In order to fit in a full day at Animal Kingdom and still get to see all the nighttime shows in the other parks, we split our Animal Kingdom time into two days. We spent about three and a half hours there in the morning on the second day of our trip and then returned for our last morning of the trip. On our first visit, we had lunch reservations and FastPasses in Epcot for later in the day so we headed straight to Expedition Everest when we arrived at Animal Kingdom to try to take advantage of lower early morning wait times.
Well maybe we didn’t head exactly straight there despite our best intentions. Our route took us right past the gibbons and siamangs so obviously we had to stop. One of the Wilderness Explorer guides was stationed at the gibbon habitat and JB asked lots of thoughtful questions and had a really interesting and informative conversation with her. He found the gibbons so fascinating that he went back to ask more questions and watch them some more after we rode Expedition Everest.
This was the first time for any of us to ride Expedition Everest. I was a little worried about the boys being scared of the part with the Yeti but they both did fine (although I believe they both closed their eyes). RB loved it and wanted to ride it again immediately. He and Blair got back on line and JB and I went back to watch the gibbons and talk to the Wilderness Explorer guide some more.
After the rides and gibbon watching, we headed to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to observe more animals. We got some amazing views of the tigers up close and really enjoyed trying to match the birds in the aviary to the information cards that were provided. As usual with Disney, the details and theming of the nature walk were phenomenal.
We happened to be walking by when the next Flights of Wonder show was starting and decided to stop in. That was one of the best decisions of our trip. The boys absolutely loved the show. It was both educational and entertaining. The storyline is cute, the actors are funny, and the birds are trained to do some pretty amazing tricks. The crowd favorite was definitely when one bird swooped in to take a dollar bill out of an audience member’s extended hand. The show is slightly corny but that’s part of its charm. It is enjoyable for all ages. The only disappointing aspect of the show was that JB was not selected as a volunteer assistant, despite his emphatic arm waving. Both boys loved it so much that they wanted to watch it again on our second visit to the park (which unfortunately we didn’t get to do).
After the show we decided to head to Dinoland but were sidetracked again, this time by Baloo and King Louie. They walked right past us as they were headed to their character meet spot and JB automatically fell in line behind them. So as was often the case on this trip, we split up again – Blair and RB for more rides, me and JB for more characters. Despite them just arriving, the line backed up quickly but it was worth the wait. The character interaction was great. King Louie played around with JB, messing up his hair, giving him high fives, and stealing his pen and holding it way up high so he couldn’t reach it.
We finally met up with RB and Blair in Dinoland and got in line for Primeval Whirl. This ended up being our longest wait on the entire trip – probably close to 90 minutes. The ride has two different tracks and loading points and we found out about 30 minutes into the wait that one side was completely down. It was hot and the wait seemed to go on and on forever. We thought about bailing more than once but felt too invested at that point to give up. They finally opened up the other side of the ride and the line started moving quickly. The ride was fun but we would never have waited had we known how long it would take. And it was super frustrating to exit the ride and see that the line had immediately shortened to less than a 15 minute wait. It was a frustrating ending to an otherwise great morning at Animal Kingdom.
We returned to Animal Kingdom on the last day of our trip, hitting the park for half a day before we left for the drive home. We had held off on Kilimanjaro Safari until our second visit so that we could use a FastPass. It turned out not to be necessary. The day started out cold and rainy and we got there early enough that we could basically have walked onto the ride, with or without a FastPass. (In fact, I think the non-FP line moved faster.) I was really excited about this ride and thought the boys would love it, but it turned out not to be a favorite. I’m sure the weather had something to do with it but in general they just weren’t that into it. (JB really did not like the part where they pretended the bridge was giving out – it was so unexpected that he thought it was real – and it seemed to sour him on the rest of the ride.) But we still enjoyed seeing the animals – the hippos, rhinos, and elephants were definitely their favorites.
