A Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Happy Hump Day, y’all! It’s taken me a minute to write this post about Animal Kingdom, and it almost didn’t happen, but a promise is a promise.

As we all know, Epcot is my absolute favorite Disney park, but Animal Kingdom takes second place. Until I can get to Africa, the Kilimanjaro Safaris Ride is the best safari experience I’m going to get. I also enjoy traveling to Pandora – The World of Avatar (always worth the wait), going on Kali River Rapids (if it’s hot and I’m well prepared), and watching Festival of the Lion King (it was a bit disappointing this visit). I debated going on the Dinosaur ride, but I heard a lot of horror stories (the ride is in the dark with jump scares from animatronic dinosaurs and is apparently super jerky/throws you around) so I opted out. I spent most of the day at the park but headed home around dusk.

*Fun Fact: 300 animals are carved into Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life (pictured below).

What I Did

Whenever I visit Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safaris is the first ride I get in line for because it’s usually a long one. This visit to the park was special because I went on the ride twice—once in the morning, then at the end of the day. Going on the ride at different times allowed me to see different animals and/or behaviors. For example, in the morning, I only saw one male lion, and he was asleep. During the later ride, there were three lions, and they were active. In the morning, giraffes were galloping all over the place, and in the afternoon, we caught two giraffes trying to get it on. We might be at Disney, but they’re still wild animals, y’all. Here are a couple of photos I took on my safari rides.

After the safari ride, I usually head to Pandora – The World of Avatar because the lines for Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey tend to be hours long. In 2017, I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Pandora and its rides before the park opened to the public, so I knew both rides were worth the wait. Though Flight of Passage is described as a thrill ride, it’s not a coaster (I hate roller coasters), but it has a couple drops that might make you yelp. Na’vi River Journey is a smooth, easy ride that’s visually and aurally stimulating. Do you remember in my last post when I said that there’s a ride created by someone on drugs at every theme park? At Animal Kingdom, it’s Na’vi River Journey.

This time, I didn’t go on Kali River Rapids; I was drenched enough from the downpour. And yes, I bought a poncho overnight after learning my lesson at Epcot. I tried to see the Feathered Friends in Flight! show, but it got rained out, so I hung outside the theater for Festival of the Lion King until it was time to go in.

Normally the stage show—a highly engaging, musical celebration of The Lion King— is one of the highlights of my trip, but when I went (earlier this year), Covid had taken its toll. Acts like the birds/aerialists and monkeys/acrobats were missing, and the show felt unfinished. That being said, the singers, performers, and puppeteers were talented as ever.

What I Ate

Let’s be clear: I don’t go to Animal Kingdom for the food. I had a pretty average slice of pepperoni pizza and an extra-long churro. But I do look forward to one drink: the Night Blossom, a frozen concoction of lime, apple, and prickly pear juices topped with passion fruit popping boba. You can also get a boozy version if you wish. It’s just SO PRETTY.

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See you next time for a recap of my trip to Mazatlán, Mexico!