Animal Kingdom is slowly growing to be one of my favorite theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. You can see amazing animals up close, watch excellent shows, ride thrilling rides and learn about animal welfare and so much more! We have decided to rank our favorite attractions (rides and shows) list our top five for you. It was so hard to only pick five!
#1 Kilimanjaro Safari
Our number one favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safari. On this ride you travel on a guided tour on Disney’s very own African Savannah. Your tour guide will point out animals throughout, while also telling the occasional joke. The best time to go on this ride is in the morning and you will definitely want a Fast Pass. The animals are more active in the morning. The cast members at Disney will warn you and I will warn you as well. As much as you want small children to have a better view and sit on the ends of the row, they really should sit with an adult on the end of the bench. On more than one occasion my safari group has come across an animal in the middle of the road. The animals, while contained to a general area of the reserve, have free access the roam the huge enclosures that you drive through on the ride. The ride will sometimes temporarily stop or have a delay because of a rhino or ostrich walking in the middle of the road. These animals can come up to the vehicle you are in. An ostrich once tried to steal my dad’s sunglasses. The driver will also have to sometimes start driving pretty abruptly if an animal is getting too close to the truck. For all of these reasons it is much, much safer for children to be on the interior of a row. This is one of the best experiences for visiting animals and our experience will be completely different each and every time you ride. We cannot say more positive things about this ride. It’s definitely worth checking out!
#2 Flight of Passage
Our number two attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Flight of Passage. This is a newer ride in the Pandora section of Animal Kingdom. This ride is just so cool. You are riding on the back of a banshee from the movie Avatar. Between the amazing graphics, colors and special effects this ride is definitely worth the wait time. While I would suggest getting a Fast Pass for this ride since it can have a long wait time due to its popularity, there are ways to get around the long wait. My family always tries to get to the park before it opens (affectionately called rope drop). If you go straight to this attraction your wait can be nominal. Additionally, the ride queue is amazing, which is something you miss if you have a Fast Pass. Disney really out did themselves when designing this attraction. The pre-show is awesome. If you experience motion sickness on rides this may be a little too much for you. My mom sometimes gets sick when riding, but if she closes her eyes she is fine. Overall this ride has quickly become one of our all time favorites.
#3 Finding Nemo the Musical
The next attraction is actually a show, and in our opinion it is the very best show that Disney has at Walt Disney World. Finding Nemo the Musical is just fantastic. There is really no other way to describe it. The music, the costumes, the actors and actresses are without a doubt some of the best. I love the music so much that I have purchased the soundtrack at the kiosk near the exit of the theater. This is also a great opportunity to cool off in the air conditioning and relax for about a half hour. Children and adults alike will enjoy the story and songs. If you are a fan of Finding Nemo you can find some merchandise at the kiosk there that you cannot find anywhere else at Walt Disney World. Definitely check the showtimes cards at the entrance of the theme park when you arrive so you can plan which show you will see. It is definitely worth attending.
#4 Expedition Everest
Next on the list is Expedition Everest. This thrilling roller coaster will keep you on your toes as you escape the Yeti. We have found that some of our best family photos while on a roller coaster are from this ride. It is tons of fun and is surprisingly a very smooth ride. This is until the brakes are applied at the exit. We typically ride as single riders so that we can have a shorter wait time and not have to use a Fast Pass for this ride. However, with younger riders you will want to either get a Fast Pass or wait in the standby line.
#5 - Festival of the Lion King
Lastly we have the Festival of the Lion King, the other fabulous show at Animal Kingdom. This show includes music, dancing, acrobatics and more. As dancers we both dreamed about becoming the blue bird dancer in this show. Everyone in the family will enjoy this interactive show. Every time I leave I end up singing songs from the Lion King in my head for the rest of the day. Check out the showtimes when you enter the park so that you can plan on visiting this fabulous attraction.
There are so many other great attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. Want to know more about what this park has to offer? Check out our other blog posts! Have suggestions for other must do attractions at Animal Kingdom? We want to know! We’d love to hear your suggestions. If you want more Disney trips subscribe to our blog. If you are interested in learning more about booking your next Disney vacation with us, free of charge complete our quote request form or email us at bcmagicaltrips@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Pintrest @bcmagicaltipsandtrips.
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