Starting March 11th, Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be offered twice a night on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
On March 11th, an 8:30pm show has been added. Following that, with daylight savings time in effect, Rivers of Light will be offered at 8:45PM and 10PM on those select nights. Park hours on these nights have been extended until 9:30PM.
Disney will be constructing a scenic overlook over Hourglass Lake, the body of water located between Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts.
Permits were filed with the South Florida Water Management District and the image below is provided in the documentation.
It appears as though this could be the spot for the station of the rumored gondola transportation system. The size of the plot would be big enough to hold such a item, and the placement directly between both resorts makes sense. Otherwise, it is unknown what the exact reasoning for building this overlook could be. There is already more than enough seating out in this area for those who wish to enjoy the view, so building more seating or standing space wouldn’t serve any real practical purpose.
Either way, this overlook is being constructed starting soon.
Disney is providing another behind the scenes look at the creation of Pandora: The World of AVATAR today. This time, they focus on “placemaking”:
In the video, Disney shared a quick glimpse at concept art for the queue of Flight of Passage, where guests will ride on a Banshee:
They also shared looks at some other interesting details throughout the land:
Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This morning, Good Morning America took us inside Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our first “good” look at the Flight of Passage attraction where guests will fly on a Banshee, as well as the awesome scenery that will fill the planet.
In the video, Disney takes us inside the Flight of Passage ride, where we get some new information on this very secret new attraction.
To experience Pandora from the back of a Banshee, special goggles (the likes of which we have never seen before) have been developed. They look larger than goggles used at other attractions, but it appears that they will fit better over eyeglasses that guests might be wearing. You may also notice that the lenses are not as dark as other 3-D glasses.
Also, the pre-show experience will include a room where guests are matched to their AVATAR.
Outside of Flight of Passage, the preview also brought us all over the land. This was our first time seeing the actual pathways of the land as guests will and the area looks to be as highly themed as Disney promised it would be.
And of course, how could we not talk about the nighttime lighting?
Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
This afternoon on The View, James Cameron toured host Whoopi Goldberg around Pandora: The World of AVATAR. Take a look:
Revealed in the video, we can see some new sights around the Valley of Mo’ara, and also a better look at the Navi River Journey attraction:
At night, the land comes alive with bioluminescence, even in the ground.
They also rode the Navi River Journey attraction.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR open on May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Disney Cruise Line is majorly upgrading their entertainment options aboard the Disney Fantasy. From new Marvel experiences to Star Wars, there is now so much more fun for the whole entire family. Here are some of the new experiences to come aboard when the ship docks and renovates this spring:
For kids joining in on the fun Oceaneer Club, you can blast off to a galaxy far, far, away with Star Wars or learn mystic arts with Dr. Strange. For the new Star Wars experiences; Star Wars: Command Post, will take kids on journeys where they can train with heroes of the Star Wars saga and help fight against the Fisrt Order. Kids will be able to interact with holographic models at one-of-a-kind Star Wars holotable that will project the Milenium Falcon, Death Star, and other very famous Star Wars ships, meet members of the resistance, and channel the force. Disney already has added the new Marvel Super Hero Academy to the list of things to do, but now they are adding even more Marvel experiences aboard the ship. Kids will now be able to learn the mystic arts with the one and only Dr. Strange. Children will be also open so called ‘portals’ to different locales around the Marvel Universe and immerse themselves in an exclusive gaming experience.
New to the ship is the Sweet on You Ice Cream Shop which features hand-crafted gelato and ice cream, specialty sundaes, homemade chocolates, truffles, and a large selection of candy for purchase all right by the family pool. This new shop is themed after the recent Mickey Mouse shorts.
For a first on DCL, the famous and iconic American Luxury brand Tiffany & Co. will have its very own store where you can indulge in timeless collections of jewlery luxury accessories, including the effortlessly elegant Tiffany & Co. diamonds.
All of these new enhancements will debut on the Disney Fantasy sailings starting May 17, 2017, from Port Canaveral.
