Pandora rides

Very disappointed as well that the Na'vi River Journey requires a transfer! I expected that from Flight of Passage! But for a boat ride billed as a family, slow thrill ride it should have been made wheelchair accessible! The only way Disney can get around ADA is by adding a drop or hill and I'm guessing that is what they have done. My daughter can not transfer out of her wheelchair! She loves Disney because it's the only place she can go and enjoy attractions in her wheelchair and not feel left out! Avatar is about a guy in a wheelchair choosing the life and body he has in a wheelchair over a body where he is whole again! Come on Disney couldn't you let those in a wheelchair imagine Pandora the way it should be imagined? Where has the magic gone?
 
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Very disappointed as well that the Na'vi River Journey requires a transfer! I expected that from Flight of Passage! But for a boat ride billed as a family, slow thrill ride it should have been made wheelchair accessible! The only way Disney can get around ADA is by adding a drop or hill and I'm guessing that is what they have done. My daughter can not transfer out of her wheelchair! She loves Disney because it's the only place she go and enjoy attractions in her wheelchair and not feel left out! Avatar is about a guy in a wheelchair choosing the life and body he has in a wheelchair over a body where he is whole again! Come on Disney couldn't you let those in a wheelchair imagine Pandora the way it should be imagined? Where has the magic gone?
I was thinking the same thing, There must be some type of drop. I too am disappointed that people that can not transfer will be left out
 
I'm sure once it officially opens, people will start posting complete ride thru videos and we will be able to get an idea of the type of transfer required. There will be more information about the transfer devices, probably before it officially opens. It may be something that does make transfers possible for people sho could not otherwise transfer. We just don't know yet.

I am also disappointed that there is not more accessibility, especially given that the main 'human' character is in a wheelchair. I could see ways that they could have an alternative experience for people who must stay in wheelchairs or would otherwise not be able to ride the flight attraction. There could be some type of alternate theater experience, possibly even with a moving floor - something similar to Star Tours.
There is not enough information out yet about what features of the boat ride would make a wheelchair accessible boat not work. I do know that message board discussions had featured a lot of complaints from people hoping it would not just be "Small World Pandora". I have also read that people wrote into Disney saying this and also there were complaints about the Little Mermaid ride in Magic Kingdom saying that it was "not interesting enough" because it was to tame.
Unfortunately, there are large numbers of people visiting the parks that are expecting "thrills "even if it means the attraction will not be accessible to people who don't want thrills.

The ADA doesn't require ride vehicles be accessible IN a wheelchair. It just requires transfer to be available. It also details the requirements for transfer seats (height, etc) and the size and space requiremts for transfer and for wheelchair accessible spaces (mostly talking theaters).
This is from the ADA Guidelines:

Accessible Rides
Each newly constructed or newly designed amusement ride must provide at least one wheelchair space, or at least one ride seat designed for transfer, or a transfer device designed to transfer a person using a wheelchair from the load and unload area to a ride seat. The choice of which type of access that is provided for each ride is left up to the operator or designer.
 
I do know some one in a wheel chair that can not transfer ( this person has no body control and the power wheel chair that they use has sids that hold this person, in and keeps them sitting up) they will be there for the AP preview I think they said the 13 or 14. and said they will let me know about the rides. So we may know more then. But I too hope for some way for all to enjoy the ride some way or another.
 
I do know that message board discussions had featured a lot of complaints from people hoping it would not just be "Small World Pandora". I have also read that people wrote into Disney saying this and also there were complaints about the Little Mermaid ride in Magic Kingdom saying that it was "not interesting enough" because it was to tame.

I cannot begin to imagine how much time a person must have on their hands to write a letter to Disney about Little Mermaid ride being too tame. First of all, it's for children! Second of all, there are plenty of thrill rides they can enjoy at Disney, without making them all scary for little ones.
 
I'm sad that the boat ride will have a transfer, I would have loved an Avatar themed ride that was similar to small world! I guess people complain about the rides being to tame but those are the type,of rides my family enjoys, something fun and easy that our whole family can enjoy together and no one gets left out!

My guess is there must be a drop in the Na'Vi River Journey and that way the ride doesn't need a wheelchair accessible boat. I'm interested to see what people say about the rides once they are open, and maybe the rides will have great new ways to transfer which is awesome but that still leaves people out who can't transfer at all and I always hate that.
 
I spoke to a CM who walked through the new area and he said there was no drop on the boat ride, so there is little reason there should not be a wheelchair boat.

Also, there is going to be a weigh limit/body size limit for the Flights ride, it is similar to what happened with that ride in the Harry Potter World at Universal. People must fit into the harness/seat, and be able to maintain the balance to straddle a motorcycle-type seat. That basically keeps anyone who uses a wheelchair, many amputees, people with balance problems, and people of size will not be able to ride...

I checked the hearing accessibility accommodations and it lists "handheld captioning" for the ride. I am not entirely certain how that will work on something that is supposed to be a thrill-type ride.

I am hoping that after the land opens things will make a little more sense. I would find it shocking they built a whole new land and made it basically inaccessible, especially since it is a movie about a guy in a wheelchair!
 


I spoke to a CM who walked through the new area and he said there was no drop on the boat ride, so there is little reason there should not be a wheelchair boat.

Also, there is going to be a weigh limit/body size limit for the Flights ride, it is similar to what happened with that ride in the Harry Potter World at Universal. People must fit into the harness/seat, and be able to maintain the balance to straddle a motorcycle-type seat. That basically keeps anyone who uses a wheelchair, many amputees, people with balance problems, and people of size will not be able to ride...

