Avatar Flight of Passage reviews, comments and questions

[TalkingHead]

The whole room you're in detaches and moves around violently...

Couldn't disagree more about the "violently" part. There's a notch more motion than Soarin', but it's not anywhere near the motion of FJ, Gringotts, or even Big Thunder.

 

[TeriofTerror]

Hi, all!
I just got home (Ohio) from WDW a few moments ago and am exhausted, but here are some quick thoughts:
1. I really don't think nausea will be a big problem. I have a hard time on Star Tours (can only ride it once per day or my stomach will be a rebel spy), but I could ride FoP all day long. I think the air flow really helps.
2. A member of our party is 5'2" and over 225 lbs., and she carries her weight almost entirely in her midsection. She was able to ride, no problem. It was never even a question.
3. We had seven people in our party, and we were all blown away by the actual ride. The superlatives were flowing like tequila, with one notable exception: the actor in the preshow. We all thought he was absolutely terrible. Is there any way this is just a scratch or demo version and will be changed when the ride officially opens?

 

[Kman101]

Rode twice tonight. Haven't read any other reviews, so I went into this only knowing that the ride has been getting a lot of hype from some fans.

My advice is to lower your expectations. As far as E-tickets go, this one may disappoint if you’re expecting it to be one of the best rides in Orlando.

I know I was wishing for more, but it’s Soarin’ 2.0. The diehard fans may dispute that, but I guarantee that’s the way average guests will describe it: “It’s like Soarin’ with 3D.”

The queue is well done but overhyped. It’s got elements of the woodsy E.T. queue with additional black light painting. Nice atmosphere, but not much else in this part. This area is quite static; adding animatronics of some sort to the forest area would have given this section more interest.

The lab section is surprisingly compact. I really expected this to be a more sprawling area. The upper story of the room is hardly themed; this diminishes the feeling of a real work space.

The preshows are dry and already tiresome by the second ride. If Disney wants to push the envelope, figure out a way to improve on the preshows in these E-ticket attractions. The Gringott preshows are far more impressive than these.

The loading process is the most tedious I can recall. It makes Mission: Space look like an exercise in efficiency. The ride vehicles aren’t terribly comfortable while you wait for the restraints to move into place, and the glasses aren’t a snug fit making it feel like they could fly off during the ride.

The 3D is fine, but to my eyes it doesn’t look better than the 3D in Gringotts. In fact, in motion, the 3D of FoP had noticeable blur. For what it is, the 3D in Star Tours looks as good as the 3D in FoP.

The ride motion is fun, but it’s not intense. Nothing like the drops on Tower. I get why we don’t see the banshee head/neck in front during the film (it would look odd to have a row of those things side by side), but this also takes away from the experience. At least with the hang-gliding conceit, you believe that the glider is above you. It would’ve been a maintenance nightmare, but it’s really too bad they couldn’t figure out a way to add the Banshee to the ride vehicle. The row of vehicles also lack any kind of grandeur. This is just not an ideal way to start an E-ticket.

I guess I’d rate the whole experience a B, maybe lower if I had to wait more than 45 minutes. It’s certainly not worth a 2- or 3-hour wait, which it’ll probably maintain for this summer. I’m curious what average guests will think of it, because in many ways, I thought the ride itself was the most disappointing part of the entire land.

Wow. Glad most disagree with this. But you're certainly entitled to your opinion. I don't think you were ever going to like it though, IMO. But I'm glad you at least experienced it for yourself.

 

[Kman101]

Couldn't disagree more about the "violently" part. There's a notch more motion than Soarin', but it's not anywhere near the motion of FJ, Gringotts, or even Big Thunder.

I do agree, it doesn't "violently" thrash you around. It's also not a "notch more". You seem determined not to give the ride any credit. Gringotts and Thunder are coasters, of course it's nowhere near the same motion. And I'd consider FJ a ride that "violently thrashes you around".

 

[No Name]

3. We had seven people in our party, and we were all blown away by the actual ride. The superlatives were flowing like tequila, with one notable exception: the actor in the preshow. We all thought he was absolutely terrible. Is there any way this is just a scratch or demo version and will be changed when the ride officially opens?

That guy is supposed to seem a bit dopey. I don't exactly know why, but it's intentional, so I don't think they'll be changing it unless they gather too much negative feedback from guests.
Personally I kind of like it.

Rode twice tonight. Haven't read any other reviews, so I went into this only knowing that the ride has been getting a lot of hype from some fans.

My advice is to lower your expectations. As far as E-tickets go, this one may disappoint if you’re expecting it to be one of the best rides in Orlando.

I know I was wishing for more, but it’s Soarin’ 2.0. The diehard fans may dispute that, but I guarantee that’s the way average guests will describe it: “It’s like Soarin’ with 3D.”

