- Festival of the Lion King
This is my favourite thing to do in Animal Kingdom, if not my favourite in the whole of Walt Disney World. It is THE best show on property! There’s amazing singers, dancers, gymnasts and a fire dancer, who all perform to the well known soundtrack of the Lion King. Not only is the talent outstanding but the costumes they wear are truly stunning; brightly coloured and animalistic without actually trying to look like animals. How they manage to perform 6 shows a day and to such a high standard is mind-blowing.
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Probably the most popular attraction at Animal Kingdom since it opened in May 2017 and there’s a reason for it. It’s the weirdest ride I’ve ever been on but in a good way. The whole ride is really well themed, for example, before you even get in the ride vehicle you have to be “screened” to find a matching avatar and the scientists explain all about their work with the Na’vi. The ride seat/vehicle or whatever they call it is strange, you have to sit on it like it was a bike and a back and leg restraints come up behind you. Then you take flight on the back of a banshee. You actually don’t move very far but the movement of the ride and the screen in front make you feel as if you are flying over Pandora. It’s so realistic, you can feel the banshee breathing between your legs and it catches your tummy with each nose dive, turn and landing.
Book a fastpass if you can because sometimes the stand by queue is crazy long.
- Finding Nemo – The Musical
Finding Nemo, the original Pixar film, isn’t a musical so this show has a whole new soundtrack. The entire show is fantastic but the it’s the vocals that stand out the most. The amazing combination of puppets, projections and special effects really make this a show to see. I know I said the Festival of the Lion King is my favourite show and I’ve only seen the Finding Nemo musical for the first time recently but it is a very close second in my book.
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Set in the middle of the Himalayan mountains, you’re aboard a speeding railway trying to escape from the Abominable Snowman/Yeti. This is certainly a thrill ride rollercoaster and gets the adrenaline pumping. Do bear in mind that it could be a bit too scary for the younger ones in your party or for wimps like me. I found it to be a bit much, however I’m not a massive rollercoaster fan but the rest of my family loved it and highly recommend it.
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
Aboard the Safari truck you take a trip through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. A bumpy guided tour through the forest, wetlands and savanna you’ll get to see plenty of different animals as if they were in their original habitat. I not only love this attraction for the animals but no matter how many times you go on it the tour will be different. The animals you see will never be the same and each tour guide will have different facts or jokes to make each trip interesting.
