The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Venture into new ‘Avatar’ experience Pandora
Trip to Disney World’s imaginative world of ‘Avatar’ proves to be very accessible
Seeing the unfettered joy on my daughter’s face in the new Pandora was the best part of Disney World on my most recent visit. The new land, interpreted from James Cameron’s film “Avatar,” was carved from 12 acres in the Animal Kingdom
My daughter Lauren is in her 50s, and I’m in my 70s, but the Disney Magic still works.
Lauren, who has lived in Florida for three decades, is disabled and is rarely able to leave her house in suburban Tampa. So being able to fly on the back of a banshee, watch giraffes and zebras from our room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and whisk around the parks on efficient transportation that easily handled her scooter was an extraordinary treat from her daily life.
My eldest daughter was badly injured in a 30-foot fall from the monorail platform at the former Geauga Lake amusement park when she was a summer employee on break from Kent State University. Her injuries made her unable to continue college in a climate where ice and another fall would be a possibility, so she transferred to the University of South Florida and has lived in the Sunshine State ever since. That was 30 years ago. Despite her pain and disability she was employed and supported herself nicely in Florida until being rearended by a drunk driver on the way to work one day. That accident ended the mobility she’d had and also ended her job.
Lauren is a self-described sci-fi geek who is active in a Tampa area science-fiction club. So when Disney ventured into the realm of science-fiction with Pandora in the World of Avatar, I began planning.
The press trip that preceded her visit allowed me to check out Pandora, find out how challenging the ride on the mountain banshee would be and learn about the handicap accessibility of the resort and the parks. I quickly discovered Disney caters nicely to those in wheelchairs and disabled folks who get around on scooters and who, like Lauren, are able to walk short distances with canes. In fact, I met another writer with a scooter who came to cover the opening despite her recent hip-replacement surgery.
The buses that whisk guests from their Disney resorts have waiting areas for those in wheelchairs and on scooters. Drivers lower a ramp and load the disabled passengers first, making sure they and their conveyances are secure before other passengers board. The disabled passengers are also the last to leave the bus.
Our room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge had wide doorways to accommodate Lauren’s scooter and a view of the savanna, where wild animals roamed freely. Our balcony put us even closer to the zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, antelope and ostriches we saw roaming outside. We quickly learned that, just as in nature, their most-active times are dawn and dusk.
After taking a bus to Pandora in the Animal Kingdom Park, we crossed a bridge into a mystical world of huge floating mountains and bioluminescent rainforests four light years away in the Alpha Centauri solar system. We were amazed at every turn as we walked and wheeled along pathways of the exotic Valley of Mo’ara. Amid the awesome alien landscape, we encountered humans who had become accustomed to the exotic flora and fauna plants in the 10 years since the human conflict with the native Na’vi had ended.
That’s where the movie from filmmaker James Cameron concluded and the Pandora story at Disney World picks up.
Guests get a hint of the culture of the Na’vi, blue people 12 feet tall, by examining
the cave drawings on the walls next to paths threading their way into the rainforest.
Pandora is peaceful now, and humans co-exist with the Na’vi, even partaking in the Na’vis’ rite of passage — an exhilarating, wind-inyour-face ride on the monstrous banshees that soar and scream through the skies.
The ride itself is a lot like mounting a motorcycle while wearing protective goggles. As the banshee swoops and soars, the passenger can feel it breathing beneath them, and the goggles
make everything threedimensional.
I’m no fan of roller coasters and, not knowing what to expect, I was a little fearful at first. But quickly I became immersed in the experience, and my daughter was thrilled beyond belief.
Gentler and not as thrilling, but spectacular nonetheless, the Na’vi River Journey takes visitors in eightpassenger reed boats along a sacred river deep into the rainforest. Beneath a canopy of glowing plants, we passed rock formations hiding Pandoran creatures on the move. We could hear their other-worldly calls as we floated by.
Once darkness falls, the glowing landscapes become even more beautiful. Afterdark
experiences are ideal in the summer, when daytime sizzles in this part of central Florida. Othe day-into-night adventures at Animal Kingdom include the new Rivers of Light Show, sunset safari, live entertainment street parties and animated imagery bathing the Tree of Life centerpiece of the adventure park.
A visit to an old Quonset hut, the Satu’li Canteen, shows that even the food served in Pandora is exotic.
“The Na’vi are healthconscious, and we wanted the food here to be a little strange but still approachable,” explained Chef Robert Adams. “Our Satuli Bowl allows guests the build their own meals.”
Beef, chicken and other
proteins are grilled as guests watch, and the other ingredients such as potatoes, rice quinoa, buckwheat and greens are then added. There are 48 possible combinations, Adams said, something to please even finicky eaters.
Pod-like sandwiches combine the ingredients for a cheeseburger, for example, inside an envelope-like fresh wrap.
Near the entrance to Pandora, we had lunch in the cool and shady comfort of the Nomad Lounge, where the high-end setting was lovely and the food was excellent.