Former WDW Castmember reviews Pandora and Animal Kingdom
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| ©L.C Visit the World of Pandora |
This week we have former WDW Cast Member called L.C
who was able to tell us all about Animal Kingdom and in particular the new
world of Pandora. In the blog post below he details what the rides are like,
wait times, where to eat and how to plan a day trip to Animal Kingdom. As
reported during L.C’s previous blog posts, he worked at both Epcot and
Blizzard Beach during an internship with WDW. One of the perks of the job was
to visit the WDW parks as often as he liked, so he is a good source of
information regarding how to get the best out of the parks. Below is L.C’s post
about Animal Kingdom.
Pandora
Within the World of Pandora there
are two main attractions which I was fortunate to experience during a cast
preview whilst working at Walt Disney World. These being Na'vi River
Journey and Flight of Passage. Both are incredibly well designed and feature
the latest technological advancements in attractions within the Walt Disney
World Resort.
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| ©L.C |
Na'vi River Journey
Na'vi River Journey can be best
described as being a boat ride similar to that of Pirates of the Caribbean or
Frozen Ever After Ride in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. The attraction itself
is quite short for the wait times its currently seeing but it is visually
stunning and worth the wait. Its set during the night on Pandora and dark lit
in order to display the bioluminensence that the planet's ecosystem displays
under the cover of darkness. Visually it is incredible to experience and
features flora and fauna that is portrayed within the movie which creates a
very immersive attraction. This is suitable for all ages in the boat with no
sudden drops or thrills. However, I will note that the attraction is dark and
there is a variety of noises from the animals that are moving around which
could be distressing if young children are not comfortable within that sort of
environment.
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| ©L.C Pandora |
Flight of Passage
Flight of Passage has a height
requirement of 44 inches and is targeted to an older audience. I definitely
believe it is the more enjoyable of the two and is well worth the current long
wait times. It is a 4D simulator similar to that of Soarin' at Epcot which
focuses on the Avatar program featured within the movie this world is based on.
The concept is that you, the guests, are given a suitable avatar of the Na'vi
in order to experience a native rite of passage. The Na'vi (the native people
of Pandora) fly on these winged creatures called Banshee or Ikran and by
connecting to your given Avatar you are able to experience this yourselves.
Basically the attraction is set on what can be best described as a bicycle seat
as well as the use of 3D glasses to experience the simulation. This attraction
features a fly over of the world of Pandora and gives the guests an immersive
experience of that they see in the Avatar movie. From flying round the floating
mountains, diving and swooping through the forest and traveling through the
many nooks and crannies of the planet; the experience feels out of this world
and the simulator creates a memorable and stunning experience. So I would
highly recommend any fans of Soarin' at either California Adventure in Anaheim
or Epcot in Florida to try it out since it is done on a level which is
incomparable to it's similar counterpart.
Food options
Pandora itself focuses mainly on
the two attractions within its area but there is a quick service restaurant
towards the back heading towards Africa as well as a shop and bar section for
guests to try and buy Pandoran food or merchandise. However the design of the
land is mainly the sight itself that entices people to see it for
themselves. The designers did an incredible job with the environment and makes
it incredibly picturesque. There is a vast array of flora and the iconic
floating mountains above you that really makes the environment feel out of this
world. At certain times there will be a musical drum group that will appear
towards the Na'vi River Journey entrance which demonstrates the music on
Pandora and they can teach you words spoken by the Na'vi as well. Even if you
haven't seen Avatar or not fussed with going on either of the attractions, the
decor and style alone is well worth just seeing.
The quick service restaurant is
quite unique and different to what you find at most of the other locations in
Disney World and tries to emphasise environment and healthy eating.
Typically you would find barbecue and salad type dishes at this location so if
you wanted more variety within Animal Kingdom its best to look at other
locations. However if you are looking at trying some Pandoran delicacies that
would be the best bet to go for their unique drinks and desserts; especially at
the drinks and snacks stand. Out of other options, I've heard great things for
the Yak and Yeti restaurant over in the Asia section if you're looking for a
sit down meal which focuses on Asian cuisine and from what I hear some very
good curries. Otherwise quick service areas such as Harambe Market in Africa or
Restaurantosaurus over in Dinoland USA will give you a more of a typical range
from burgers and salads and more recognizable kids meals for those fussier
eaters.
How busy is
the park? Fast Passes?
The park was incredibly busy upon
opening. From what I can recall (since I was working that day) the park had
reached full capacity quite early on in the day and both rides were spanning
from a 200 to 250 min wait time. I believe James Cameron himself and some other
big names were there for the actual opening to the public but I’m not too sure on the specifics myself.
There aren't currently fastpasses
available from what I last heard or at least they are very difficult to obtain.
Due to its quite recent opening, fastpasses are limited and most paper ones you receive will specify that those two attractions are not valid for it's use. I
would still recommend checking the MyDisneyExperience app to check and see if a
spot has opened up that you can quickly take since they can rarely appear.
Single rider I believe may be available for Flight of Passage but the couple of
times I finished working at WDW they weren't' opening it up due to how long the wait times were.
I would recommend going there first, before the midday crowd, and even possibly returning last if you visit the other attractions at Animal Kingdom such as the Africa and Asia exhibits during the middle of the day. g One of the
incredible things about this new land is that it is designed to be seen at night
as well. The environment lights up at night and is definitely worth seeing
(even if its to try and see if the wait times have dropped). Typically Animal
Kingdom has been a park where you can do most within half of the day due to its
limited attractions. I would suggest using the MyDisneyExperience app to
continually check and see if the wait times have reduced to decide whether or
not the park is
less crowded to make the most
out of Pandora. Regardless I feel that you should visit Pandora both during the
day and night to get the full experience.
Planning your
day at Animal Kingdom
Outside of Pandora I would highly
recommend Expedition Everest and Dinosaur within Animal Kingdom. Both are more
designed for thrill seekers since the former is a fast rollercoaster with some
sudden drops and backwards moments and Dinosaur is a moving vehicle with bumps
and fast turns. However for those with younger kids it
would be worth while to do Kilimanjaro Safaris maybe once or twice. This
attraction allows the kids to see some African animals within the park in their
own environment and the night safaris also gives the chance to see some of the
nocturnal animals moving around. Otherwise there are some fun walks to take the
younger ages to see some more animals in both Asia and Africa as well as some
fun activities such as the Wilderness Explorers or Rafikis Planet Watch.
However, I would highly recommend the Festival of the Lion King show for all
ages whilst in Animal Kingdom as it is well regarded as the best show in the
Walt Disney World Resort for a good reason.
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| ©L.C |
Animal Kingdom does indeed have longer hours now with
Pandora creating new night experiences for the park. I believe some of the
trails, such as Gorilla Falls, may close in the evening for the animals so you
would do better to make the most out of your day to experience those early. The
attractions are open later to accommodate this later finish and there are
always fun bands and performances going on around the park to enjoy.
Although night time does mean some lesser options in the park to enjoy, there seems to always be a lot going on at Animal Kingdom. Many people leave the park in evening thinking they have seen everything, but actually they are missing out on some good times to do the rides (as they continue until the park closes) and there are other performances near closing time.
Although night time does mean some lesser options in the park to enjoy, there seems to always be a lot going on at Animal Kingdom. Many people leave the park in evening thinking they have seen everything, but actually they are missing out on some good times to do the rides (as they continue until the park closes) and there are other performances near closing time.
Thanks to L.C for letting me
interview him about his Animal Kingdom experiences. I hope you as readers found
it interesting and useful for any future trips. L.C’s other reviews are here:
And you can read about other Disney Parks below:
Until
next week,
K.J
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