Into each life, a little rain must fall. And if that rain happens to fall on your Disney day, you may be singing the blues. There’s still plenty of ways to have fun at the parks, though. Today, we’re looking at four ways to have fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on a rainy day.
Indoor Attractions or Attractions with Indoor Queues
Although many attractions at Animal Kingdom are outside, there are a few that can help take you out of the rain for a while, including It’s Tough to be a Bug and Dinosaur. Also, depending on line length, Flight of Passage has a queue that is partially indoors, and much of Kilimanjaro Safaris’ queue is under cover. A trip on the Wildlife Express is under cover, and then Conservation Station is inside.
Go Shopping for a While
Animal Kingdom has several unique shopping locations where you can spend some time to get out of the rain. You can read more about the variety that you can find here.
Grab a Drink and Watch the Crowds Go By
A good bar experience may not be what you think of when you think of Animal Kingdom, but two of our favorite bars at Walt Disney World can be found here. For a casual drink and good crowd-watching opportunities, Dawa Bar in Africa is highly recommended. Looking for an even more relaxing experience? Nomad Lounge, located near the Discovery Island bridge into Pandora offers quality drinks and food. You can see more of our recommendations here.
Ride Kali River Rapids
If it’s raining, you’re probably already wet. As long as it isn’t severe weather that necessitates a closure, why not enjoy riding on Kali River Rapids to get thoroughly soaked?
Do you have other favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom when it rains? Let us know in the comments.
Walt Disney World isn’t just for the young, but also for the young at heart! Yes, a Walt Disney World Vacation has more to offer adults than Dumbo the Flying Elephant and spinning teacups. In addition to award-winning dining and luxury resort hotels, Disney World offers signature quality and service where everything is an experience.
I searched through our Lines 2.0 app and compiled a list of the highest-rated attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom according to adults. Will you agree with our users’ ratings? Let’s take a look!
5. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
The Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is a self-guided walking trail located next to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Here guests encounter a variety of African wildlife including two troops of lowland gorillas.
According to the Lines 2.0 app ratings, adults of all ages enjoy this trail with seniors rating it slightly higher than young adults and those over 30.
Young Adults Rating: 4.2
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.2
Seniors Rating: 4.3
Why Do Adults Love the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail?
(c) Disney
Unlike rides and shows, this trail allows guests to experience it at their own pace and their own way. The lush and shady trail is also a welcome escape from the relentless Florida sunshine, and the variety of animals from gorillas to hippos to meerkats to exotic birds makes this trail well worth the trek.
4. Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight
Winged Encounters at Animal Kingdom
This mini-show features colorful macaws flying over Discovery Island and then landing in front of the Tree of Life! It’s a gorgeous, picture-perfect display seemingly straight out of a movie.
Young adults scored Winged Encounters a little lower than the other two adult groups, but what’s surprising is that Lines 2.0 users rated this brief show higher than some of the park’s attractions!
Young Adults Rating: 4.1
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.5
Seniors Rating: 4.5
Why Do Adults Love Winged Encounters?
Winged Encounters at Animal Kingdom
Winged Encounters is a photographer and Instagrammer’s dream. There’s nothing quite like seeing those bright, colorful birds swooping in front of the Tree of Life. Plus, once the birds have landed on their perch, guests are free to ask questions from Animal Kingdom’s bird care experts to learn more about them.
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is Animal Kingdom’s take on a runaway train coaster in a mountain. Think of it as a combo of Disneyland’s Matterhorn and the Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain. This highly detailed coaster takes guests in and out of the snowy Forbidden Mountain to escape the legendary Yeti!
This masterpiece of a coaster is clearly a crowd-pleaser among young adults and adults over 30 years and rightly so. But it looks like Expedition Everest’s drops and backward movement contributed to its lower score from seniors.
Young Adults Rating: 4.9
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.8
Seniors Rating: 4.3
Why Do Adults Love Expedition Everest?
