would feel very out of place if it were anywhere other than where it was built, but it fits like a glove in Animal Kingdom.

 

[CastleBound]

Thank you for your report. I'd like to ask you a simple question that I think might clear up a lot of qualms many still hold for this area.

Did it feel Disney? I think many wonder, even if it is a quality land, that it would feel an odd fit for not just the park, but the resort in general.

That is a great question actually... I had to sit and think about it for a few to be honest. I came to the conclusion that I really don't know what Disney feels like anymore. Is it IP based? Is it the original dark rides? Is it about a mouse? Is it the themed lands? At this juncture, Disney has a lot of feels.

I think it does feel Disney. It has the well themed elements I expect from Disney, but even then, it blows away any of the well themed areas they've done before. I think it does lend itself naturally to the feel of Animal Kingdom. I once questioned it myself, but it really fits right in with the park.

Honestly, the IP is the least of your worries in Pandora. It's less distracting than IP in EPCOT, it doesn't feel forced like Tomorrowland, and I think the IP blends well with the nature aspects featured throughout the rest of DAK. Yes, it may be weird to see tails and banshees sold in a world where they supposedly exist, but it's doing really well.

The merchandise feels Disney to me. You have the Navi ears w/ headband that replicate the Mickey ears, choosing a banshee has been really special for kids and the amount of boxes I saw in Orlando airport was absurd. Kids were in love with the dolls and animals for sale. As much as you can say "what does today's children know about Avatar?" - I don't think that really matters. They love it.

NRJ certainly feels Disney to me, while it misses the mark in some ways, it definitely has the feel I'd hope for. FoP is something that has many elements that feel Disney. The queue videos all feel similar to Dinosaur or Mission: Space. The ride itself may be screen based and seem "universal" to some, but be honest, Disney does screens too.

So yea... a long winded answer, but yes it does feel Disney. I think the question of Disney feel may be very different in years to come, so that definition may evolve over time.

 

[Figment82]

Ty. It is normally standard practice for them to ask the family member to wait outside, but I heard during AP previews they were letting the whole family queue together. I was just curious if that was still the case.

Ah, gotcha. I can see the reasoning, but little kids would love seeing the queue even if they were too short. It'd be nice if it was still an option, like the walk-through "castle tour" at Forbidden Journey.

 

[Patcheslee]

Sunday we had a small issue with the queue ppl jam. CM told us one direction to the FP line, so we walked to the end of the crowd, asked the CM there and she pointed us back to the original CM. Slightly annoying when they rope off the area to let pple through, you finally get to the point told to go then have to do it all in reverse. Then wait for that crowd to pass that was standby to cross the path and continue further down with no idea when the FP entrance was. There were 4 other familes all asking where the entrance was and no CM in sight until took a turn off the main path we were on. If they are going to hold ppl at an intersection and then tell them it's forward they need a CM at the turn. The ride was definitely worth the hastle, it was DD8 first ride at Disney so she's had the bar set preaty high. The preshow was slightly awkward waiting in silence until DD figured out the screen was showing her shape and she tried funny dances till it came back. The breath effect startled her at first but as soon as tge screen came up she was laughing and smiling. Enjoyed it enough she wanted to wait in a 3 hr line to go again, which doesn't happen too often with her.

 

[ChrisFL]

Exactly. I love the Potter lands and Pandora. One isn't better than the other to me.

I really did find the game arena scene in FJ blurry. I'm not one to make something up.

FJ's video screens are totally blurry, but it's a combination of things I believe. The projector is at the top of the dome and has to show the full screen which limits how clear it can be, as it's got to be at an angle. Also, I think the source video doesn't look quite right. The actors are super bright and don't blend in well with the background, like a bad green-screen effect when they were shooting it.

I also think FJ is still a bit too intense with the motion overall, they should take a cue from FOP and make the experience more smooth and less jarring IMO, except for the specific parts like the whomping willow

 

[freediverdude]

Well I just rode FJ again, and I have to stick by my first assessment that the video is similar in crispness to FoP. I will however give you that it is not as bright. But you really don't see the edges on FJ, which is a plus in its corner. And Gringotts is clearer than either of them. But that's probably a different animal with much larger screens, the whole scale is much larger. It is actually difficult to compare them, they're just very different rides and attraction lands.

 

[ChrisFL]

I will say one thing that I noticed during the ride but I think it's something to do with the original film....the lack of a great, recognizable soundtrack. I'm not saying the soundtrack wasn't good, but I don't ever recall what it sounded like or anyone talking about that aspect of the movie/attraction much.

When we think about the great soundtracks, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Pirates of the Caribbean, they're very recognizable and memorable. I don't get any sense of that with Avatar.

 

[beertiki]

700 am at AK for 800am rope drop on Friday. They let us in the park about 720. Lots of people running towards Pandora. Got to Pandora to wait until about 740. Had to tell some adult male who kept shoving forward because his mom was was "up there", that "your mom can wait for you, quit trying to squeeze between me and wife." Maybe a 20 minute walk through the queue to FOP. Wish it was longer. As odd as it sounds, I can't wait see it with a 60 minutes wait. Did it with a FP on Sunday and felt like I missed out on so much

 

[DoctorWho.48]

I will say one thing that I noticed during the ride but I think it's something to do with the original film....the lack of a great, recognizable soundtrack. I'm not saying the soundtrack wasn't good, but I don't ever recall what it sounded like or anyone talking about that aspect of the movie/attraction much.

