Jones14
Well-Known Member
Wait, so is this the line for guests waiting for EMH to start?
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Pandora - The World of Avatar opening day reports
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Rider
Well-Known Member
Yes. We are moving. Now sure if they are letting people in or just started wrapping people around queues.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
Thank God no other competitors ever do anything like that. Can I just use your winky emoji? There is a scene in White Christmas where Bing says, "pushing, pushing" under his breath. I think that applies here....and there's that
GoofGoof
Premium Member
When you sign on with a 3rd party it's not always in your control when to go public. Depending on the size of the contract it may be considered material and they may be required to disclose it in their SEC filings.
Honestly, I thought the time this project took from announcement to opening felt like forever. Years of the same debates and discussions. It's my personal opinion that that is really only an issue before a land opens. Once it's open the time it took to build is completely irrelevant. If the identical Pandora that opened today opened in 2013 instead would it have been a better land because it was built fast? If I visit WDW in the fall of 2017 would I somehow enjoy the land even more because it was built quickly? I understand that any visits I had between 2013 and today would have been adversely impacted since the land wasn't open yet, but it's my opinion that any visits from today forward are not impacted by the time it took to build so it isn't really a negative anymore. I know I'm in the minority thinking this way.
Patcheslee
Well-Known Member
wow, we may rethink a nightime visit if it stays like that next week.
raven
Well-Known Member
BVC employees also get paid by the HOUR. If they were paid a lump sum when they finish the project you would see how quickly it could be built. So I don't blame them for milking that system.
WildcatDen
Well-Known Member
I wonder which had more press coverage, Pandora or Volcano Bay?Well if that was the intent, they failed in that regard. Volcano Bay is currently at capacity. They literally could not do better today.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
But in this case it was a pretty typical construction time. The extra waiting came between announcement and ground breaking.
rodserling27
Well-Known Member
Just came in from DHS. The line for Pandora is nuts!! I am all the way back at FotLK, they are wrapping us through that queue. But we are moving pretty quickly. This is madness but I LOVE it! All our fellow WDW nuts came out to play today!
I just got back from Animal Kingdom. Parking at just before 6 PM was not a problem and I caught a mostly empty tram to the front of the park. The line to get into Pandora was by the gift shop and snaked around a bit but it looked like it was continuously moving. I had a FastPass+ so I was able to bypass the standby queue for the land.
When I got into Pandora, the line for Navi River Journey was literally all over the place. I'm not sure where standby started but there was an army of CMs monitoring the line, especially as it had breaks in it so people could get in and out of the restroom, gift area, use walkways, etc. I waited in a short line to get up to the tapstyles and slowly inched my way towards the ride. It was about a 25 minute wait with FastPass+ but pleasant enough. The ride was excellent, I've ridden it before so I knew what to expect and I was glad I took the time to come back over to ride it as I don't think I'll be able to get FPP+ for Pandora for quite some time.
After riding NRJ, I noticed that the posted wait for Flight of Passage was 210 minutes. The single rider line did not seem to be open and since I waited in standby and rode it yesterday, I didn't try it today. Instead I went into the canteen and ordered some food and a soft drink. Getting a table was not easy, I lucked out when a couple left a small table and I was standing next to it. A CM kept coming over to ask if he could take my tray while I was still eating and there was plenty of food left. I eventually had to tell him that I would leave when I was ready to leave and he stopped bothering me. But CMs seemed to be getting desperate for tables as they were totally filled up and there were people standing around with trays of food with no place to sit. This led to much of the walkways being taken up and the CMs didn't seem to have a plan for it other than to look at people who were more than 25% done with their meal and ask if they could take their trays away.
Upon exiting the canteen, I found a place to sit to wait for the sun to go down and see the area after dark. By this point, CMs had closed off lines to both the Navi River Journey and Flight of Passage for the night. There were some pretty upset people who had assumed that since the park was open to them until 11 that they would be able to get into line closer to closure. I heard one CM tell an upset parent that the lines for the gift store were still open if they wanted to do that instead. It went over like a lead balloon. But after some of the agitated people left, the sun finally went down and we could see the special lighting. It was pretty beautiful, I like what they have done here. Lots of people walking around and taking pictures and admiring the lighting on both the plants and the ground.
