February 19, 2025 • 22 mins
A comprehensive guide to touring Disney's Animal Kingdom, featuring insights from travel advisors Ryan and Julie. Learn optimal touring strategies for both families with young children and adults.
Key Topics Covered
Best Touring Strategy for Families
- Relaxed morning arrival recommended (no rope drop needed)
- Optimal ride sequence: Na'vi River Journey → Kilimanjaro Safari → Festival of the Lion King
- Strategic Lightning Lane recommendations for Flight of Passage
- Afternoon activities including Discovery Island trails and the Boneyard playground
- Character dining at Tusker House Restaurant
Adult/Older Kids Touring Plan
- Early morning arrival recommended for Flight of Passage
- Morning ride sequence: Flight of Passage → Na'vi River Journey → Kilimanjaro Safari
- Afternoon focus on shows and animal treks
- Evening entertainment and dining options
Dining Highlights
- Quick Service: Satu'li Canteen, Flame Tree BBQ
- Table Service: Tusker House Restaurant
- Nearby options: Sanaa and Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Nomad Lounge for specialty drinks
Pro Tips
- Request the back row on Kilimanjaro Safari for better views
- Watch for DiVine, the camouflaged performer
- Try the Night Blossom drink (available with rum)
- Best Tree of Life photo spots from Asia section
- Don't miss Winged Encounters show featuring macaws
- Visit the Adventurers Outpost for unique Mickey and Minnie meet-and-greet
Lightning Lane Strategy
- Individual Lightning Lane recommended for Flight of Passage
- Multi-pass options for Na'vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Expedition Everest
- Festival of the Lion King Lightning Lane optional but convenient
Planning Your Visit
Contact the All Things Travel team at allthingstravelpodcast.com for customized Disney vacation planning services.
Featured Location
This episode's "Where in the World" segment highlights Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln Road Island, Rhode Island.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to All Things Travel.
(00:02):
We've made it to our last themepark in our series on the best
ways to tour Walt Disney World.
Today we're going to tell youwhat you need to know to have a
great day in Disney's AnimalKingdom.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (00:14):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts, Ryan andJulie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation.
And she's a Disney lovingMaryland mom of three and a
specialist in family travel.
we're discussing incredibledestinations, top vacation tips,
or sharing personal stories,it's always all things travel.
(00:40):
How are you doing today?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (00:42):
well.
I'm excited for what's coming upthis week.
I had a good week last week.
What about you?
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (00:47):
we are recording ahead, but I tomorrow
leave for Walt Disney World tomeet up with some of our friends
down there.
And then you are gonna be comingdown in a few days for our
yearly agent training and wehave some fun plans.
we're gonna be doing a, foodcrawl at Disney Springs.
We're gonna be hitting up Epcot,we're gonna be doing some late
(01:11):
night hours at Magic Kingdom.
It's going to be a good time tobe together.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:15):
Yeah, I'm really excited and with all that
a lot of training
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:19):
A lot of training where we get super
excited about travel.
We learn a lot of stuff.
We meet new people.
I'm sure at least severalpodcast episodes will come out
of the things that we learnedthis week, but it's just, it's a
really energizing time.
The weather looks really goodright now because it's cold in
Indiana.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:40):
We have not gone outside for a very long
time because of the polarvortex.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:45):
The Polar Vortex.
All right.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:47):
my favorite.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:49):
let's get into Animal Kingdom.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:51):
So I just want to start by saying that
Disney's Animal Kingdom issometimes skipped over.
If I have clients that are onlydoing a three day ticket, most
of the time Animal Kingdom iswhat they're skipping.
I do think it's really great forkids and I have a really great
tried and true touring plan thatI'm really excited to share.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (02:13):
like I said in the last week's episode,
Animal Kingdom, for me, if I doneed to skip one, it tends to be
that.
Now, if I have a park hopper,I'll always jump over there for
at least a little bit but Itotally get it.
That being said, it's a goodpark in and of itself.
I have people that will stay atAnimal Kingdom Lodge.
Just because they know they'regoing to be going to Animal
(02:34):
Kingdom multiple times becausethey're animal lovers and they
want to be right there.
And that's not a bad idea.
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (02:43):
when people think of Walt Disney
World, I think they think ofattractions and they think of
Magic Kingdom and a lot ofpeople measure their, I don't
want to say like productivity,but that's kind of what it is,
by how many rides they get doneinstead of focusing on how great
of an experience they
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:01):
Right.
How immersed they are.
And Animal Kingdom is certainlya place where you can get
immersed.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:06):
You can get very immersed, but on the
other side of that, there's nota lot
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:10):
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:11):
I think that's where a lot of people
want to skip it, but let us tellyou how to do Animal Kingdom
when you go on your next trip.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:19):
So before we do that, I want to
remind folks that last week wedid a how to series with
Disney's Hollywood Studios.
