Disney’s Animal Kingdom was our main goal for Day 2 of the Whyte Family Disney Vacation. We had a long list of fun things to do, we got through most of them. We made sure we went on Kilimanjaro Safaris, ride Expedition Everest and watch Lion King! Animal Kingdom is so nice because it is shady and on an extremely hot day in June, we appreciate all the foliage
At the “rope drop”… (When you get to Disney they let you into the parks at a certain time, but only so far in, then at the actual assigned opening time the “rope drops” and you can move to the actual attractions.)…so at rope drop, Mason and Marty went to Expedition Everest, while Cooper and I headed to the Safari, but the Safari didn’t open for another hour so we went to explore Pandora. We decided not to go on the ride but we walked around the area. It was so beautiful and there was so much to look at.
As Cooper and I were walking I noticed the huge tree (not real, but didn’t matter) in the middle of the park. It was just the most striking site, every angle had a different view of the tree which allowed us to see different animals “carved” into the trunk. There are over 300 carvings and they can be viewed close up on the Discovery Island Trails. Inside of the tree is a theater and the tree is used at night as the backdrop for the light show. We missed the light show but it is on my list for next time!
According to Mason Expedition Everest was the best rollercoaster ever (but we hear that a lot!) Mason had watched a few Youtube videos about the ride before we went so he knew what to expect, however Marty did not! So he was more than startled when the cars approached the broken track and then headed backward at full speed. They had such a good time they rode it twice!
Well, after our Pandora walk and the Expedition Everest ride, we met up at Kilimanjaro Safaris! I was so excited for this part of the park. We had a FastPass for this attraction which was nice because then we didn’t need to wait for the hour it took to open the attraction. We loved all the animals we were able to see and it was great to hear all the information about how the animals are cared for. The pictures below tell the story of the attraction.
We explored Animal Kingdom for a while, just catching the African and Asian feeling. We loved watching the monkeys walking and swinging while playing around.
We found an entire set of bongos that were just calling to us to play them!
The boys loved watching this artisan carve this walking stick. It was mesmerizing to look at all of the intricate carvings.
One of our most surprising shows was Festival of the Lion King. We were in awe of the entire production. This is definitely Broadway level entertainment. There was always so much going on to see. We loved it, and we could have gone again just to see all the stuff we missed.
We had reservations at Disney Springs for a late lunch, scheduling issues occured…long story! We went to Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. I wish it was a time when there was a band but the World Cup kept us plenty entertained. This lunch was heavenly! Huge rack of ribs and the yummy blueberry mint lemonade topped it all off.
Our second day ended a little early, it was a very hot day and we were all exhausted. Thankfully our resort had a nice pool we all enjoyed.
We missed the light show too, maybe next time. And agree that the Lion King show was quite spectacular!
Wow, there is so much to see. How many days do you recommend at that park? I did not know about the rope drops.
This was Day 2 of our Disney trip, it was at Animal Kingdom. I think one day would work well.
I have not been back to Animal Kingdom since I was a kid and this trip is long overdue. Thanks for the inspiration to take a trip out there!
Animal Kingdom is so underrated! We loved it!
I love just wandering around Animal Kingdom. Disney has done such an amazing job with all the little details in that park.
I agree!! I love all the shade and greenery!
I love that you are breaking down Animal Kingdom into several days! There is so much to see!
Thanks Laura, actually Animal Kingdom was Day 2 of our Disney Trip.
We love Animal Kingdom, but rarely spend the whole day there either. We did manage to go one evening and see Pandora at night, but never made it to the river show, which is a bummer because my littles are scared of fireworks so this might be the only show we can go to until they get over that. (At least I’ve heard there are no fireworks…but I haven’t seen it so…) Also, I would like to state for the record that those ribs and that lemonade look delicious.
Jen, the ribs and lemonade were super yummy!
When we went to Disney world, everyone told me that Animal Kingdom was the “least exciting” park and that we could just plan a few hours to see it. But it ended up being one of my favorites! I loved the whole atmosphere and all the things to explore.
I agree!
Animal Kingdom is so fun! Love to hear about your trip!
Ahhhhh! I love Animal Kingdom. It’s not one of people’s favorites and I just don’t get why that is. It has everything I am looking for in a park. <3
I haven’t yet been to Pandora but I am excited to take the family.
We love this park! I especially love all the shade!