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Avatar Flight of Passage

Avatar Flight of Passage

An Attraction in Animal Kingdom

Last updated: March 28, 2024

At a Glance

Avatar Flight of Passage is one of the most technologically advanced rides Disney has ever produced: a flight simulator in which you hop on the back of a winged, dragonlike Pandora banshee for a spin to take in the planet’s scenery.

Your journey begins with a long walk from the base of Pandora, up an inclined path, and into abandoned cave dwellings. Wall paintings and markings inside the caves tell the story of the Na’vi. From there, you walk through jungle and more rocks to reach the research laboratory of the humans who have settled on Pandora and are studying the planet’s wildlife.

The lab’s star exhibit is a Na’vi avatar lying in suspended animation. Encased in a giant water-filled tube, the sleeping apparition floats gently, its rest briefly interrupted by a finger twitch or leg movement. (People we’ve toured with have described it as either mesmerizing or vaguely unsettling.)

Once through the queue, you’re brought to a 16-person chamber to prepare for your flight. A video explains the concept of an avatar: a way to project your consciousness onto another being—in this case a Na’vi riding astride a banshee—and feel everything it feels. Your preparation includes a “parasite decontamination procedure” and other quasi-scientific processes, mainly to help pass the time until your ride vehicles are ready.

When it’s time to ride, you’re led into a small room holding what looks like 16 stationary bicycles without pedals. You’re handed 3-D goggles and told to approach the “bike,” swing one leg over, mount it, and scoot as far forward as you can. Once you’re seated, padded restraints are deployed along your calves and lower back, ensuring that you don’t fall off during your flight. (The snugness of the restraints, coupled with the somewhat confined space holding the vehicles, makes some claustrophobic guests exit before riding.)

Then the room goes dark, there’s a flash of light, and suddenly your brain is “linked” to the Na’vi surfing a banshee. You swoop up and down, left and right, on this flying dragon, going over the Pandora plains, through the mountains, and across its seas, all through a high-definition video projected onto a giant screen in front of you. As you fly, airbags at your legs inflate and deflate to simulate the banshee’s breathing below you.

The flying effects are very well done. You can turn your head almost 90° either way, and about 45° up and down, to survey the Pandora landscape. Riders toward the middle of the room (seats 4–8 in one group and 9–12 in the other) have, we think, better range of vision.

If you’ve experienced Soarin’ at EPCOT, it’s similar technology at work here, with the individual “bikes” replacing the grouped seats. Likewise, the ebb and flow of the flight reminds us of the Soarin’ film’s pacing, right down to the finale over the beach. The video is clear and well synchronized with the ride vehicles, and we’ve heard very few reports of motion sickness—which is unusual for screen-based motion simulators.

The word rave hardly does justice to how Flight of Passage has been received. First, from an Indiana family of four:

Our favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World is Avatar Flight of Passage. The experience is magical. It really does feel like you’re flying because of the wind, smells, and movement of the banshee. A lot of people compare it to Soarin’, but after riding Flight of Passage first, Soarin’ was a letdown.

An Edmonton, Alberta, couple had this to say:

Flight of Passage ride is one of the best rides we’ve ever been on. We would gladly wait 3 hours to ride this. A MUST-DO!

And from a Freehold, New Jersey, mom:

From the “breathing” ride vehicle to the unbelievable visuals to (my favorite) the wafting aromas, this ride is absolutely amazing. I love Forbidden Journey at Universal, but aside from Hogwarts Castle being a better queueing area, the Avatar ride is by far superior.

Flight of Passage is super, provided you can ride. A tall Oklahoman who couldn’t complains:

I am 6’6”, and I was too tall to ride. Two other individuals from my pod were also too tall/large. Very disappointing, and Disney did not handle it very well.
Current Standby Wait Time
Park Closed
Lightning Lane - Individual
Not Yet Available on 3/28/24
Guest Overall Rating
Our Overall Rating
Preschool
Grade School
Teens
Young Adults
Over 30
Seniors
Duration
6 min
Rider Switch?
Yes
Minimum Height
44 in
Accessibility
  • Physical Considerations
  • Handheld Captioning
  • Video Captioning
  • Assistive Listening
  • Audio Description
  • Must Transfer to Standard Wheelchair and then to Ride Vehicle

Riding Flight of Passage with No Wait

Touring Tips

When To Go
As soon as the park opens.
Loading Speed
Moderate
Early Theme Park Entry?
Yes
Wait per 100 People Ahead
4 min
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?
Yes

Flight of Passage is the first ride most people head for at Animal Kingdom. The good news is that when the park opens by 8 a.m., most guests leave Animal Kingdom well before closing. Thus, lines for Flight of Passage drop considerably near park closing. A Napa, California, reader recounts a very typical experience:

We did rope drop at Animal Kingdom during spring break on a day with park opening at 7 a.m. for resort guests. By 6:30 a.m., the line to get in was out in the parking lot. It’s also kinda stressful with everyone bumping into each other trying to get to Flight of Passage.

Park opening is erratic at Animal Kingdom for several reasons, but it’s mainly a matter of safety and traffic control. To forestall a mob at the entrance—and a Pamplona-like stampede to Pandora—Disney modulates the crowds as they arrive, ushering guests safely into a queue. Making crowd control even more critical is the fact that Animal Kingdom’s walkways are the narrowest in all of the Disney World parks, which can create choke points.

If you intend to be among the first in the park:

  • Check online or call ☎ 407-824-4321 the night before your visit to confirm official park-opening time.
  • On-site guests should arrive 60 minutes before official opening; off-site guests should arrive 30 minutes before official opening.
  • If you’re staying on-site, use Disney transportation; Disney’s buses get into the parking lot before cars. If you’re driving, consider a cab or use Uber or Lyft rather than driving yourself—this way you won’t get stuck waiting to pay for parking.
  • Have your admission in hand, thus avoiding the ticket booth.
  • Look for a turnstile that seems to be processing people quickly and smoothly.
  • If you need to use the restroom, use the facilities to the left of the park entrance. Disney has a process for letting you rejoin your party in the queue later on if you need to take a bathroom break, but it’s not nearly as convenient as getting that out of the way first thing.
  • Other attractions you might like

    Users who like Avatar Flight of Passage, generally also like:

    Wait Times

    Here's roughly how many minutes you'll wait for Avatar Flight of Passage at each Animal Kingdom Crowd Level.

    1
    16 to 79
    2
    55 to 105
    3
    66 to 130
    4
    70 to 136
    5
    80 to 151
    6
    91 to 160
    7
    108 to 169
    8
    120 to 186
    9
    138 to 206
    10
    171 to 229
    Hourly View
    Thursday,
    Mar 28, 2024
    View another date
    Wait Times for
    Avatar Flight of Passage
     
    As of 6:25 am EDT
    Thursday,
    March 28, 2024

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