February 2021
This was our very busy park day! This day was so busy that it is going to be split into two posts, this one about Animal Kingdom and the next about Epcot. On the day that we visited Disney's Animal Kingdom opened at 8:00 AM. This was my boyfriend Ryan's first time visiting Animal Kingdom and I knew that we would be in for a wild time. Ryan and I took the bus to Animal Kingdom from our resort, Art of Animation, which we arrived to just before opening.
We decided to rush over to DinoLand U.S.A. to get on DINOSAUR. We were able to get on without any line and Ryan loved the ride! We had a lot of fun taking pictures while walking around a decently empty park. I think that by going to DinoLand U.S.A. first allowed us to enjoy a quiet morning while most of the guests flocked over to Pandora - The World of Avatar.
After DinoLand U.S.A., we went over to Asia. Ryan had no wait getting onto Expedition Everest. I am not a fan of heights so I sat this one out but he had a great time. We were able to get some more pictures as we headed over to Africa to go on Kilimanjaro Safaris.
In Africa, we had no wait getting onto Kilimanjaro Safaris. Since it was Ryan's first time on the Safari and he loves animals, I let him sit on the left side of the ride which in my opinion is the better side. We had a blast seeing all of the animals especially since most were being very active. In my opinion, the early morning is one of the best times to ride the Safari because I feel like the animals are usually more active. After the Safari, we wanted to do Rafiki's Planet Watch but it was not running yet. So instead we decided to get a Simba pretzel and carry along with our day. We then moved onto Pandora - The World of Avatar.
In Pandora - The World of Avatar, Ryan was amazed! I love Pandora and I think that it is a stunning land, especially at night. We were able to get onto Avatar Flight of Passage within 35 minutes! I love this ride but towards the end I do tend to get a little bit of motion sickness. Ryan absolutely loved it and I am so glad that we were able to ride it! Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to ride Na'vi River Journey because the line was about a hour long. Personally, I do not think that waiting that long for this ride is worthwhile. Before we headed out of Pandora, I was able to pin trade with a merchandise cast member outside of the gift shop.
We continued on with our day and walked over to Discovery Island to go and see It's Tough to be a Bug! This attraction gives me the creepy crawlies but I always force myself to tough through it because it is a classic. Ryan agreed that while he enjoyed it, his skin was left crawling. Afterwards, we went to grab a bite at Flame Tree Barbecue. We mobile ordered Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork (topped with onion rings and coleslaw) to share for $11.99. It was super delish but I would recommend getting one per person instead of sharing. We only decided to share it because we wanted to save lots of room for all of the festival food over in Epcot that we would soon be indulging in.
We then went back over to Asia to walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek as well as see the UP! A Great Bird Adventure Show. Ryan and I loved being able to walk the Jungle Trek at our own pace and see such a wonderful variety of animals. I think that the Jungle Trek alone is gorgeous with all of the colorful architecture and the exotic animals are just a hidden bonus. To Ryan, I think he enjoyed finding all of the animals and learning about them. It was both our first time watching UP! A Great Bird Adventure Show and we had a lot of feathered fun. I especially enjoyed how interactive and lively the show was!
Animal Kingdom does not disappoint with the amount of opportunities to see a variety of animals. Ryan and I circled back to Rafiki's Planet Watch which was now fully running and we were able to take the train over to the small petting zoo area. We were both happy to interact closely with the goats and sheep. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time in our day to stay for the Animation Experience. I have done the experience before and I will defiantly do it again in the future.
Before we headed out of Animal Kingdom to go over to Epcot, I did one last pin trade with a merchandise cast member in Discovery Island. After the pin trade, we made way for the park exit and hopped onto the next bus going to Epcot.
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