Large Rocks with Greenery and Water Falling at Avatar's Flight of Passage

Avatar Flight of Passage Attraction Review

Avatar Flight of Passage

Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park – Pandora – The World of Avatar

Height Requirement: 44 inches

Attraction Type: Thrill Ride – 3D

FastPass+ Attraction: Yes

My experience with Avatar Flight of Passage goes back to a week before its opening in May 2016. I was there to have lunch with Joe Rhode, the Imagineer behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, several resort hotels, Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa and now Pandora – The World of Avatar.

As we sat and ate lunch at Tiffin’s restaurant, just outside Pandora, he told me all about his experience building this new land. Of all the things he talked about, I kept wondering about this Avatar Flight of Passage attraction. What happens in it? Do you sit in something and move around? How do they actually make you fly on a Banshee?

Joe Rhode Pandora

The more Joe talked, the more curious I became. After taking a tour of the land with Joe we finally went into Avatar Flight of Passage. He told us all about the inner workings, symbolism and how the line queue could hold over 4 hours of guests. It was quite interesting actually and one of the best attraction queues I had ever seen.

Once we arrived at the loading area I got a bit nervous. Even with all this discussion, I still didn’t know what to expect! Even after sitting on the bike chairs I had no idea what was going to happen. But then it did happen and when it was all done I couldn’t stop smiling. It was THE coolest attraction I had ever experienced. Still to this day, Avatar Flight of Passage is my favorite Disney Theme Park attraction.

So what can you expect? I can tell you that without a FastPass to this attraction you can expect to wait about 110 minutes, just under 2 hours to experience it. I highly recommend you get one in advance.

The rides queue is amazing starting from the outside featuring trees, plants and waterfalls to the inside with cave writings and advanced technology including a complete Avatar.

The loading part of the attraction is genius and definitely keeps your mind off the fact that you’re still waiting in line. First you’ll be loaded into a ramp area, one that goes up and one that goes down. It may take a few groups before you finally get up to be loaded into an instructional room.

Avatar Flight of Passage

Each room has 16 positions to stand on which you will be assigned. You’ll then watch a video that explains how all of this was put together, how Banshee’s are Keystone species and more. Some of it is interesting but it’s mostly just a stall tactic. We’ve seen variations of this first rooms video depending on if there is a delay in the actual attraction room.

From here you’ll move into the 2nd room where you’ll again stand on a number that matches the one you’ve been assigned. Then you’ll watch an instruction video by Dr. Jackie Ogden aka Sigourney Weaver’s character (but not actually her). Then you’ll be shown how to store your items and sit in the chair (it’s like riding a bike).

Once this video is done you’ll be taken into the final room where you’ll load onto your bike, put on your 3-D glasses and ride a Banshee! It’s so much fun!

Avatar Flight of Passage is a must-do attraction of mine; something you don’t want to miss!

Attraction Video

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Tips

  • Get a FastPass+ reservation 60 days out.
  • There is a height requirement which means you can do a parent swap pass.
  • There is a ride chair outside the attraction to make sure you can fit into it.
  • Ask to be loaded to the higher levels of the attraction. It has better views.
  • When they say store all your bags including cell phones, do it. Sitting with something in your pocket can be distracting.
  • There is no single rider line but if you listen carefully at the loading ramps they usually ask for single riders to move up quicker.

For more attraction reviews be sure to visit Park Savers main Walt Disney World Attractions Review page. We also have a Pandora – The World of Avatar walkthrough guide and video so you can see the entire land. For discounted tickets to the park be sure to see Park Savers current ticket pricing.