Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged: animal kingdom, avatar, Disney Parks, disney world, World of Pandora

So, You Want To Visit Pandora?

Published Mon, 13 Feb 2017 16:10:19 -0600

If you're like me, you're a huge Disney Parks nerd. The parks are always changing and evolving. One such change is finally opening on May 27, 2017! Pandora in Disney's Animal Kingdom will be open to the public. If you're also like me, you'll probably be there opening day. Pray for me.

Disney's newest addition will have a lot to offer. Guests can try out the "AVATAR: Flight of Passage" where you soar over Pandora on the back of a banshee. The "Na'vi River Journey" will take you down a sacred river through rain forest and have an encounter with a Na'vi Shaman. It actually sounds like a mix of Jungle Cruise and the Frozen ride. A new dining option, Satu'li Canteen, as well as Avatar themed shops will also be open to guests. Disney put a lot of heart (and money) into this project, and judging by concept art and construction photo's I've seen, it'll be amazing.

The best way to enjoy Pandora for the next few months (possibly a year), is to get to the park early. I suggest arriving an hour ahead of time and then making a beeline for Pandora. If waiting around for an hour isn't your thing, or you want to maximize your Disney trip, consider making a pre park opening reservation at Tusker House inside of Animal Kingdom. Generally speaking, Animal Kingdom opens up at 9am everyday. You can make a breakfast reservation at Tusker House for as early as 8am. Tusker House is also a character dining experience, so why not knock off some meet and greets before Pandora? I do these pre-opening breakfasts all the time and really, they are worth it. The only thing to be aware of is early magic hours for on site guests, where the park may open up at 8am. Currently the park plans to open at 8am for Extra Magic hours on the 27th, so if you are on vacation that week or hold an annual pass, good luck.

I predict lines will be around 2+ hours for at least 6 months. Opening day will be a mad house since it's on a Saturday, and area schools are getting off for summer vacation. But I'm crazy and a huge Disney nut, so I'll be at Animal Kingdom bright and early to check it out!

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