Animal Kingdom: What To Do There?

[Dizzy Lizzie]

I'm going to DW in May with my family and my boyfriend. We are going to all four parks. Last time I went was in 1996 and I was six years old. So this park is brand new to me. I have looked at the map and read up on the attractions. I'm at a total loss on how to spend our time there. It seems to me the majority of the park is walking around and watching the animals. A zoo with amusement park rides mixed in. I do look forward to seeing the animals. I do really love zoos. My city's zoo is a top rated zoo in America. What areas are good viewing areas? Is the safari ride worth it?

Avatar Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest seem like the top rides. I love roller coasters, but I do have a comfort level. I'm not into intense roller coasters. I don't like the idea of going backwards. As for flight of passage, I have never been on a flight simulator ride. So I have no idea how I'll react to it. I'm afraid of heights. I know you're really not up in high the sky, but the illusion might get to me. I remember riding the Peter Pan ride in MK as a kid. It freaked me out. I actually thought I was up in the sky. I was a dumb six year old. lol If anyone can describe this ride into detail that would be great!


Also what is the park like at night? Do they have any special shows like the other parks?

 

[prestoncaldwell]

You don't go backward on EE for very long as I recall, and as with any motion simulator ride, it Avatar gets too intense for you, you can just close your eyes.

The river ride seems pretty cool, and of course the animals always make for an enjoyable day.

 

[McFlea]

I was concerned about Flight of Passage the first time I rode it. In fact, I waited in line with my family fully planning to duck out of the chicken exit and letting them ride without me. I sometimes experience motion sickness and am terrified of heights. But my family convinced me to try it, and I am so glad I did! You straddle a bike type ride vehicle, and feel very secure in the restraints, which are snug to your back and the backs of your calves. You also wear 3D glasses. Once the ride started, all my fears were forgotten and I loved it! It is an incredible ride and has become one of my top favorites in all of WDW. As PP mentioned, you can close your eyes if needed, and it does help. If you decide to try it, I hope you have a great time!

 

[loves to dive]

While there are animals at AK, I wouldn't call it a zoo. Most people will say you can't spend an entire day there but you really can if you do most of the things.

There is: Pandora which has Flight of Passage and Navi River Journey for rides, there is a quick service restaurant and a small snack stand. In the before times there were drummers who performed there, not sure if they are back. It is very immersive as far as theming. Most people who ride FoP love it, me not so much. It makes me a little nauseous, not full blown sick just a little woozy. I'm very small and height challenged and have acid reflux so I've learned to kind of stiffen my arms a tad when they set the back restraints so it doesn't push me all the way into the front since it hits me in the just the right spot to hurt. Most trips I skip it. Navi is a slow dark ride, I don't think it gets enough love but that's just me. Most people enjoy the QS restaurant, it is o.k. for me but I would much rather eat at Nomad Lounge, which is right outside of Pandora. It is attached to a table service restaurant called Tiffins.

Moving along you have the Africa section, which has the Safari - an open air bus type ride where you will see animals for the most part just grazing around. Many times we have been stopped while an animal crossed the road. Some are behind barriers you can't see, like the lions and elephants. There is one trail in Africa you can walk at your own pace, Gorilla Falls. There is a train that takes you to a sort of children's petting zoo, an area you can watch vet procedures if one is happening and an area you can do drawing class. Shops and a Table Service restaurant. There is live entertainment there, usually an African band. There is also the paired down Festival of the Lion King Show, which is pretty good.

Asia has Expedition Everest, a roller coaster that yes, goes backwards. I just close my eyes for that part. There is also a river rapids ride there that you ride round raft type boats and get very wet. Another table service restaurant and a quick service restaurant. There is also live entertainment there. There is a bird show where the birds are free flying. They have a kite show where they ride around on a lake on water skies and pull kites. It's cute but the best part is that in order to land the kites they have to crash them. There is another trail there you can walk at your own pace with tigers.

Dinoland. It's themed after a road side attraction type place combined with an arch. dig. There are some carny type games, a childrens ride, another quick service restaurant and a dark sort of inside fast ride (which I love) called Dinosaur. They are going to reopen the Finding Nemo stage show but I'm not sure when that is happening.

In an amongst all the walkways going between the lands are places with other animals. There are a lot of little nooks and crannies with animals tucked away in them. There are cast members stationed at most of the places where animals are that you can talk to.

Last but not least, almost right as you walk in the park you will see the tree of life. Much like Spaceship Earth at Epcot or the castle at Magic Kingdom, it is the icon at AK. There are loads and loads of animals carved all over it, it has a couple of little trails that go around it and a cute little show inside called Bugs Life. There is a show projected on it at night. In all the lands are little snack and drink stands and shops.