Today on ABC’s The chew, the hosts got to try Lumpia, which will be served at the Pongu Pongu bar in Pandora: The World of AVATAR:
The snack is just one of the food offerings that was revealed earlier this week by Disney, and you can read more about the Lumpia and other drinks and desserts in our comprehensive post on the offerings in Pandora.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (March 9, 2017) – Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens May 27 at Walt Disney World Resort. The all-new land will immerse guests in a mystical world of massive floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences.
Floating mountains grace the skyline while exotic plants fill the colorful landscape inside Pandora – The World of Avatar, which opens May 27, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Pandora – The World of Avatar will bring a variety of new experiences to the park, including a family-friendly attraction called Na’vi River Journey and new food & beverage and merchandise locations. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kent Phillips, photographer)
The largest addition in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora carries on the park’s tradition of celebrating the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure and a personal call to action.
Based on Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s record-breaking box-office hit, AVATAR, the new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the native Na’vi inhabitants has ended. The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.
Pandora – The World of Avatar is a creative collaboration of Walt Disney Imagineering, Cameron and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment.
“We are taking our guests on a journey to this world in an experience that’s as realistic and immersive as possible,” says Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “In the movie, the world of Pandora is a setting for the action and characters whose story we follow. Here, guests are the primary characters immersed in an extremely vivid, authentic experience.”
Guests to Disney’s Animal Kingdom cross the park’s Discovery River into Pandora – The World of Avatar and continue along a winding rainforest path for their first glimpse of the land’s iconic floating mountains.
“When guests come across the bridge, they are transferred light-years away, to the Alpha-Centauri solar system and Pandora,” says Jon Landau, AVATAR producer, Lightstorm Entertainment. “It’s an otherworldly, fully-themed experience.”
As guests explore the verdant terrain sprawling beneath mountains that appear to float in the sky, they see waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into meandering streams and pools, and they discover two thrilling new expeditions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.
Avatar Flight of Passage launches each guest on an exhilarating, wind-in-your-face experience on a winged mountain banshee over the awe-inspiring world of Pandora. Guests will actually feel the banshee breathe beneath them as they soar through the forest and past floating mountains. What was a rite of passage for Na’vi in Cameron’s film becomes a multisensory experience for guests seeking the ultimate adventure – a faceoff with the most feared predator of Pandora, the Great Leonopteryx.
The Great Lenopternyx will appear in the AVATAR Flight of Passage attraction.
On the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey, guests travel down a sacred river deep into a bioluminescent rainforest. The eight-seat reed boats float past exotic glowing plants and Pandoran creatures into the midst of a musical Na’vi ceremony. The mystical journey culminates in an encounter with a breathtakingly realistic Na’vi Shaman of Songs who is deeply connected with Pandora’s life force and sends positive energy through her music into the forest.
“The Pandora landscape will be alive with creatures,” Rohde says. “We’re bringing to life everything from the largest creature you might encounter to the most microscopic. Animals will appear out of the underbrush – big Pandoran animals will appear at the edge of the forest and you’ll hear the very complicated calls they issue back and forth.”
The thriving Pandoran landscape conveys intrinsic park messages of the value of nature, transformation through adventure and conservation and stewardship.
The artful storytelling in Pandora continues as guests stop for sustenance at the land’s Satu’li Canteen (pronounced “Sa-too-lee”), a Quonset-hut-style building. The fast-casual restaurant is inspired the healthful bounty of Pandora – wholesome grains, fresh vegetables, and hearty proteins. Guests can grab a drink at nearby Pongu Pongu.
Windtraders is a shopper’s delight where guests can choose from Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits and more.
Authenticity and realism were drivers in the creation of Pandora, and the result is a world beyond belief.
“The attractions have very deliberate emotional moments crafted into them, the way a good story does, the way a good film does.” Rohde says. “It’s not as simple as just coming to a place that looks realistic. It’s a place that’s been deliberately imbued with the emotions of awe, of wonder, of respect, of harmony.”
If you stayed up to watch ABC’s Nightline last night, then you saw the most comprehensive and impressive preview to date of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The 6-plus-minute tour shows everything from Flight and Passage and the Navi River Journey, to the food and floating mountains of the land. Take a look:
Revealed in this video, it appears that the Banshee image that was leaked to us was just a test seat used at Walt Disney Imagineering during the early development of the Flight of Passage ride. Instead, guests will sit in a row in the seats pictured below and experience a “virtual reality” thrill ride.