After having my fill, I walked over to Africa where everyone was being funneled out and rode the night time Kilimanjaro Safaris. Saw fewer animals than I have seen on other treks but it was good. I had a Fast Pass for the very late Rivers of Light show tonight but didn't want to wait another 2 hours for it to start, especially since Pandora was totally closed off. When leaving Harambe, the standby line for Pandora's reopening to resort guests was already back towards the Festival of the Lion King. The line was not moving when I left and lots of people were sitting on the ground. More gaps in this line as well to allow people to get into the Starbucks and Pizzafari. Guests coming into the park for EMH seemed to be pretty shocked. I also heard some folks while on the Safari who thought the entire park would be open to resort guests until 1 AM tonight and they were not happy that it was only Pandora staying open. They seemed to still be allowing those with FPP into Pandora but that seemed to be it.
When exiting, I only had to wait for the next tram to get back to my car but that tram came in full of guests. I know there's still ~15 minutes before Pandora reopens to Disney on site guests and it will be interesting to see what the waits are like when that happens and if the land fills back up to capacity.
When I got into Pandora, the line for Navi River Journey was literally all over the place. I'm not sure where standby started but there was an army of CMs monitoring the line, especially as it had breaks in it so people could get in and out of the restroom, gift area, use walkways, etc. I waited in a short line to get up to the tapstyles and slowly inched my way towards the ride. It was about a 25 minute wait with FastPass+ but pleasant enough. The ride was excellent, I've ridden it before so I knew what to expect and I was glad I took the time to come back over to ride it as I don't think I'll be able to get FPP+ for Pandora for quite some time.
After riding NRJ, I noticed that the posted wait for Flight of Passage was 210 minutes. The single rider line did not seem to be open and since I waited in standby and rode it yesterday, I didn't try it today. Instead I went into the canteen and ordered some food and a soft drink. Getting a table was not easy, I lucked out when a couple left a small table and I was standing next to it. A CM kept coming over to ask if he could take my tray while I was still eating and there was plenty of food left. I eventually had to tell him that I would leave when I was ready to leave and he stopped bothering me. But CMs seemed to be getting desperate for tables as they were totally filled up and there were people standing around with trays of food with no place to sit. This led to much of the walkways being taken up and the CMs didn't seem to have a plan for it other than to look at people who were more than 25% done with their meal and ask if they could take their trays away.
Upon exiting the canteen, I found a place to sit to wait for the sun to go down and see the area after dark. By this point, CMs had closed off lines to both the Navi River Journey and Flight of Passage for the night. There were some pretty upset people who had assumed that since the park was open to them until 11 that they would be able to get into line closer to closure. I heard one CM tell an upset parent that the lines for the gift store were still open if they wanted to do that instead. It went over like a lead balloon. But after some of the agitated people left, the sun finally went down and we could see the special lighting. It was pretty beautiful, I like what they have done here. Lots of people walking around and taking pictures and admiring the lighting on both the plants and the ground.
After having my fill, I walked over to Africa where everyone was being funneled out and rode the night time Kilimanjaro Safaris. Saw fewer animals than I have seen on other treks but it was good. I had a Fast Pass for the very late Rivers of Light show tonight but didn't want to wait another 2 hours for it to start, especially since Pandora was totally closed off. When leaving Harambe, the standby line for Pandora's reopening to resort guests was already back towards the Festival of the Lion King. The line was not moving when I left and lots of people were sitting on the ground. More gaps in this line as well to allow people to get into the Starbucks and Pizzafari. Guests coming into the park for EMH seemed to be pretty shocked. I also heard some folks while on the Safari who thought the entire park would be open to resort guests until 1 AM tonight and they were not happy that it was only Pandora staying open. They seemed to still be allowing those with FPP into Pandora but that seemed to be it.
When exiting, I only had to wait for the next tram to get back to my car but that tram came in full of guests. I know there's still ~15 minutes before Pandora reopens to Disney on site guests and it will be interesting to see what the waits are like when that happens and if the land fills back up to capacity.
raven
Well-Known Member
Yeah. I'd prefer to keep it under wraps until they are ready to start.
Patcheslee
Well-Known Member
CM's working opening weekend should get a bonus IMO. It can't be easy dealing with the "diverse attitudes" visitors probably had today.
Patcheslee
Well-Known Member
OMG reminds me of years ago that will not be detailed here....
doctornick
Well-Known Member
Has anyone come across the "path that lights when you walk on it" or did that not make it to the final product?