Disney’s Animal Kingdom Bucket List

I’m heading to Florida next month for the first time ever, and while I’m there I’m going to be visiting all four of the theme parks in Walt Disney World!

Animal Kingdom intrigues me as a park because many people say it’s a half day park, despite it being the largest theme park in the world in terms of size! I know it’s more about the animals than the rides, but as an animal lover I’m excited to experience everything Animal Kingdom has to offer.

So, without further ado, here is my Animal Kingdom bucket list…

Rides

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

The ride I am most looking forward to getting on in Animal Kingdom is Expedition Everest.

I’m a rollercoaster lover and this particular coaster looks amazing! Not only does the theming look incredible, but it also looks like quite an intense ride with a backwards section and a fairly large drop. Bring it on!

Avatar Flight of Passage

I feel this is a very controversial thing to say but I am not a fan of the Avatar films! I’m also not the worlds biggest fan of flying theatre style rides (I thought Soaring at Tokyo DisneySea was very overrated). So on paper, I shouldn’t be excited to ride Flight of Passage.

But do you know what? I am! I think it will be an incredible experience regardless of the fact I don’t like films or this type of ride. I know that it’s so much more than just a flying theatre and I’m just curious to see whether it’s worth the hype or not.

DINOSAUR

I wasn’t sure if I’d get the chance to ride DINOSAUR before it closes to be reimaged, but they have delayed the closing meaning I will be riding it!

It’s the same ride system as Indian Jones in Tokyo DisneySea, which I loved, and this is what the ride will be re-themed to over the next few years. However, I’m really interested to see what this version of the ride is like before it changes.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

I’m not sure if you’d class the Kilimanjaro Safaris as a ride or not, but I’m sticking it in this category anyway!

From what I’ve heard, going on safaris is a huge part of the experience of visiting Animal Kingdom. I love visiting safari parks but it will be nice to do a safari in a vehicle that isn’t my own and I don’t have to worry about monkeys pulling off the window wipers!

Food & Drink

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, we’re going to be on quick service dinning plan that includes two quick service meals per day and one snack per day.

Here are some of the food and drinks I’m looking forward to trying in Animal Kingdom:

• Cheeseburger steamed pods from Satu’li Canteen.
• Baked macaroni and cheese with pulled pork from Eight Spoon Cafe.
• Night Blossom drink.
• Impossible Empanadas.
• Seasoned fried from Mr Kamal’s.

Other

Animal Kingdom has the fewest rides of all the parks in Disney World, but I know this park has so much more to offer! Here are some of the other things I’m hoping to do while visiting the park:

• Get a photo with the Tree of Life.
• Watch “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” before it closes!
• See Pandora at night (it looks beautiful lit up).
• Explore the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

Have you visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom before? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Check out the other posts in this series:

• Trip announcement: Orlando 2025!
• Magic Kingdom Bucket List
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios Bucket List
• Epcot Bucket List
• Universal Studios Florida Bucket List
• Universal Islands of Adventure Bucket List

Credits

The image used in this post is from Kyle DeSantis on Unsplash.