Expedition Everest is a masterclass in Disney storytelling and immersion. Plus, it sends guests in and out, up and down, and even backward in a man-made mountain that’s the tallest attraction at Walt Disney World. It checks all the boxes of a thrill ride but keeps guests coming back for its atmosphere and experience.
2. Kilimanjaro Safaris
Kilimanjaro Safaris Entrance
Kilimanjaro Safaris is an open-air safari through 110 acres home to 34 species of wildlife and designed to look like an actual African reserve. While aboard, guests are treated to views of African wildlife roaming free through forests, grasslands, and savannas.
Adults of all ages rewarded Kilimanjaro Safaris a high rating meaning this particular attraction truly appeals to everyone.
Young Adults Rating: 4.7
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.7
Seniors Rating: 4.8
Why Do Adults Love Kilimanjaro Safaris?
This attraction is about the closest you can get to an actual African safari and is an experience guests remember long after they’ve left the park. Guests also enjoy a variety of terrains and wildlife ranging from giraffes to elephants to cheetahs to lions. But since these are live animals, you never know which animals you might see and what they might be up to.
Flight of Passage is Pandora – The World of Avatar’s signature attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This flight simulator attraction creates the exhilaration of flight from the back of banshee over and through the breathtaking landscapes of Pandora. Flight of Passage is often compared to Epcot’s Soarin’ Around the World as it effectively simulates the sensation of flight and uses a giant screen coupled with scents and water effects. What makes Flight of Passage unique from Soarin’ Around the World is its use of 3-D coupled with unique ride vehicles.
Both young adults and adults over 30 gave Flight of Passage the highest ratings of all the Animal Kingdom attractions. Seniors awarded it high ratings, but not quite as high as they did for Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Young Adults Rating: 4.9
Over 30 Adults Rating: 4.9
Seniors Rating: 4.7
Why Do Adults Love Flight of Passage?
Flight of Passage is a thrill ride where guests remain stationary throughout the experience. They may feel like they’re flying, dipping, and moving at high speeds; in reality, they’ve never moved from their bike. Not only does this fact comfort adults who are wary of typical thrill rides, but the tone of the attraction is something adults love too.
On a typical Disney attraction, the action starts when something goes wrong. But on Flight of Passage, it’s not about what goes wrong but what goes right. It also offers an uplifting, inspiring tone that some have compared to a religious experience.
Do you agree with our Lines 2.0 app ratings? Which of these attractions would you rate as the highest? Let us know in the comments!
Filed Under: Adults, Attractions, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, animal kingdom attractions, Animal Kingdom For Adults, animal kingdom rides, disney world, Disney World For Adults, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage, Gorilla Falls, Gorilla Falls Trail, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Lines 2.0 app, pandora, walt disney world
Fresh off the hooves of the news that an endangered white male rhino calf was born earlier this week at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, we are thrilled to share a sneak peek of the newborn.
The video below features endearing moments as mother Kendi bonds with her playful, yet-to-be-named baby. He is curious, loves his afternoon naps and has started sparring with his mom.
We hope you enjoy this look at the beauty of nature as much as we did. The young rhino will join the herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the coming weeks.
From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort, DAK
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom have reopened for a special Cast Member preview today and we’ve been bringing you along with us — all day LONG!
Since we couldn’t be in two places today, our friend @allisonxella on Instagram let us know what’s was happening over at Animal Kingdom! First of all, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw Avatar Flight of Passage only had a five-minute wait time! Is the My Disney Experience app broken or something? This ride usually has a least a two-hour standby line!
Screenshot From My Disney Experience App
But the reports actually appeared to ring TRUE! Our friend pretty much walked straight through the line in record time! We’ll be curious to see how the wait times hold up for the rest of the week once Annual Passholders and the general public return!
