Na'vi River Journey reviews, comments and questions

[NearTheEars]

Finally got on the River Journey today as my wife was able to snag some fast passes. She's been checking religiously for both rides and a pair popped up.

I thought it was nice, but too short. The AA at the end was phenomenal. If they could just stop every boat there for a minute, I'd forgive the short river length. The projections looked awesome from afar, but seemed to become too obvious once the boat came close to them. I did, however, love the ones bouncing from leaf to leaf above.

All and all it was nice. Not sure I'd ever wait standby, though.

What was really awesome was the lowered wait times across the park. Thanks Pandora!

 

[Prototype82]

Realistically nobody has emotional connections with the Avatar characters, doesn't take away from the beauty of the land - however, I am curious about the lasting appeal over the years.

That's the beauty of the land - all of the film's characters are dead at this point in time. Except I have to disagree with you. Especially after watching the extended cut. Dr. Augustine gives me all the feels. I love her character...

 

[RSoxNo1]

I didn't say a thing about appropriateness or fit. I get the whole conservation aspect of the land. And also said anything about talking animals. Disney has always done true life animal shows and movies. What I said was just my opinion. I have friends who think it's the best Disney has ever done and I see that side of it too. Animal Kingdom is my all time favorite park and I would have liked to have seen something different. I have no emotional ties to Avatar or Pandora what so ever so it's lost on me. Again just my opinion. It's obviously done something for the park. I just spent the last 10 days at WDW and wait times were anywhere from 110 minutes to 3 hours and that is no exaggeration. It just doesn't do it for me.

What in the Animal Kingdom do you have an emotional tie to? Lion King?

 

[twebber55]

What in the Animal Kingdom do you have an emotional tie to? Lion King?

Thats been a point of mine for a while. DAK is not really character driven or IP driven.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Thats been a point of mine for a while. DAK is not really character driven or IP driven.

Does it have to be if the quality is there? The emotional feeling you get when walking into some place like Harry Potter is driven from something other than the physical land. It's derived from seeing the movies or reading the books. The emotional feelings that many of us get walking through EPCOT or the Magic Kingdom are derived from childhood memories.

With the Animal Kingdom, the quality is there and emotion can be derived from that quality.

 

[Kman101]

I don't have any emotional ties to Avatar the movie either and having never seen it the land still worked great for me.

 

[Kman101]

Thats been a point of mine for a while. DAK is not really character driven or IP driven.

And I'm glad for that. It's my favorite park but I can see the other side of it.

 

[Sue_Vongello]

Does it have to be if the quality is there? The emotional feeling you get when walking into some place like Harry Potter is driven from something other than the physical land. It's derived from seeing the movies or reading the books. The emotional feelings that many of us get walking through EPCOT or the Magic Kingdom are derived from childhood memories.

With the Animal Kingdom, the quality is there and emotion can be derived from that quality.

I don't know I think we grow up as kids dreaming of dinosaurs or visit the zoo and develop attachments to the exotic animals like tigers, lions, giraffes, monkeys, etc ... so I think the "characters" of DAK that we have an emotional connection to are the animals, and it works.

Nobody really has an emotional connection to Avatar characters or animals. And how can they ever compete with the years we've invested in dinosaurs, tigers, or Mickey Mouse? So while the land is beautiful the real connection to the land and staying power, I think, can't be answered until a few years from now.

 

[doctornick]

So I haven't seen this mentioned -- or maybe I missed it -- but the standby queue has little placards throughout which detail the flora and fauna you "might" see on the ride. Granted that most people ignore them, but they were a nice touch to give some background to what is experienced in the ride. I was concerned that there was no sort of "field guide" for the ride, but there is.

They should have some sort of abbreviated version of that information -- at least one poster with the pictures and names of the various animals -- for the FP+ queue as well IMHO.

 

[flyerjab]

A deep emotional connection to characters Or animals is not a requirement for appreciation. I have a deep connection to this entire park for multiple reasons that have nothing to do with specific animals or dinosaurs. The entire aesthetic of Africa, Asia, Discovery Island, the Oasis or now Avatar has struck a deep chord for me. The beauty that Joe Rohde and his team have created resonates deeply for me. The moral consciousness of this park and the message concerning conservation and the saving of endangered species is so intrinsic as to why I love this park. I could literally go on and on about this.

For Avatar, the beauty and sheer wonder of the land is an emotional connection for me. From the audacious floating mountains to the small, alien stream where first enter, it is beauty by design. And talk about an emotional connection; people have walked off of FoP in tears because the experience of the ride was overpowering for them. I have ridden it multiple times and it only gets better for me. I can't say that it moved me to tears, but there is definitely a point from the cave in the middle part and through to the end when you perch on the rock by the sea that strikes a deep chord inside of me.