And speaking of a lot of rides,that park has a lot of rides.
So go back and take a listen.
Alright Julie, Animal Kingdomwith families and little kiddos.
What do you got for us?
First off, when should wearrive?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:42):
I don't think that you need to do rope
drop for this park.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_20033 (03:44):
Really?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:45):
yes, this is usually when I tell people,
if you've got little kids, thisis your day, get there when they
open, but you don't need to bethe first people in the park.
with little ones, the firstthing you do is you go over to
Navi River Journey Navi.
And then you go to KilimanjaroSafari, and after that, you go
(04:06):
over to Festival of the LionKing.
in there somewhere, I highlyrecommend a Lightning Lane
single pass for Flight ofPassage.
the reason why I say don't ropedrop it, but get that single
pass is because even if your kidis tall enough, they may not be
ready for that kind of ridebecause you do sit solo.
(04:27):
So it's not like they can benear you or really hold your
hand or something like that.
And I just think, and I've hadthis happen before, If you are
going to chance rope droppingand going through the line, it's
very unpredictable how long thatcan be.
It can be 20 minutes.
It can be an hour.
And the rest of your party isjust like waiting for you.
(04:48):
So when you do the lightninglane, you know, you're going to
be in and out.
So to me, that is the bonus ofthe lightning lanes.
not everyone is getting on thatride.
So I don't think you need torope drop it.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (04:59):
and to remind folks that are doing
Lightning Lanes for the firsttime, you do not have to get
Lightning Lanes for everybody inyour party.
You only have to get LightningLanes for folks that want to use
them.
don't feel like it's an all ornothing type of thing when it
comes to individual or evenmulti pass Lightning Lanes.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (05:16):
Yes, exactly.
So, again, for families, I don'tthink you need to rope drop it.
I think this is the day you havea little bit of a more relaxed
morning.
However, Animal Kingdom doesopen earlier than other parks.
I like Navi River Journey,Kilimanjaro Safari, and then the
Festival of the Lion King.
And those are all kind ofstacked right together.
on the left side of the park asyou go from Pandora up towards
(05:39):
Africa.
And then I say you get lunch atTusker House.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_2003 (05:44):
Perfect.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (05:44):
House is an attraction in and of itself.
It is one of the best charactermeals on property, if not my
favorite character meal.
I love the food.
There is African music with someawesome vibes going on.
The videos I have of Donald Duckdancing are just, I don't know
(06:05):
who plays him in thatrestaurant, but he is a
phenomenal dancer.
I have videos throughout theyears of my kids going to Tusker
House and just dancing all overthe place.
It is such a fun time.
After lunch, I say, put the kidsin the stroller.
That's a good time to go walkthrough the Discovery Island
trails, the Gorilla Fallsexploration trail, or even the
(06:28):
Maharaja, or the Jungle Trektrail.
I don't think you need to gothrough all of those.
maybe you pick one and walkthrough them because it is a lot
of walking.
Maybe the kids have finally,gotten a little bit of downtime
somewhere in there.
If the adults want to doExpedition Everest, it's a great
time to do that, as you're kindof winding around like the top
(06:51):
of the park there through Asia,or coming from Africa into Asia,
then you're going to make yourway down towards Dino Land.
At least right now how the parkis set up because we know
Dinoland is in the middle of aretheme and there's not a lot
open over there, but there isone thing that is amazing that
is still open and that is theboneyard.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (07:12):
It's amazing for little kiddos,
amazing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (07:14):
I will admit that I had never taken my
kids here.
I did not even know it was hereuntil two years ago because on
the map I would always see thatit was called the fossil dig
site and as a parent I was like,Absolutely not.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (07:29):
We're not going to get dirty!
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (07:31):
Right.
I'm not doing that.
However, then I walked into theboneyard when I was on a trip
without the kids, just to gocheck it out.
And it is like this hugeplayground area.
with like an industrial vibe.
lot of climbing, a lot of bigslides.
Very, very fun.
It is so, so big.
(07:52):
you're going to need to split upwhere one parent goes with one
kid, one parent goes withanother because they're
inevitably going to go differentdirections.
So that is one thing is that youdo need to keep an eye on them
because it is a big area.
being said, I have been at theentrance and seen a kid try to
leave and a cast member say,wait, where are your parents?
they are really good abouthelping you with that.
(08:14):
when you're in the boneyard.
you can go to the left and go upto the top of the climbing
structures, walk across thebridge over the dinosaur, and
then go down a flight of steps.
It's all outdoors, so you'restill outside, and that's where
the fossil dig site is, and itis like a massive sensory bin.
It's not sand.
It's like, Very small And thereis like, dinosaur bones that you
(08:39):
can uncover, but there's alsobuckets shovels and toys.
