Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, but even when we visited in 2015 it was a 1/2 day park. There simply wasn’t enough to keep us busy for a full-day outing. It’s not that way anymore! All the really amazing stuff that Disney has to offer is at my favorite park.
Our park hopper passes bumped us here multiple times this trip. Allow me to once again say that even though Disney is “limiting” the number of people at each park by requiring reservations in advance, that limit is set MUCH TOO HIGH for their “guests” to truly enjoy what’s offered. It was crazy busy at every single park on every single day. Animal Kingdom was no exception… although Magic Kingdom, it seemed to us, was the busiest overall.
The Tree of Life honors animals and the place they share in the circle of life. This 14-story bad boy has the images of more than 300 animals hand-carved into the trunk. Because we didn’t do Kilimanjaro Safaris or Kali River Rapids this time — it’s the closest we got to animals unless you count the caged monkeys, birds flying (macaws maybe?) and the one anteater that fascinated us.
Everything about this park is perfectly done. Joe Rohde was the lead Imagineer of Pandora and I think I might be in love with the old dude sporting tons of earrings. He retired January 2021 after a 41 year career.
Animal Kingdom also has popcorn — a staple of Coco’s diet!
Besides popcorn, here’s where you’ll find the Yak & Yeti Restaurant and Flame Tree Barbecue — both amazing. We ate breakfast at Yak & Yeti’s quick service more than once this trip.
We hit Pongu Pongu (“party party” in the language of the Na’vi) every single trip for the ‘Night Blossom’ drink with boba balls because Coco loves them and she’s the boss. Ben and I like them too, but sometimes opt for the alcoholic versions.
Of course, there’s a ton of snack kiosks that feature every kind of goodie you can imagine… including ice-cream. Ice-cream is messy business when it’s almost 90 degrees and you’re wearing a black skirt.
Ben and I always share access to the photos taken by the other via Google Photos when we’re at Disney World. I laughed as I browsed some of his shots. It seems Animal Kingdom is also a magical place to take selfies. 😉
And now that we’ve covered the food and park basics, tomorrow I plan to rave about the best ride on the planet earth and my second favorite ride — both located within Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Until then…
