Days at Animal Kingdom were never really my fave. We would go and see the animals and enjoy the park, but nothing really took the day in the park from good to GREAT!
*I have only been to Animal Kingdom twice – once when I was 18 and then again when I was 31.
But now things have changed…
One, we have an older child now. This time, our Ella was much taller and could go on everything!
{Most of the rides in AK have the taller height minimum which meant that last time there wasn’t much to do.}
PANDORA
And two, Pandora.
Ahhhhhh….
{Insert sparkles and magic and gorgeousness excitement here}
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a zoological theme park that opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998, and was the fourth theme park built at the resort. The park is dedicated and themed entirely around the natural environment and animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself. And I think the older I get, the more appreciative I become of places that serve to better this world, not only with love and magic but also by taking care of its inhabitants.
KILILMANJARO SAFARIS
We started the day at Kilimanjaro Safaris which we say is a must-do and the earlier the better. The animals are so gorgeous and you are what feels like right in the middle of their space. And while there are plenty of safeguards in place, it does feel much more intimate than a zoo.
Disney’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve is where this ride takes place. Did you know it’s a 110-acre animal sanctuary? And it is the home to 34 species of native African animals ?! What I love about this ride and the reserve is that the animals can roam freely and pretty much to wherever they’d like. The reserve is a beautiful and well done recreation of grassy, open plains, forest areas that provide a shady respite for the animals during the peak heat times of the day, making you feel like you are right in Africa on the plains.
HARAMBE
After that, we headed over to Dino USA for a ride on Dinosaur. ***Spoiler Alert – We made it out alive! While this was not the best move to keep our step count low, we had a fast pass and Dinoland is fun for the kids. The best part is that while you are waiting with a little who can’t ride, you can pop into The Boneyard, which is an enclosed play area. {By enclosed, I mean your children can’t run right out of it, not covered or hidden from the sun.} That was a major win with us this time around since little sis couldn’t ride much so this was fun for her and didn’t cost us anything but time!
DINOSAUR
DINOLAND
On our way to DinoLand, we had grabbed our Wilderness Explorer books and got a few badges while we were back there too! I loved this inclusion of UP and it was also a fun way to learn about the planet and its creatures without the kids realizing! Also, who doesn’t love Russel and Kevin?! Oh ok, and Carl too! And since we had pulled our child out of school for the week (which I would do again), I thoroughly enjoyed my older daughter learning about habitats and other things! Science fun for the win!
WILDERNESS EXPLORERS
FLIGHT OF PASSAGE
And next stop PANDORA! We had a fast pass for Flight of Passage and couldn’t wait to check out this ride. Since Olive wasn’t big enough we used Rider Swap and Ella got to ride twice. Have you ever ridden a banshee before?! Umm, me either until this ride and now I want to ride one more often! But seriously, we have watched Avatar multiple times since we returned from this trip AND are super excited for the next installments! Not to mention, we can’t wait to go back to AK to visit Pandora again!
This. Is. The. Best. Ride. At. Disney.
We all loved it and couldn’t stop talking about it! The movements are so real. You can feel the breaths of the banshee and the water on your face and the wind in your hair. You are an avatar and you are IN Pandora. And we even made an Indiana friend In the fast pass line! Because we had done rider swap, which inevitably takes a little more time, we had to then BOOK IT to lunch afterward. Lucky for us, Mike was able to snag another FP for FOP later in the afternoon while he walked with Olive to our reservation as we were finishing up riding.
PANDORA IS AMAZING
It was Tusker House for lunch! This might be my favorite stop in AK! It’s a character experience, buffet, and only one table service credit! I am not a buffet fan, but there is SO much food to choose from! I actually kind of hate buffets, but when in Disney… and this one is different from the rest. The food is authentic and ethnic. Not only that, but there is such a huge variety. Even my husband who NEVER TRIES ANYTHING NEW, tried a couple of things there that he LOVED and even went back for seconds.
We were on a dining plan and we had picked all or character meals bEfore knowing our two years old would not get near anyone in a costume! But she did enjoy the parades {this one was the kids following Donald around shaking maracas and I think other instruments} most of the character meal locations offered so she still got to enjoy some fun times too.
TUSKER HOUSE
After lunch, we headed back to Pandora to take in the drum show, waterfall, signature drinks and more! We did all that before we decided to pop in the 85-minute line for Navi River ride because we had some time to kill before our FP and Olive could ride this one. It was pretty magical. Short, but magical. And of course, in true Disney fashion, friends were made in the line and treats were shared.
AVATAR
Then we rider swapped it again for FOP.
Again, AMAZING.
MORE DISNEY FUN
EVEREST
And we were off to check out Expedition Everest! Well, we had decided to split up so Mike and Ella could go get one last thrill in before the evening was over. Olive and I were going to head back and check out some of the animals but were unpleasantly surprised that the animal areas closed at 5 (or it could have been 6). So to make the time pass while waiting for the thrill-seekers, bubble wands were purchased and we watched the Tree of Life light up.
RIVERS OF LIGHT
I will say…
We did not wait around for the Rivers of Light Show… I really wanted to, but after a long warm day, we were spent and no one could give me a real reason to stay for it. I wanted to see it just so say we saw it, but no one was convincing enough with love for this show to make me stay. So I gave in and we headed out for the night…
TREE OF LIFE
ANIMAL KINGDOM
All in all, it was a great day. And the Animal Kingdom did grow on us this time! After our last visit, we were hesitant to even hit this park on this trip. Now, it might rank as high as 2nd in our books! It might be a short-lived second with Galaxy’s Edge opening soon, but we will let it live in 2nd place as long as possible.
I decided to share about the Animal Kingdom today because (1) it’s Earth Day and (2) it opened on Earth Day in 1998. It seemed a fitting choice for Magic Mondays. But what will you do on this Earth Day to help with our planet’s current situation?! Maybe walk around the block and pick up trash? Recycle more today? Share with a friend about an animal you love?! Get out there and enjoy this beautiful planet but also think about ways you can save it and keep it a magical place!