After that we split up yet again. The bigger boys headed to Expedition Everest again (and again) and I went with JB to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We had never been there before and really enjoyed it. We just missed a Wildlife Express Train so we ended up waiting a bit for the next one to arrive but it was worth the wait. The train ride itself gives you a little bit of a behind-the-scenes peek into Animal Kingdom, as you go past different indoor animal houses and veterinary buildings. JB aspires to be a veterinarian so he was thrilled that he was able to easily see all the action in the Veterinary Treatment Room that was inside the Conservation Station. He watched in fascination as a bullfrog was given a checkup. There were lots of great informative exhibits and opportunities to see different animals. And of course characters! If there is a character meet opportunity, JB will find it.
There were actually three different character meets (technically 4 characters) going on at the same time inside the main room of Conservation Station. We met Chip and Dale first and then Rafiki. JB skipped the meet with Tarzan because it was “weird to meet a real person in just their underwear.” I may have to agree with him on that one. The meet with Rafiki was awesome. He played with the crazy part of JB’s hair that sticks up straight no matter what we do. I love this picture of the two of them – Rafiki somehow seemed so expressive in the way he looked at JB, even though he clearly can’t change his facial expressions. It was a cool moment between them, almost like Rafiki knew he was in the presence of a huge animal lover.
We headed back outside and watched the show “It All Started with a Mouse”. This was a great show for kids because you could get up really close to the action on the stage and they even walked some of the animals around in the crowd. Our favorites were the Kunekune pig that painted with his nose and the porcupine. At the end of the show you could meet and pet the animals (except the porcupine of course!).
We had a momentary hiccup at the end of the show when JB was petting the animals and I told him I was going to get change at the little store about 15 feet away. He nodded his head and said “uh huh” but clearly was so enamored with the animals that he didn’t register what I said to him. Although I could see him the whole time, when he finished petting the pig and looked up and didn’t see me right next to him he panicked. There were tears. But the best way to stop tears? Another character meet. Chip and Dale happened to be meeting outside too and had no line so we high tailed it over there for some chipmunk hugs and all was well again.
We saw some more animals on our way back to the train and then took the ride back to Africa. We met up with Blair and RB and had lunch an awesome lunch at the Yak and Yeti quick service cafe. We walked around for a while more, taking in the sights and watching the animals before it was time for our inevitable departure. We grabbed some snacks for the road and had our family picture taken outside the Tree of Life and then headed for the exit.
But we were in for one last Disney surprise. As we walked out of the exit, we had a super rare triple character spotting – Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear! The boys loved Splash Mountain and had no idea you could see the characters anywhere in Disney World. Br’er Rabbit was just being led away so we didn’t get any pictures with him but Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear were walking around completely by themselves. We got some hugs from Br’er Bear first and then the mischievous Br’er Fox came over and started playing around with the boys. He kept covering up their heads and faces and just being generally silly. It was such an unexpected and fun way to end our trip.
Animal Kingdom Tips and Take-aways
- Wilderness Explorers is awesome for pre-schoolers and young elementary age kids. We didn’t do as many of the badges this time as we did on our first trip to Disney but it is a great activity for young kids. It’s a fun way to explore the park and to learn a lot about animals and nature.
- Just watch the animals. There are so many opportunities to observe animals in the park. Just walking around the park and seeing all the different animals is an adventure in and of itself.
- Take the time to explore some of the trails. They are really creatively themed and give great viewing opportunities for different animals.
- Watch Flights of Wonders. You won’t regret it.
- Eat at the Yak and Yeti take out place. You also won’t regret it.
- Don’t miss Rafiki’s Planet Watch. It’s interesting and educational.
- Keep your eyes peeled for characters. We seemed to see more characters randomly walking around in Animal Kingdom than in any other park.
- You will get wet on Kali River Rapids. Very wet. Don’t go on the ride immediately before your lunch reservations because you will be uncomfortable. (Note: this tip comes from our first trip to Disney but is still relevant. Kali River Rapids was closed for refurbishment on this trip.)
