Pandora: World of Avatar General Discussion

[TheMackMachine]

When I went last year, I was really impressed with Pandora. Flight of Passage was a really good ride with a next-gen ride system and a beautiful queue, though it was a two hour wait. The scenery was beautiful with all the plants, mountains, rockwork, and those waterfalls. Can't beat those waterfalls. While I did not experience Navi River Journey or eat at Satu'li Canteen (next time), it was a really cool experience! It all blends in with the rest of the park. Could Pandora have been more than two rides, a drum circle, a restaurant, and a shop? Yeah. I leave it to others to critique the land since I was only there for a few hours, but its worth the trip. Also during this past trip, I walked on to Everest with the single rider line. Everest is still my favorite ride in the park and more thrilling than FoP. Sorry I just went I bit off topic.

 

[Mad Dog]

I liked Pandora and loved FOP. But, remembering back to when the land opened and the Disney crowd was saying it was as good or better than Diagon Alley, that is a silly thought. The land is beautiful, but every land in AK (except for DinoLand) is beautiful. The biggest shortfall of Pandora is that there's really nothing to do except for the rides. Pandora is not even the best land in Animal Kingdom. Africa is surely superior, and probably Asia too. But Pandora is a nice addition to the park that this park really needed. It is not even close to being the equal of Diagon/London/HE though.

 

[JungleSkip]

I liked Pandora and loved FOP. But, remembering back to when the land opened and the Disney crowd was saying it was as good or better than Diagon Alley, that is a silly thought. The land is beautiful, but every land in AK (except for DinoLand) is beautiful. The biggest shortfall of Pandora is that there's really nothing to do except for the rides. Pandora is not even the best land in Animal Kingdom. Africa is surely superior, and probably Asia too. But Pandora is a nice addition to the park that this park really needed. It is not even close to being the equal of Diagon/London/HE though.

I think Pandora is a lesser product than the other two concepts that were originally planned for that plot of land. Both Beastly Kingdom and a clone of TDS's Mysterious Island (even though I find JTTCOTE to be almost as overrated as FOP is) would have been better than what we got, IMO.

I just think it was a LOT of money spent on an end product I wouldn't describe as anything other than "pretty but hollow".

 

[twebber55]

I can see where Joe is coming from. Pandora as a land feels rather hollow. The only reason to go in is if you want to go on FoP or eat at Satu’li. If there had been a third ride or the boat ride was on the level of Shanghai Pirates, the land could’ve overcome its shortcomings.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the land, but I don’t often find myself there bc neither ride is easy to get on and there’s nothing else to do besides eat after that. In that respect, breaking things down like this, I can see how @JungleSkip thought TSL was more fun on the whole.


I mean I view it both as positive and negative.

Positive in that they’re working on this and maintaining the effect, but negative in that it’s so fickle that the need to repaint so often.

i mean you have two guys Joe and Skip who bashed the land for 5 years and then suddenly go to the land and not like it. not really that surprising and certainly they re not wrong its their opinion of course and they make valid points

as far as the land goes to me its about appreciating an environment which is what DAK is all about..... SO much of DAK is about the environment and less about characters. Pandora is a unique land because its based on a rain forest that really lives and changes as the day goes. Ill be the first to say i m disappointed with the night time and thats really the only knock i had on the land.
if your bothered by it not having enough shops i think you re missing the point
the E ticket is world class-- rankings such as Touring plans say so much
Satuli is a fantastic meal
the themeing is second to none

 

[JungleSkip]

i mean you have two guys Joe and Skip who bashed the land for 5 years and then suddenly go to the land and not like it. not really that surprising and certainly they re not wrong its their opinion of course and they make valid points

I bashed Toy Story Land since it opened in Hong Kong and it's legit one of my favorite areas in Orlando right now.

