As I’m sure you’ve already heard, Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World has a new area of the park called Pandora – The World of Avatar. Prepare yourself ahead of time. Lines will be long and it will be crowded. Know what to expect before you head to Animal Kingdom.
Things to know about Pandora before you go
Extra and “extra” Extra Magic Hours
- Animal Kingdom will have extended hours through July 4 from 8 AM-11 PM
- “extra” Extra Magic Hours run from 11 PM-1 AM through July 4 for Disney Resort guests. Pandora will be the only area open during this time, but due to the hours it is open, crowd levels should be lower than during the day.
Flight of Passage
- Due to the popularity of Flight of Passage, don’t be surprised if you see wait times of 4 1/2 to 5 hours, at times. For safety reasons, once this line is full to capacity, Pandora will close the queue until the line gets a little shorter.
- Even if you have a fastpass+, you should plan to spend about 1 hour of your time waiting in line and watching the show/riding the ride. Please keep that in mind if you have other fastpasses or you have families and friends waiting for you.
- If you want to ride Flight of Passage, plan on waking up early or utilizing the “extra” extra Magic Hours to beat the crowds.
- You can walk through the queue line without riding. Check it out! It is so cool!
- Due to popularity, you will only be able to Fastpass+ either Flight of Passage OR Na’vi River Journey per day. Want to ride both rides? Use park hopper to your advantage and hop on over to Animal Kingdom another day, or visit during the “extra” Extra Magic Hours when the crowds might be lower.
Pongu-Pongu
- Many of the drinks are non-alcoholic, so it’s a great place for the whole family to stop and cool down with a refreshing drink.
Souvenirs
- Take advantage of the face painting! It is amazing! All of the face painting glows in the evening at Pandora and on the rides, especially the Na’vi River Journey
- The best souvenirs are the mountain banshee, tails, Na’vi Translator, and Na’vi Build a Necklace
- If you’re a Wilderness Explorer fan, there are Wilderness Explorer stops in Pandora! Remember to pick up an official Wilderness Explorers field guide and collect those adventure badges!
If you have time to spare, spend some time with the ACE locals. They have so much knowledge about the plant life and Pandora.
Have any other tips on Pandora, I’d love to hear them!
