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TWO Sneak Peeks at Pandora The World of Avatar


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I claim PBR! Pandora Bragging Rights. The TCD gang hit up a Castmember preview of Animal Kingdom's brand new land yesterday, May 3rd, 2017. We received these tickets through the efforts

This show the seats  

I have more photos! We left off at the bar.  Actually, it's not a bar- just a walkup window where you can get a drink. I think they need to work on that.  A bar here would be good. This big

3 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Since humans come in a variety of shapes and sizes, I'm surprised Disney designed the seats and restraints without broader tolerances, or perhaps they could have designed a number of the seats for folks with larger statures if it would have been problematic to make all the seats able to accommodate a wider variety of sizes.  And speaking of "accommodation", is body size covered under the ADA?

It really is amazing that in this day and age they designed seats which obviously are going to exclude a pretty significant percentage of guests.  Installing a sample seat out front will save some guests the embarrassment and frustration of waiting in a long line before finding out they can't ride, but it doesn't solve the underlying problem.

I don't think being large is covered by the ADA, but where I think they may have run afoul of the ADA is by failing to provide for guests who cannot transfer from their wheelchairs on both rides.  There are boats that guests in wheelchairs can roll onto for Small World and Living with the Land (and maybe Pirates?).  I think they could provide a platform that guests in wheelchairs could use to watch the FOP movie.  It seems like there was much more they could have done.

2 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Pandora needs a Harry Potter ride so that there is something to do when FOP is broken down.  

Genius.  They should have saved themselves a lot of trouble, and just built knock-offs of all of Universals big rides. 

TCD

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This was posted on another thread here on FF.net:

On ‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 9:40 PM, DinDavie said:

I've met a new cast member who has had to learn the navi language.  He is a musician but I'm unsure how to describe what he is going to do.  Drums are involved.

A new Castmember?

Who had to learn the Na'vi language?

Drums are involved?

He/she must have something to do with the Drum Circle area in Pandora.

This area isn't mentioned on the maps, and (no surprise) there is no signage posted saying what it is.

There are just a bunch of fake drums incorporated in a bunch of fake rocks. Guests were encouraged to bang on them:

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I looked at this area briefly the during our first preview.  There is a small elevated stage area.  I walked around it, and found a little unlocked gate:

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No one was looking, and since we were encouraged by Pappa Joe to explore and discover on our own, I figured no one would mind if I snuck up these steps. That Staff Only sign might be an old RDA sign, no more relevant that the signs telling me how to decontaminate.  There weren't many stairs:

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At the top of the stairs, there is a small platform with lights and wiring.  I guess someone will be up here playing drums:

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But who?

Twin #1's CM friend told me that it would not be a Na'vi.  But would it make sense for a human to be playing these drums?  I heard a rumor that an animatronic Na'vi will raise from the platform like Sonny Eclipse does at Cosmic Rays.  Hey- what if it is Sonny Eclipse?  What's that called?  Synergy?

I don't know exactly what is going to happen here, but it appears that there will be someone or something playing the big drums up on the stage, and then guests will bang on the fake ones in the fake rocks.

Sounds fun.

No one said anything to me about going up those stairs.

The kids egged me on and told me to go back up there and bang on those drums and they'd take my picture.

But, I figured maybe I ought not do that.

So, I didn't.

Let's move on.

This is supposed to be a place to sit.

Looks painful:

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The blue facepainters weren't getting much business.  I don't understand why:

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There's a big gong up on the stage next to the big drums:

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We had originally planned to stay in Pandora longer, but we were running out of things to do.  We decided to ride the boat ride one more time, and then head over to the MK to see the new fireworks show.

The entry to the boat ride is over there, but you kind of have to figure that out on your own, as there are no signs:

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Actually, there kind of is a sign.  We had all walked by that weird dome thing several times, but just now realized that there was a woven blue lady in there- that's supposed to be the Shaman that we see inside, I guess:

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See how she's blue?  And is sitting cross-legged?  And only has three fingers?  That's definitely her.  I think.

They had a 20 minute wait time posted outside, and there were a lot of guests in the queue:

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This queue was definitely built by the Na'vi, and they definitely did not have any rulers or levels:

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They have one of those water fountains from the future in this line too:

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And fans from the future too:

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And a lot of weavings.  The Na'vi love to weave stuff apparently:

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Supposedly, one of these weavings is a map of the valley that we are visiting, but I didn't see anything that looked like a map:

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It took us less than 10 minutes to weave (pun intended) our way through this outer portion of the queue.  Then we came to another cave:

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Once you reach the cave, you are almost to the boarding area, and we were quickly assigned a row. All four of us in one row again.  This time we had the front row, so no fat heads blocked our view.

