Happy Sunday! I know I’ve had MANY people asking questions about our Disney trek thus far, so I thought I’d put together a bit about our agenda each day and then in the coming weeks, we’ll talk about some of our favorite finds, tips and tricks, and answer any questions you may have about our days here. To say we are obsessed would be…accurate.
In my opinion, Animal Kingdom is one of the most underrated parks in the Disney structure and is one that we actually skipped last year. This year, after one day there, Charlie was ready to go back again and I just love walking around the space, connecting with the area and more. Let’s start with the basics!
We snagged FastPasses for the following:
Kilimanjaro Safaris (MUST DO) – we rode this again later in the evening when the park was clearing out and it was a simple walk-on. The boys LOVE this as you travel through a safari and different terrains and see amazing animals. A giraffe walked right up to our car, so we had to keep driving!
Festival of the Lion King – The show was AMAZING, but since it is general seating and shown throughout the day, we found no real benefit in having a fast pass. You can easily catch the show when you’re ready, just make sure you show up a bit early to get into the guaranteed line.
DINOSAUR – Dinosaurs chasing you? Check! Terrifying sights and sounds? Check! This ride DOES come with a dark and scary warning and heed it wisely. After we were finished, Jack actually said he had to wait to ride again because “he needed his heart to calm down.”
Everest – YES. YES. YES. This ride is terrifying, crazy, and SOOOO glad we opted for a Fast Pass. It was the perfect addition to our list and Jack was finally ready to conquer it (Jim and I took turns staying with Charlie). This is a great coaster at this park and if they are up your alley, this is a MUST Fast-Pass. QUICK TIP: Please note – you are limited to three fast passes in advance, SO I downloaded the Disney Experience app and once we used our three, I jumped back on to claim more and that’s how we landed Everest. BUT in hindsight, I would have grabbed Everest initially instead of Festival of the Lion King.
We also really enjoyed the Kali River Rapids (round tubed boats and WATER!) and we also walked onto that ride later in the day. Charlie’s pick was adventurous and beautifully scenic. Don’t forget to ask the bridge passers-by to push the button. 😉
Dining:
One of the things we opted to do while we were here, apart from our usual Mickey Bar and Pretzel fare, was find things that people had highly recommended. With areas like Africa and Asia at Animal Kingdom, there is plenty to enjoy! Here are a few things we LOVED when there:
THE HUGE cinnamon roll (Mickey shaped of course!) – this little bakery is located to the left on your way to the safaris. A little hole in the wall (quite literally a window) is a cute little find that has pastries, coffees, and this MAMMOTH! We easily split this for breakfast to enjoy more treats later on.
Tusker House Rivers of Light Dining Package – A MUST! A character buffet that we enjoyed at lunch (DELICIOUS cuisine) with all the Mickey faves (Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Mickey) ALSO earns you a light-up lily popcorn bucket that you can snag $1.50 refills around the park (YAY SNACKING!) At the end of the night, you earn premiere seats on the river to watch the GORGEOUS lights show that is WOW (!!!!) Animal Kingdom previously closed at 5 or 6 pm, so this lights spectacular really makes it an all-day park for us.
Eight Spoon Cafe – Pulled pork mac ‘n cheese that counts as a snack credit? Yes, please!
Flame Tree Barbecue – Jim found this option and talked about it ALL DAY LONG. We ended up here for a quick service meal at the end of the night and Jim was able to get a HUGE plate with a whole rack of ribs, cornbread, baked beans, and slaw. DELICIOUS choice and offered other fare such as pulled pork sandwiches, salads, chicken, and more! This is located right before you enter Dinoland U.S.A. and a great option for your quick service meal of the day!
Animal Kingdom Agenda – DONE! In the coming weeks, we’ll dissect the parks a bit more and give some tips/tricks for enjoying them even moreso and what we found worked and didn’t for us! But in our book? Animal Kingdom will be a MUST STOP at our next visit here.
Have you perused Animal Kingdom? What are MUST STOPS for you when you visit?
{Pictures will be added to this post upon our return!}
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