The Beginners guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom
People used to say that Animal Kingdom (AK) was a ‘half day park. However, with the opening of Pandora in 2017, this park now has longer opening hours. There are 1700 live animals and approximately 250 different animal species. There are 3000 different species of plants. This park is really a giant zoo – with a few fun filled themed areas thrown in- including the amazing world of Pandora.
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| The entrance to Animal Kingdom |
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| These signs were everywhere around this park |
AK is technically the largest of all the Disney Parks and this is because of the animal enclosures. Disney is generous with the space it gives its animals. Each animal has 1 acre of space each, so 12 animals are on 12 acres.
The walkable
part of the park is narrowed down to a few areas. Which does create a few
bottlenecks of people at times.
Head first
to Africa and ride Kilimanjaro Safaris. Then cross to Asia and ride Expedition
Everest.
The
Maharajah Jungle Trek - Major Attraction - it’s a trail walk
through zoo exhibit of Asian animals and birds. I loved all the imperial Indian
architecture. Really nice. Loved the bird aviary too. Pick up a large laminated
map in the beginning of the trail – you can’t keep the map though. Animals
include Bengal tigers, Giant fruit bats, Komodo dragons, gibbons and more. There
is a Bat display. The Animal keepers have taught the bats to fly inside for
dinner when a dog whistle is blown!
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| I just loved all the Indian architecture, it really felt like you were in India |
The area outside the Jungle Trek sells Asian themed merchandise and is also an Asian entertainment area.
Gorilla
Falls Exploration Trail – Is a walk through self–guided
tour of African animals. Animals to see include: Gorillas, zebra, hippo,
warthogs and Meerkats. You can pickup a bird guide (hanging on a post inside
the bird aviary). Gorilla's are near the end (30 minutes approximately). The
Gorilla enclosure is actually sheltered and a good area to rest. The Gorilla’s
came up close to the glass which made for great viewing of these wonderful animals.
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| Up close with the Gorilla's |
The area
outside Gorilla Falls is set up like a ‘little Africa’ with very loud drums,
music and African dancing. It’s a very lively area and you certainly feel like
you are in Africa!
Up! A Great
Bird Adventure (replaces Flights of Wonder) - This new
show commenced in April 2018 and includes free -flying bird encounters.
The show revolves around the Pixar characters Russell and Dug from the movie
'Up'.
Expedition
Everest – The ride is a high speed, 3.5 minute, outdoor
rollercoaster. One of the most exciting attractions in all of WDW. The train
goes Backwards/Forwards, wild plunges through caverns and canyons. You meet up
with a 22 foot Yeti which used to move originally, but now doesn’t and only has
the appearance of moving from lighting effects. This ride draws major crowds.
Much rougher then Big Thunder mountain. Don't ride if afraid of heights.
Rivers of Light (new in 2017) – Night time spectacular and very beautiful. You can get a Fast Pass (FP) for magic animal lanterns that float in the air and on the lake. The Rivers of Light stems from the ancient belief that when animals passed from one world to another, they danced in the sky and became beautiful rivers of night. Plan to arrive 1 hour before if no FP.
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| Setting up for the Rivers of Light Night show |
This was
probably the best 3D show in all of the Walt Disney World parks. The 3D effects
are very good. Many fun laughs to be had.
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| Inside the tree - is the 3D show 'Its Tough to be a Bug' |
Kilimanjaro
Safari – A highlight of our day at AK was the 20
minute ride on Kilimanjaro Safari’s. It is not to be missed - it’s a premier
attraction.
- Line dwindles by midday. Simulated ride through African wildlife reservations. Safari drive through - see hippos, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos, zebra and elephants, flamingos, water buffalo and more.
- Animals often active in the morning, but better chance of seeing cheetahs, rhinos and warthogs later in the day.
- If ride mid-afternoon - animals get a bit antsy about going back to their enclosures.
- For photos best to get the back seat or side view (just request the seats when in line to the Cast Member - we did!). My camera actually stopped working on this ride (jammed). Luckily I take 2 cameras with me on holiday (not including my phone)
- Upon exiting, begin Gorilla Falls Forest Explorations.
