Animal Kingdom is unique in the way it fuses a zoo and theme park together. With intricately themed areas, some of Disney’s best attractions and tons of animal encounters, the park showcases what the company does best. What it lacks in things to do is time easily made up winding through the thick forests, seeking out easter eggs and trying to spot as many animals as possible. At the time of writing, it is also Orlando’s newest theme park, opened in 1998.
Let’s dive into the park.
Things You MUST Do
Avatar Flight of Passage
Probably Disney World’s best attraction, this simulated flight takes you over Pandora on the back of a banshee. The ride, unlike other simulators, is incredibly immersive and even builds in vertical drops to simulate diving. You’ll feel the banshee breathe under your legs as you dive over the oceans and weave around the floating mountains of the planet.
Expedition Everest
The legend of the forbidden mountain manifests in this roller coaster. The story starts as you wind through a local museum dedicated to the yeti. I dare you to try and take everything in, the line moves too fast. Once you board the tea train, you immediately make a sharp right toward up the mountain. What ensues is a thrilling roller coaster that plunges you into caverns and past giant mythical beasts. As you plummet backward into the darkness of the mountain’s cave, you’ll first hear the foreboding warning growls from the Yeti:
This is my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World. Much like a fine wine, it only gets better with each ride. The highlight of the ride is an 80-foot plunge out of the mountain toward the forests below.
DINOSAUR
This attraction starts as a peaceful trip to see dinosaurs before being hijacked by a mad scientist. With seconds until the meteor strike, you’re tasked with bringing a dinosaur back to the present. What they neglect to mention is the jerkiness of the attraction, the terrifying encounters with animatronic dinosaurs and the overarching storyline of impending doom. When you’re not being terrorized, it’s really easy to appreciate everything about this ride. From the campy awkward dinosaurs that just stand there to the flashes of meteorites, it’s great.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
This attraction is THE thesis statement for the entirety Animal Kingdom. The 30-minute safari almost successfully recreates an authentic African safari. Sprinkled with a ton of live animals and an overarching theme of conservation, I think this has to be the most unique theme park attraction in the world. Each trip is different, but the enjoyment is very dependent on the animals present.
Animal Trails
I think it goes without saying that the animals are what set this Disney theme park apart from any other. There are a few places around the park to spot animals outside of the safari. The Maharajah Jungle Trek in the park’s Asia section holds tigers, komodo dragons, an aviary with birds and other animals found around the continent. In the park’s Africa themed section, Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail loosely follows the safari’s path and showcases hippos, zebra and other African animals. Outside of the trails, the park has kangaroos, alligators, gibbons and other animals scattered around.
Nomad Lounge
Jonathan, did you seriously include a bar in your list of the best things in a theme park? Yes I did. After trekking around the heat in the sun, nothing is more appealing than a chilled cocktail in a lounge blasting A/C. For the cooler days, the outside patio gives great people watching for guests walking to Pandora.
Na’vi River Journey
I’m a big advocate for calm, dark and relaxing boat rides, which is exactly how I’d describe Navi River Journey. The boat trip has some cool effects and gorgeous scenes. It’s a shorter ride that cumulates with a giant and fluid animatronic.
Pandora – The World of Avatar at Night
This could be the prettiest part in all of Disney World. Pandora is already gorgeous during the day, but Disney brought to life the bioluminescence dreamed up by James Cameron. Everything is aglow, from the floating mountains to the pathways.
Festival of the Lion King
The Festival of the Lion King is a retelling of the movie sharing the same name. I’m not a huge fan of shows otherwise I’m sure this would be my favorite thing in the park. There’s everything from giant animatronics and acrobatics to fire twirlers and dancing. The live singers are fantastic and the whole show feels like a harmonious celebration.
Things You SHOULD Do
Kali River Rapids
At the surface, Kali River Rapids is a run-of-the-mill river rafting ride that leaves a lot to be desired. In a deeper sense, the ride tells a sad story of logging and deforestation that flies over many visitors heads. The highlight for me is the 30-foot drop. The water is very temperamental, you’ll either walk off drenched or completely dry. Save it for the heat of the day but don’t be depressed if you miss it.
Finding Nemo Show
Unlike Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo is worth a stop if it’s hot, but I don’t recommend organizing your day around it. The musical retelling of the 2003-animated movie has a cool original score and fantastic performers, but the puppets and sets are starting to show their age.
Maximize Your Day
- Get to the park EARLY. Flight of Passage is a monster, you’re going to need to line up outside the park 45-60 minutes before the scheduled park open and when they open the gates, make a beeline for the attraction. If you miss this time period, just go later in the day.
- If you can’t get on Flight of Passage or Navi River Journey during the day, the wait times for both significantly drop before closing. Head over an hour before closing and ride Navi River Journey then get in line for Flight of Passage.
- You really don’t need Genie+ for this park
- Animal Kingdom always seems to be the hottest park so load up on the free water cups at any fast food restaurant
- Almost all of the rides will have little to no wait toward the end of the night
- This is not the park to rush. Take your time and soak in the theming + find the hidden gems!
- If you have money to burn, the park hosts a behind-the-scenes tour that includes a personal safari and ropes course.
Where to Eat
Satuli Canteen
Think of Satuli like Disney’s version of Cava. The grain bowls are really good, not Cava good, but still some of the best quick service food on property.
Flame Tree Bar-B-Que
When you get BBQ from a theme park, expectations aren’t going to be high. I’m not going to tell you Flame Tree has the best food known to man, but for a budget-friendly option in Animal Kingdom, it isn’t half bad! You’ll be lured to the restaurant with the smell of freshly smoked meats, it has a way of radiating around the park. My go-to is the mac and cheese with pulled pork.
Tiffins
I’m going to start off by saying that I never went to Tiffins, but the restaurant is consistently regarded as one of the best in Disney. The menu is pretty explorational with dishes such as veal and octopus. The signature bread service is also highly recommended. Expect to pay at least $50 for dinner.
Fun Facts
- Animal Kingdom is the only park to have locks on the bathrooms for if animals escape
- The park’s marketing frequently features a dragon, reminiscent of Beastly Kingdom. The infamous land was announced as a second phase of the park, but replaced with Pandora almost ten years after.
Turquoise Skies 