When we think about the great soundtracks, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Pirates of the Caribbean, they're very recognizable and memorable. I don't get any sense of that with Avatar.

The soundtrack is actually the one thing that stuck with me the most when I originally watched the movie. I was very excited to see how they would incorporate the score into Pandora and I personally loved it and noticed it immediately. Notably in River Journey in the cave at the end, after seeing the Shaman. And on Flight of Passage, the main theme comes in in the bioluminescent cave scene. That part gives me tingles every time. I'm sorry it wasn't memorable for you!

 

[CastleBound]

I will say one thing that I noticed during the ride but I think it's something to do with the original film....the lack of a great, recognizable soundtrack. I'm not saying the soundtrack wasn't good, but I don't ever recall what it sounded like or anyone talking about that aspect of the movie/attraction much.

When we think about the great soundtracks, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Pirates of the Caribbean, they're very recognizable and memorable. I don't get any sense of that with Avatar.

I'm torn on this fact. If you take the experience as "real", then you are literally an avatar flying in Pandora or riding in a river boat through Pandora, so where does the music come from? So on one hand it's cool to hear the music from the film, but also how would that be happening if this was really Pandora? Just a funny predicament.

I would say for me, the Avatar main theme is pretty memorable. Certainly not as memorable as the other films you mentioned, but I do really enjoy the score by James Horner.

 

[Cesar R M]

As promised:
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View attachment 208329

thank you!

Its clear the new change was to move CMs close to the guests for herding.

 

[neoshinok]

Something interesting happened this morning on FoP. I think they are trying different options in the pre-ride rooms. We did not undergo the decontamination procedure. That takes more minutes off if the load time. Also, when we were being lead into the link chair room the group that just rode was getting off, similar to the Soarin load/unload. They are clearly working on variables to test increasing load times.

Also, we have now ridden on all 3 levels and the views on the ride experience are slightly different.

And I can assure you that this is in NO WAY like Soarin'. It is on a completely different level. Everyone was yelling and screaming on each ride. There was a little kid next to us yelling "this is incredible!" He and his dad then proceeded to purchase banshees. He was on cloud nine.

I've been looking for comments about this but have they removed the 'decontamination' element? I've been thru the queue 3 times and never experienced it. I've watched videos from preview days but haven't seen evidence of it since grand opening.

 

[wdizneew]

I've been looking for comments about this but have they removed the 'decontamination' element? I've been thru the queue 3 times and never experienced it. I've watched videos from preview days but haven't seen evidence of it since grand opening.

Same here. I rode the ride on Thursday afternoon and on Saturday/Sunday evenings. All three times I never experienced the "decontamination" element.

Another thing I noticed was that the safety video for going into the room is flipped depending on which direction you enter the chamber. So if you enter the chamber to your left, the safety video reflects the animation of guests loading on the left, and vice versa.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but in the pre-show where they match everyone to an avatar, one of the avatars is based off of Joe Rohde. I couldn't find which one it was but it's the avatar with the huge earring on one ear.

 

[ChrisFL]

it's been 2 days since I rode this and still hyped...lol. Has anyone else started to wonder how they could use this ride system for other attractions.

The ultimate to me would be something that blends this, but is interactive...probably with a smaller screen for individual experience, but it would be so cool to have this as an interactive flying experience of some kind (I'm also reminded me of GOTG2)

 

[disneygeek90]

it's been 2 days since I rode this and still hyped...lol. Has anyone else started to wonder how they could use this ride system for other attractions.

The ultimate to me would be something that blends this, but is interactive...probably with a smaller screen for individual experience, but it would be so cool to have this as an interactive flying experience of some kind (I'm also reminded me of GOTG2)

There was something much, much more basic, but similar to this with an "interactive" component in DisneyQuest.

 

[ChrisFL]

There was something much, much more basic, but similar to this with an "interactive" component in DisneyQuest.

You mean the Aladdin flying carpet VR one?

 

[disneygeek90]

You mean the Aladdin flying carpet VR one?

Yes.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yes.

I've done VR stuff (I saw that one in Epcot waaay before DisneyQuest even opened) and the new VR stuff as well, but I kinda prefer not having a heavy thing on my head....I know VR is improving and in a few years it should be much more compact, but I liked that FOP is not a VR experience

 

[disneygeek90]

I've done VR stuff (I saw that one in Epcot waaay before DisneyQuest even opened) and the new VR stuff as well, but I kinda prefer not having a heavy thing on my head....I know VR is improving and in a few years it should be much more compact, but I liked that FOP is not a VR experience

Oh, I know. Aladdin was actually pretty disorienting as the technology is probably from ~2000. But I can definitely see progress between what that was, and what we got for FoP.