Hello, and welcome to Dateline Disney World! You may have seen the great articles earlier this week on MiceChat, Pandora has opened to AP previews at Animal Kingdom. This land is one of the largest additions to Walt Disney World in quite some time, so I’d like to add my take on the land today. Lots of photos, and potentially some spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned! Now, let’s see what’s new and blue . . .
That was a lot of photos! Pandora is a very interesting land. The mountains are outrageously photogenic, and there is detail everywhere. It also has the same effect as a land like Diagon Alley, where no matter where you look, you really can’t see any other part of the park. At times, it doesn’t even feel like you are in Animal Kingdom. That said, I noticed no benches at all in the land for people to sit, and some of the walkways are pretty thin, which could be painful during busy times of the year.
As far as the attractions go, Flight of Passage is deserving of all the hype. It has an extremely detailed queue, multiple pre-show rooms, and a ride experience that delivers thrills and a very satisfying experience. The River Journey on the other hand feels a little bit short, and only has one animatronic (but it is one of the best AAs Disney has ever created). The jury is out on what regular guests will think.
Since this land was announced in September 2011, it has been surrounded by controversy. People asked, “Who cares about Avatar?” This question has persisted over the last 5 1/2 years leading up to the opening of this land. And realistically, as someone who isn’t a big fan of the movie at all, it didn’t matter much to me. Obviously, if the IP was something I cared more about, I would enjoy it more. But, anything built to this scale, with this amount of detail, and with excellent attractions, food, and environments to back it up, is hard to complain too much about. If this is any indication as to what Disney might be cooking up for Star Wars Land, I’m ready for 2019!
More News from Disney World
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is hosting “Plain White Ts” this Friday and Saturday, May 19th and 20th. Part of the Garden Rocks series, the American Gardens Theatre will host performances at 5:30pm, 6:45pm and 8pm.
Tickets have gone on sale for both Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Both events will feature special Parades, Stage shows and Firework displays. Tickets are always popular, so you can start planning now.
Starting next Friday May 26, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will debut a special “Cars 3” preview. This limited time sneak peek of the upcoming film will be a part of the One Man’s Dream attraction. Production artwork and character maquettes will be on display as well.
What do you all think? Now that you’ve seen the photos, are you motivated to visit Pandora this year? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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