The queue is well done but overhyped. It’s got elements of the woodsy E.T. queue with additional black light painting. Nice atmosphere, but not much else in this part. This area is quite static; adding animatronics of some sort to the forest area would have given this section more interest.

The lab section is surprisingly compact. I really expected this to be a more sprawling area. The upper story of the room is hardly themed; this diminishes the feeling of a real work space.

The preshows are dry and already tiresome by the second ride. If Disney wants to push the envelope, figure out a way to improve on the preshows in these E-ticket attractions. The Gringott preshows are far more impressive than these.

The loading process is the most tedious I can recall. It makes Mission: Space look like an exercise in efficiency. The ride vehicles aren’t terribly comfortable while you wait for the restraints to move into place, and the glasses aren’t a snug fit making it feel like they could fly off during the ride.

The 3D is fine, but to my eyes it doesn’t look better than the 3D in Gringotts. In fact, in motion, the 3D of FoP had noticeable blur. For what it is, the 3D in Star Tours looks as good as the 3D in FoP.

The ride motion is fun, but it’s not intense. Nothing like the drops on Tower. I get why we don’t see the banshee head/neck in front during the film (it would look odd to have a row of those things side by side), but this also takes away from the experience. At least with the hang-gliding conceit, you believe that the glider is above you. It would’ve been a maintenance nightmare, but it’s really too bad they couldn’t figure out a way to add the Banshee to the ride vehicle. The row of vehicles also lack any kind of grandeur. This is just not an ideal way to start an E-ticket.

I guess I’d rate the whole experience a B, maybe lower if I had to wait more than 45 minutes. It’s certainly not worth a 2- or 3-hour wait, which it’ll probably maintain for this summer. I’m curious what average guests will think of it, because in many ways, I thought the ride itself was the most disappointing part of the entire land.

Wow, that reaction is TOTALLY surprising, considering the unbounded enthusaism you've had for this land!

 

[Mike C]

It's Simpsons on a bike, but super fun and nails the sense of flying.

 

[flyerjab]

Rode twice tonight. Haven't read any other reviews, so I went into this only knowing that the ride has been getting a lot of hype from some fans.

My advice is to lower your expectations. As far as E-tickets go, this one may disappoint if you’re expecting it to be one of the best rides in Orlando.

I know I was wishing for more, but it’s Soarin’ 2.0. The diehard fans may dispute that, but I guarantee that’s the way average guests will describe it: “It’s like Soarin’ with 3D.”

The queue is well done but overhyped. It’s got elements of the woodsy E.T. queue with additional black light painting. Nice atmosphere, but not much else in this part. This area is quite static; adding animatronics of some sort to the forest area would have given this section more interest.

The lab section is surprisingly compact. I really expected this to be a more sprawling area. The upper story of the room is hardly themed; this diminishes the feeling of a real work space.

The preshows are dry and already tiresome by the second ride. If Disney wants to push the envelope, figure out a way to improve on the preshows in these E-ticket attractions. The Gringott preshows are far more impressive than these.

The loading process is the most tedious I can recall. It makes Mission: Space look like an exercise in efficiency. The ride vehicles aren’t terribly comfortable while you wait for the restraints to move into place, and the glasses aren’t a snug fit making it feel like they could fly off during the ride.

The 3D is fine, but to my eyes it doesn’t look better than the 3D in Gringotts. In fact, in motion, the 3D of FoP had noticeable blur. For what it is, the 3D in Star Tours looks as good as the 3D in FoP.

The ride motion is fun, but it’s not intense. Nothing like the drops on Tower. I get why we don’t see the banshee head/neck in front during the film (it would look odd to have a row of those things side by side), but this also takes away from the experience. At least with the hang-gliding conceit, you believe that the glider is above you. It would’ve been a maintenance nightmare, but it’s really too bad they couldn’t figure out a way to add the Banshee to the ride vehicle. The row of vehicles also lack any kind of grandeur. This is just not an ideal way to start an E-ticket.

I guess I’d rate the whole experience a B, maybe lower if I had to wait more than 45 minutes. It’s certainly not worth a 2- or 3-hour wait, which it’ll probably maintain for this summer. I’m curious what average guests will think of it, because in many ways, I thought the ride itself was the most disappointing part of the entire land.

Man, we could not disagree more within the laws of the natural universe. But as said above, your opinion is yours, and I respect that. Sad to hear that you pretty much don't care for this at all.

 

[Incomudro]

Agreed. And it is a subtle effect but it works seemlessly and perfectly. The flashes made momentarily grab your attention and of course are bright so it obscures your vision a bit. You look up next and there are white flashes in front of you with a depth of field. Suddenly the link connection begins and the next thing you know you are perched on a banshee high up in the floating mountains.