This is the marker on the floor for our row:

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So the Na'vi may have built all of this, but ACE is running it.

There was some human-looking cargo stashed next to the lane we were in, and I noticed that each boat has a cargo net in the back with similar human cargo stashed behind the back seat:

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Seems kind of excessive for a 5 minute ride.

The exit area for the boats is right next to the boarding area- like on the new Frozen ride:

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Hey, look, they have "service" dogs in space:

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The ride was good.

I actually like that it's on the short side.

Small World and Pirates are too long.

Yes I said it.

Shorter is better sometimes.  You don't have time to get bored.

Even though we could have stayed, we voted to go.

A couple of foreign planet plant shots taken on the way out:

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And then we were back on the bridge.  There's the Nomad Lounge:

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And the Discovery River:

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Did you know that there used to be boats that took guests around this river, and that there was a rock shaped like a dragon that breathed fire along the river bank?  Well, there was, and you can still see dragon rock from this bridge.  It's right over there:

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Guess who we ran in to on the way out?

Lou.

Of course.

He has been working a lot of these previews.

We had another brief chat.  It was brief because it was raining and because we had to catch a bus to the MK.

Lou likes Pandora and Flights of Passage.  We compared notes.  Today's preview went kind of rough, especially for the guests in the last time slot.

I hear that the subsequent ones have gone better.

We went to the MK, and I got to see the second performance of the Happily Ever After Show.

But, I haven't finished sharing Pandora stuff.

We got something called a Field Guide for this preview.

And I took photos of all the pages.

I'll post those next.

And then I'm going to share some of the interesting questions I was asked via a survey I received earlier this week.

TCD

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I still don't really get why they built an all-new land with only 1 real ride and a boat ride.  Once people have seen it a couple of times, do you think they'll just pop in to use a FOP FP+, and then leave to go do other things?  I think that there is a ton of buzz about Pandora only because it's at Disney, and people will go nuts over anything Disney does.  If any other theme park in the US had built Pandora, there would be massive yawns and shrugging of shoulders.  It would have a reputation for being a beautiful, but boring park.  Again, I haven't seen it, so should probably reserve judgement until I do.  But it just doesn't seem like there is much of a draw there once you've seen it a couple of times.    

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15 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I still don't really get why they built an all-new land with only 1 real ride and a boat ride.  Once people have seen it a couple of times, do you think they'll just pop in to use a FOP FP+, and then leave to go do other things?  I think that there is a ton of buzz about Pandora only because it's at Disney, and people will go nuts over anything Disney does.  If any other theme park in the US had built Pandora, there would be massive yawns and shrugging of shoulders.  It would have a reputation for being a beautiful, but boring park.  Again, I haven't seen it, so should probably reserve judgement until I do.  But it just doesn't seem like there is much of a draw there once you've seen it a couple of times.    

I agree.

We all agreed that there was no way we will ever wait in the standby lines for either ride (unless we are there for rope drop).  We will definitely use FP+ when we can, but these are going to be impossible to get unless you're a resort guest and book them 60 days out.

Supposedly, there will be some amazing views and experiences when it's dark out.  But, how many times will anyone want to see that?  And how crowded will it be at night?  Like Osborne Lights crowded?  No thanks.

If they can get FOP working reliably, then they will have a hit on their hands, and it's going to be busy in that park every day from open to close for the next year.

TCD

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I know nothing about the movie but I'm FB friends with the lady who wrote the article I linked (I know of her from past years of applying for the Mom's panel) and some local to her new station interviewed her because of her article about people having issues fitting on FOP.  

Anyway, someone said they find it ironic that one of the main characters from avatar was paralyzed and in a wheelchair and they technically couldn't even ride their own ride (if they were real). 

I almost read comments that very tall people with long legs are having issues riding too.

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3 hours ago, Beckers said:

I know nothing about the movie but I'm FB friends with the lady who wrote the article I linked (I know of her from past years of applying for the Mom's panel) and some local to her new station interviewed her because of her article about people having issues fitting on FOP.  