Social-distancing markers have been placed at roughly 6-foot intervals throughout Flight of Passage’s rather lengthy standby line space. They’re prominently positioned outside along the winding mountain trail…
Social-Distancing Markers
…as well as inside! Guests were being moved quickly through the laboratory area of the queue. Normally we don’t mind spending a little extra time in this room to appreciate all the details and science experiments that are happening, but our friend said the line moved so FAST that the room was all a blur!
Flight of Passage Queue
And just like that, she reached the end of the line! A plexiglass barrier has been installed in this section where the queues break apart and guests are assigned to their boarding groups.
Flight of Passage Queue
We were wondering what would happen next since Flight of Passage has a rather long pre-show experience before your journey officially begins.
Pre-Show
Before you get to “SIVAKO!” (That’s Na’vi for “Rise to the challenge!”), you normally have to pause in a briefing room. That’s where your body is scanned for “Pandoran micro-parasites” and ultimately, you’re paired up with an Avatar!
Pre-Show Skipped
For now, guests will walk straight through this part of the pre-show — but Dr. Jackie Ogden still wants to have a word with you right before you board the ride.
The Ride Experience
Cast Members hand out 3D glasses (like they normally do). Two link chairs are left empty between each party and up to three parties are seated per row.
Flight of Passage Link Chair
Aside from having to wear a face mask the entire time, our friend reported that the rest of Flight of Passage looked and felt just as she remembered it! You know — breathtaking visuals, lots of swooping and diving, all while feeling your banshee panting and flapping its wings! At the end of the ride, 3D glasses get returned in the same bins they normally use for sterilization before being redistributed.
We still can’t quite get over only having to wait FIVE MINUTES to ride one of Disney World’s most popular attractions! It remains to be seen if those wait times increase during Annual Passholder previews and during the official park opening to all guests on July 11th, but we will be there to check it all out firsthand and will most definitely keep you posted!
What’s your favorite attraction in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, Featured, Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom reopening, Avatar, Avatar Flight of Passage, Disney World reopening, disney’s animal kingdom, flight of passage, Pandora, Pandora — The World of AVATAR
Today, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened for a special preview day for Cast Members to visit the theme park. Due to the new social distancing procedures, Disney has temporarily changed how we will see popular Disney characters in the park. For instance, those visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom will now see characters aboard watercraft in Discovery River instead of the former meet and greet opportunities for guests.
Below you can watch a demonstration of the new character cruises at Discovery River. A visitor, Tradzak, shared a video of their experience today on Instagram. We see popular Lion King characters Timon and Rafiki saving to passengers as they journey down the river.
A post shared by Thomas Radzak (@tradzak) on Jul 7, 2020 at 8:09am PDT
Seeing the characters from afar is certainly both entertaining and great for Disney fans who missed seeing their favorite characters. This new procedure helps ensure the health and safety of Disney guests by maintaining an appropriate social distance.
We also see Mickey Mouse and his friends are cruising down the river as well! Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto were joyfully greeting guests as they walked through the park.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom officially reopens to the public on July 11, 2020. We hope our fans stay tuned as we provide coverage on the reopened theme park!
From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Characters, Walt Disney World, animal kingdom, discovery river, Disney characters, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safari
Expedition Everest is a masterclass in Disney storytelling and immersion. Plus, it sends guests in and out, up and down, and even backward in a man-made mountain that’s the tallest attraction at Walt Disney World. It checks all the boxes of a thrill ride but keeps guests coming back for its atmosphere and experience.
This attraction is about the closest you can get to an actual African safari and is an experience guests remember long after they’ve left the park. Guests also enjoy a variety of terrains and wildlife ranging from giraffes to elephants to cheetahs to lions. But since these are live animals, you never know which animals you might see and what they might be up to.
Flight of Passage is a thrill ride where guests remain stationary throughout the experience. They may feel like they’re flying, dipping, and moving at high speeds; in reality, they’ve never moved from their bike. Not only does this fact comfort adults who are wary of typical thrill rides, but the tone of the attraction is something adults love too.