AK tends to open fairly early and shut down just after dark, there are no night time shows per se because of the animals and the trails and safari shut down before the rest of the park.

 

[peabody58]

DW and I love AK. We (well I) could spend all day there. As far as rides with motion sickness/vertigo issues, we at 65 yo now take Bonine everyday during our trips (4-5 nts). So far so good. May even try EE again after a disastrous vertigo experience back in 2014. FOP is awesome in the fact that the ride has several points where you stop and can catch your breath and just soak in the visual surroundings. Always find something new to see.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

AK is NOT a zoo. Make sure to take in a live show. There should be at least one going on now. Do It's tough to be a Bug and please...take the time to look at the artistry along the pathway. If you like to browse or shop, this is the park where you can find something a bit more unique and extraordinary. Also, you can take part in a drawing class, which equates to a FREE souvenir.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Animal Kingdom for my wife and I is mostly about walking around and enjoying the theming. They do a better job there than any other park I feel to really transport you to Asia and Africa. Just take in all the rich details and yes enjoy a live show or some live music. As for Everest? Best roller coaster on property. Smoothest ride. The backwards part is fun there is nothing about it that would scare the average roller coaster rider. Great park over all.

 

[3gr8boys]

At night Pandora is very cool and, while there are of course no fireworks, as PP mentioned there is a light show on the tree of life that tells stories of some animals called Awakenings. (I do not know if there are times when the park is not open late enough for it to be dark.)

I really enjoy Animal Kingdom- it is wonderfully themed with great detail and music. One of my favorite AK memories is taking the time to walk around the base of the tree of life with my son and identify as many animals as we could.

If you want to add a special touch to your AK day, you can book Up Close with Rhinos or Caring for Giants. These are relatively short "tours." They do book up at 60 days out...but, if it's too late, maybe you can catch a cancellation.

 

[eeyoreali]

I love Animal Kingdom, it's my 2nd favorite park. The last time we went, we spent two full days here. The Safari is a must do and if I can get on it at two different times of day, I will - different experience each time. The trails on Discovery Island around the Tree of Life have a lot of animals and I take my time looking at all of them. In general, for me, there's a lot to look at in this park. We do go on all of the rides and enjoy each of them. The live shows are fun and we never miss them.

 

[Dizzy Lizzie]

Thank you for all the replies everyone! I now have a better idea about this park. I definitely check out the tree. I've always wanted to see it.

Good tips to close my eyes on FoP and EE if I do decide to ride them. I watched a video on EE. Yeah the backwards part is short. I may ride it then. I have a feeling my boyfriend will try to get me to ride it. He got me on some big roller coasters at our local amusement park. He's good at that. Lol

 

[TheDailyMoo]

First time me and wife rode Everest she was so scared especially as we got to boarding. She was very vocal about it standing at the gate. As we got into our car she was even more nervous. There was a guy in the car in front of us had heard it all and turned around, looked right at her and said "Don't worry it'll be fine" and she said "you've done this before?" and he said yes and she asked if it's scary and he says "I was in Vietnam...trust me this isn't scary". I laughed as the train pulled away.

She won't miss going on it every time we go.

 

[Dizzy Lizzie]

First time me and wife rode Everest she was so scared especially as we got to boarding. She was very vocal about it standing at the gate. As we got into our car she was even more nervous. There was a guy in the car in front of us had heard it all and turned around, looked right at her and said "Don't worry it'll be fine" and she said "you've done this before?" and he said yes and she asked if it's scary and he says "I was in Vietnam...trust me this isn't scary". I laughed as the train pulled away.

She won't miss going on it every time we go.

Your wife sounds like me! I get super nervous when riding a roller coaster for the first time. Thanks for sharing that story! Gave me a confidence boost as well!

 

[peabody58]

We can handle scary, but at our age, we really don;t like the vertigo and motion sickness sensations we tend to have. We now carefully watch what we eat prior to roller coasters, make sure we are well hydrated, and take Bonine everyday of our vacation. So far so good.

 

[McFlea]

Another vote for Bonine! I started taking 2 trips ago and it made a nice difference. I was advised that it may cause drowsiness (I never noticed though), so I take each night of my trip, starting the night before we leave. Our last trip was in 2019 and I almost forgot about the Bonine! Love these boards

 

[Miffy]

OP: Definitely do the safari. It's fantastic--one of my favorite things to do at all of WDW. We often ride it twice in one day, sometimes twice in a row. Extraordinary animal viewing.

