We don’t think walking through Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will ever get boring! The landscape is gorgeous, and the attention to detail is incredible.
Flight of Passage in Pandora
In addition, this area has two super popular attractions: Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage. While we love both of these rides, there are also a few uncomfortable truths about riding Flight of Passage.
This ride is POPULAR, and there is good reason. On Flight of Passage, you get to climb aboard a banshee and fly through the incredible landscape of Pandora. You follow in the footsteps of the Na’vi hunters and take part in this rite of passage. The wait time for this ride is usually the highest in the park, but we think it is worth it! Or you can also grab an Individual Lightning Lane to shorten your wait time. However, there are some uncomfortable truths about this attraction we need to share.
It may have a long wait, but we think it is worth it!
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not ridden this ride and do not wish to know more about the ride, please stop reading now. We have warned you.
One of the uncomfortable parts of the ride is the wait. While the queue has some amazing theming and beautiful designs, our feet are FEELING it by the time we make it through the hours long queue. After waiting in the queue, we get blown on by what seems like gale-force gusts and then manage to contort ourselves onto the linking seat. At this point, we assume we have gotten past all the uncomfortable parts of the ride, but we are wrong.
This queue can get uncomfortable!
Alright, we are strapped in and ready to go! We can’t wait to link with our Avatar and…uh…fly. Woo-hoo! But, then all of a sudden there is a strange buzzing noise and an odd sensation on our stomach. What in the world? Are we being shocked? We are ready for this to be done. The ride may be trying to link us with our Avatar, but could there not be a more comfortable way to go about it? And don’t even get us started when the ride start is a bit delayed, it feels like an eternity of being zapped.
He didn’t mention we were going to be shocked!
Finally, the weird shocks stop, the lights are flashing, and then WE ARE FLYING! That reveal is magnificent, and we can just imagine the beautiful landscape of Pandora as we gracefully soar over. But wait. What is that pushing on our legs? We know you can feel it, we can all feel it. The strange, pumping sensation we feel on our thighs. We get that it is supposed to be your banshee breathing, but can we be honest? It’s kind of a weird feeling.
We always wonder how the Avatars feel about the banshee breathing?
First, we are being shocked and now we are feeling this odd breathing sensation on our legs. And just as we are working past both of these uncomfortable things, we discover we might be feeling a bit sick. Oh boy, this ride just got even more uncomfortable.
And we thought the blowing air was uncomfortable.
As much as we LOVE this ride, we also know there are some uncomfortable truths about actually riding. However, we are here to help you overcome some of these “uncomfortable” things and have your best experience on Flight of Passage.
Before you hop in, we have some tips!
We have a few tips we want to share if any of these things bother you, so let’s get into them! Starting off with the electric shocks at the beginning of the ride. There is an easy way to avoid them. Before the cast member puts the restraints down, make sure you have just enough space to pull your stomach all the way off the seat. No need to get crazy and leave like three feet of space, but just enough so you aren’t touching the seat. Once the linking process starts, just hold yourself off the seat while the buzzing happens. Once you see the flashing lights and the grand reveal, you are good to lie back down on the seat.
Once the buzzing stops, be ready for the grand reveal!
Next up: the breathing sensation between your legs. We have to admit that this one isn’t quite as bad, but it might still bother you. Try pulling your legs away from the middle of the seat and focus on not “hugging” the seat as much. Basically, pretend you are trying to push your legs away from each other as far as possible. Don’t worry, the part for your leg is enclosed so you won’t be sticking your legs out where they don’t belong.
Is the breathing comforting or odd?
Finally: motion sickness. This one is a much more serious topic, and we won’t be able to provide solutions that work for everyone. Know your limits and be sure to talk with cast members if you are unsure about certain parts of this ride! You can always experience the queue and then hop out to the exit without going on the ride.
Motion sickness can definitely happen on this ride
We do have a few tips that have worked for our team. First, try not to look around too much and instead try focusing on a point on the screen. If you start feeling sick, we recommend taking off the 3D glasses and worst case, you can also close your eyes. As well, the seats blow air up at you, so we recommend leaning into the seat more to feel less of the air blowing in your face.
We hope these tips will help make your next ride on Flight of Passage more comfortable! As they say in Pandora, Sivako or rise to the challenge!
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I totally agree with feeling sick during the ride. I usually have to close my eyes during some portions. Depending on where you wind up sitting, certain parts appear blurry on the screen as well. The buzzing and breathing doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t even remember the buzzing, never felt electric shocks. The breathing adds to the realism of the ride in my opinion. Either way, even with every issue they mentioned, this ride is still a must do for me and something I look forward to every time I visit WDW!
As a long time horseback rider I love the realistic breathing makes it even more believable!
As a motion sickness pro, I can state unequivocally that air blowing in your face actually helps TREMENDOUSLY.
Have ridden this amazing attraction many times and I think it’s the best I’ve ever experienced. The sensations described are part of what makes it amazing for me…except for the motion sickness, of course. I am prone to that particular affliction, so I pop a Disney Vitamin D (read Dramamine/meclazine) every day of my stay. That seems to do the trick for me!
Flight of Passage makes me feel a little ill with motion sickness. I close my eyes for 5-10 seconds and I’m okay. And there are a couple of places where the banshee stops and comes to a rest. This gives me time to “recover” a little.
I had stopped going on this ride due to motion sickness which caused me to keep my eyes closed for most of the ride. Last trip I gave Dramamine a shot and it did wonders. Zero motion sickness and I can’t wait to go again on our next trip. Amazing ride when you aren’t worried about hurling the whole time. 🙂
I’ve never noticed the shocks. However I’ve been confined to the banshee for an extended period while CMs help a guest who needs assistance. Not comfortable at all. Nor are the 3D glasses over regular glasses.
You didn’t mention the scream that I hear off to my right side.
Or does that only happen when I ride it with my wife…
Gorgeous ride. Almost a spiritual experience. Let yourself go and enjoy the breathing (tho I thought is was the muscles used during flapping), the wind in your face (which helped me not be sick), the vistas (so real!), and the buzzing, tech “linking” you to your beast. I only wish there was an animatronic beast I reach down and pat as if to say “thank you.”
This is the most amazing ride in all of Disney World. It engages all 5 senses. I feel so alive. I am 68 years old and like I said, the best ride ever invented. Fly!!
This is one of my favorite rides at Disney even though it triggers my issues with motion sickness. The first time I rode it a few years ago I just went in blind and just dealt with the queasiness. I still loved the ride even though I was nauseous for the rest of the day. I was back in Disney a few weeks ago and tried “Bonine Non-Drowsy Motion Sickness Relief,” what an amazing difference! I highly recommend this OTC product. It’s chewable and lasted me for a full day, each park day. It even helped me when I rode Mission Space. Far better than Dramamine has ever worked for me. I’ll never go to an amusement park without it!