Pandora Opening Weekend, Success or Fail?

The long-awaited “Pandora – The World of Avitar” opened to record crowds in Disney’s Animal Kingdom this weekend.  The floating islands and photoluminescent plants are now open to the public with hours from 8am – 11pm daily with Extra Magic Hours of 7am-8am and 11pm-1am.

This new land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been long awaited in Disney World’s lesser performing parks.  Crowds and park closing due to capacity were the norm this weekend with wait times of up to six hours to just enter the new land.

Pandora is based on the motion picture “Avitar” and celebrates the world of nature.  The new land also offers two new rides for park visitors, “Avitar – Flight of Passage” and “Na’vi River Journey”.  Along with the two new attractions, Pandora offers a unique menu and beverage selection that cannot be enjoyed in any other area of the Disney World Resort. It also offers theming that no other land in Disney offers, with the photoluminescence of the fawn and fauna of Na’vi to the massive floating islands from the motion picture.

Fanatics of Disney have been waiting for this weekend since it was announced several years ago and they came out in the masses.  So was it a win for Disney or a fail?  I guess it depends on who you ask.  Animal Kingdom had one of, if not, the busiest weekends of its existence. Several times the park had to turn guests away because they were at capacity.  Both rides in Pandora has a steady 3-4 HOUR standby time and fast passes had been sold out for months.  Even if you had a fastpass, it was very difficult to get INTO Pandora.

Eventually the crowds will subside, but in the end will this be a hit for Animal Kingdom and Disney World…