Upon entering Pandora and after a few ooohhhs and ahhhssss my friends and I headed initially to The Na’vi River Journey, only to find out it was temporarily down. So we headed over to the other attraction in Pandora, Flight of Passage.
Not gonna lie, I was terrified to try this ride. I had read that taller and heavier guests weren’t fitting properly on this attraction and had been asked to leave once the restraints could not be properly harnessed. I am also not a lover of simulator rides, Star Tours is not my friend- but I do LOVE Soarin’.
Outside the attraction, they do have a sample seat for riders to try- without the restraints. This will help those riders with disabilities see if they can transfer comfortably from their wheelchairs as that is required to ride this attraction.
So here I was making my way up the massive queue … which was pretty spectacular.
There are a series of rooms you will enter with different videos explaining your journey, then you are finally matched up with an avatar and headed to the simulators…
My first impression- well, it wasn’t fun. I was so tense, nervous, and so scared. But, still glad I tried it (and I had no reason to worry about fitting in my seat, I had plenty of room). That said, we tried again to ride The Na’vi River Journey – but it was still down. We had lunch at Satuli Canteen (review next blog entry) and then back on Flight of Passage. I needed to give this a second try…
I am very happy to report, I relaxed more took a few deep breaths and really enjoyed the ride. It is so different than anything I have ever experienced before. You feel the banshee breathe and the wind as you fly, you smell the smells of Pandora, and you see some of the most amazing things I can never begin to explain accurately.
Flight of Passage is not as smooth as Soarin’ but certainly not as “jerky” and quick as Star Tours. If you can handle Soarin’- try this attraction. If Soarin’ is too much for you- skip it and hope The Na’vi River Journey is cooperating for you.
So, what exactly can you eat for lunch and dinner while visiting Pandora? Stay tuned…
I’m glad to hear Flight of Passage is not as comparable to Star Tours. I am unable to ride Star Tours because of the intense motion, but I absolutely love Soarin’ – it’s my favorite ride in WDW. I’ve been also terrified to give Flight of Passage a try on my upcoming vacation in two weeks. But I feel a bit more confident (that I won’t become sick while riding) after reading your review. Thanks!
You are very welcome! That was why I was so happy to have a second opportunity to ride because I was so tense the first time to appreciate what was happening. There were several times the banshee “dive bombs”, maybe one time too many, but I closed my eyes and was fine.
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