In the interview, Landau states “This is where people will be able to link with a Banshee and actually fly across Pandora.” The pre-show experience matches you with your own personal Avatar. Guests then sit in the attraction in “link chairs” that connect to the Banshees virtually, which is all very similar to the film where humans become Navi people through Avatars. Nightline goes on to call the attraction a “Virtual Reality experience”, leading us to believe it will be a Soarin’-type ride system with 3-D and virtual reality technology at play to make you feel like you really are flying on the back of this creature. The link chairs do no have backs, so you will be seated as if you were riding a Banshee, but in the safety of seats with plenty of protection from falling.
The 6-plus-minute behind the scenes look is fascinating and shows way more than just these clips about Flight of Passage, so make sure that you check out the whole video above. You’ll even see more of the fantastic nighttime bioluminescent glow of Pandora… and its drinks…
Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
This Saturday, March 18th, we have a very special anniversary to celebrate: Pirates of the Caribbean is turning 50! Can you believe it?! 50 years of watching pirates pillage and plunder while we sing along to “Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirates life for me!” 50 years of swashbuckling spectacle that make us pine for a life of adventure on the high seas. 50 years of pure Disney magic.
Pirates of the Caribbean is a classic, a “must do”, and a favorite! It is very exciting to see this attraction celebrate it’s 50th year! And to pay homage to this beloved ride, my top 5 favorite list honors of all those fun-loving pirates. Yo ho here we go to my Top 5 Favorite Pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean!
Wilbur hit the number five spot on my list. No his name is not really Wilbur, but we are going to call him that for the sake of not having to say “whistling pirate” every time. Does anyone know if any of these classic pirates have official names? If they do, I would love to hear them. So back to Wilbur and why he’s on the list. He is such an important team player in this scenario. With his sweet whistling skills and precise rope placement, it was always my opinion that he would be most successful in retrieving the keys from the dog. And let’s be honest, the jail scene would not be the same without hearing his whistle.
Then we have Harry … get it? Because he has hairy legs? I know, I know, super corny, but that it is nothing compared to one of my dad’s pirate jokes (corny as they may be, they are still awesome). Harry is one cool pirate. Our boat travels right underneath of him so we can get a good view of that stinky, dirty foot. When I was young, my parents would always try to convince us that his foot really did stink and I would always hold my breath while we passed by. I am pretty sure my dislike of feet today comes from this very pirate … thanks Harry. Despite his gross foot, he was always a great example of Disney detail. Imagineers knew we would get pretty close to this buccaneer so they added hair onto his leg to make him look even more human like.
Petey comes in number three because … well … just look at him! While everyone else is pillaging the town, he is pirating at his own pace. Takin’ it easy and making friends. That’s my kind of pirate!
“And now, ya bilge rats, do I hear six? Who makes it six? Six it be. Six bottles of rum! I’m not spongin’ for rum. It be gold I’m after!” The Auctioneer is such an iconic character in this attraction. He has great lines, looks fantastic, and he really knows how to haggle. But what really pushed him in the number two spot was his voice. He is voiced by the lengendary Paul Frees. You can hear Paul Frees voice in another Magic Kindom attraction, do you know which one?
This was a tough choice. There are so many great pirates! But in the end, Jack Sparrow stole the number one spot. He is a true scalawag through and through. They took an already great story and made it even more interesting and in depth by adding Captain Jack. His numerous appearances in the ride are perfect, I remember how fun it was to try to spot him the first time we rode it after the renovation. But the one big thing that puts him above the rest is how real he looks. I mean … he looks amazing! Not only is his sculpt so detailed and flawless but his movements are smooth and life like. It is hard to tell that he is not real!
Those are my Top 5 Favorite Pirates! Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite rides. It never gets old! It is not hard to believe that it has stuck around for 50 years and I am sure it will be around for at least 50 more!
Now the best part, what about you? Who is your favorite pirate? I love seeing who you vote for and reading your comments. Be sure to vote for your number one below! If your favorite buccaneer is not on my top 5 list then leave me a comment, tell me who you love and why. Then, next week I will post the results and share some fun facts too!
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