Also, last time I checked you're the fanboy-est fanboy of Avatar I've ever seen

 

[twebber55]

I liked Pandora and loved FOP. But, remembering back to when the land opened and the Disney crowd was saying it was as good or better than Diagon Alley, that is a silly thought. The land is beautiful, but every land in AK (except for DinoLand) is beautiful. The biggest shortfall of Pandora is that there's really nothing to do except for the rides. Pandora is not even the best land in Animal Kingdom. Africa is surely superior, and probably Asia too. But Pandora is a nice addition to the park that this park really needed. It is not even close to being the equal of Diagon/London/HE though.

people arent wrong if they like pandora better than DA
i can make an argument that Pandora is better than DA i could also make an argument DA is better than Pandora

me personally i feel like they re so different in regards to urban vs rural setting and the E tickets are so different that its hard to compare other than saying both are excellent additions to each park

 

[HailSouthern84]

Pandora is fine. It feels lacking some how. I cannot put into words what it is, but it is missing something. FoP is overhyped b/c it is awesome that first time you ride it. However, once you reride it multiple times, it seems to not be as exhilarating. Honestly, River Journey is the better attraction of the two. Of course all of that is my opinion.

 

[Brian G.]

I always thought the same thing. It's pretty, but it lacks soul. It doesn't feel entirely "alive".

I recently took my friend, who is a big fan of the movie, and he echoed a lot of similar thoughts.

 

[belloq87]

I don't particularly like the Diagon Alley vs. Pandora game, but it's hard to avoid for me because I think they're ultimately very similar in this regard: they're each a great themed environment with "okay" rides.

I will certainly find it easier to spend an hour or two in Diagon because of the shops and performances, and because I care more about the Wizarding World than I do anything AVATAR-related, but that doesn't diminish the scale of what I think Disney achieved in Pandora just in terms of crafting an impressive environment. Obviously personal mileage will vary.

 

[Scott W.]

I liked Pandora and loved FOP. But, remembering back to when the land opened and the Disney crowd was saying it was as good or better than Diagon Alley, that is a silly thought. The land is beautiful, but every land in AK (except for DinoLand) is beautiful. The biggest shortfall of Pandora is that there's really nothing to do except for the rides. Pandora is not even the best land in Animal Kingdom. Africa is surely superior, and probably Asia too. But Pandora is a nice addition to the park that this park really needed. It is not even close to being the equal of Diagon/London/HE though.

With 5 months passed since my visit, this is my takeaway.

I think the Pandora facade is technically more impressive than Diagon with the floating mountains and general visuals but it does feel hollow. Diagon feels alive, immersive and as much crap as we've given Universal for having show buildings on display, I think the execution of Gringotts with how little room they had is probably the most impressed I have been with a ride since Spider-Man. Even now, I'm still in disbelief on how they pulled it off.

I loved FOP but the River Journey was boring and completely lacklustre and having the best AA at the end can't fix that.

Unfortunately for Pandora but perhaps fitting, I think the land is just as technically impressive and fun as the movie but also just as forgettable.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

i mean you have two guys Joe and Skip who bashed the land for 5 years and then suddenly go to the land and not like it. not really that surprising and certainly they re not wrong its their opinion of course and they make valid points

Ok I've had time to think about this so gotta be straight with you.

1) I enjoyed Pandora more than I thought I would in October. I spend $125 on an Animal Kingdom After Hours event to see it at night and spend more time in it. The archway of mountains is my phone background, I enjoyed it. And I still haven't eaten at Sa'tuli so I expect to like it more after that.
2) There's a whole thread about how Sean and I are excited, then dismayed, then negative about the land. It's complicated and not simply "bashed the land for 5 years".
3) The implications of this are that Sean and I have a preconceived bias towards the land. We've been more than open to the idea of Pandora as a land and our opinions have evolved and grown over the years. Pandora taking nearly six years to open is part of a larger Disney parks psychosis that lead to SCREENZ and unthemed show buildings.

So with that out of the way, I think we should talk on similar footing for once, right?

 

[twebber55]

Ok I've had time to think about this so gotta be straight with you.

