July 23, 2025 • 34 mins
On this episode Krystle and Julie continue the "you can only choose one" series with Disney's Animal Kingdom. This series is meant to be fun and also help our listeners cut through the noise of ALL the choices at Disney parks. If you have not already listened, catch up on our series with the episodes below!
Episode 2: You can only choose one - EPCOT World Showcase https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/15180814
Episode 10: You can only choose one - Magic Kingdom https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/15501812
Episode 22: You can only choose one - Magic Kingdom Part II https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/15966499
Episode 31: You can only choose one - Hollywood Studios https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/16336096
Quick-Service Restaurant Episodes
Episode 35: Disneyland Quick-Service https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/16473145
Episode 38: Hollywood Studios Quick-Service https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/16605521
Episode 44: Magic Kingdom Quick-Service https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/16860983
Episode 48: Animal Kingdom Quick-Service https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368118/episodes/17007096
Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderlustandwishespodcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
UNKNOWN (00:28):
Music
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to episode 61 ofWanderlust and Wishes.
Today, we are going to finishour You Can Only Choose One
series at Walt Disney World withDisney's Animal Kingdom.
But first, we have a new review,which is so exciting.
Whoever AFF Traveler is, thankyou.
(00:52):
This review is titled TravelVariety.
This is not your typical Disneypodcast, and I love Disney, but
they sprinkle in lots of othertravel to keep me yearning to go
other places.
Keep up the great work.
Yay.
Thank you.
Yay.
Thank you so much.
We also have a little bit ofnews.
Not a ton.
First of all, happy birthday toDisneyland.
(01:14):
This past Thursday, July 17th,was the official 70th
anniversary or 70th birthday ofDisneyland opening July 17th,
1955.
And speaking of Disneyland,there are some deals or a promo
that was just dropped forDisneyland Resort Hotels.
(01:35):
There are two differentcomponents to it.
There's just a general guest cansave up to 20% during Halloween
time or the holidays.
This offer is valid for standardand premium room types at
Disney's Grand Californian Hoteland Spa, Disneyland Hotel, and
the villas at Disneyland Hotel.
They keep excluding Pixar Place.
(01:55):
I'm wondering if it's becauseit's still really popular and
it's continuing to be booked up.
I don't know.
Probably, but I was justsurprised because the Villas is
on here and the Villas is justas new.
That's true.
I think right now, if I weregoing to go and I wanted to book
a Disneyland hotel, I wouldprobably book Pixar Place.
And this discount obviouslywould maybe steer me towards
(02:18):
another just potentially, butthat would probably be my top
pick just because I would loveto experience that hotel.
The booking is for now throughDecember 16th, and then travel
must be completed by December20th, 2025.
And kind of a second deal that'ssimilar, it's Disney Visa card
members can save up to 20% onthe same hotels, including Grand
(02:42):
Californian, Disneyland Hotel,and then the villas at
Disneyland Hotel.
Similarly, it is booking throughDecember 16th, and then travel
must be completed by December20th.
Another piece of news.
I think this came out a minuteago, but we've just failed to
mention it.
If you have a Disney Cruise Linesailing coming up, there is an
extended adventure offer forDisney Cruise Land and Sea
(03:06):
vacations.
If you're sailing out of PortCanaveral, you can save 35% on a
pre- or post-cruise stay atSaratoga Springs or Disney's Old
Key West Resort.
This offer is valid for traveldates.
It started in March and is goingthrough June of 2026.
So just get with us and we canfigure that out for you.
UNKNOWN (03:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:29):
Okay.
You ready to jump in?
All right.
For our episode today, we areback with another in a series
that you all have loved andwe've had so much fun making.
Somehow we skipped over AnimalKingdom or maybe just because of
all the impending changes, wejust didn't prioritize it.
But today it's finally gettingsome love.
So if you're new here, welcome.
(03:51):
The way that we do this issimple.
We go land by land in eachDisney park and choose one ride,
one food, one snack, and oneattraction, which usually means
like a show or something elsethat you shouldn't miss in the
area.
So when we created this series,it was kind of with one goal in
mind.
There's a lot of noise out thereand so many people are telling
you what to do, what to skip,what's overrated, what's a
(04:14):
hidden gem.
And when it comes down to it andit's a hot day, you have tired
kids, hangry husband, suddenFlorida rain, you're not going
to be scrolling a blog post forthe best rain shelter.
