Tips for riding Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney World's Animal Kingdom without a FastPass and without standing in line for hours. Pandora is a must-see attraction, and you can avoid the long wait for Flight of Passage with these few tricks.
Are you heading to Walt Disney World and can't seem to snag a FastPass for Pandora's Flight of Passage ride at Animal Kingdom? Do NOT skip it! It's worth seeing! BUT, it's not worth standing in line for 3 hours so I've put together a few tips to help you beat the crowd.
Tip #1 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
PICK THE RIGHT DAY - If you are staying on Disney property, choose a day that offers extra Magic Hours and arrive even earlier than that! If you are NOT staying on Disney property, do not choose a day that offers Magic Hours. Since you cannot utilize magic hours, by the time you arrive there will already be a huge wait. Click here to see which days Animal Kingdom is offering magic hours.
Tip #2 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
ARRIVE WAY BEFORE THE PARK OPENS (ROPE DROP) - Typically, the park allows guests to enter earlier than the listed opening time (sometimes an hour early!) Double check the opening hours that specific day (they can change last minute!) and arrive at least an hour earlier than that! Remember, you need time to park, get through security, etc. Again, guests are typically allowed in early and a line starts forming at the gate right away!
If you are relying on Disney transportation and the buses or monorail are not running that early, I recommend taking an Uber, Lyft or Minnie Van to get you there early!
Tip #3 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
SKIP THE TREE OF LIFE PHOTO - Once you enter the park, rush off to find your way to Pandora (head left). If you're not sure where to go, follow the crowd as almost everyone is there to ride Flight of Passage. On your way, you'll see the Tree of Life - one of Animal Kingdom's big attractions for photo backdrops. Skip the photo for now, you'll have plenty of time to get one later! Too many other people will get in front of you while you're taking a photo, so just keep going.
Tip #4 For Riding Flight of Passage without a FastPass:
DO NOT RUN, BUT WALK BRISKLY - Cast members discourage running. Don't panic when you see many others running to get their spot in line at Flight of Passage. You do not need to run, but do walk briskly. Don't take your time. Get there. Once you're in line, you will have plenty of time to stop and take in the sights around you.
Tip #5 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
KEEP STROLLER UNTIL AFTER YOU GET IN LINE - If you are pushing a stroller, do not worry about finding the drop off site until after you get in line. The line starts forming past the actual ride entrance and you'll more than likely have a ways to walk yet before the actual entrance to the ride. You will want that stroller as you walk in that line. But, be ready to quickly drop it off once you get to the point of the ride entrance! There is a spot for strollers just to the right of the queue.
Tip #6 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
USE RIDER SWITCH - Also called Rider Swap, this is a service offered by Disney for those who have a member(s) of their party who cannot ride and needs adult supervision while the rest of their party rides. You will still need to get in line, but check in with a cast member to get your Rider Switch pass then they will tell you where the child and supervising adult will wait until you finish the ride. Once you ride, the supervising adult can then ride while you supervise the child. The adult in your party who supervises the child first can bring up to 2 guests with them to ride during their turn, so if you have more than three adults in your party you could have the chance to ride Flight of Passage two times in a row, back to back!
Tip #7 for Riding Flight of Passage Without a FastPass:
GET IN LINE 5 MINUTES BEFORE PARK CLOSES - If you're not a morning person, and you do not mind missing Rivers of Light, head to Pandora while everyone else is getting ready to watch Rivers of Light. Get in line for Flight of Passage 5 minutes before the park closes. As long as you are in line before the closing park hours, you will be able to ride. And, because all of the fastpasses have been used up, your line is the only one being fed into the ride so it moves much more quickly. Your wait more than likely will be less than 45 minutes.
Other Tips for Animal Kingdom
- If riding in the early morning, once you are in line ignore the wait times published. They typically are not correct at this time since the park isn't even technically open yet. When we were in line, it published a 120 minute wait time, but we were off the ride before the park even opened! In total, it took us less than one hour.
- After riding Flight of Passage, head straight over to the other popular ride in Pandora, Na'vi River Journey. There should be a small wait still at this time. Take advantage of it, because this line can also get long later!
- You're not done, yet! I suggest once you enjoy these two rides, go enjoy the Safari before that line builds up and before the animals decide to hide in the shade. They are pretty active in the mornings eating their breakfasts, so this is a GREAT time to ride the Safari and snatch some good pics of the animals!
- If you cannot make the early morning hours or late night ride, I recommend checking My Disney Experience app for last minute FastPasses throughout the day. You'll be surprised how often same-day FastPasses will appear for Flight of Passage! We managed to get same-day FastPasses for four of us during our last visit!
Please come back and tell me if these tips worked for you!
More helpful Disney World articles:
Tips to Visit Magic Kingdom in One Day
10 Disney Tips from Our Disney World Trip
Mom and Son Disney Trip
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