Saturday, June 3, 2017

Disney's Animal Kingdom: Pandora

Yesterday I finally made it over to check out Pandora, the new land at Animal Kingdom. Unfortunately we did not get to see it during the early access passholder preview dates before it officially opened, but I was glad I was able to check it out within the first week it opened. The forecast wasn't looking very promising with high percentages of rain and lots of orange and red on the radar maps, but it's Florida and you just never know so we grabbed our ponchos and headed out anyway. My family has the Silver annual pass and I have the Gold. The Silver pass has block out dates during the summer starting on Sunday June 4th and going through mid August, so this was the last opportunity for my family to see Pandora before the block out. I kept the Gold pass so we could still benefit from the photopass option that is included with the Gold and above passes! I also have some solo trips scheduled that I am looking forward too! 

My son has been close to the 44 inch mark for sometime now and a quick measurement at home with his sneakers on put him at 44.5 inches a few days before. We were pretty excited because that meant he may actually finally be able to ride Expedition Everest (as long as he stood up straight)! As soon as we got to the park we headed over there for our fastpass time and had the cast member measure him and sure enough his head hit the pole, he was in! So thankful my little guy inherited my love of roller coasters!



After that we headed over to Yak and Yeti for our dinner reservations. It was just about this time that it started to downpour. Looks like we were definitely ordering desserts this time! I ordered the Honey chicken but substituted the chicken with Tofu (for most of their meat dishes they can substitute tofu), and my husband got one of the specials, fried chicken and waffles. For my sons dairy sensitivity the chef always comes to the table to take your order. They made him a plain burger with rice and steamed vegetables. From our experience, Disney is always very accommodating when it comes to this and will really make whatever you want that they can accommodate.






Had to try the yak attack (a mango daiquiri with rum and berry flavors) it did not disappoint!

After dinner and dessert, the rain still hadn't let up so we put on our rain gear and headed out. We had a fastpass for Na'vi River later that night but we wanted to go and check out Pandora in the daylight (and rain!). It was actually pretty lucky that it did rain because I think it helped keep some crowds away and I have to admit the rain did add to the ambiance of Pandora! Thankfully it was just a light rain. I have only seen Avatar once when it was first released on DVD, so I didn't remember much of the movie. I really don't think you need to see the movie to appreciate Pandora. As usual Disney does an amazing job at creating an atmosphere that submerges you into that particular environment. The details that they put into this land is truly stunning. We were lucky enough to visit during the daylight and after it got dark. I definitely recommend experiencing the land during daylight and at night. 















After exploring Pandora we headed over to Kilimanjaro Safari for our fast pass and took in a dry showing of Its Tough to be a Bug. We took bets on how many animals would be out during the rain on the safari, surprisingly there were actually quite a few! Once the sun began to set we headed over for our Na'vi River Journey fast pass in Pandora. At the time of our fast pass there was a 70 minute wait. Which by comparison from the wait times all week (100-200+ minutes) that wasn't too bad! This boat ride brings you through caves and rainforests surrounded by glowing plants and native animals and creatures. The Shaman of Songs animatronic is pretty cool and lifelike. I did take a few pictures, but they didn't come out very well. I know it can't be longer, but the ride almost puts you into this relaxing trance and as soon as you are really feeling at peace it is over. Overall it was a good experience, but I wouldn't wait hours for it. The other attraction at Pandora is Flight of Passage. We did not get a fast pass for this and the wait was over 100 minutes, so we were not going to wait this time. I have a fast pass in a couple weeks when I go by myself. I have been trying to stay away from spoilers for this ride because I really want to experience it with an open mind and not know what to expect. All I know is that it is a 3D ride where you ride on a banshee and I have heard it is not to be missed. 






Also in Pandora is the quick service restaurant Satu'li Canteen and Pongu Pongu lounge. Satu'li Canteen is the first restaurant Disney has introduced mobile ordering with. I have not tried this technology out yet but I have explored the online ordering portion on the My Disney Experience app. I have heard that so far it seems to be running smoothly and people are getting their food quickly. You can place your order on the app at anytime during the day and when you are ready to pick it up you go back into the app click that you are ready for your food and then go pick it up. Seems easy and I am looking forward to trying it out in a couple weeks! I have also heard the food is really good! For vegetarians and vegans it is nice to have more than 1 option on a menu to try. I did grab a night blossom beverage and pongu lumpia snack from Pongu Pongu. 



The night blossom is a non alcoholic drink with lime, apple and pear flavors topped with passion fruit bobba balls. Personally I found the drink to be too sweet, but my son loved it. The Pongu Lumpia is a pineapple cream cheese spring roll. It was pretty good, a little too much pineapple for me, but the flavors did work well together. After our snack the rain finally stopped and we were able to walk through Pandora during dusk. The whole land just lights up and glows. 








Overall I am glad we didn't decide not to go because of the rain. Definitely looking forward to visiting again.









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