And I think my kids sat therefor an hour and we just sat on a
bench drinking a Starbucks andit was.
Amazing.
that is my biggest thing to say.
It's still so great forfamilies.
There's still rides you can do.
There's still great shows.
There's great food.
They have this awesomeplayground.
(09:00):
And right next to Dinoland isthe Finding Nemo, the Big Blue
and Beyond show.
And that is such a great puppetshow to end your day with.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (09:09):
Julie, I think this is a fantastic
family touring plan for AnimalKingdom.
I agree with everything, theflow that you have here.
The one thing I'm surprised thatisn't on there is Rafiki's
Planet Watch.
You've got a train ride, apetting zoo, animal things.
I think it depends on your kid,but that could certainly be an
(09:30):
extension too.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (09:32):
Yeah.
I agree.
And I think it depends on howmuch of a break the kids need.
We have done it before, but wedon't do it every time because
sometimes you get over there andnot all the animals are out or
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (09:43):
Yeah,
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (09:43):
into certain places.
sometimes we get over there andit's a bit of a letdown, but you
have someone who's very intoanimals, you can see the, into
like the animal hospital areaand those things are really cool
and educational too.
So briefly about LightningLanes, for Animal Kingdom, there
is not a Tier 1 and a Tier 2 forthe multi pass like there is for
(10:04):
the other parks.
pre book your multi passes forNavi River Journey, Kilimanjaro
Safari, and then either Festivalof the Lion King or Everest for
the adults.
I say either because I don'tthink you need a Lightning Lane
for Festival of the Lion King,but it certainly is nice because
the show fills up.
so you can either plan to getthere 20 minutes before
(10:26):
showtime, or can get thelightning lane for it, be a
little bit more relaxed gettinginto the show, and then pick up
a lightning lane for Everestlater in the day if the adults
want to do it.
I also say, get the single passfor Flight of Passage.
okay, so dining.
Animal Kingdom is like, The bestfor dining, like the best
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (10:46):
it's very good dining.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (10:49):
Quick services.
I love Satooli Canteen over inPandora and Yak and Yeti local
food cafes.
I think a lot of people forgetabout that one, but I love that
they have like as a side or asnack, stuff like fried rice and
egg rolls.
my kids would just eat that andit's easy and inexpensive.
Table service is Tusker Houseall the way.
I love all the table servicesthere, but you have to do Tusker
(11:11):
House.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (11:11):
All right.
So before we get into the adultside of Animal Kingdom, I want
to talk about where in the worldis all things travel.
When I looked at new locationsthis week, Lincoln Road Island
popped up.
Lincoln Road Island is a townnorth of Providence, and it
actually used to be part ofSmithfield, Rhode Island, and
(11:33):
then they changed the name toLincoln in honor of President
Lincoln.
this town or area was part ofthe original Rhode Island
plantation in the 1600s, so it'sbeen around for a while, Julie.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (11:47):
That's really cool.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (11:48):
So I would like to meet our listener
at One of their top locations,which is the Lincoln Woods State
Park.
It just looks like a gorgeousstate park.
Hey, let's do some leaf peeping,let's go on a nice little walk,
and then maybe go get some niceNew England seafood.
How does that sound, listener?
So do us a favor, reach out tome or Julie.
(12:10):
You can do that either via emailor on our website, because I
would love to send you a littlethank you gift for being
featured on today's show.
thinking of adults or olderkids.
I've got some different thoughtswhen it comes to animal kingdom.
Julie, I do think you shouldrope drop.
And I say that because if youwant to do flight of passage, I
(12:33):
think it is good to go rightthere and get in line Now, if
you want to use the individuallightning lane, go ahead and do
that.
you don't have to go as early,but it's good to get in the park
and get your day started becauseyou can get a lot of things done
and have.
Rest time, Disney Springs time,water park time, later in the
(12:54):
day after Animal Kingdom.
I go right from, Avatar Flightof Passage over to the Navi
River journey.
Boom, boom.
I think you hit the safari nextbecause the animals are more
active in the morning.
So I think heading up there is agood thing.
If you want to do Cali RiverRapids, go ahead and do that
next.
I have kind of a love haterelationship with Cali River
(13:16):
Rapids because you do get reallywet.
So I'm that guy that wears aponcho if you, want to store
your stuff, they have lockersright there.
It's a great water ride.
so that's what I would do firstthing.
Oh, and then, Expedition Everestgoes in there too.
You can get all that boom boomboom and you have done a massive
part of the parks.
(13:36):
I'm leaving Dinoland out cause Iknow that's changing.
I think then afternoon andevening you focus on the shows
and the animal treks.
just relax get a drink, get asnack and see what else Animal
Kingdom has.
