DOING DISNEY?
10 tips for navigating the Animal Kingdom
I’ve been to Disney’s Animal Kingdom at least 60 times in the 20 years the theme park’s been open.
First, I went with my own kids, who are now 28 to 38. Then came the grandkids.
Over the years, my family has developed a Disney system, from which we never stray: We stay at a Disney resort. We get up very early to be among the first people to enter the theme parks. We rush to the most popular rides while the crowds are tolerable. Then we exit the park and head back to the resort by noon.
This strategy has turned us all into obsessed, crowd-control commandos— but it’s the only way to enjoy Disney if you don’t like bumping up against throngs of sticky people wearing tank tops.
So what if my 2-year-old grandson, River, wants to sleep in until 9 a.m.? Too bad, kid.
If he’s going with Gran Jan, he’s getting on that Disney bus at 7:15 for an 8 a.m. “extra magic hour” opening time.
For Disney resort guests, the theme parks open early or stay open late. There’s a calendar to see what park gets an extra hour on what day. The week of June 25-29, for example, Animal Kingdom has “extra magic hours” from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. for Disney resort guests. Other folks can’t get in until 9 a.m.
From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., you might be able to get into the hottest new rides — Avatar Flight of Passage
and the Na’vi River Journey, both inside the new land, Pandora — World of Avatar — even if you don’t have a Fast Pass.
Gran Jan doesn’t sweat in any line that’s longer than 20 minutes — and you don’t have to, either, if you have an action plan.
Here are a Disney Grandma’s 10 tips for navigating Animal Kingdom, in celebration of the theme park’s 20th birthday:
Take at least two days at Animal Kingdom: Animal Kingdom is the only Disney theme park that’s part real fabulousness and part fantasy fabulousness, so it requires a different pace than, say, the Magic Kingdom.
At Animal Kingdom, you’ve got the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction — which takes you through a real open-air savanna with real lions, giraffes and hippos — and also Disney World’s current most popular thrill ride, Avatar Flight of Passage, a flight simulator that “flies” you right into the world of Pandora.
It’s easy to let the adrenal rush of the zippy Flight of Passage overcome the majestic, true-life power of a lion sunning himself. So, if you rush from the safaris to Flight of Passage or the everpopular Expedition Everest roller coaster, then you miss the most awe-inspiring attractions here — the incredible animals.
Take your time. Relish the real.
Explore the Exploration Trail: My favorite Animal Kingdom attraction is one that many overlook: Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.
One spring, my daughters and I spent a truly magical and surprising hour wandering this trail — which we happened to enter by accident after exiting Kilimanjaro Safaris.
We were immediately swept into a tropical jungle filled with swooping birds and nests. Hundreds of tiny yellow birds — golden weavers — were flying around and building their bowling-ballsized upside-down nests in all the trees.
Some of the birds literally dive-bombed around our heads. Others would land right in front of us and pick up sticks for their nests. They were so close we were afraid people would step on them. This fascinating nesting process captivated all of us — even my 5-year-old grandson.
It takes about 20 minutes to walk the trail, and you’ll also spot monkeys, meerkats and gorillas.
Speaking of birds, there’s a new show: Animal Kingdom has just revamped the fantastic bird show, formerly called Flights of Wonder.
The new show — Up! A Great Bird Adventure — features the Russell and Dug characters from the Disney Pixar movie “Up” — plus a toucan, a peacock, a bald eagle, various other feathered friends and a parrot who can tweet “Old MacDonald.”
It’s funny and exciting — because the birds fly all around the audience members and can’t be totally controlled.
This Disney Grandma says: Wear a hat.
Pay attention to the magical Disney details: The Tree of Life rises from the center of Animal Kingdom. It has 325 animal carvings in it. Take note.
When your sturdy vehicle is bumping around the savanna in the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction, rest easy: Disney has controlled those bumps. Disney Imagineers made the road feel like a remote byway in Africa by matching concrete with the surrounding soil, then rolling tires through it and tossing stones and debris into it. Hold on!
Beware of the “Disco Yeti”: Here’s a fun fact from Disney public relations: “Expedition Everest, towering at nearly 200 feet high and occupying a 6.2acre site, takes guests on a race through the Himalayan mountains on a speeding train. It is one of 18 mountain attractions created by Walt Disney Imagineering at Disney theme parks worldwide.”
