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This is part of an ongoing guest post series on Disney World Savings, written by a life long Disney lover.
There is a lot to do in Animal Kingdom and having a plan will help you maximize your time there. Let’s take a look at what we can do.
Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World’s newest and largest park has plenty to do. This park may sound and look like a zoo, but it has so much more to offer. As you walk around there are animal exhibits on both sides of the path that will easily entertain you and your children. I must admit, this is the park I have the least amount of experience with, but here are some of our favorite things to do in Animal Kingdom:
Most Popular Rides (longest wait)
Expedition Everest
Kilimanjaro Safari
Kali River Rapids (if it’s warm)
Other Good Rides
Dinosaur
Primeval Whirl
Shows
Birds of Prey
Festival of the Lion King
It’s Tough to be a Bug
Finding Nemo – The Musical
Head here for a full list of Animal Kingdom attractions.
Much of the fun in Animal Kingdom can be had just by walking around and looking at all the animal exhibits. There are also self guided special animal exhibits such as the Maharajah Jungle Trek and hands on exhibits like the Affection Section. This is a huge sprawling park, so it’s important to take a look at a map and see where all the attractions are that your family wants to do. The Birds of Prey show is really neat as you are able to get very close to endangered birds you’ll probably never see elsewhere.
Attractions
The most popular attractions are at the back of the park, so you can expect to do quite a bit of walking. The rides are also spaced out, so it can be tough to plan this park effectively. I suggest grabbing a fast pass for Everest and riding the Safari or vice versa. Don’t forget about the shows either, they are a lot of fun and can provide some much needed sitting down time. Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a ton of rides, so you can expect pretty long wait times for the popular rides during peak season.
Dining
Dining in the Animal Kingdom features some neat Asian and African flavors not found in other Disney parks. Unfortunately, we’ve only eaten twice in the Animal Kingdom and that was at the Tusker House and Flame Tree Barbecue. Tusker House is a great change of pace as it features African and Mediterranean cuisine that had tons of flavor. It was a buffet so we definitely weren’t hungry when we left. Flame Tree BBQ was also a huge hit, the BBQ chicken is delicious. Here’s a full list of Animal Kingdom dining options.
Extras
There are no fireworks in Animal Kingdom due to the effect the loud noise would have on the animals. However, Animal Kingdom has a fun parade everyday (can change seasonally) at 3:45 pm. This is a very neat parade that features large, ornate, stick operated animals. That probably sounds strange, but I promise it’s cool.
What tips and tricks do you have for the Animal Kingdom?
Come back tomorrow as I get into some child care tips.