I disagree with anyone that says there is no character or animal with which a deep emotional connection can be made. It doesn't have to be that specific. I have an emotional connection to the experiences that are found within Pandora.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Personally, I would've been let down if I had waited more than 20 minutes for it.
The ride is beautiful but I liken it to a prettier version of El Rio De Tiempo. It's a filler attraction that you don't wait in long lines for. It's more for the beauty and relaxation.

Visiting last week with people that had seen Avatar and those that hadn't, there was some differences of opinions. Those that had seen Avatar seemed to like NRJ and those that hadn't, didn't really "get it."

I would've liked to have seen this attraction almost tell a story. You have the Shaman (which is an amazing animatronic) at the end but maybe while in the queue, you have a video of her. She starts to tell of the great battle that took place and the whole ride is a "folklore" telling of how the land rebuilt itself after the military came in. Then at the end you get the Shaman preaching about how important it is to care for the land and beauty around you. I'm not saying a "synopsis" ride...but more of how the land replenished itself and the life within it was stronger than any outside cancer that tried to kill it.

 

[S 2]

If I may ask, what was the lasting impression from those who rode? No doubt it's visually beautiful and detailed, but in terms of ride time and the overall experience, did you leave "satisfied" with the ride?

I just think about the first year this is in operation and people waiting an hour or more to ride and if the ride will live up to the wait (in their minds).

I felt it lacked a plot and felt like every twist and turn brought the same scene. The best part about the ride was the air conditioning.. to ride this with its, what, 2 AAs then ride spaceship earth with its few dozen AAs reminded me of how much better Disney could have made this ride..

 

[No Name]

People have emotional ties to animals and the spirit of nature. That's what the park was built upon.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Issue with that is this land is like 100 years after all the movies, they still have to write a script for the next 2 sequels!

So it would make sense that a Shaman would be telling the story of the moon's history to those that weren't there to witness it.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Translation of the Shaman's song courtesy of the blog of the guy who made up the Na'vi language for James Cameron.
http://naviteri.org/2017/07/way-tiretua-the-shamans-song/

 

[FigmentJedi]

Translation of the Shaman's song courtesy of the blog of the guy who made up the Na'vi language for James Cameron.
http://naviteri.org/2017/07/way-tiretua-the-shamans-song/

Also found a full Shaman loop compilation video with the lyrics offered up as closed-caption options. The Na'vi version is put under the "Naura" option.


Of course, when @marni1971 eventually gets around to producing a Pandora video, it'll be a hardsubbed presentation with better editing, but using the same hideous Papyrus font the movie's Na'vi subtitles did to maintain accuracy.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

What in the Animal Kingdom do you have an emotional tie to? Lion King?

Pre-existing emotional ties? As in, existing outside of Animal Kingdom and that I therefore relate to when confronted with within the park?

Africa, safaris more than the culture and peoples
Animals
Dinosaurs
Nature
Zoos
Architecture (the Nemo and Dino buildings are gorgeous!)
Disney
Avatar. Yes, I loved the movie
Design and history


While I'm at it, not:
Cryptozoology
Nemo
Bug
India (great trek though, to reinforce your point!)
Drums
Acrobat shows

When I make that list, I definitely notice that I'm more prone to like offerings I have a pre-existing tie to. Although that is not set in stone. I love Everest and the Jungle Trek, but not Dinosaur.

 

[No Name]

That translation... bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for some inside grievances like

Our boss sucks,
Has no faith in us.
Idiot.
We cry out, calling,
"O Walt!" (3X)

or

Dragons are mythical,
Mountain banshees are fictional.
Idiot.
We cry out, calling,
"Go home, Staggs!" (3X)

Guess I'll have to settle for lyrics that actually fit the ride.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Dragons are steeped in thousands of years of human history and global cultures. Knights fought dragons in Medieval Europe. The Chinese were praying to the 9 Dragons in 4700B.C.

Banshees were rendered in a computer around 2007-2009.

One has an ocean of depth and richness. The other has the intellectual depth of a kiddie pool.

Most Americans will not "get" the enormity of difference between the two. They just want to Instagram a selfie in front of "The Dragon Ride at DAK" sometime after Instagraming their pumpkin spiced latta and before Instagraming their Craft Beer and Tacos.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Eh, the mythical creature found its way into Everest. DAK does not need to be bookended on both sides by mythical beasts.

BK for its part would've consisted of Fantasia River Cruise - fictional Hollywood blockbuster creatures. Tutu-dressed hippos. (While the other half of BK would've been IOA's somewhat lacklustre Lost Continent)