I checked the hearing accessibility accommodations and it lists "handheld captioning" for the ride. I am not entirely certain how that will work on something that is supposed to be a thrill-type ride.

I am hoping that after the land opens things will make a little more sense. I would find it shocking they built a whole new land and made it basically inaccessible, especially since it is a movie about a guy in a wheelchair!

#beyondbelief Unbelievable! This is just even more shocking to me now! No drop and no wheelchair boat? Again... what has happened to the magic?
 
It could be that the CM and the information on the website was mistaken, but it seems unlikely...

I am very disappointed by everything I am hearing about Pandora. I am hoping I am corrected in my view when I see it...
 
It could be that the CM and the information on the website was mistaken, but it seems unlikely...

I am very disappointed by everything I am hearing about Pandora. I am hoping I am corrected in my view when I see it...
I can verify that both rides at Pandora are "must transfer" from sources at WDW who are able to confirm.

That part of the website information is correct.
 
I spoke to a CM who walked through the new area and he said there was no drop on the boat ride, so there is little reason there should not be a wheelchair boat.

Also, there is going to be a weigh limit/body size limit for the Flights ride, it is similar to what happened with that ride in the Harry Potter World at Universal. People must fit into the harness/seat, and be able to maintain the balance to straddle a motorcycle-type seat. That basically keeps anyone who uses a wheelchair, many amputees, people with balance problems, and people of size will not be able to ride...

I checked the hearing accessibility accommodations and it lists "handheld captioning" for the ride. I am not entirely certain how that will work on something that is supposed to be a thrill-type ride.

I am hoping that after the land opens things will make a little more sense. I would find it shocking they built a whole new land and made it basically inaccessible, especially since it is a movie about a guy in a wheelchair!

I know someone who actually has tested Flights. It's very restrictive by Disney standards, but not quite as restrictive for pooh-sized as HP was. He did not fit on HP, (not sure if he does with the expanded sizing) but does fit on this one. It will require balance though.

Inside the Magic Twitter is there right now, posting pictures. Haven't seen many ride vehicle ones yet though.
 
I know someone who actually has tested Flights. It's very restrictive by Disney standards, but not quite as restrictive for pooh-sized as HP was. He did not fit on HP, (not sure if he does with the expanded sizing) but does fit on this one. It will require balance though.

Inside the Magic Twitter is there right now, posting pictures. Haven't seen many ride vehicle ones yet though.
I haven't seen photos, but I did pull off some screenshots from previous ABC videos.
They are on page one.

I also just posted a video that Attractions Magazine posted.
 
Flight of Passage ride queue and ride vehicle video from Inside the Magic:


During the preshow area, there are a variety of lights and sounds, so if you are concerned about those types of things, you will want to watch.
 
Flight of Passage queue video from Attractions Magazine. This does not show the actual ride vehicles, but has very good views of the preshow process which shows video drawings of the ride vehicles.
 
IMG_1901.jpg IMG_1902.jpg IMG_1904.jpg IMG_1906.jpg These are screen captures of the video drawings from the Attractions Magazine video.
Even though they are not photos of the actual ride vehicles, they look like they probably would give a pretty good idea of what the ride vehicles would be like.
 
Flight of Passage queue and preshow video from wdwinfo.com

And screenshots of the drawings of the ride vehicles from the video.
IMG_1912.jpg IMG_1914.jpg IMG_1915.jpg IMG_1916.jpg IMG_1917.jpg

This is a screenshot of the actual ride vehicle
IMG_1918.jpg
 
Looks cool thanks for sharing. Is this more a a simulator ride rather then a ride on a track?
 
Looks cool thanks for sharing. Is this more a a simulator ride rather then a ride on a track?
I have not ridden it yet (won't for a few months), but this is what I understand about Flights of Passage from what I have read.

Some spoilers - so don't read further if you don't want to know.....





It is a simulator. The preshow explains that because the banshees do not tolerate humans and the Na'vi are much larger than humans, they developed a mechanism that allows you to 'link' with a Na'vi avatar (figure representing you) and get the experience of 'riding' a banshee.
The seats I've shared pictures of are the 'linking mechanism' and guests get on like climbing onto a bicycle. The linking mechanism contains some components that allow guests to 'feel' things like the 'breathing' and some of the other movements of the banshee.

There are reportedly 3 restraints; the picture only shows 2 - a back restraint that comes up behind the rider and a leg restraint. People have also mentioned a chest restraint; I don't know if they just mean that you are leaning against a chest plate on the front of the vehicle or if it is something different. My guess is that they just mean leaning against the chest piece as a restraint and the back restraint pushes you up against it.

The seats are in 2 sections of 8 seats. Reports say:
- the seats stay in place, in a row of 8 seats on a platform
- the platform is in a room and never leaves the room (there is a wall behind the seats where you stow your belongings and people have said they stating in that same 'room' the whole time)
- the platform apparently makes motions (fairly gentle), but the individual seats don't move independently; they all move together

- the wall in front of the seats opens and that is where you will see the experience
- the wall is right in front of you, so when it opens, there is nothing in front of you
- people have said it's nothing like other attractions, but
  • has some elements of Soarin' - if your seat in Soarin' didn't move up and into the screen area
  • and some elements of Star Tours - the whole platform moves, but without as much quick motion as the Star Tours vehicle and with the screen right in front of you, not looking out a 'window'
- multiple people have said the ride includes the sensation of wind blowing at your face as if you are flying towards a wind
- one person reported a bright light at the start
It has been described as gentle moving and some gentle swoops, but no abrupt drops. Some people who have had motion sickness on othe attractions have said they didn't on this; they felt it was because the motions of the 'banshee' matched the experience very well.
 
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