Anyway, someone said they find it ironic that one of the main characters from avatar was paralyzed and in a wheelchair and they technically couldn't even ride their own ride (if they were real). 

I almost read comments that very tall people with long legs are having issues riding too.

That's true about the movie- the main character volunteered for the Avatar program because he was paralyzed and didn't have the money to get his spine injury fixed, which they can do in the future if you have enough money.

He didn't have to sit up or use his legs to control his Avatar.

The fact that so little seems to have been done to accommodate special needs guests is ironic.

9 minutes ago, Travisma said:

TCD, does the FOP allow you to have a camera or small backpack on while riding, or do you need to take them off and store them somewhere?

They ask you to stow all objects in the compartments along the back wall of the room with the ride vehicles.  You will remain in the room with your stuff, but your back will be to it.  That concerns me a bit.  There will only be a maximum of 7 other guests in the room with you, but if one of the 7 is a thief, you could be screwed.  I don't think you can keep the backpack on.

On our first visit, the CM who led us in to the ride vehicle room specifically said that no photography or taping was allowed in that room.  That was the only time I heard that restriction- it was not covered in either of the pre-boarding videos- and there were no signs posted.  The second time we rode, the CM who led us into the ride vehicle room did not make any announcement about photography or taping.  I held my camera in my hand, made no effort to hide it, and the CM who checked my restraints said nothing about it.

TCD

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8 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

That's true about the movie- the main character volunteered for the Avatar program because he was paralyzed and didn't have the money to get his spine injury fixed, which they can do in the future if you have enough money.

He didn't have to sit up or use his legs to control his Avatar.

The fact that so little seems to have been done to accommodate special needs guests is ironic.

They ask you to stow all objects in the compartments along the back wall of the room with the ride vehicles.  You will remain in the room with your stuff, but your back will be to it.  That concerns me a bit.  There will only be a maximum of 7 other guests in the room with you, but if one of the 7 is a thief, you could be screwed.  I don't think you can keep the backpack on.

On our first visit, the CM who led us in to the ride vehicle room specifically said that no photography or taping was allowed in that room.  That was the only time I heard that restriction- it was not covered in either of the pre-boarding videos- and there were no signs posted.  The second time we rode, the CM who led us into the ride vehicle room did not make any announcement about photography or taping.  I held my camera in my hand, made no effort to hide it, and the CM who checked my restraints said nothing about it.

TCD

Thanks.  I'm not too concerned about the backpack if I even take it.  Now my digital SLR is another story.  I don't plan on taking pictures on the ride, but I just want it to be secure somewhere.

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21 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Thanks.  I'm not too concerned about the backpack if I even take it.  Now my digital SLR is another story.  I don't plan on taking pictures on the ride, but I just want it to be secure somewhere.

It will be secure.  The bins are built into the wall, and have a lip around them.  That wall doesn't move.  But if there's a dirty hippie on the ride with you, you had better keep an eye on him when you're unloading.

TCD

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8 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

It will be secure.  The bins are built into the wall, and have a lip around them.  That wall doesn't move.  But if there's a dirty hippie on the ride with you, you had better keep an eye on him when you're unloading.

TCD

How tight a fit is the ride.  I have an over the shoulder cross body camera strap, so normally the camera is near my hip. Would it be able to stay on me?

I will probably bring my backpack and stick it on top of the camera in the bin if I can't wear it.  But the backpack isnt a lot larger than a fanny pack.

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9 minutes ago, Travisma said:

How tight a fit is the ride.  I have an over the shoulder cross body camera strap, so normally the camera is near my hip. Would it be able to stay on me?

I will probably bring my backpack and stick it on top of the camera in the bin if I can't wear it.  But the backpack isnt a lot larger than a fanny pack.

I think that wearing your camera would be a bad idea, and I'd be surprised if they let you.  You move around a lot on this ride.  Way more than Star Tours or anything similar.  Your camera would be flying around.

TCD

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16 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I think that wearing your camera would be a bad idea, and I'd be surprised if they let you.  You move around a lot on this ride.  Way more than Star Tours or anything similar.  Your camera would be flying around.

TCD

Thanks, that's why I asked the expert...

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13 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Thanks, that's why I asked the expert...

Well, I've been twice.  I'm hardly an expert.

I know someone who had her passholder preview yesterday.  They weren't using paper FP's, and she got to ride it twice! 

