Welcome to Pandora — The World of AVATAR!

We are THRILLED to bring you along with us on our very first visit to the newest land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom! (And be sure to check out our full food reviews of Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu, too!)

While Pandora doesn’t officially open to guests until May 27th, our roving reporter is, of course, a Disney World Annual Passholder, and pre-registered Passholder Previews kicked off on May 13th.

We’ve (thankfully!) received a couple of glimpses here and there, thanks to Cast Members who have already attended their own Previews and kindly shared some of their photos and thoughts.

These have only made us even MORE excited to see everything for ourselves.

Care to join us 🙂 ?

Pandora — The World of AVATAR

Those who have seen the movie AVATAR will recall that space travel to Pandora was limited to members of the Resource Development Administration (RDA) seeking its own gain of Pandora’s unobtanium. But now, Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) — as restoration of the once-exploited land takes place — is able to welcome interplanetary travelers (that’s you and me!) on peaceful expeditions to Pandora’s Valley of Mo’ara.

Highlights of the new land include two new attractions: Avatar Flight of Passage and the Na’vi River Journey.

But simply exploring the scenery of the Valley is truly an attraction in itself!

Having trouble identifying all the flora and fauna — not to mention unfamiliar language and items of the Na’vi — surrounding you?

Don’t worry… your Pandora Field Guide can help you sort things out.

And so can some terrific Cast Members (notice the unique Name Tags specific to Pandora!).

By the way, you know those drums in the Africa section of the park where the kids always love to stop and play while you’re trying to gather everyone up to get to your next FastPass+ destination? Yeah. Well, wait until they get a load of these!

You can see it all in motion on our DFB YouTube Channel.

We could spend all day wandering around…

… but we’ve got some specific spots to visit, involving all the FOOD in Disney World’s newest land!

Satu’li Canteen

When the RDA (Resource Development Administration) was seeking to exploit Pandora’s resources, a mess hall was built for the team.

However, in the time of peace that has since been established, ACE (Alpha Centauri Expeditions) has transformed the mess hall into a dining spot for travelers, and the result is Satu’li Canteen.

Even more, ACE ensured that the facility would celebrate the culture of the Na’vi through displays of art and useful items.

We’ve explored the menu and a few early reviews from Cast Members in previous posts, and we have our own full FDB review, too. Just click here!

But since there is SO MUCH to explore today, we are starting with just a quick look, starting with a couple of the entree choices: the Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl (from the Create-Your-Own Satu’li Bowl options), and the Vegetable Curry Pods, served with a crunchy slaw and vegetable chips.

And we haven’t forgotten the kiddos, who are likely going to love the “Teylu” All-Beef Hot Dog wrapped in dough. We totally dug it!!

Specialty beverages include the Pandoran Sunrise (garnished with pineapple, this one has received a makeover since our Eat This Not That post!), Dreamwalker Sangria (the blue drink), Hawkes’ Grog Ale (green beer!) and Mo’ara High Country Ale.

Even the desserts are like Na’vi works of art, like the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse.

Find out all about it by checking out our full Satu’li Canteen review!

Pongu Pongu

You may just love your explorations of Pandora so much that you might decide to stay!

At least, that’s exactly what happened to an expatriate who traveled to Pandora with ACE and subsequently moved and set up Pongu Pongu, a drink stand built to serve thirsty travelers.

Translated as “Party Party” in the language of Na’vi, Pongu Pongu celebrates all the “wild and memorable times” shared between the Na’vi and humans in the Valley. And the party is ON with the playful, colorful hues that adorn not only the signage…

… but the drinks as well!

Specialty sips here include the non-alcoholic Night Blossom, which is Limeade with apple and desert pear flavors, topped with passion fruit boba balls.

Adults can try the Mo’ara Margarita, made of Sauza Conmemorativo Añejo Tequila with strawberry and blood orange flavors topped with strawberry boba balls.

Pongu Pongu is also where you’ll find Pandora’s signature snack, Pongu Lumpia!

Pongu Lumpia is a pineapple and cream cheese spring roll.

Find out what we thought about it — and the drinks! — in our full review of Pongu Pongu!

Windtraders

Finally, we couldn’t resist a super quick stop at Windtraders, Pandora’s merchandise location. We knew they’d likely have a DFB favorite — MUGS 😉 !! And this Floating Mountain Mug sure doesn’t disappoint!

But there is some seriously unique non-food related stuff going on as well. For instance, if you’re curious as to what YOUR Avatar might look like, here’s your chance to find out!

Get outta here!!

And the Na’vi cultural necklaces offer a Build-Your-Own selection.

Of course, that’s just a small peek. We will have SO much more to show you from both Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu in the coming days!

And make sure you are following us on Instagram and YouTube for more photo and video fun, along with some realtime footage on our Disney Food Blog Facebook Page!

OH, and remember that AJ will be in Pandora on Monday afternoon and will surely be live streaming over on facebook and instagram! So tune in!

Pandora is THE place to be, and we’d love to have you join us there. You won’t want to miss a minute! Be sure to join us for our full reviews of Satu’li and Pongu Pongu this week!

What are YOU most excited to experience in Pandora — The World of AVATAR? Please let us know with a comment!