Don't forget the bands indifferent areas Africa
specifically has some reallygood Music and good places to
(13:59):
relax and take it all in For methe lightning lane plan is
flight of passage expeditioneverest and then the safari I
don't think you need a lightninglane for animal kingdom if
you're strategic and hit it inthe morning other than getting
the individual lightning lanefor flight of passage I would
just skip it for that day
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:18):
I agree with that.
I don't think you need to havethe lightning lanes, but I do
think it gives you a goodopportunity for like a relaxed
morning.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:28):
Yes.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:28):
lanes, that makes it like a very
relaxed day
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:31):
Yeah, because I think you miss a lot
of the Imagineering by runningfrom place to place and Harambe,
the African area and the Asianarea, just amazing.
Imagineering like just nextlevel imagineering when it comes
to theming.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:51):
I agree.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:52):
So dining for me, quick service is
Sotuli Canteen or Flame TreeBBQ, but the winner for me is
always Sotuli Canteen.
really good food, unique, moreunique than other places.
I also like going to NomadLounge, which is right there at
the entrance to Avatar.
really good drinks, and nice,menu for later bites.
(15:17):
that's what I would do.
When it comes to that if you area Disney character lover, You
will get some amazing characterinteraction and pictures at
Tusker House and the food isreally good When it comes to
table service I'm gonna headover to either Sanaa or Boma at
Animal Kingdom Lodge becausethose are really good meals and
They're not that far from AnimalKingdom.
(15:40):
All right, Julie.
What are your pro tips when itcomes to Animal Kingdom?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (15:45):
So for Animal Kingdom, don't forget
about the characters.
There is a really great Mickeyand Minnie meet and greet.
They don't greet together veryoften or in a lot of places.
there is the Adventurer'sOutpost.
if you want to do Mickey andMinnie, head over there while
you're on that left side of thepark between Pandora and Africa.
Don't miss the shows.
(16:06):
Like Ryan said, there's a lot oflive entertainment and one of
the best ones is called WingedEncounters.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:13):
Yeah.
Yeah
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:15):
It's by the Tree of Life.
It's right in front of it.
And they come out and give you alittle bit of information about
macaws.
then they call them and so manycome flying right over you.
it is just amazing.
It is an amazing show.
It is short, like five to tenminutes tops.
But it is a very coolexperience.
(16:35):
and my really big pro tip forAnimal Kingdom is when you ride
the safari, ask for the lastrow.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:43):
Got it.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:43):
Ryan?
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:44):
Yes, I have
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:45):
Yeah.
I do that every time.
And if you want to know, a lotof kids are like, no, I want to
sit in the front.
No, you want to sit in the backbecause as you go, you can turn
around and
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:53):
Yep
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:53):
another look at those,
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:54):
Yep
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:55):
as
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:55):
As long as you stay seated, because
if you don't stay seated, thedrivers, watch you, but yeah,
you get a whole unobstructedview there.
Well, my first tip comes from anexperience that I had several
years ago going into AnimalKingdom.
Have you heard of Divine, Julie?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (17:12):
Yes.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (17:13):
is a performer that does Like
interpretive movements, so she'salmost in camouflage and then
she has like these extended armsand extended legs you can walk
right by her and not know she'sthere, she's often on the left
hand side walkway, which is notthe walkway.
(17:34):
You intuitively go to everybodygoes right.
Go left next time and see if youcan spot her It's really cool.
You would get some really goodvideos and it's fascinating to
watch her do her thing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (17:46):
She very much just blends in.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (17:49):
So drinks at Flight of Passage,
right outside of, Thule Canteen.
There's a really good, quickservice kiosk that has some good
drinks.
They have some reallyinteresting beers that are only
brewed for Walt Disney World.
And they have a drink called theNight Blossom, which is just so
good.
you can get it with rum in it ifyou ask very nicely.
(18:12):
and then my last tip is don'tstop and take your picture with
the tree of life right as youcome into the park because
everybody's doing that go acrossthe river to Asia and there's
actually walkways that you cango down closer to the water
where you can get unobstructedviews of the tree from across
the lake that are so much betterthan that initial picture at the
(18:36):
front of the park.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (18:38):
I really do love Animal Kingdom when we
go there it just so happens thatwe tend to have shorter trips
sometimes.
But when we go, it's such agreat day.
It feels more relaxed.
The kids have so much fun.
You know, sometimes you run intolike Doug and Russell
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (18:54):
Yep, Kevin.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (18:57):
Kevin walking around the park
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (18:59):
it's amazing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:00):
of the best interactions.
You're going to have as well.
there's just a lot going on overthere that.
Animal Kingdom has going for it.
I do think when I write touringplans for clients, I do tend to
say you're going to be done withthis park by 2 p.
m.
If you go at park open.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:15):
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:16):
You have a great morning, a great early
afternoon.
