Animal Kingdom opened back in 1998 and recently celebrated it's 15th birthday. If you count the safari areas of the park, DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom) is actually the largest park in terms of square footage. In case you were wondering, Hollywood Studios is the smallest park. DAK is not only a fun-filled theme park, but also one of the biggest educators for world-wide, ecosystem conservation. Many of the shows and attractions include messages about co-existing with the environment and provide simple tips about recycling and reusing. As a quick side note, all of the parks have switched over completely to the new touchpoint entrance systems. Here is a picture of the new turnstiles and the fingerprint scanners:
DAK is made up of several "islands" including Discovery Island, Camp Minne Mickey, Africa, Asia, Rafiki's Planet Watch, and Dinoland U.S.A. The centerpiece of the park is the Tree of Life, a massive structure with more than 300 animals carved into it. Another hard-to-miss landmark is the man-made Mt. Everest. I'll admit that every day I drive to work, I always turn to look at Everest. In my opinion, it is one of the most incredible Disney landmarks on property, and also one of the most enthralling attractions. In coming years, DAK will also be home to another landmark, and we may even see some exciting changes to the existing ones.
On Discovery Island, you will find all kinds of great photo spots, shops, and a 3D adventure show that takes place beneath the Tree of Life. In the queue line, you get a chance to see some of the Tree of Life's carvings up close. The show is themed after "A Bug's Life" and mixes 3D effects with real life animatronics and props. The pre-ride description adequately warns younger guests of the potentially frightening nature of the ride, since a gang of unruly insects appears mid-show to exact their revenge on mankind. Ah yes, good times. Admittedly, I always wanted a sequel to "A Bug's Life", but I don't think Pixar will be bringing it back anytime soon. I should have "bugged" John Lasseter about it the other day when I saw him at work.
Animal Kingdom has a wide variety of attractions featuring lots of real-life animals, but it also has a section designated to the really dead ones too! Dinoland U.S.A. is a county-fair type amusement area with lots of games, cheesy signs, and seemingly dangerous carnival rides. Dinoland also features the Dino Institute which houses the ride called Dinosaur (lots of creativity going on here). Dinosaur is actually a fantastic, dark adventure with all kinds of twists and turns. I enjoy this ride a lot more than the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal, since Dinosaur is able to rapidly change pace and JP only moves at a crawl-along pace until the very end. When you visit, don't miss out on this one, even if it's a little hard to track down.
Aladar's face always cracks me up. It's just like, "This is a ride about dinosaurs. O RLY!?"
Inbetween Dinoland and Asia is the Theater in the Wild. At one point they had a "Tarzan on Rollerblades" show in that area, but now it's home to the Finding Nemo musical. I watched it once a while ago, but it's a little too long to do every visit. The puppets were really cool, but the songs were only so-so. Since Finding Nemo wasn't originally an animated musical, there really weren't any songs to look forward to or connect with. But again, the puppets are cool. Just be ready to see the entire movie reenacted on stage.
The Asia section of DAK is one of the most incredible sights across Disney property. There is an incredible amount of detail into everything that goes on here, and you're sure to notice something different every time you visit. As mentioned earlier, Mt. Everest is one of the largest landmarks at Disney World. It is also one of the most expensive, costing around $100 million to create.
Expedition Everest is a themed roller coaster that takes you on an adventure into the mountain in search of the legendary Yeti. The queue for this ride has literally thousands of pieces of art, items, and equipment related to the myth of the Yeti. Learning about your expedition throughout the queue is all part of the experience, so I would recommend using the stand-by line at least once. The ride itself has all sorts of surprises, so I won't spoil it for you.
In the same area, you can also find Kali River Rapids. It's a decent water raft ride, with a bit of a dark side. The premise of the ride is that of deforestation and so parts of the ride are just a burned down forest. So yeah, it's pretty magical. Nearby you will also find one of the animal trails, featuring tigers and chimpanzees. Additionally, there is a stage show called Flights of Wonder. As you may have deduced, this show is all about birds. I didn't actually get any pictures of them because I was running low on phone battery.
Camp Minnie Mickey has a few meet-and-greet character areas, but the main draw is the Festival of the Lion King show. In my opinion, this is the best stage show at Disney World and a must-see for every guest. The show is colorful, exciting, and moving. Real talk - I usually tear up during the Circle of Life. Make sure you get there early to get a good seat.
Waka Waka! This is Africa! This area features a special safari trek that requires no additional cost. There are other safari experiences that come at an up-charge, such as the Wild Africa Trek. Kilimanjaro Safaris takes you into the savanna and jungle areas where you can get close to all sorts of African wildlife. I've included more pictures of the baby giraffe, since that's the only reason most of you are reading this:
Harambe is the name of the village surrounding the safari entrance. During the day, there are several street acts and performing groups. There is also another forest exploration trail that features gorillas, reptiles, and naked mole rats. You can also access the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station. Over there, you can see a collection of insects, check out veterinarian procedures, and even go into a petting zoo.
Another side note; All over DAK you can collect Wilderness Explorer badges as seen in the movie Up. I only have a few of them so far, but I try to collect a couple every time I visit. Even if you don't have time to collect them at all, at least pick up a Wilderness Explorer's booklet near the entrance to Discovery Island.
Africa is normally a pretty happening place with very little breathing room, and, unfortunately, it's about to get a lot worse. Starting in January, the Festival of the Lion King show will be closing for 6 months as construction is completed on the new show pavilion in the Africa section and all the show equipment transferred over. Hopefully the new pavilion will come with an expanded courtyard area. Either way, I am highly anticipating the refurbished show and will miss it in the meantime. Although there haven't been any details about the new show, I hope they add a new song or two, like maybe "He Lives in You" from Lion King 2 and the Broadway musical "The Lion King." That might be too much to ask for, though.
So about those upcoming changes, Disney recently announced that Animal Kingdom will be receiving a very intense expansion. An all-new Avatar land is already under construction and set to open in 2017 (long time, I know). Just to clarify, this is James Cameron's Avatar, not the Last Airbender, although an airbender land would be cool, too. This new land will include giant, floating mountains, fluorescent plant life, and maybe even an nighttime water show. There has also been talk of refurbishing the Tree of Life to include night lighting as well.
One of the best parts about working at Disney World is that there is always something new to look forward to. The parks and resorts are always growing and expanding with new technology and features. I am also pleased to let you know that I applied to extend my current college program, and my extension was approved. Therefore, I will have an opportunity to stay with the company for a while longer and see these new adventures myself. Hope you enjoyed this post!
