On May 27th 2017 Disney inaugurated Pandora "The World of Avatar" located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park in Orlando Florida. It took us almost 3 hours of line to get into this totally new virtual experience. The trip is well worth the wait cause a real new world has been created and it doesn't looks like anything else seen around the Orlando's parks.
The 12-Tacre location is developed in three sections, including "Avatar Flight of Passage", "Na'vi River Journey" and the "Valley of Mo'ara". First sensation at the arrival is to be really on another planet (the Bio-luminescent Pandora). Before to get into the most surprising attraction which for us was "Flight of Passage" you walk across several different ambiances inspired by Cameron's movie.
The path leads to the entrance of a research facility, where you will meet a 9 feet tall Na'vi humanoid floating inside a tub. The next step is to enter, in a small group, into an airlock where everyone is matched with an onscreen avatar 's face. Finally you sit on a banshee, ready to fly! This is what you have waited for but the first time you would never expect anything like this to be so realistic. It truly makes you soar and feel like inches over a herd of stampeding beasts, zooming through the curl of a towering emerald wave. Wind, spray and scents surround you like in no other flight simulators you ever tried.
Of course we couldn't photograph or make any kind of video along the four minutes ride. And to be honest that wouldn't be even useful to show because this is an experience you have to do in person.
"Na'vi River Journey" is a more conventional Disney's attraction based on a floating boat and a journey into a bioluminescent rainforest in search of the shaman of songs, who is a giant singing Na'vi animatronic. Plants and critters are all around this "out of this world" ambiance.
"The Valley of Mo'ara" is an hiking area of the park through a landscape made of floating mountains, glowing fauna and flora, a native drum circle and more. We also had a food experience at the local themed restaurant "Satu'li Canteen". Original ambiance inspired to the Pandora's planet and a sustainable menu. Its best dish, in our opinion, is the "Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl" for only $12.99 which is a very good affordable price for a Disney park.
highlight by Luca Centoni
pics by Michela Caroti
