KALTXI! as the Na’vi say.

Or Hello for those of you not fluent in the language of Pandora.

In May, 2017 Disney opened Pandora- The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom.  It is clear from the amount of time, effort, and money they spent to bring this area to life that they were serious about this being a huge success.

You can get to Pandora by entering the park entrance and heading down the left trail (by the park entrance of Rain Forest Cafe).  Keep left as you walk toward Discovery Island and as you pass Tiffins, you’ll see the entrance.

The back story here is that Pandora is now at peace and there are even charters that will bring in tourists and visitors through the Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) company.

There is also a group of those who visited, fell in love with, and stayed to live with the Na’vi.  They have established the village you are visiting.

These are the folks who operate the Pongu Pongu Bar and the Satu’li Canteen.  And the Cast Members who work in the area are happy to tell you their story.

So let’s talk about what’s amazing and lackluster about this new area.

THE GOOD:

1. The theming is amazing.  You absolutely feel like you have stepped onto another world and the story telling is extremely rich here.  The greenery is lush and the structure for the floating mountains looks fantastic.  The Disney Imagineers truly looked to bring this area to life and make it feel like a real place – which is in line with their efforts in the rest of the park.
2. The food is delicious.  The Satu’li canteen is a counter service restaurant serving a breakfast and a lunch/dinner menu.  The pork hash with chorizo (breakfast) and the cheeseburger pods (lunch/dinner) are delicious.  They also offer a great bloody Mary with pickled vegetables that is very tasty.  Bonus:  They serve on real china that makes it feel like what you might be used to a Panera (even though it is counter service).  The Pongu Pongu Bar serves up draft beer such as the Mo’ara High Country Ale and frozen beverages such as the Mo’ara Margarita.  There are also non alcoholic versions such as the Night Blossom (limeade, apple, pear with passion fruit).

 

3. Flight of Passage.  This is the E- Ticket attraction for this area.  It is a very immersive experience with the ride queue being an event in itself.  You are essentially being linked to your Banshee and exploring the world of Pandora on the back of this winged animal.  The experience is immersive and does engage many of your senses.  The ride is sort of like a mash up of Star Tours and Soarin’.   Be aware that there is an individual ride vehicle for each person and you can test to see if you’ll fit just outside the attraction.  Tip:  Be sure to have a Cast Member close the test vehicle, as there is a closure at the rear.   Finally, please note that this ride does involve motion and movement, so be sure you are up for it.

4.  Positive impact on the rest of the park.  Animal Kingdom has a lot going for it, but some thought is a 3/4 day park and perhaps only worth a single visit during a week-long vacation.  Also, the park can seem very crowded and often the wait times skyrocket during the day.  With the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar, this has taken the pressure off the rest of the park a bit.  Times for Dinosaur and Kilimanjaro Safaris seemed lower than usual and the crowds were more dispersed as this area was picking up some of the traffic.  This also has inspired later hours, which is new for Animal Kingdom, and spreads out the visitors a bit.

THE NOT SO GOOD:

1. Why Avatar?  This was overheard more than a few times during the day this article was written.  Many Guests were scratching their heads and wondering why this material held such sway for Disney.  Many lamented this might have been a great place for Beastly Kingdom.  Originally there were plans to include 3 kinds of animals at AK – those that were, those that are, and those that only existed in fantasy.  It was never built, but honestly that story telling would have been more than ample to drive this new area.
2. Its kind of small.  The area itself, which is deliciously themed, isn’t as big as many might have thought.  It is a visually stunning, but can feel crowded because of its layout and size.  Now during this tour, there were some closed areas due to an event, so there could be some additional space that has yet to be explored.  It seems that those areas were just walking paths and didn’t lead to any other attractions or food options.
3. There could be more to do.  When you think about it, there are 2 rides, a counter service restaurant, and a bar.  The rest is just walking around looking at the scenery.  Perhaps some photo ops with the Na’vi would be a welcome addition to the area as well as more “locals” to interact with.  That isn’t to say that what is there isn’t great, but for the hype, time, and budget put into this, some expected a little more.

One last thing to mention – there is a second ride in this area.  The Na’vi River Journey is a slow moving boat ride that is reminiscent of the new Frozen ride at Epcot.  It uses some cool technology in some places (think the faces of the Dwarfs on Magic Kingdom’s Mine Train).  It fills the need in this area for a family friendly ride.

All-in-all, this was a much needed addition to Animal Kingdom.  It was a fun place to visit and brings capacity and additional experiences that raise the profile of this park.  It is richly themed and it is obvious that great care was taken with design and story telling.

Have a magical day!

Tony

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