The next park on our Focus on Florida tour was Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Being the newest of the four Disney parks in Florida, we had high hopes that the magic of Disney had been captured throughout and we couldn’t wait to start!
As well as the addition of new land Pandora - The World of Avatar, Disney has added a host of new nighttime experiences, so to ensure that we wouldn't miss anything our trip actually began on the evening of August 31, before our main visit on September 1.
On arrival through the jungle themed entrance, you really felt that you were entering a real world of wildlife and nature with the deliberately over grown path winding past small animal enclosures before the huge Tree of Life came into view directly in front of us.
We strolled towards this iconic centre piece over a bridge crossing the river which beautifully cuts around the park separating each of the main themed areas; Oasis, Africa, Asia, Dinoland U.S.A, Discovery Island and of course the eagerly anticipated Pandora – The World of Avatar!
This new land is where we were headed, allowing us plenty of time to explore this fantastically themed area, complete with floating mountains, waterfalls and alien plants. Interactive features such as themed drums and numerous photo opportunities are found scattered in what has to be one of Disney’s most incredibly themed areas. Even guests that haven’t seen the movie will find this entire area of the park breath taking.
We used FastPass+ for our first ride of the visit, Na’vi River Journey, cutting our wait to just a couple of minutes. This family friendly boat ride takes visitors deeper into the world of Avatar, on a journey through the jungles to meet the Na’vi and is a perfect addition to this new land.
Once the sun had set we were able to
view Pandora in an entirely different light. Plants began to glow
more brightly as the evening went on, transforming the entire land into a
world of luminescent color. We had expected the pathways to pulse with
light, however the illuminous paint and clever
lighting had a very similar affect.
Importantly it was time for our second ride of the visit – Avatar
Flight of Passage. The longest queue of the trip of 105 minutes awaited
us; however in reality it was closer to 40. FastPass+ was available on
this ride like many others, but to truly experience the immersive
theming we opted for the full ride queue which didn’t disappoint.
Winding through the forest and over a waterfall before entering ancient caves, more jungle and eventually into a science lab
with numerous experiments, creatures and a life size Avatar.
The ride itself, again suitable for the whole family, is a flight simulation type ride with a twist – taking each passenger on their own 3D journey on the back of a 'breathing' Mountain Banshee through the world of Pandora. An experience like no other and certainly unique to anything any other attraction can offer, we were totally blown way!
After checking out the rest of Pandora - The World of Avatar, including the Satu'li Canteen restaurant and Windtraders shop, it was time to head back to the hotel, before returning the following day to enjoy the rest of Disney's Animal Kingdom.
On arrival for our second day at the park we headed straight to Africa for Kilimanjaro Safaris. This 22 minute attraction offers guests a guided tour aboard a safari vehicle, with a different experience on each visit. The huge savanna plains are home to Giraffe, Gazelle, Hyena, Cattle, Lions, Zebra, Rhino and our personal favorite Elephant! This truly is an attraction not to be missed.
We followed this up with the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The idea of the train journey to an isolated area of the park sounded appealing, and does offer riders an alternative view of some of the animal exhibits however the educational centre and petting zoo at the second stop could be missed should you be pressed for time.
On our way to further attractions we ensured that we took time to explore both of the main animal exhibits; the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Africa and Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia.
Each of the enclosures we encountered had been fantastically designed
to prevent the guest from seeing any fences or boundaries giving an
authentic feeling that you really were standing in the African Savanna
or creeping up on a Tiger in an Asian Temple!
A ride on the Kali River Rapids and then an attempt to then dry off our clothes on Expedition Everest were next on the agenda. The first being a family friendly, all be it soaking rapids ride with a rather large drop, and the latter a thrilling roller coaster with forwards, backwards, indoor and outdoor sections of track as you hurtle around and through the Everest mountain in an attempt to escape the Yeti!
After all the excitement, we decided to take a slow walk towards some of the calmer attractions in the park. Two musical performances were next starting with Finding Nemo – The Musical - a rendition of the Nemo story set to original songs more suitable for the younger visiting guest, followed by the Festival of the Lion King. The unique centre stage added to the performance, not to mention the fantastic soundtrack that we have all come to love certainly made this our preferred of the two shows.
A pit stop at Pizzafari was next where a variety of pizzas, pastas and in our case salads were on offer. If this isn’t your thing there are numerous different food and drink outlets around the many areas of the park.
With a surprisingly satisfied stomach we headed to It’s Tough to be a Bug hosted by our favorite Disney ant, Flik! This 4D cinema type attraction in the heart of the Tree of Life is perfect for the whole family and will be sure to make even the bravest of explorers jump!
DINOSAUR was next, a more thrilling attraction with its enormous Time Rover ride vehicles. Each carries up to 16 passengers on a mission to capture a ‘dino’ specimen just moments before an asteroid smashes into the planet – we made it!
Also, in Dinoland U.S.A we took a ride on Primeval Whirl. Although a traditional wild mouse style coaster, the heavy theming that we have come to expect from a Disney attraction helps give this ride a truly unique feeling and nothing like anything else in any of the parks at Walt Disney World.
Sunset was now beginning to approach so we quickly made our way back over to Kilimanjaro Safaris where we had used a FastPass+ to secure a 'sunset safari' tour through the African Savanna. A very unique experience that adds a whole new dimension to this great attraction.
We then enjoyed nighttime rides on Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest, made all the more thrilling in the dark!
With all the rides and attractions complete, it was time for us to once again use our FastPass+ to secure preferred seating for the new nighttime spectacular – Rivers of Light. Seating is provided within a purpose built arena that surrounds the lake, with the Tree of Life visible in the background – certainly one of the most attractive venues of our trip.
Pleasingly, the show itself was one that focussed not on the traditional Disney characters but is original to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Fountains, projections, actors, floats and even computer guided boats kept guests entertained for around 20 minutes before park closure.
As we strolled towards the park exit after another very enjoyable day we were met with a Tree of Life Awakenings light projection performance. Taking place roughly every 10 to 15 minutes after dark, different stories are told of each carved creature that makes the trunk of the parks centre piece come to life!
Like the other Disney parks, with careful planning and use of FastPass+ there is absolutely no reason not to be able to visit each of the attractions in one day, unless you want to enjoy all of the nighttime experiences. Don’t forget to make a stop in the numerous gift shops on exit as many of the merchandise is unique to Disney's Animal Kingdom and cannot be found anywhere else at Walt Disney World.
