Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom

So…Disney World sure haven’t half made it hard to have a favourite park in the entirety of the Floridian resort. Naturally Magic Kingdom is your favourite because it’s the ultimate. But then Epcot is such a unique experience that, it would always be between those two parks. However, now that the World of Pandora is at Animal Kingdom, it does start to make you question what you favourite most.

Animal Kingdom, like Magic Kingdom, has a central point – The Tree of Life. Then has different lands surrounding it, Africa, Asia, DinoLand USA, Discovery Land, The Oasis, Pandora – The World of Avatar and Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Now, if you love animals, this is your park. This theme park offers everything from thrill rides, to safari rides. I must add that the rainforest themeing of the park, makes you feel hotter than ever – you definitely have to dress appropriately here. Rainforest vibes, and Floridian humidity, plus the heat if you visit in the summer months. Can be a tough one!

Without a doubt, our favourite ride is Expedition Everest located in Asia. It is your typical coaster ride with a few twists – you also get immense views of the park during the slow and steady incline to the top of the ride. Watch out for the Yeti!

Other rides that we loved this time around was the Kilimanjaro Safari in Africa, this is so good. You don’t realise how vast the land is at Animal Kingdom until you do the Kilimanjaro Safari. The cast members are amazing on this too. Lots of character and fun, aswell as being super factual on the animals you pass. I must add, that we done this during the day so saw pretty much every animal. I have heard of people going during an evening, and not seeing as much as they wanted to see.

Dinosaur located in DinoLand USA was a ride I feared when I was a child. I went on it once on my first visit to Disney World in 2004 with my Dad, and it was terrifying, so never went on it again until this visit. And I can confirm, that it still is a scary ride. But I actually loved it, it’s a really good ride. But definitely still scary, especially when it’s pitch black and dinosaurs jump out at you or scream in your face. Maybe skip this one with the kids.

Avatar – The World of Pandora. WOW. This was our first time seeing this new land. And there actually aren’t any words to aptly describe how unreal this part of the park is. We aren’t really Avatar fans, but this didn’t stop us from wanting to visit and explore. The attention to detail has exceeded everything, and you can’t take enough photos. Then on top of that, the rides are super cool too! The Na’vi River Journey is the most relaxing river boat river through a bioluminescent rainforest. And then you get the ultimate. Avatar Flight of Passage. This ride has upped its game of simulator rides to another level. Imagine Soarin’ Around the World, then imagine doing that on a Banshee (like you’re sat on a motorbike) that BREATHES. Yes, you heard me, the seat you are on, breathes like it’s real. Like I say, words can’t really describe this place. You have to see it for your own eyes.

The World of Pandora opened in 2017, and we visited in 2019. The queues where still looooong. We were very lucky to only wait between an hour to an hour and a half to ride for Flight of Passage. For our entire two week holiday, ride times were always extremely long, I’m talking three hour wait times! I would love to think, it is a lot different now. Even though we waited the longest we have ever waited for anything in Disney World. It really didn’t feel like it was a long wait, because the queue is phenomenal, so much to look at and distract you from the wait time, so don’t be disheartened if that is the case.

We saw two shows. Festival of the Lion King – which is a firm favourite for a lot of people, we thought it was good. The other was Tough to be a Bug in the Tree of Life. It’s not a show per say, it’s a 4D film, but so good that I treat it like a show.

One thing that is so good about Animal Kingdom is that, where ever you walk when going from land to land. Something is always going on. Whether it’s African street performers, to African drums for visitors to mess about on. The best thing we just so happened to bump into was the Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party with Timon, Rafiki, Baloo, Terk, Meeko and Koda. This was so much fun, and looked like so much fun for all of the children involved who where actually dancing with the characters listed above.

Food is amazing here, from dining at the Rainforest Cafe to quick service restaurant like Yak and Yeti where we got amazing Mac and Cheese and Pulled Pork dishes, yum! And if you didn’t know, you can do great character dining in the park at Tusker House – we’ve haven’t done this yet. But have heard amazing things about this experience. Frozen Disney treats are also a dream in this park in particular!

Animal Kingdom is unlike any other Disney park. It’s organic, and constantly feels like your are discovering new things all of the time due to its natural setting. Even if you have walked around it 10 times.

I think to truly see everything in Animal Kingdom you need to spend a couple of slow paced days here. There are so many details you can miss out on. So when you visit next, take your time, enjoy the heat and drink plenty of water.