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Baobab Trees  |
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| Kilimanjaro Safari was a highlight of our day. You really felt like you were in Africa |
The World of Pandora
I have
written a blog post devoted to the World of Pandora and FastPass strategy: https://themeparktravelguide.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-world-of-pandora-disneys-animal.html.
The World is amazingly detailed, very colourful and very beautiful.
Pandora - Avatar Flight of Passage - a 3 D simulator ride often with long waits of more then 180 minutes. Very good idea to get a FastPass for this ride. Birds eye view of all the sights and sounds of Pandora. Not recommended if you have a fear of heights or if you suffer from extreme motion sickness from motion simulator rides.
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| The World of Pandora |
Pandora - Avatar Flight of Passage - a 3 D simulator ride often with long waits of more then 180 minutes. Very good idea to get a FastPass for this ride. Birds eye view of all the sights and sounds of Pandora. Not recommended if you have a fear of heights or if you suffer from extreme motion sickness from motion simulator rides.
On this ride
you get to fly on a mountain banshee as part of a 3D ride. You hop on to
vehicles akin to motorbikes and put on some 3D glasses. There are some bright
lights through the glasses and then bang- you are flying on a Banshee in the
land of Pandora. The Banshee you are riding on moves beneath you. Your entire
vision was flying down mountains, valleys, dense forests and more. One word:
Breathtaking. There is wind and mist on this ride. My hair had all frizzed up
in the end and was wind blown ha ha.
My dear
husband D.H said it was also ‘breathtaking’. My daughter A.J said it was great,
but scary at first until you adjust to the fact your flying on a Banshee.
Na'vi River Journey - Voyage to Pandora's bio-luminescent forest. Calm and family friendly. The ride is a simple river ‘dark’ ride in a reed boat, with lots of effects including bioluminescent flora. The ride also includes audio animatronics including the indigenous population of the Na’vi, animals such as the direhorse and viperwolf, and the Na’vi Shaman of Songs (a highlight).
Na'vi River Journey - Voyage to Pandora's bio-luminescent forest. Calm and family friendly. The ride is a simple river ‘dark’ ride in a reed boat, with lots of effects including bioluminescent flora. The ride also includes audio animatronics including the indigenous population of the Na’vi, animals such as the direhorse and viperwolf, and the Na’vi Shaman of Songs (a highlight).
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| The Queue for Na'vi River journey is undercover the closer you approach the ride |
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| The Na'vi River Journey ride |
The wait for
this ride was about 1 hour at 10am in the morning. We got FastPasses for ‘Flight
of Passage’ and did the standby line for Na’vi River Journey. Note: Flight of
Passage and Na’vi River Journey are on the same FastPass tier – you can only do
one as a FastPass.
Wilderness
Explorers - Park wide scavenger hunt and puzzle solving
adventure game. Sign up first thing in the morning and get a free Wilderness
Explorers Handbook. There are 32 badges (stickers)
There are
numerous Wilderness Explorer stops around the park where you can get a sticker
for each page of the book. However – it is not just a matter of getting a
sticker. The Cast members will ask your child for an answer to a question,
solve a puzzle or get you to do a quick activity (they make you work for the
sticker). Its actually very educational for kids and the book is jammed packed
full of information about animals, plants and conservation. My daughter wanted
to do everything in this book – but we just didn’t have time. Highly
recommended though if you have kids. We are keeping the book – for next time.
Rafiki's
Planet Watch (Animal Hospital) - Learn how Disney cares for
animals in the park. Pat goats, llamas, sheep etc. We actually missed this part
of the park. It closed at about 4pm, which was a pity as I think my daughter would have loved it. There were no notices I found that it closed early – just
a note to check the Times guide for operating hours. So if this is on your list
of places to visit – then make sure you do this earlier rather than later in
the day. Disney has announced that Rafiki's Planet Watch will close permanently at the end of October 2018.
Wildlife Express Train – This train
takes you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, so we unfortunately didn’t get to do this
too as it also closed at 4pm. It takes 5-7 minutes one way.
