Disney World’s Animal Kingdom has a new Pandora area with two new rides! This area features Avatar themes that are out of this world.
This Christmas I spent five days at Disney World. Some of the coolest rides I’ve seen were at Animal Kingdom. To start off the day, I spent 80 minutes in line waiting for the avatar boat ride. The ride could have been longer in my opinion, but it did have some cool animatronics to show off.
Avatar Land Boat Ride
Below is the Avatar Land boat ride. My favorite feature was the epic Na’vi woman towards the end of the ride. She had the most advanced robotics I’ve seen on any Disney ride. (Skip to 4:35min) She sings, sways her arms, wrists and individual fingers with graceful fluid motions. Compared to Small World… this ride is light years ahead.
Silly me, I thought there was only one new ride, but to my surprise there are two Avatar inspired rides. What I should have jumped in line for was the Flight of Passage ride.
Flight of Passage Ride
My family lucked out and received fast passes for this ride before we left the park. But if you’re curious about the queue, check out the cool features placed throughout the line. The craziest thing for me were the seats that resemble motorbike cushions you straddle your legs around (14:57min). The “seatbelt” comes up from behind and presses against your back to keep you in place. In addition, leg braces touch your calves to lock your legs into place. For two minutes I felt a teensy bit claustrophobic as my limbs were locked into place.
And then… the ride started. You wear 3-D glasses but this ride was next-level, I felt as if I was living in Ready Player One. The transition from ride to movie screen was flawless. You are blinded by bright lights that make it hard to determine any screen is being shifted into view. It isn’t until you are greeted with a beautiful picturesque view of Pandora that you are already immersed.
Ya’ll, I was moving my head up and down and did not see the edge of the screen. I felt the wind on my face when we plummeted with every drop. I could smell the water and felt I was there.
As the ride started, I worried that my seat was squeezing too tight on my legs. You know when you shift in your seat and the seat belt sometimes locks tighter? But then the cushions would release and compress.., release… and it hit me.
For this ride, you are riding these dragon-like beasts. Thus the compression feeling was the neck of my beast breathing as I was riding on his back. The details of this ride… absolutely amazing.
If you ever get a chance to ride these in person, I highly recommend them. They are worth the wait.
For other Disney World tips, check out my latest video.
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