The most magical place on Earth Walt Disney World is a place to unwind and release your inner childlike wonder. Exploring Walt Disney World’s park, the Animal Kingdom can be a thrilling yet daunting task, but you came to the right place. In this post, I will break down everything you need to know to make your stay at Disney magical.
When discovering Disney’s parks, first and foremost, you should have an idea of the parks and/or attractions you want to visit during your stay. While this may seem self-explanatory, it is essential to have a general idea of the events, attractions, and parks you want to schedule during your vacation, as this information can help book FastPass tickets, restaurants, and deciding what park tickets to buy.
Disney’s technology for organizing your stay is highly recommended when you purchase your tickets your concierge or ticket desk assistant, at the parks, will provide you with a Disney magic band. This band is not only connected to your park entrance ticket, but can be used to hold reservations, FastPass tickets, and if staying on Disney property a hotel key. To do all this you can download the MyDisney app and connect it to your band, for the purpose of this post, I will not go into the depth of the functions and tricks in using the MyDisney app, but I will cover important tips and tricks to keep in mind while exploring Animal Kingdom park.
After purchasing your tickets either from your Disney Resort concierge, online or at the park entrances you will either receive a magic band or a regular Disney card.
Some advice if you are a frequent visitor to Disney World or a Florida resident the one-time price for becoming a Disney Annual passholder is more affordable, then always purchasing Disney Park tickets.
If you are not a frequent visitor or Florida resident, I would recommend Disney’s Parkholder pass, even though it is more expensive than a regular day pass, it allows you more freedom to choose which parks you wish to visit and when which can come in handy during the hotter months in a crowded park.
Finally, we have arrived at the best topic the actual park, where your magical stay begins…
Okay, so after getting your park tickets in the entrance of every park is a map, if you have the MyDisney App use the map on your mobile device to see wait times and the layout of the park, either way, use these resources to your full advantage to avoid losing time wandering aimlessly in a crowded, hot park.
So we are going to explore….
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Get Fastpasses for the Best Rides
Some of the best rides and most thrilling rides for Animal kingdom to book are:
- Dinosaur
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Expedition Everest
- Festival of the Lion King
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
While they are many more rides and attractions to try, I recommend these most because they not only satisfy any adventurers search for a thrill but also are some of Disney’s most popular and top-rated attractions.
Pro- Tip#1: Disney only allows guests to pick one out of two of the Pandora park attractions, so I would recommend the Avatar Flight of Passage as the ride to try out. The ride feels like soaring but is more personalized to you because you are in your own vehicle or banshee if you will.
Pro- Tip#2: The best chance at getting a fast pass for Pandora’s Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey is the second you book your trip to Walt Disney World book your FastPass tickets to these attractions if not months at least weeks before your visit. Lines for both of these rides can sometimes reach over 3 hours!
Finding the Best Eats:
Disney has it’s a fair share of cuisines and culinary delights, in Animal Kingdom here are some of my favorite and frequently visited food destinations (least expensive to most expensive):
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments $
- Harambe Fruit Market $
- Andapur Ice Cream Truck $
- Harambe Market $
- Rainforest Cafe $$
- Tusker House Restaurant $$$
- Tiffins Restaurant $$$
Exclusive and additional Dining Experiences:
- Circle of Flavors- Harambe at Night $$$$
- Festival of the Lion King Signature Dining Package Tier I or II $$$$
- Rivers of Light Dining Package $$$$
- Rivers of Light- We Are One Dessert Party $$$$
Pro- Tip#2: When looking to budget on snack and food accommodations at Disney World Parks it best to opt out of Disney’s Dining package and either package snacks beforehand or try restaurants listed above for reasonably priced cuisines and dining experiences.
Pro-Tip#3: For the exclusive and additional dining experiences, these events can be booked either through online reservations on the WDW website or calling WDW dining reservations. It is best to book these accommodations in advance to maximize your chances of available seating. While these dining experiences are more on the high end, it is a splurge with trying because it allows you to enjoy a pre-made/exclusive cuisine and an incredible show by Disney.
In the Rivers of Light -We Are One Dessert Party, you get VIP seating and viewing of the Disney Animal Kingdom’s Rivers of Light show while enjoying delicious desserts spread out for your enjoyment. In addition, you receive beverages and snacks to nibble on through the show. Even though it is a higher price than regular dining, it is an experience for everyone to enjoy and not have to the crowd for optimal seating of the show and provides a slower paced and relaxed way to view the great Rivers of Light production. I would recommend you try this dining experience at least once in one of your stays at Disney.
The Sounds of the Wilderness
Music and festivities are present in every park through the Disney World property, but what’s best about Animal Kingdom is the park and performers ability to intertwine nature, music, and culture for a delightful spectacle.
Perhaps some of my favorite shows, festivities, and spectacles to keep in mind are:
- Finding Nemo the Musical
- Festival of the Lion King
- Burudika
- Bollywood Beats
- The Kingdom Takes Flight
Pro-Tip#1: For shows such as the Finding Nemo the Musical, Festival of the Lion King, and The Kingdom Takes Flight, show up at least 15-20 minutes earlier for the best viewing and seats for these events, as all three of these shows tend to become crowded frequently
Timing is Everything In the Wild
The best way to view Animal Kingdom that many guests miss the opportunity to do so is going to the park during magic hours. In Disney, various parks have magic hours for guest staying on Disney property and these magic hours either occur early in the morning or late at night before or after regular park hours. While planning your trip or during your stay, make sure to keep this in mind and take advantage of this opportunity. Not only will there be less of crowds during magic hours but you also get more time to explore and wander through the parks.
Special Events & Tours
On the WDW website, there is a list of provided special events and tours offered in the Animal Kingdom park and the adjacent Animal Kingdom Lodge. From my experience, the best tour to try is the:
- Wild Africa Trek
Pro-Tip#1: For any special event or tour, make sure to bring water, tennis shoes, and comfortable attire as most of these tours/events require lots of walking and physical activity. While you can bring a camera, the majority of tours and behind the scene events include pictures of you and your party members during your experience.
For more on my experience on the special events/tours: Wild Africa Trek make sure to visit my post.