You have that great meal atTusker House and then you can go
back, enjoy your pool, have kindof like some downtime that
evening and that's how I reallylove to fit that into your day.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:28):
Yep.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:29):
if clients are limited on time and
can't get that full rest day,I'm like let's make that your
animal kingdom day and you getthe best of both worlds.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:38):
I like it.
you can make it a shorter day,or if you are an animal lover,
you've got a lot to explorethere, so it's really how you
want to make it.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:48):
You want to plan a trip to an amazing
destination like Walt DisneyWorld, but don't know how to get
started.
As your travel advisors, we workwith you to create a customized
itinerary for your vacation andtake the stress of planning away
so you can focus on the fun andcreating memories.
You can reach us atallthingstravelpodcast.
com.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (20:10):
we look forward to talking to you
next week on all things travel.
Hello and welcome to All Things Travel.
(00:02):
We've made it to our last themepark in our series on the best
ways to tour Walt Disney World.
Today we're going to tell youwhat you need to know to have a
great day in Disney's AnimalKingdom.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (00:14):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts, Ryan andJulie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation.
And she's a Disney lovingMaryland mom of three and a
specialist in family travel.
we're discussing incredibledestinations, top vacation tips,
or sharing personal stories,it's always all things travel.
(00:40):
How are you doing today?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (00:42):
well.
I'm excited for what's coming upthis week.
I had a good week last week.
What about you?
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (00:47):
we are recording ahead, but I tomorrow
leave for Walt Disney World tomeet up with some of our friends
down there.
And then you are gonna be comingdown in a few days for our
yearly agent training and wehave some fun plans.
we're gonna be doing a, foodcrawl at Disney Springs.
We're gonna be hitting up Epcot,we're gonna be doing some late
(01:11):
night hours at Magic Kingdom.
It's going to be a good time tobe together.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:15):
Yeah, I'm really excited and with all that
a lot of training
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:19):
A lot of training where we get super
excited about travel.
We learn a lot of stuff.
We meet new people.
I'm sure at least severalpodcast episodes will come out
of the things that we learnedthis week, but it's just, it's a
really energizing time.
The weather looks really goodright now because it's cold in
Indiana.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:40):
We have not gone outside for a very long
time because of the polarvortex.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:45):
The Polar Vortex.
All right.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:47):
my favorite.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (01:49):
let's get into Animal Kingdom.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (01:51):
So I just want to start by saying that
Disney's Animal Kingdom issometimes skipped over.
If I have clients that are onlydoing a three day ticket, most
of the time Animal Kingdom iswhat they're skipping.
I do think it's really great forkids and I have a really great
tried and true touring plan thatI'm really excited to share.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (02:13):
like I said in the last week's episode,
Animal Kingdom, for me, if I doneed to skip one, it tends to be
that.
Now, if I have a park hopper,I'll always jump over there for
at least a little bit but Itotally get it.
That being said, it's a goodpark in and of itself.
I have people that will stay atAnimal Kingdom Lodge.
Just because they know they'regoing to be going to Animal
(02:34):
Kingdom multiple times becausethey're animal lovers and they
want to be right there.
And that's not a bad idea.
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (02:43):
when people think of Walt Disney
World, I think they think ofattractions and they think of
Magic Kingdom and a lot ofpeople measure their, I don't
want to say like productivity,but that's kind of what it is,
by how many rides they get doneinstead of focusing on how great
of an experience they
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:01):
Right.
How immersed they are.
And Animal Kingdom is certainlya place where you can get
immersed.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:06):
You can get very immersed, but on the
other side of that, there's nota lot
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:10):
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:11):
I think that's where a lot of people
want to skip it, but let us tellyou how to do Animal Kingdom
when you go on your next trip.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (03:19):
So before we do that, I want to
remind folks that last week wedid a how to series with
Disney's Hollywood Studios.
And speaking of a lot of rides,that park has a lot of rides.
So go back and take a listen.
Alright Julie, Animal Kingdomwith families and little kiddos.
What do you got for us?
First off, when should wearrive?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:42):
I don't think that you need to do rope
drop for this park.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_20033 (03:44):
Really?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (03:45):
yes, this is usually when I tell people,
if you've got little kids, thisis your day, get there when they
open, but you don't need to bethe first people in the park.
with little ones, the firstthing you do is you go over to
Navi River Journey Navi.
And then you go to KilimanjaroSafari, and after that, you go
(04:06):
over to Festival of the LionKing.
in there somewhere, I highlyrecommend a Lightning Lane
single pass for Flight ofPassage.
the reason why I say don't ropedrop it, but get that single
pass is because even if your kidis tall enough, they may not be
ready for that kind of ridebecause you do sit solo.