This has so much re-ridability. I went on it 3 times in 24 hours and could have easily turned around and did it again. The 3D is fantastic and there is no blurring effect due to the high frame rate. And the dives are exhilarating. I turned around on the last time on the ride to see how far it drops. The first big dive had to be 8 feet. No motion sickness for me though. It is smooth and an absolutely beautiful ride. You can hear people all over the park talking about how incredible this ride is.

This is now at the top of my list of rides. It is an absolute thrill. And the queue beats out any queue in Orlando. I know some think extensive queues are a waste, but I love them! This ride is a homerun by all accounts.

Re-ridability, I like that.
I had no desire to re-ride the Potter rides.

 

[flyerjab]

Re-ridability, I like that.
I had no desire to re-ride the Potter rides.

The one other thing I am wondering is if another ride video will be created similar to (but not the same as) Star Tours. That would really add a reason to re-ride.

 

[Patcheslee]

You are assigned a seat number by a cast member. I was #13 on level B3. My view was excellent with no distortion at all.

I take it the cast member doesn't spilt up groups?

 

[mergatroid]

The one other thing I am wondering is if another ride video will be created similar to (but not the same as) Star Tours. That would really add a reason to re-ride.

Let's be honest though, how many rides change from one ride to the next? Think Universal only has one which is M.I.B. (when you shoot different targets you get different reactions). Disney has Buzz and Toy Story (for the same reason) and TOT and Star Tours?

At least with FOP there's the potential for them to add to or change the movie. If people don't want to re-ride it, they probably won't want to re-ride 90% of park rides as most don't change.

 

[180º]

The one other thing I am wondering is if another ride video will be created similar to (but not the same as) Star Tours. That would really add a reason to re-ride.

Unlike Star Tours' video game graphics, the FOP ride video looks incredibly expensive. I don't think we'll see another one for a good long while.

 

[flyerjab]

Unlike Star Tours' video game graphics, the FOP ride video looks incredibly expensive. I don't think we'll see another one for a good long while.

Agreed. I was thinking with the upcoming sequels (unless they keep getting pushed out).

 

[Eckert]

Agreed. I was thinking with the upcoming sequels (unless they keep getting pushed out).

I can't help but feel that the land is already filled with references to the future movies. The village by the waves on Flight of Passage totally struck me as a set piece from a future film.

And as far as re-rideability goes by adding new screens and such, I'd say that's a no go. This ride is going to have 2 hour waits constantly, and if I'm waiting 2 hours to ride this thing I better see EVERYTHING.

 

[flyerjab]

I can't help but feel that the land is already filled with references to the future movies. The village by the waves on Flight of Passage totally struck me as a set piece from a future film.

And as far as re-rideability goes by adding new screens and such, I'd say that's a no go. This ride is going to have 2 hour waits constantly, and if I'm waiting 2 hours to ride this thing I better see EVERYTHING.

I agree completely about the ocean scenes. There is no way the next movie doesn't have that huge whale in it, as well as more of a focus on the ocean. And Cameron is obviously obsessed with the undersea life.

 

[SourcererMark79]

I can't help but feel that the land is already filled with references to the future movies. The village by the waves on Flight of Passage totally struck me as a set piece from a future film.

And as far as re-rideability goes by adding new screens and such, I'd say that's a no go. This ride is going to have 2 hour waits constantly, and if I'm waiting 2 hours to ride this thing I better see EVERYTHING.

2 hours? Maybe on a rainy Tuesday in January! The queue was designed for at least 3 hours maybe 4. Hopeful this indeed is a sneak peek at upcoming films.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I agree completely about the ocean scenes. There is no way the next movie doesn't have that huge whale in it, as well as more of a focus on the ocean. And Cameron is obviously obsessed with the undersea life.

Didn't Cameron do a record dive a few years back as part of prep work for Avatar 2?? And found life forms we didn't realize were around

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Man, we could not disagree more within the laws of the natural universe. But as said above, your opinion is yours, and I respect that. Sad to hear that you pretty much don't care for this at all.

I remember you said you have a bit of motion sickness. How did you hold up on this ride?

 

[SourcererMark79]

I remember you said you have a bit of motion sickness. How did you hold up on this ride?

My wife typically takes the last "out" when in line with me on 3D screen rides, or closes her eyes when she gets nauseous but she stuck with FoP and enjoyed it with no issues. I read from multiple sources it was designed to feel as much like a coaster as possible. She was awful at most of the US/IoA attractions, and even was a bit with Soarin.

 

[flyerjab]

I remember you said you have a bit of motion sickness. How did you hold up on this ride?

No issues. It is so smooth from a ride perspective.