This fun fact neglects to mention that this roller coaster stars a giant Yeti, who used to “threaten” riders by moving and appearing to grab them as the roller coaster moved its way up the mountain. The Yeti has been stuck for years, and because it’s anchored in the foundation of the ride, Disney hasn’t gotten around to fixing it. The ride is still fantastic because strobe lights shine on the Yeti to make it as scary as a stationary Yeti can be. Disney fanatics call it “Disco Yeti.”
Dinoland U.S.A. — for when the kids aren’t 44 inches tall: My grandson, Jack, is 5 and too short to go on Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest, so when my kids go on those thrill rides, Gran Jan and Jack go to Dinoland, a dinosaur-themed amusement area inside Animal Kingdom, with rides for smaller kids, arcade games and a playground. Throw in some face painting, and Jack is enchanted.
The booze! Why not suck down a Yak Attack — a mango-berry daiquiri — before your stomach drops 80 feet on the Expedition Everest roller coaster? This delish tonic is at the Yak & Yeti restaurant, at the base of Expedition Everest.
The food! The Everest of Animal Kingdom restaurants is Tiffins, which features a “globe-trotting menu” from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It’s expensive, but food critics rave about dishes such as charred octopus, pan-seared duck breast and wagyu eye of rib-eye.
There’s something weird to me about eating beef after seeing beautiful animals roam the savanna or devouring duck after watching the bird show. But if that’s your thing, Tiffins is tops.
Yak & Yeti is our fave quickstop restaurant at Animal Kingdom because it has a Southeast Asian theme and the noodle bowls and small plates don’t make us bloat like a Yeti.
We like the fried cream cheese wontons with pineapple and vanilla ice cream. It sounds strange — but it’s really good. If you’re looking for that classic Disney favorite, the Dole Whip cup with a splash of rum, head to Tamu
Tamu refreshments stand.
Pandora — The World of Avatar: Is it worth a two-hour wait? This “land” inside Animal Kingdom is basically the world of the hit film “Avatar” come to life.
It’s spectacular, even if you don’t care about James Cameron’s movie, and I don’t.
Here’s how Disney describes it: “This new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the Na’vi has ended. The vivid daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.”
OK, that’s cool, but even if you never cared about the Na’vi, you’ve got to be impressed by this: The 22 iconic floating mountains in the Valley of Mo’ara peak at about 130 feet, and it took a team of more than 60 artisans to create this fantastic world. It just looks cool.
The flight simulation ride Avatar Flight of Passage is worth every adjective I can gush: Thrilling, breathtaking, awe-inspiring. It is the best flight simulation ride I have ever been on.
Some fans describe it as a combo of Star Tours and Soarin’ — and that’s right.
It’s longer than most rides, at five minutes. This means there are two “preshows” where you stand for a long time while your avatar is created and you learn what a banshee is — that’s the winged creature you’ll be “flying” on.
Be warned: Some people are too big for the banshee.
The “banshee” you sit on to ride is like a small motor scooter, and you’re tightly strapped in. There’s a model of the seat at the entrance of the ride. As embarrassing as it may seem, if you are tall or wide or both, you should try it to see whether your legs fit in the restraints.
Be sure your ass-age is the right size for passage — or you may wait two hours for nothing.
The other big Pandora attraction, Na’vi River Journey, is pretty and sedate but, frankly, kind of boring.
It reminded me of a way cooler version of that river ride in Mexico at Epcot. But if you’re into “Avatar,” or if you’re tired, it’s a lovely and peaceful experience. (Come to think of it, drink a Yak Attack cocktail before you go.)
Get Fast Passes and go to touringplans.com: If you wander around and wait in the normal lines, you could be waiting two-plus hours for Flight of Passage. We’re not kidding!
Touringplans.com tracks wait times at the theme parks and predicts the lowest June wait times without a Fast Pass are around 45 minutes. That’s at 8 a.m. — during extra magic hours before the usual 9 a.m. open — and right before it closes.
Even Fast Passes are hard to get for the Pandora rides.
If you get your theme park tickets early and set up a My Disney Experience account, you can get Fast Passes up to 60 days before your visit if you’re booked at a Disney resort and 30 days ahead of your visit if you have ticket, annual pass or Florida resident seasonal passes.
There will be no Fast Passes for both main Pandora attractions if you try to get them the day before, trust me.
If it’s too crowded to do Pandora, no worries: Walk slowly over to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and admire the majesty.
It’s the real and spectacular animals that will thrill you, every time.