You need like real practicaltips you can remember, or at
least this is the biggest thing,at least recognize when you see
the sign.
(04:34):
So even if you don't rememberall the little details that we
talk about, maybe you'll see asign and something will click
like, oh, they talked about thaton that podcast.
So it can't be terrible.
So we want these episodes to bea helpful little tool in your
Disney tool belt.
And then I think it's also justbeen really fun to see where we
agree and where we differ on allthese.
(04:54):
Like if we both suggest the samething, you know, it's really
good.
But we usually bring differentperspectives to the table.
Julie loves her sit-down meal.
I prefer my quick service.
Julie's in the teen parentingphase.
I have littles.
Julie grew up going to WaltDisney World.
I grew up going to Disneyland.
So between the two of us, you'regetting like a very wide angle
view on what to prioritize ineach land.
(05:17):
So absolutely.
We can also link in the shownotes to catch if you want to
catch earlier episodes in thisseries.
Episode two was Epcot WorldShowcase.
Episode 10 and 22 were MagicKingdom parts one and two.
Episode 31 was HollywoodStudios.
And then we also did somethingsimilar for quick service
(05:40):
restaurants.
You can only pick one.
And those are episodes 35 isDisneyland, episode 38,
Hollywood Studios.
Episode 44 is Magic Kingdom.
Episode 48 is Animal Kingdom.
So as you can tell, we stillneed to fill in with certain
episodes to finalize our quickservice and also to wrap up our,
you can only pick one overall.
(06:01):
We still need to include Epcot.
The front of Epcot, it's abattle.
Do we include it with festivals?
Do we do it with festival free?
Yeah.
But if you have any othersuggestions for these type of
episodes, we love doing them.
Just let us know.
We're always open tosuggestions.
In fact, I think our quickservice episode was came started
(06:23):
with a suggestion.
So.
All right.
So we're going to start with theOasis, which is the little land
between where they scan yourtickets before you get to
Discovery Island, which is theTree of Life.
And I only put the section inbecause it's for Julie's
Joffreys.
UNKNOWN (06:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:41):
So I'm skipping all the rye, the food, the snack,
and going straight to theattraction, which is Divine.
Be on the lookout for her.
She's very easy to miss.
She's very tall, just elegant,beautiful, Mother Nature-type
streetness-fear, but she'susually hiding in the trees.
Yeah, and she's on stilts and isall green, all leafy.
(07:04):
So yeah, she can be like rightthere and she moves really,
really slowly on purpose.
It can kind of freak you outbecause all of a sudden you'll
see her and you didn't realizethat she was there.
So for the week of Earth Day,she grows and sprouts a bunch of
flowers.
(07:24):
Did you know that?
I didn't know that.
Oh, that's so fun.
So she's just all verybeautified.
So if Julie would like to takeover the Oasis now.
I did add a couple of things inhere for the ride.
I said there was no ride, so Ididn't pick that.
And this is not reallytechnically an oasis, but I did
throw in that Rainforest Cafe isin here.
(07:46):
I have, I will be honest, I'venever been here and I would not
choose this restaurant if I hadto pick something, you know, if
I had to wait and go somewhereelse within Animal Kingdom.
We have lots of other favorites.
And also just because it It's achain.
Yeah.
And I tend to not want to go toa chain.
(08:07):
But if I were going to go thereand I had to pick something out
of this location, I wouldprobably pick a salad, a cop
salad.
And of course, my snack would bethe shaken Jamaican from
Joffrey's at the entrance.
Yum.
I can never have too many ofthose.
I love them.
And then also the attraction.
I agree with Crystal.
It would be divine.
(08:29):
All right.
So as you're Going clockwisearound the park, you can kind of
sneak back to Pandora.
My ride is Flight of Passage.
There's just nothing else I getaround.
It's unmatched.
I do think they need to updatethe graphics a little bit
because depending on whereyou're sitting, it can get a
little 3D, fuzzy, but it'sreally neat.
(08:51):
For food, I'm picking SatouliCanteen.
They have all kind of like bowlsituations.
I'd get the combination bowlwith chimichurri beef and chili
garlic shrimp.
You'll notice that I love shrimpand there are a lot of shrimp
things on this episode today.
Apologies.
Animal Kingdom has a lot of goodfood.
They definitely have a lot ofvariety because of the different
(09:12):
cultures that are available.
So yes, I think it's kind of ahidden gem when it comes to
food.
I don't think people think of itfor that.