There's a lot to do at DAK. We spend several days there every trip.

A PP mentioned It's Tough to Be a Bug. I would like to warn you about this attraction. First off, do NOT get G+ for this. There's never a line there. Don't waste your G+ on this. Second, how do you feel about insects? Sure, it's animated, but this animated experience is not for someone who doesn't like, despises, or is fearful about insects. Yeah, you can close your eyes if you don't like what you're seeing, but there are sensations associated with this movie, and you can't close your eyes against them. And you're basically trapped in the theater unless you're super lucky and are at the end of a row near an exit door. I was not. You are warned.

Dinosaur is a really fun ride with a cute story. Don't miss it.

Consider having lunch at Yak & Yeti. If you join Landry's before your trip, the $25 membership fee is deducted from your first meal, so it's free. And you don't need a reservation at Y&Y if you have a Landry's card. You can just walk to the podium, show your card, and get seated pretty quickly.

I love FoP, but my DH doesn't. Closing your eyes does work to eliminate the uncomfortable/unwanted sensations on this ride. You may not have them.

The park itself is beautiful with fantastic decorative elements, architecture, and landscaping. If these kinds of things interest you, you could easily spend days there just soaking it all in.

Have a great time! Get ILL for FoP--the line there can be daunting, to say the least.

 

[karen4546]

I'm going to DW in May with my family and my boyfriend. We are going to all four parks. Last time I went was in 1996 and I was six years old. So this park is brand new to me. I have looked at the map and read up on the attractions. I'm at a total loss on how to spend our time there. It seems to me the majority of the park is walking around and watching the animals. A zoo with amusement park rides mixed in. I do look forward to seeing the animals. I do really love zoos. My city's zoo is a top rated zoo in America. What areas are good viewing areas? Is the safari ride worth it?

Avatar Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest seem like the top rides. I love roller coasters, but I do have a comfort level. I'm not into intense roller coasters. I don't like the idea of going backwards. As for flight of passage, I have never been on a flight simulator ride. So I have no idea how I'll react to it. I'm afraid of heights. I know you're really not up in high the sky, but the illusion might get to me. I remember riding the Peter Pan ride in MK as a kid. It freaked me out. I actually thought I was up in the sky. I was a dumb six year old. lol If anyone can describe this ride into detail that would be great!


Also what is the park like at night? Do they have any special shows like the other parks?

The majority of the park IMO is not just walking around viewing the animals.

it is so much more…..

Each area is themed and Fantastic! if You can watch the Disney+ documentary on AK, do that.
if not, look up you tube videos on touring the park.

FOP is one of my favorite rides. I am afraid of heights but ride every att at WDW. If you ride coasters then FOP should be fine.

you can watch Festival of the Lion King, Safari is “worth” it, Navi River is good, kali rapids is fun, it’s tough to be a bug is fun - especially watching Those that have never done it, feathered friends in flight is great, and there is so much more to Animal Kingdom than rides and “zoo”.

I would not classify the encounters with the animals as “zoo” like. AK is an amazing park and if you can experience in the day and night (Mo’ara/Pandora) even better.

 

[Figment of Speech]

Good tips to close my eyes on FoP and EE if I do decide to ride them.

Closing your eyes works on Flight of Passage because it's a simulator, and the most intense of the motion sensations are produced visually. Physically, it moves very little.

It might not help on Expedition Everest, but that of course depends on what aspect of roller coasters is uncomfortable for you. If it's the dropping sensation itself, closing your eyes isn't going to prevent that and might make it scarier because you won't know when it's gonna come.

EE is currently under refurbishment, and rumor has it that the reopening date got pushed back from mid-April to May 1. So at the moment, it's expected to be open in time for your May trip, but if it gets pushed back any further, you might not have a choice about riding it.

 

[Dizzy Lizzie]

Closing your eyes works on Flight of Passage because it's a simulator, and the most intense of the motion sensations are produced visually. Physically, it moves very little.

It might not help on Expedition Everest, but that of course depends on what aspect of roller coasters is uncomfortable for you. If it's the dropping sensation itself, closing your eyes isn't going to prevent that and might make it scarier because you won't know when it's gonna come.

EE is currently under refurbishment, and rumor has it that the reopening date got pushed back from mid-April to May 1. So at the moment, it's expected to be open in time for your May trip, but if it gets pushed back any further, you might not have a choice about riding it.