1) I enjoyed Pandora more than I thought I would in October. I spend $125 on an Animal Kingdom After Hours event to see it at night and spend more time in it. The archway of mountains is my phone background, I enjoyed it. And I still haven't eaten at Sa'tuli so I expect to like it more after that.
2) There's a whole thread about how Sean and I are excited, then dismayed, then negative about the land. It's complicated and not simply "bashed the land for 5 years".
3) The implications of this are that Sean and I have a preconceived bias towards the land. We've been more than open to the idea of Pandora as a land and our opinions have evolved and grown over the years. Pandora taking nearly six years to open is part of a larger Disney parks psychosis that lead to SCREENZ and unthemed show buildings.

So with that out of the way, I think we should talk on similar footing for once, right?

uh @Joe wrong twitter guy
i dont tweet about theme parks
so you ve got the wrong guy
and my posts are balanced between Disney and universal
if you like to discuss anything else in a private message im all ears


ill apologize for my bash comment if you can apologize for saying im someone on twitter im not

 

[ReelJustice]

uh @Joe wrong twitter guy
i dont tweet about theme parks
so you ve got the wrong guy
and my posts are balanced between Disney and universal
if you like to discuss anything else in a private message im all ears


ill apologize for my bash comment if you can apologize for saying im someone on twitter im not

Come on T Dub. I nearly ran off the side of the road when I put two and two together while listening to RHAP. Embrace your schtick!

 

[twebber55]

Come on T Dub. I nearly ran off the side of the road when I put two and two together while listening to RHAP. Embrace your schtick!

sorry bud not me
i dont tweet about theme parks mainly football stuff because im a high school coach
so if you ever want to talk inside zone im your guy

 

[devinp267]

:look:

 

[Parkscope Joe]

sorry bud not me
i dont tweet about theme parks mainly football stuff because im a high school coach
so if you ever want to talk inside zone im your guy

The fact you need to lean too much into point four here is amazing. I gave you an out. But lean into it dude. Go for it.

Seriously we've had lots of people read you and listen to it and laugh their asses off. But hey whatever gets you off.

 

[Nick]

I love how we have somehow come to RHAP (I listen to his podcasts for Big Brother every season).

But seriously, we are getting way off topic and a bit too personal in our posts. Everyone needs to take a step back, it's not THAT serious.

 

[rhino4evr]

I like both lands for different reasons.
I like flight of Passage more then Gringotts
I like walking around Diagon more then walking around Pandora.
Overall I think Diagon is the more immersive environment, while Pandora is “prettier”
They are both great places to visit.

 

[devinp267]

Pandora is not to miss during vacation in orlando it truly is beautiful and fop is the best simulator in orlando, however wizarding world was starting construction on diagon roughly two years after opening hogsmeade, the numbers dont lie. Wizarding world (orlando) is always going to be tough to beat and i will honestly be very disappointed if star wars STILL does not beat it, that would be the funniest thing in the world to me i swear. Its basically a wrap in the whole Dis vs Uni if they don't blow the entire wizarding world out of the water with swl, because this new park is definitely going to be the end all........I.M.O.

 

[Nick]

Pandora is not to miss during vacation in orlando it truly is beautiful and fop is the best simulator in orlando, however wizarding world was starting construction on diagon roughly two years after opening hogsmeade, the numbers dont lie. Wizarding world (orlando) is always going to be tough to beat and i will honestly be very disappointed if star wars STILL does not beat it, that would be the funniest thing in the world to me i swear. Its basically a wrap in the whole Dis vs Uni if they don't blow the entire wizarding world out of the water with swl, because this new park is definitely going to be the end all........I.M.O.

You can’t say it’s “the end” because even though Universal is going to open a presumably extravagantly themed park with iconic IPs, they will be doing it all at once. So that can easily get our hype meters high, but it doesn’t mean that Disney still can’t build more themed lands with many of their under-used IP.