Travel Diary: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Florida

Two days before the monster Hurricane Irma was set to make landfall in Florida, I decided to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! I have been going to Disney World every year for the past 14 years so I am very familiar with most rides in all the theme parks.

I didn’t want to miss going here because it was my birthday and I wanted to celebrate it  for once! I’m really glad I did but now I’m currently cooped up at home recovering from the hurricane writing this post. It’s been a journey!

Disney World is arguably the most popular theme park in the world. There are many parks that have different themes that stay true to their names. There is Magic Kingdom, which is dedicated to fairy tales and Disney princesses. Epcot, which is dedicated to technology and futurism and Animal Kingdom, which is dedicated to nature and it’s animals!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

I visited the theme park with my family and it was a really sunny when we arrived in the parking lot. There were many cars parked already and we walked forward to a series of poles to wait for a tram to pick us up!

It takes about 3 minutes to reach the ticketing booths so it’s a really short ride!

You can buy Disney World tickets in person or online. I bought my tickets online so I didn’t need to wait in line to get tickets. I simply walked to the booth in front and scanned my bar code on my phone to get in!

Once you’re inside the park you immediately feel as if you are in an Amazonian forest. There is a lush display of evergreen trees everywhere and beautiful flowers scattered around. It really gives you the feel of the Jungle!

The park is divided into roughly 4-6 sections but I only remember 4! There is Africa, Asia, Dinoland and Pandora.

Pandora: The World Of Avatar

Pandora is Disney’s new attraction that recently opened in Animal Kingdom. It reportedly cost half a billion dollars to construct! I’m a big avatar fan so there is no way I was going to miss seeing this attraction!

Pandora is absolutely breathtaking! It blows my mind just thinking about all the hours that went into the construction of the scenery. The surrounding area looks like it came straight out of the Avatar movie! Those strangely shaped rocks and filled with green leaves and spinning thingies? They’re all there and look so real. It was so great to be immersed into the environment.

 

I also saw the machines that the humans used in the Avatar movie. I loved how they made it life-sized. You could just tell that a lot of effort was put into the design and construction of these structures!

The Na’vi River Journey

Up next was one of my most anticipated rides; the Na’vi River Journey! The Na’vi river journey is a boat ride through a bioluminescent rain forest in search for the Shaman Of Songs. It was a really dark ride so it was difficult to get some good shots! But there is a giant life-sized singing avatar robot (the shaman), 3D animations and lots of sensations that make you feel like you’re really in the Na’Vi River! It’s definitely a ride that you should not miss if you go to Pandora!

Standing in the long lines had me beat so I decided to get some delicious bubble tea called “Night Blossom” at a stall nearby. This was my first time getting bubble tea and I was pleasantly surprised!

The lines in Animal Kingdom are also ridiculously long so make sure you have some sunscreen, comfortable shoes and a bottle of water. I stood for 1 hour to enter the Na’vi river and the ride only lasted for 5 minutes. The two other Pandora rides had 120 minute long lines! Long lines are just something you have to prepare for in Disney because there is always a crowd present.

Africa: The Festival Of The Lion King

Up next was the walk to the Festival of the Lion King all the way in Africa! This was a broadway show with Simba and his friends filled with elaborate props, acrobatics and special effects.

I love broadway shows and musicals so this was something I was really looking forward to! I was pleasantly surprised because I taught it was just a simple singing show. It is so much more than that! It was also a full 30 minute show so I was happy that it wasn’t as short as most Disney attractions/rides.

Off To Dinoland….

Dinoland is dedicated to Dinosaurs and the main attractions are really the rollercoasters there! I wanted to go on some of the rollercoasters there but my sister was afraid and riding alone in a rollercoaster isn’t fun to me. We skipped on that and rode a little cute baby dinosaur on the Dino-Rama ride!

Entertainment Around The Park

I loved how there was lots of entertainment around the park that didn’t require you to stand in long lines. There was a drumming quartet in Pandora, a harp player near Dinoland and acrobatic dancers in Africa.

I think I had a really good birthday celebration at Animal Kingdom! I usually don’t celebrate my birthdays because I just can’t be bothered. good experience that I won’t forget! Thank you so much for reading.

Have you ever been to Disney? 

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