When it comes to coasters I'm more of a family coaster kind of person. I can handle drops, but it depends on the drop itself. I would never ride giga coasters for example. They have at least a 300 ft drop! After watching videos of DW's coasters, they're rather tame compared to the type of coaster I just mentioned. My thing with EE is going backwards. I have never been on a coaster like that. After watching a video POV of EE and reading the posts here, the backwards part seems rather short so I could just close my eyes on that part. The rest of the ride looks like a typical roller coaster.

I have close my eyes on roller coasters before. Not the whole ride, but during the parts that seem intense for me. My home park is Kings Island (owned by Cedar Fair) which is near Cincinnati, OH. We had a roller coaster called Vortex. It was torn down because it reached its life expectancy. This roller coaster was a steel coaster with six inversions. Through out my whole life I avoided that coaster. The idea of going upside down terrified me! Well the last year of its life my boyfriend got me to ride it. I closed my eyes during the inversions. I was surprised that you really don't feel the inversions and they're over in a second.

It seems like I'm talking myself into riding it. lol

@Miffy

My friend told me about It's Tough to Be A Bug. She saw it when she was a kid and told me some of the details. She told me that they spray something on you? I know the sprayer is under the seat because her mom blocked it during the show. Do they still do that? I'm not afraid of insects, but I'm not sure if I want something spraying on me. If it's just water than that's okay. Just as long it doesn't make me smell or sticky.

 

[ars0525]

Love AK. It's a fun park you can take your time & really explore the nooks. It's a park that really is up to you how to explore. Some people just ride the rides & are done. Some take all day watching animals. I love watching the monkeys by Kali Rapids ride & sitting down to have a snack.

I take over the counter motion pills. Yes EE is a very smooth roller coaster, but that backwards swoop leaves me feeling a little funny if I don't. If the line is short enough do the regular stand by line to get the full effect of the theming before you ride it (single rider you skip all that). I was so ready excited to see the Yeti the 1st time I rode it after walking thru & looking at everything!

Look at the Tree Of Life as you go around the park at all angles. You'll keep finding more animals in the bark.

Tough To Be A Bug - amazing how many parents don't really read what the attraction is like (dark/loud). Shrieking children. Laughing adults. Love it!! (yes it's just water similar to PhilharMagic)

Pandora during the day & at night is totally different so see both if you can. I never saw the movie, but totally appreciate the theming & details all in there. FOP is like sitting on a motorcycle. Your feet never leave the ground & the support against your lower back keeps you in place (they have out front at the ride line entrance what it looks like). Basically you are looking forward over everything (again my motion pill comes in handy) during the ride. Have you ever ridden a horse? I think it's similar to that. You can feel the banshee breathing & moving under you a little.

The safari ride is never the same twice. Ride early & late for different experiences (it closes earlier than the park so check the ride times). The animals are less active as it gets warmer during the day. And I did ride it at the closing time (darkish) with 0 expectations, but we actually saw a lot of animals & different than other times I have ridden.

The Animation Experience is really fun even if you have no drawing skills! They break it down & make it simple. Plus you get to take the train out there & see other parts of the park/buildings where animals live.

Disney is big on educating so there are people stationed all over you can ask questions about the animals, plants, etc... I always learn something new.

 

[GPC0321]

I haven't read all of the replies, so I'm probably repeating some of what others have said.
I love AK because it's so immersive and different from the other three parks. It always makes me smile when we're walking up to the entrance and I hear the music and start anticipating the experience of just being in the park.

I love animals, and on a nice day (when it isn't 350 degrees in the shade, lol), I can spend hours just walking the trails and looking at the critters.

Attractions that are Must Do's for us: Kilimanjaro Safari (absolutely always a great time...lots of animals), Festival of the Lion King (amazing live show), the live bird show (I think it's Up! themed now, really fun), It's Tough to Be a Bug (cool place to sit for a bit and laugh at the Bug's Life antics), Na'vi River Journey (the gentle Pandora ride...really pretty and relaxing). And Flight of Passage is definitely very awesome, but I'm the only one in my family who would ride it and so I skip it in favor of hanging with them.

Two things that aren't attractions but are big hits at AK to me are the shopping and the dining. I always find the neatest clothes and knick-knacks there. I probably spend more time browsing and shopping in AK than any other park (except maybe World Showcase). And the food options are very good as well. For table service, Yak & Yeti is excellent. And for quick service, Flame Tree BBQ is really good.

And of course, there are the treks to see all of the animals. Oh! And the train ride up to Rafiki's Planet Watch where you can pet goats and take a drawing lesson and maybe even see a veterinary procedure if you're lucky.

We usually visit AK twice during a trip. It's our go-to "spur-of-the-moment" park. The other three usually involve more planning and are more locked into our schedule. AK is where we go to wander aimlessly, LOL.