Dinosaur Ride - This ride is very loud with Dinosaurs jumping out at you whilst the motion vehicle moves at high speed. I had heard a lot about this ride – how ‘scary’ it was. However, I am pleased to say the ride is fun but not scary. In fact, its basically the Indiana Jones track in Disneyland Anaheim. Including the ‘dip’ in the track. A large part of the ride was mostly in the dark (did they run out of dinosaurs?). Anyways, I would recommend this ride for all ages as a fun ride and not scary.
Dinosaur Ride - This ride is very loud with Dinosaurs jumping out at you whilst the motion vehicle moves at high speed. I had heard a lot about this ride – how ‘scary’ it was. However, I am pleased to say the ride is fun but not scary. In fact, its basically the Indiana Jones track in Disneyland Anaheim. Including the ‘dip’ in the track. A large part of the ride was mostly in the dark (did they run out of dinosaurs?). Anyways, I would recommend this ride for all ages as a fun ride and not scary.
- Outside is a dinosaur mini museum with a 50 foot replica skeleton of Brachiosaurus.
- The Mission on Dinosaur is to save the last Iguanadon. Even the nostrils move as they 'breathe'.
- Duration of ride is 3.5 minutes
- This place is a good place to seek shelter in a thunderstorm. Other than the ride (which had no real line), a pre-ride area, a mini museum and gift shop are all good areas to escape to during inclement weather.
Finding Nemo
- 40 minute puppet show. Best to sit 2/3 way back.
A popular show but not a good use of a FastPass.
Boneyard – This is a huge Dinosaur playground disguised as an Archaeological Dig. Dinosaur footprints that roar when you jump on them and a xylophone that's made of dinosaur bones. Easy to lose sight of kids, but there is only one exit.
Triceratops Spin - Similar to Dumbo. Duration of the ride is 1.5 mins. Slow loading. Come back later if more then a 20 minute wait.
Primeval Whirl. Small Coaster. Faster then it looks. Short drops, curves, cars also spin. It’s a 90 second ride. Not recommended - half spins are painful.
Festival of the Lion King - Very out of the way location. Needs a FastPass. There are plenty of acrobatics happening in this show.
Kali River Rapids – You are guaranteed to get wet. This is a 5 minute white-water river raft ride. On the bridge that goes over one of the river rapids, your family members who don’t ride can shoot water at riders using fixed water guns. We did this! – but only one of the ‘water guns’ actually works (the one on the left hand side)!
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| Kali River Rapids ride |
Best place to eat - Flame Tree BBQ, near entrance to Dinoland was recommended by Disney Resort staff. Good lunch choices. chicken, sandwiches. All nice eateries - with a view.
Where did we eat: Kamals – where we ate Falafels
(very hot and spicy – not ideal for a hot humid day), fries, pita bread with
hummus and carrot and celery sticks $19 the lot.
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| Kamals |
FastPasses? We got FastPasses for ‘Flight of Passage’, ‘Kilimanjaro
Safari’ and ‘Dinosaur’. We really didn’t need the FastPass for Dinosaur! (after
we rode with the FastPass, we immediately rode it again without a wait time).
I hope you enjoyed reading my review of Animal
Kingdom, Florida. I hope you can follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/themeparktravelguide
Until next week,
KJ  |
| Whats new at Uniqlo $1.99 |
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You can read about other Disney Parks below:
Blogs:
20 Need to know tips for Magic Kingdom (this is really part 1 of this post!!)
How to save money staying at Walt Disney WorldBlogs:
20 Need to know tips for Magic Kingdom (this is really part 1 of this post!!)
Disney's Hollywood Studios - what to see and do before Star Wars Land opens
Why Halloween is the best time of year to visit a Disney Park
My top 6 theme park rides in Orlando and why
The rides and attractions at EPCOT
EPCOT World Pavilions Part 1
World of Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Tips and Advice from WDW Castmember Part 1
What’s inside the Disneyland Castles Part 2
How to plan a Disney Wedding
Planning Tips for Someone without a Car
Interview with an Annual Passholder -WDW
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