(04:27):
So it's not like they can benear you or really hold your
hand or something like that.
And I just think, and I've hadthis happen before, If you are
going to chance rope droppingand going through the line, it's
very unpredictable how long thatcan be.
It can be 20 minutes.
It can be an hour.
And the rest of your party isjust like waiting for you.
(04:48):
So when you do the lightninglane, you know, you're going to
be in and out.
So to me, that is the bonus ofthe lightning lanes.
not everyone is getting on thatride.
So I don't think you need torope drop it.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (04:59):
and to remind folks that are doing
Lightning Lanes for the firsttime, you do not have to get
Lightning Lanes for everybody inyour party.
You only have to get LightningLanes for folks that want to use
them.
don't feel like it's an all ornothing type of thing when it
comes to individual or evenmulti pass Lightning Lanes.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (05:16):
Yes, exactly.
So, again, for families, I don'tthink you need to rope drop it.
I think this is the day you havea little bit of a more relaxed
morning.
However, Animal Kingdom doesopen earlier than other parks.
I like Navi River Journey,Kilimanjaro Safari, and then the
Festival of the Lion King.
And those are all kind ofstacked right together.
on the left side of the park asyou go from Pandora up towards
(05:39):
Africa.
And then I say you get lunch atTusker House.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_2003 (05:44):
Perfect.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (05:44):
House is an attraction in and of itself.
It is one of the best charactermeals on property, if not my
favorite character meal.
I love the food.
There is African music with someawesome vibes going on.
The videos I have of Donald Duckdancing are just, I don't know
(06:05):
who plays him in thatrestaurant, but he is a
phenomenal dancer.
I have videos throughout theyears of my kids going to Tusker
House and just dancing all overthe place.
It is such a fun time.
After lunch, I say, put the kidsin the stroller.
That's a good time to go walkthrough the Discovery Island
trails, the Gorilla Fallsexploration trail, or even the
(06:28):
Maharaja, or the Jungle Trektrail.
I don't think you need to gothrough all of those.
maybe you pick one and walkthrough them because it is a lot
of walking.
Maybe the kids have finally,gotten a little bit of downtime
somewhere in there.
If the adults want to doExpedition Everest, it's a great
time to do that, as you're kindof winding around like the top
(06:51):
of the park there through Asia,or coming from Africa into Asia,
then you're going to make yourway down towards Dino Land.
At least right now how the parkis set up because we know
Dinoland is in the middle of aretheme and there's not a lot
open over there, but there isone thing that is amazing that
is still open and that is theboneyard.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (07:12):
It's amazing for little kiddos,
amazing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (07:14):
I will admit that I had never taken my
kids here.
I did not even know it was hereuntil two years ago because on
the map I would always see thatit was called the fossil dig
site and as a parent I was like,Absolutely not.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (07:29):
We're not going to get dirty!
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (07:31):
Right.
I'm not doing that.
However, then I walked into theboneyard when I was on a trip
without the kids, just to gocheck it out.
And it is like this hugeplayground area.
with like an industrial vibe.
lot of climbing, a lot of bigslides.
Very, very fun.
It is so, so big.
(07:52):
you're going to need to split upwhere one parent goes with one
kid, one parent goes withanother because they're
inevitably going to go differentdirections.
So that is one thing is that youdo need to keep an eye on them
because it is a big area.
being said, I have been at theentrance and seen a kid try to
leave and a cast member say,wait, where are your parents?
they are really good abouthelping you with that.
(08:14):
when you're in the boneyard.
you can go to the left and go upto the top of the climbing
structures, walk across thebridge over the dinosaur, and
then go down a flight of steps.
It's all outdoors, so you'restill outside, and that's where
the fossil dig site is, and itis like a massive sensory bin.
It's not sand.
It's like, Very small And thereis like, dinosaur bones that you
(08:39):
can uncover, but there's alsobuckets shovels and toys.
And I think my kids sat therefor an hour and we just sat on a
bench drinking a Starbucks andit was.
Amazing.
that is my biggest thing to say.
It's still so great forfamilies.
There's still rides you can do.
There's still great shows.
There's great food.
They have this awesomeplayground.
(09:00):
And right next to Dinoland isthe Finding Nemo, the Big Blue
and Beyond show.
And that is such a great puppetshow to end your day with.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (09:09):
Julie, I think this is a fantastic
family touring plan for AnimalKingdom.
I agree with everything, theflow that you have here.
The one thing I'm surprised thatisn't on there is Rafiki's
Planet Watch.
You've got a train ride, apetting zoo, animal things.
I think it depends on your kid,but that could certainly be an
(09:30):
extension too.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (09:32):
Yeah.
I agree.
And I think it depends on howmuch of a break the kids need.
