Animal Kingdom
1. The Tree of Life is Animal Kingdom's famous icon. Pixar's A Bug's Life attraction is featured inside this icon. When touring through the queue be sure to look at the trunk of the tree as more than 300 animals were carved into the tree.
2. Disney's Animal Kingdom is not a zoo. No, literally it's "Nahtazu". The term "Nahtazu" (meant to sound like 'not a zoo') was used in the early campaigning of Animal Kingdom. The slogan "Disney's Animal Kingdom, it's a lot of things, but remember it's Nahtazu." was used to advocate the fact that Disney's fourth theme park was so much more than just a zoo. It truly is! I've grown to love this park and with the upcoming additions in 2015 I'm sure this park is going to become even more popular. But, more on that later!
3. My favorite touring secret is found at this park! I love hitting the parks at rope drop (park opening). Other smart travelers like myself tend to hit the parks at the crack of dawn and there's always a huge gathering of people at the entrance during peak times at Disney. Quick tip, at the entrance of Animal Kingdom Rainforest Cafe is located to the left of the entrance. Enter the park through there and past the glass walls and you will find a turnstile that will allow access to the park. Most guests think only restaurant guests are allowed to use this entrance, but completely untrue! Head over this way whenever there's a crowd and you will be sure to bypass the swarms of people heading to Expedition Everest.
4. Animal Kingdom is the largest theme park out of all the Disney parks. It takes up about 580 acres of Disney property. Kilimanjaro Safari alone takes up about 180 acres of that.
5. Kilimanjaro Safari is one of my favorite rides at Animal Kingdom. Hopefully not the closest I'll get to an African safari, but Disney pulled all the stops to make it a similar experience. The lions are always the highlight of my safari rides. You really never know what you're going to see! The lions actually have climate controlled rocks in their Savannah to entice them to leave their spots in the shade!
6. The first birth at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a kudu, a large African antelope.
7. There are absolutely no plastic straws, lids, or balloons at Animal Kingdom. This is for the safety of the animals. Paper straws are used everywhere in Animal Kingdom!
8. Like I've said before, the attention to details at Disney is unlike any other. The land of Africa at DAK is called the village of Harambe. It is based upon the Kenyan town of Lamu.
9. DAK has 4 themed areas including Africa, Asia, The Oasis, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Dinoland USA, Discovery Island, and Rafiki's Planet Watch. The closing of Camp Minnie-Mickey was in early January of this year as they began construction of the upcoming Avatar land. There's quite a bit of controversy that the addition of Avatar land is causing in the Disney community. Many critics are against this new addition as it really has no original Disney ties and there's a concern about the safety of the animals. Animal Kingdom closes relatively early compared to the other parks due to the care of the park's animals. With the addition of Avatar land to DAK it will bring nighttime attractions to the park that many are concerned will disrupt the schedule of the animals. My thoughts are to be determined. I think DAK is such a beautiful park and I've always imagined this park to be quite gorgeous at night. We'll see!
10. Expedition Everest. Remember my question about the tallest structure at Disney World? Expedition Everest is the tallest structure at Disney world at 199.5 feet tall. Hollywood Studios' Tower of Terror is a close second coming in at 199 feet tall. Expedition Everest is my absolute favorite ride in all of Disney. What other ride brings you up close and personal to a Yeti?
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