I would head there first and ride it as much as you can- you will never get a chance to ride it like that ever again.

TCD

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We are just a little over a week from when Pandora will officially open for everyone.

I have a few more things to share.

Here are photos I took from the Field Guide we got at our second preview. They didn't hand these out at the first one we went to. Must have been at the printers:

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This explains who ACE is and what they're doing:

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And this tells us about the Na'vi:

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Then we read about the Na'vi language:

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Here are some helpful phrases:

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I don't understand the deal with the helpful phrases.  All of the CM's we encountered in Pandora said hello and welcome and what have you using these phrases.  But why?  I'm not a Na'vi.  They aren't Na'vi.  We only see two Na'vi in all of Pandora, and one is a projection and the other is a robot. Both are in the river ride, and we glide right past them with no interaction. So, why do I need to know these phrases, and when am I going to ever have a chance to use them?

There are tons of weird critters in the Avatar movie, and you see quite a few of them in both rides, but our Field Guide only identifies and tells us about two of them.  Fail:

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Here's the description of the two rides in Pandora:

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And then we have a section that tells us about the plants. There are more plant descriptions than there are animal descriptions:

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That big plant that the CM told us to make mad so it would spray acid was apparently a Flaska Reclinata.  But, there's no mention of acid in the Field Guide. I think that CM needs to study her Operations Handbook.

Also, how come the first five plants get scientific names, and then the last two are called the Puffball Tree and Grinch Tree?  Sounds like something from Dr. Seuss.

If you have any more questions about all of this, you're out of luck, as that's all that's in the Field Guide, and the CM's don't know what they're talking about.

TCD

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On Sunday, May 14th, I received an email invitation to take a poll about our experience at the preview.

It was a typical Disney poll.  The first part was a lot of basic questions asking about my zip code, where I was staying for this trip, what parks I visited, etc.

Then it got around to the preview.

I took a screenshot of each question, which I will share without comment here.  It is interesting to see what they asked about, but also what they did not ask:

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The rest of the poll asked demographic questions about age, ethnicity, income, and other stuff that is none of their business.

That was a pretty long poll.

Like I said, it was interesting to see what they are concerned about (crowding, the big Na'vi robot in the river ride), and what they are not concerned about (the use of projections in the river ride, wait times, etc.).

Like always, some of the provided answers seem dumb. Like, is there really a big difference between a moderate and casual fan?  Isn't saying I'm not really a fan the same as saying that I'm not at all a fan?  Is this so they can go to the Board and say what a hit Pandora is with non-fans (which is what four of the answers really say)?

TCD

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Now that I've seen Pandora, I have enjoyed going back and reviewing some of the stuff that Disney told us about it.

As some of you may remember, the TCD twins and I went to the D23 Expo in Anaheim back in 2015, and we saw the Avatar exhibit there.

I found a video on Youtube that shows the details of that exhibit, and a promotion video that they played there:

I encourage you to watch it.

I remember after seeing the video, we all asked each other what the deal was with the host of the video, Marshall Lamm?

He was so bad.

Was it supposed to be a joke?

We didn't get it.

This Marshall Lamm guy has shown up in the flesh at some of the previews. Here's a photo that Twin #1's CM friend posted with her and Marshall:

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(I obscured her name tag so none of you will stalk her)

Marshall is featured prominently on the very strange visitpandora.com website.  And check out the make-up job he got there:

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It turns out this is like a really bad episode of Undercover Boss.

Marshall Lamm is really producer Jon Landau, shown here with his buddy James Cameron:

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Who approved this?

TCD

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13 minutes ago, Beckers said:

Perfect. I'll be patiently waiting. 

I think I should get my face painted too.

I need to start a Go Fund Me page for the $25.

9 minutes ago, Beckers said:

Wth? That's the strangest looking dude ever. It looks like a bad makeup job on a dead person. 

His acting is worse than the makeup.

Watch the video. I'm not exaggerating.

It was strange then, and it's stranger now.

Apparently, he walks around in character with that Undercover Boss look and a Marshall name tag.

So strange.

TCD

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16 hours ago, Travisma said:

We are here at 4:45 for our 6 appointment, and the back of the line is back to the bridge to Discovery Island

Uh-oh.

The previews went pretty smoothly on Wednesday.

That's the longest line I've heard of for one of the previews.  I wonder if it's because they are not kicking out the previous guests?

Did you get to ride a banshee?

TCD

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