We have done it before, but wedon't do it every time because
sometimes you get over there andnot all the animals are out or
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (09:43):
Yeah,
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (09:43):
into certain places.
sometimes we get over there andit's a bit of a letdown, but you
have someone who's very intoanimals, you can see the, into
like the animal hospital areaand those things are really cool
and educational too.
So briefly about LightningLanes, for Animal Kingdom, there
is not a Tier 1 and a Tier 2 forthe multi pass like there is for
(10:04):
the other parks.
pre book your multi passes forNavi River Journey, Kilimanjaro
Safari, and then either Festivalof the Lion King or Everest for
the adults.
I say either because I don'tthink you need a Lightning Lane
for Festival of the Lion King,but it certainly is nice because
the show fills up.
so you can either plan to getthere 20 minutes before
(10:26):
showtime, or can get thelightning lane for it, be a
little bit more relaxed gettinginto the show, and then pick up
a lightning lane for Everestlater in the day if the adults
want to do it.
I also say, get the single passfor Flight of Passage.
okay, so dining.
Animal Kingdom is like, The bestfor dining, like the best
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (10:46):
it's very good dining.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (10:49):
Quick services.
I love Satooli Canteen over inPandora and Yak and Yeti local
food cafes.
I think a lot of people forgetabout that one, but I love that
they have like as a side or asnack, stuff like fried rice and
egg rolls.
my kids would just eat that andit's easy and inexpensive.
Table service is Tusker Houseall the way.
I love all the table servicesthere, but you have to do Tusker
(11:11):
House.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (11:11):
All right.
So before we get into the adultside of Animal Kingdom, I want
to talk about where in the worldis all things travel.
When I looked at new locationsthis week, Lincoln Road Island
popped up.
Lincoln Road Island is a townnorth of Providence, and it
actually used to be part ofSmithfield, Rhode Island, and
(11:33):
then they changed the name toLincoln in honor of President
Lincoln.
this town or area was part ofthe original Rhode Island
plantation in the 1600s, so it'sbeen around for a while, Julie.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (11:47):
That's really cool.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (11:48):
So I would like to meet our listener
at One of their top locations,which is the Lincoln Woods State
Park.
It just looks like a gorgeousstate park.
Hey, let's do some leaf peeping,let's go on a nice little walk,
and then maybe go get some niceNew England seafood.
How does that sound, listener?
So do us a favor, reach out tome or Julie.
(12:10):
You can do that either via emailor on our website, because I
would love to send you a littlethank you gift for being
featured on today's show.
thinking of adults or olderkids.
I've got some different thoughtswhen it comes to animal kingdom.
Julie, I do think you shouldrope drop.
And I say that because if youwant to do flight of passage, I
(12:33):
think it is good to go rightthere and get in line Now, if
you want to use the individuallightning lane, go ahead and do
that.
you don't have to go as early,but it's good to get in the park
and get your day started becauseyou can get a lot of things done
and have.
Rest time, Disney Springs time,water park time, later in the
(12:54):
day after Animal Kingdom.
I go right from, Avatar Flightof Passage over to the Navi
River journey.
Boom, boom.
I think you hit the safari nextbecause the animals are more
active in the morning.
So I think heading up there is agood thing.
If you want to do Cali RiverRapids, go ahead and do that
next.
I have kind of a love haterelationship with Cali River
(13:16):
Rapids because you do get reallywet.
So I'm that guy that wears aponcho if you, want to store
your stuff, they have lockersright there.
It's a great water ride.
so that's what I would do firstthing.
Oh, and then, Expedition Everestgoes in there too.
You can get all that boom boomboom and you have done a massive
part of the parks.
(13:36):
I'm leaving Dinoland out cause Iknow that's changing.
I think then afternoon andevening you focus on the shows
and the animal treks.
just relax get a drink, get asnack and see what else Animal
Kingdom has.
Don't forget the bands indifferent areas Africa
specifically has some reallygood Music and good places to
(13:59):
relax and take it all in For methe lightning lane plan is
flight of passage expeditioneverest and then the safari I
don't think you need a lightninglane for animal kingdom if
you're strategic and hit it inthe morning other than getting
the individual lightning lanefor flight of passage I would
just skip it for that day
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:18):
I agree with that.
I don't think you need to havethe lightning lanes, but I do
think it gives you a goodopportunity for like a relaxed
morning.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:28):
Yes.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:28):
lanes, that makes it like a very
relaxed day
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:31):
Yeah, because I think you miss a lot
of the Imagineering by runningfrom place to place and Harambe,
the African area and the Asianarea, just amazing.
Imagineering like just nextlevel imagineering when it comes
to theming.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (14:51):
I agree.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (14:52):
So dining for me, quick service is
Sotuli Canteen or Flame TreeBBQ, but the winner for me is
always Sotuli Canteen.
really good food, unique, moreunique than other places.
