Pandora: The World of Avatar: Flight of Passage

    Courtesy Walt Disney World Resort

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Op-ed- At Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park's newest land Pandora: The World of Avatar, there are two new attractions in this big new world, Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey. This editorial will focus on the biggest and most popular ride right now, Flight of Passage.

   When you walk past the entrance of the queue, you go up a winding trail. There you can see The Valley of Mo'ara dominating the sky.  I took the photo below from the elevated queue as I worked my way into the mountain to experience the more spectacular and unforgettable ride currently at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

   Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/@theviewpointlm

Once you go past the flying mountains you enter a big cave. As you walk deeper into the cave, the queue suddenly transforms into a military-base-like complex leading to four large doors. After your group is counted and directed to a line,  and go into the assigned door and are presented with the Human-Na'vi Connection Program.  Next, you are scanned and paired with an Avatar. After that you go into the final prep room before the flight for the explanation, overview and safety procedures of the ride.  You will then be handed special glasses to wear throughout the ride following a short video.  Then you go and sit down on your motorcycle like stationary vehicle while being connected with the Na'vi you were matched with earlier in the process. Once you are clicked into the seat, the ride will begin.  Suddenly, you are transported to Pandora riding on the back of a Mountain Banshee all while exploring the Planet. This is a 4D experience similar to Epcot's Soarin ride. After this hyper-realistic experience, you are taken back outside and end up at the Windtraders gift shop, an exclusive for Avatar-themed items. For my personal review on this exhilarating ride, it's  one the best rides The Walt Disney Company has every created. It's one of the few rides that you truly feel like you are really there. Overall, I highly recommend you go ride this new attraction. You may feel like you are already there from this review, but in person it's an out of this world experience.