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My family and I recently visited the new Pandora: World of Avatar. I am going to be honest, I had never seen the movie Avatar before booking our trip! When I found out that it would be open when we were there, I immediately watched the movie. And I must say, it is a great movie! After seeing it, I was very excited to see how they were going to bring this story to life. The wait times for new attractions can be very long, and have even had wait times as long as 400 minutes, so a FastPass+ is highly recommended! If you haven’t seen the movie, no worries, the resorts on property have a channel dedicated to the movie, and it plays 24 hours a day!
We decided to get to Animal Kingdom when the park opened, so we could head straight to The Na’vi River Journey. Since it is Disney, they have organized plans to get people to the queue without a stampede. The attractions are located in the Valley of Mo’ara. When you enter, the first thing you notice are the floating Mountains which is an amazing site to see! As you walk through you can hear the sounds of the wildlife! Once we went through the que, you board a boat, and slowly sail through caves. The bioluminescent scenery is beautiful, and you see the plants and animals that are native to Pandora. You can hear the animals rustling through the plants. You can see them fighting, playing and moving through the rainforest. You can see the plants glowing. When you get to the end, you get to see the Na’vi Shaman, communing with the life force of the land through music. This ride is very family friendly, and can be enjoyed by all ages!
The Flight of Passage is a 3D attraction in which you get to bond with a banshee, and take an exhilarating ride on their back! The queue for this attraction is as amazing as the ride itself! The queue winds through part of the Mo’ara Valley, and then into caves, and into the Pandora Conservation Initiative labs. The queue allows you to pass Jake Sully’s Avatar, and is incredibly realistic! As you watch him floating, you can see parts of his body moving and twitching. When you are about to get on the ride, you go through a room to be matched with an Avatar. After you have been successfully matched, you can then get ready for the actual ride!
[This attraction has a single rider seat that you sit in. You straddle the seat like a motorcycle, with bars to hold in front of you, and the restraints come up from behind you at your lower back and your calves. I felt like I was securely held into the seat. You then put on your flight glasses, and you are ready to go! I must admit, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this ride. But, it was amazing! There is no other attraction that I can compare it to, it is completely unique! Once the ride begins, you can look up, down, to both sides, and there is something there to look at! It is like you are there, and can look in any direction to see what is around you. You can feel the muscles of your banshee working against your legs. You can feel the breeze blowing in your face. And when you get close to the water, you can feel the mist on your face. Your seat moves in many directions, and it actually feels as if you are flying through the landscape, and seeing the wonders of Pandora! It is truly a one of a kind experience, and I highly recommend it!
After our ride, we decided to have lunch at the Satu’li Canteen. I was very happy to have some different food options, especially on the kid’s menu. I had the Chili Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu bowl, with Sweet and Red Potato Hash, and Creamy Herb dressing. Every bowl also has a crunchy vegetable slaw, and yogurt Boba balls. It was so different than any other food we had on our trip, and it was delicious! My husband had the Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef over Mixed Whole Grains and Rice, also with the Creamy Herb dressing. My son tried the Cheeseburger Pod Boa Bun, and my daughter ordered the Hot Dog wrapped in Dough from the Children’s Menu. The root chips that came with the Cheeseburger Pod and Hot Dog were also a nice alternative to French fries, very tasty and crunchy! We were all very happy with our meals, and would definitely eat there again!
Another interesting thing about the Valley of Mo’ara is that it seems to come to life as it gets dark, which gives you an entirely different experience. The plants start to glow! As amazing as it is to see the floating mountains during the day, the landscape of it is breath taking as it comes to light in the dark! You can even hear the wild life of Pandora all through the Valley of Mo’ara, and it is amazing how lifelike everything looks and sounds.
If you are heading to Animal Kingdom, Pandora- The World of Avatar is not to be missed and is definitely a must-do!
Kristin@mysticaldreamtravel.com
