A morning in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

I’m fairly certain that one of favorite places in all of Disney World is the Animal Kingdom (DAK). While the park is relatively light on attractions, it does have Expedition Everest, which I tend to think is the best ride in the entire resort. It also makes up for the lack of rides through the jungle ambiance & superb attention to detail. This is definitely a “come, wander, explore” park vs. a “hurry, get FastPasses, rush to the next ride” sort.

It’s the newest of the four theme parks that make up Disney World, and the only one that’s certified as a natural environment and animal conservation park. The park is divided into four main areas: Discovery Island, Asia, Africa, and DinoLand USA. They’re also building a much-anticipated Pandora (Avatar Land), which they just announced will be opening on May 27. How nice of them to perfectly time it with my birthday weekend! Hah. I guess this means another trip out to WDW will be in the works.

We popped in here on the morning of our second full day at Disney World, day two of our lightning fast weekend trip to the WDW Resort.

As I mentioned before, my favorite WDW ride is Expedition Everest.

Apparently it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive roller coaster ever built, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s an extremely thrilling and unique coaster, taking riders both forwards and backwards and down big drops. And the theming is excellent! Every time I get off the ride I immediately want to book a trip to Nepal.

True to the park’s name, there are various animals and wildlife featured in DAK’s attractions and various trail walk-throughs. I understand it goes along with the park’s concept, but it still sort of irks me… Zoos are not my favorite, and neither are other institutions that make money off the exploitation of animals (I’m looking at you, Sea World).

I love DAK’s focus on wildlife conservation, I just think they could accomplish the same aim (educating the public on the majesty and importance of these creatures) without subjecting the animals to a life in cages.

That said, I’ve only ever heard positive things about the way DAK treats the animals it houses.

There is a great selection of live entertainment at DAK, including The Festival of the Lion King at the Harambe Theater. We’d picked up FastPasses for one of the afternoon shows, but had to cut out early to head back to Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

I hear it’s amazing though, so pop in if you’d enjoy a nice sing-a-long production and a respite from the heat.

Our time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom was much too short, but hopefully we’ll get a chance to explore as a true Na’vi later this summer, when Avatar Land opens. Bring on the blue paint and general geekdom!

xx,

K