You’ll see this guy only if you ride standby! As I write this, Avatar Flight of Passage has a 90 minute wait. That is according to the My Disney Experience App. That is one of the shortest waits that I have ever seen for the ride. Pandora – The World of Avatar has been open for a year and a half now. Why is the wait still so long? And is it worth it?
Since I’m local, I try to avoid waiting in line whenever I can. Most of the rides I can get FastPass+ for at some point. With Avatar Flight of Passage, I would wait 90 minutes. The ride is that good.
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is my favorite ride at Walt Disney World (big surprise if you know how much of a Star Wars fan I am). But I will readily admit that Avatar Flight of Passage is overall a better ride. It has been described as “a combination of Star Tours and Soarin’ on steroids” and I think that’s a pretty good description.
One of the things that I like about Avatar Flight of Passage is that there are different things to discover each time you ride. The screen is huge, so you will have a different view each time (unless you end up in the same seat.) One ride you might be up high, and the next ride you’re on the lowest part of the screen. There is always something different to see.
If you can get FastPass+ for Avatar Flight of Passage, by all means do it! If you can’t, you’re still in for a treat. The queue is incredible. You’ll first wind through caves, and then you’ll hit the lab. This is where you’ll see the floating avatar, and the rest of the lab is pretty impressive as well.
Try to arrive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom about an hour before it opens if you don’t have FastPass+. That is usually the best way to be able to ride, and you won’t be wasting precious park time. Another possibility is the newly announced Disney After Hours at the park. If you sign up for this special ticketed event, you can ride over and over without having to wait.