Like any good Disney junkie I follow several groups on various social media platforms that provide tips, tricks, and give general advice for present and future Walt Disney World vacationers. One of the questions posed most often in these groups is typically two fold, What is your favorite park? And which park would you skip if you can’t hit them all? You can imagine my horror that the answer to the latter question is almost always my most favorite WDW park…Animal Kingdom! How could anyone not be as enchanted as I am when I pass through the lush entrance and in the clearing appears the breathtaking Tree Of Life? Or dining at any one of the fantastic quick service locations? Or sitting in awe at Broadway caliber shows? Not to mention spending the day checking out majestic animals! How could anyone find this amazing oasis of beauty and fun skippable?!?! I feel the need to plead my case for this incredible place and share some of the reasons you should NOT skip this park on your next trip!
Animal Kingdom has arguably some of the best food in all of Walt Disney World. The park houses two table service restaurants, Tiffins and Yak & Yeti, and one character dining buffet Tusker House and all three are highly rated, and touted by many people who have had the opportunity to dine here. Some of my favorite things to eat when I am at Animal Kingdom are from the quick service locations and kiosks around the park. From the cheeseburger pods and slaw with boba pearls at Satu’li Canteen, to the well seasoned fries and sauces from Mr. Kamals and the delicious Night Blossom frozen drink, with or without the booze from Tamu Tamu, I always leave Animal Kingdom satisfied and already thinking about when I will be able to make it back for more! There are so many sweet and savory options throughout the park that will leave everyone from the more adventurous eaters, to the pickier palates happy and well fed. And worth noting for those adults who enjoy a cocktail as part of their park day, you will not need to walk too far in any direction to procure a speciality drink. Dawa Bar and Thirsty River bar are great options if you feel like grabbing a drink to go, or if you are in need of getting off your feet for a bit, and maybe even grabbing a small bite, open up the My Disney Experience app and jump onto the walk up waitlist for the Nomad Lounge. The lounge offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and boasts a unique menu of drinks and small plates to share with your group. Bonus points, if you sit outside and are there earlier in the day, you will also catch some character flotillas heading down the water way adjacent to the bar. Even with Raffiki and Timon passing through, you will feel transported to a peaceful, riverside setting, temporarily forgetting you are in a busy theme park.
I cannot talk about the highlights of this park without mentioning again the amazing shows and street entertainment. Festival of the Lion King is a 40 minute show that combines live performers, puppets and floats with animatronics. Filled with familiar songs, the acrobatic tumble monkeys and a fire performer, the show is exciting and engaging for kids and grown ups alike. The performers pull in the audience by soliciting participation during different portions of the show, but if that’s not your jam, just sit back and enjoy. The only drawback to this experience is the uncomfortable metal benches, but considering the amount of ground you cover during a park day, your feet are probably still grateful for the break. This is a must do for me each time I visit the park. Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond is a 30 minute musical which utilizes larger than life puppets and performers to tell the familiar story of when Nemo was lost, but this time from new perspectives. The backdrops and special effects make you feel as though you were transported into an underwater oasis right along with Marlin, Dory and friends. Other perks to this show include the indoor theater, which can be a nice reprieve from the elements outside, and bonus points for traditional theater seats with backs AND cushions! Both shows take place several times a day, in high capacity theaters, which also means there isn’t a need to utilize the Genie + system in order to see either on your AK day.
The theming, ambiance, and more laid back, peaceful feel of this park is my number one reason why it should not be missed! Yes, you are in a busy theme park, but with the self guided walking paths, the trails that run beneath and around the Tree of Life and the quiet, shaded seating you will find situated by the waterway throughout the park, you often have the feeling that you have the place all to yourself. Even during my recent December trip, a busy season for Disney fans, my daughter and I had many opportunities to sit and relax and admire our surroundings with little to no other people in sight. One of my favorite parts of Disney as a whole, and what I believe sets it apart from other theme parks, is its attention to detail. Animal Kingdom, like the other parks, has distinct lands within the park, and without being familiar with the layout, you are easily able to distinguish one from the other if you take a moment to look around, and listen to the music playing in the background. Animal Kingdom comprises 7 distinct areas, Asia, Africa, Dino-Land USA, Discovery Island, The Oasis, Pandora- The World of Avatar and Rafiki’s Planet Watch . The architecture in each land is different from one another, using building techniques and materials that you would find in that specific geographical location. Even though Harambe, the village featured in the Africa section is fictional, imagineers traveled extensively to small towns in Africa to build a frame work for what their village should look like and they even brought on a team of South African thathchers to craft the roofs on the Harambe Village buildings to be sure that it was authentic and stayed true to a true African village building. Pandora is the newest section in Animal Kingdom, it was completed and opened up to guests in May of 2017. It houses two of the park’s most popular attractions, Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey, the former being a simulated thrill ride where each rider transforms into a Navi and takes a flight on the back of a banshee. The latter is a family friendly boat ride where you witness many of the creatures to live in Pandora and has one of the most impressive animatronics Disney has crafted thus far, known as the Shaman of song. This area of the park is breathtaking, featuring water falls, and the impressive floating mountains in the Valley of Mo’ara. As night falls, this land only gets more stunning as it comes to life and lights up with bioluminescence. The added bonus to taking in this scene at night is that often guests end their day earlier at Animal Kingdom to either call it an early day or hop to another park that stays open later, so you may even find shorter wait times for the popular attractions in Pandora and across the rest of the park as well.
I hope I was able to convince you to give Animal Kingdom a fair shake on your next trip to Walt Disney World. It truly does have so many wonderful things to offer! I look forward to spending a day there on my upcoming trip and reporting back with a review on some new (to me) snacks, drinks, and maybe even a table service meal. If nothing else, I know I will find myself grabbing a Joffreys latte and spending some time admiring the tree of life, while on the lookout for Rafiki in a floating barge.
Magic of the Mouse 