I also like going to NomadLounge, which is right there at
the entrance to Avatar.
really good drinks, and nice,menu for later bites.
(15:17):
that's what I would do.
When it comes to that if you area Disney character lover, You
will get some amazing characterinteraction and pictures at
Tusker House and the food isreally good When it comes to
table service I'm gonna headover to either Sanaa or Boma at
Animal Kingdom Lodge becausethose are really good meals and
They're not that far from AnimalKingdom.
(15:40):
All right, Julie.
What are your pro tips when itcomes to Animal Kingdom?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (15:45):
So for Animal Kingdom, don't forget
about the characters.
There is a really great Mickeyand Minnie meet and greet.
They don't greet together veryoften or in a lot of places.
there is the Adventurer'sOutpost.
if you want to do Mickey andMinnie, head over there while
you're on that left side of thepark between Pandora and Africa.
Don't miss the shows.
(16:06):
Like Ryan said, there's a lot oflive entertainment and one of
the best ones is called WingedEncounters.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:13):
Yeah.
Yeah
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:15):
It's by the Tree of Life.
It's right in front of it.
And they come out and give you alittle bit of information about
macaws.
then they call them and so manycome flying right over you.
it is just amazing.
It is an amazing show.
It is short, like five to tenminutes tops.
But it is a very coolexperience.
(16:35):
and my really big pro tip forAnimal Kingdom is when you ride
the safari, ask for the lastrow.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:43):
Got it.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:43):
Ryan?
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:44):
Yes, I have
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:45):
Yeah.
I do that every time.
And if you want to know, a lotof kids are like, no, I want to
sit in the front.
No, you want to sit in the backbecause as you go, you can turn
around and
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:53):
Yep
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:53):
another look at those,
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:54):
Yep
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (16:55):
as
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (16:55):
As long as you stay seated, because
if you don't stay seated, thedrivers, watch you, but yeah,
you get a whole unobstructedview there.
Well, my first tip comes from anexperience that I had several
years ago going into AnimalKingdom.
Have you heard of Divine, Julie?
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (17:12):
Yes.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (17:13):
is a performer that does Like
interpretive movements, so she'salmost in camouflage and then
she has like these extended armsand extended legs you can walk
right by her and not know she'sthere, she's often on the left
hand side walkway, which is notthe walkway.
(17:34):
You intuitively go to everybodygoes right.
Go left next time and see if youcan spot her It's really cool.
You would get some really goodvideos and it's fascinating to
watch her do her thing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (17:46):
She very much just blends in.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (17:49):
So drinks at Flight of Passage,
right outside of, Thule Canteen.
There's a really good, quickservice kiosk that has some good
drinks.
They have some reallyinteresting beers that are only
brewed for Walt Disney World.
And they have a drink called theNight Blossom, which is just so
good.
you can get it with rum in it ifyou ask very nicely.
(18:12):
and then my last tip is don'tstop and take your picture with
the tree of life right as youcome into the park because
everybody's doing that go acrossthe river to Asia and there's
actually walkways that you cango down closer to the water
where you can get unobstructedviews of the tree from across
the lake that are so much betterthan that initial picture at the
(18:36):
front of the park.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (18:38):
I really do love Animal Kingdom when we
go there it just so happens thatwe tend to have shorter trips
sometimes.
But when we go, it's such agreat day.
It feels more relaxed.
The kids have so much fun.
You know, sometimes you run intolike Doug and Russell
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (18:54):
Yep, Kevin.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (18:57):
Kevin walking around the park
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (18:59):
it's amazing.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:00):
of the best interactions.
You're going to have as well.
there's just a lot going on overthere that.
Animal Kingdom has going for it.
I do think when I write touringplans for clients, I do tend to
say you're going to be done withthis park by 2 p.
m.
If you go at park open.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:15):
Yeah.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:16):
You have a great morning, a great early
afternoon.
You have that great meal atTusker House and then you can go
back, enjoy your pool, have kindof like some downtime that
evening and that's how I reallylove to fit that into your day.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:28):
Yep.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:29):
if clients are limited on time and
can't get that full rest day,I'm like let's make that your
animal kingdom day and you getthe best of both worlds.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (19:38):
I like it.
you can make it a shorter day,or if you are an animal lover,
you've got a lot to explorethere, so it's really how you
want to make it.
j_1_01-26-2025_200339 (19:48):
You want to plan a trip to an amazing
destination like Walt DisneyWorld, but don't know how to get
started.
As your travel advisors, we workwith you to create a customized
itinerary for your vacation andtake the stress of planning away
so you can focus on the fun andcreating memories.
You can reach us atallthingstravelpodcast.
com.
ryan_2_01-26-2025_200338 (20:10):
we look forward to talking to you
next week on all things travel.
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