And it has a lot of goodoptions.
That's as I was going throughthis, every time I look at all
the menus, I'm reminded how manygood options and unique things
there are.
So it's always so hard to narrowit down.
So a lot of like I might havepicked you on some of these for
(09:35):
a snack right outside SatoliCanteen, right outside the what
is it?
Wind traders.
What's the the gift shop forPandora when you get off the
ride?
It's hard.
You almost miss it.
There's a little window calledPongu Pongu and a lot of drinks.
I'm going to try the PonguLumpia, which is like a
pineapple cream cheese springroll.
(09:56):
I wish that I could try thatbecause that looks, it just
sounds so good to me.
I wish there was an option thatI could have.
And then for my attraction inPandora, this is offered all
over the park, but I suggestfinding it early and getting
your booklet.
But the Wilderness Explorers, sosimilar to like an Epcot
(10:17):
scavenger hunt, but there's morelearning involved.
You can earn badges at differentstops and they usually like ask
you questions or do somethingeducational.
I would not stress and worryabout trying to do them all
because there are 25 badgesaround the park.
So we have our books.
We'll take them back next timeand work on more.
But if you have like a hole inyour touring or need a minute,
(10:39):
it's a fun, easy thing to pullout for your kids.
I agree.
And my 12 year old loves doingthis because she loves animals.
She loves any kind of naturetype activity.
So she likes to go, even if shedoesn't, take her little
passport booklet, she stilllikes to go and just learn about
(11:04):
whatever it is that they'reteaching.
I picked Flight of Passage aswell, although I tend to skip
this one depending on how I'mfeeling because I can get a
little queasy even though I lovethe ride.
Don't get me wrong.
I love the ride.
I love the feeling of it.
(11:26):
My body just doesn't alwaysfeel, it's just not always
feeling it that day.
And if I'm not feeling right, Iusually will just skip it.
Because if I get sick, it'lljust put me out for the whole
day.
I also picked Satuli Canteen,even though Satuli Canteen and
Pongu Pongu are the only placesto eat in Pandora.
(11:47):
So it's kind of that part ofit's kind of limited.
But I would also get the bowl,the chili garlic shrimp bowl.
And then For my snack, at PonguPongu, I would get the Night
Blossom without the boba ballsbecause I cannot stand boba.
(12:08):
But the drink itself is soyummy.
It's layers of apple and desertpear limeade, and then it's
topped with the boba balls,which I will not eat because
they're gross.
And then I actually put for theattraction, because I did not
even think about the WildernessAnd I think that is a great, I
(12:30):
think that's genius.
That's actually, now that I'mlooking at what I picked,
because I would honestly neverpick Navi River Journey.
I think it's terrible.
But I was like, if I don't haveone more thing to choose, sorry
for anyone that loves Navi RiverJourney.
I just don't think it's worththe wait.
That's usually, it's usuallysome crazy wait.
And it's just not that great.
So now I'm going to retract myoriginal choice and I'm going to
(12:54):
throw in Wilderness Explorerstoo because I think that is a
really good idea.
Listen, if you have babies ortoddlers, Navi River is superior
in Animal Kingdom becausethere's nothing else for them to
do.
And it's dark and cool to getout of the heat, for sure.
It's just really boring.
Yeah, no idea why the line iscontinually 90 minutes.
(13:15):
Not worth 90 minutes.
The first time I got off, I waslike, What in the world?
Yeah, we've ridden it once and Iwas like, we're not doing that
again.
That was not worth it.
All right, hopping back toDiscovery Island.
This is where the Tree of Lifeis.
There's actually a lot going onright here on the island.
Animal Kingdom is set up like ahub and spoke with the tree in
(13:38):
the middle.
And then there's lots of likeall the countries and things are
spokes off of it.
So for a ride on DiscoveryIsland, there's not like a
traditional ride under the treeof life there is a theater and
they are changing it it was oncebugs life and it's now going to
be zootopia better zoo gatherit's so hard to say it's so hard
(14:00):
to say i'm curious if they'regoing to keep the 5d element or
if there's going to be morescreaming children i hope
there's no spiders dropping fromthe sea i know or like the like
the pricklies in the back whenyou don't expect it so who knows
that'll be fun when they finallydo that for food this is one of
the ones I was having issueswith there's so many good
(14:20):
options right here but I Ipicked flame tree barbecue the
baked macaroni and cheese withpulled pork topped with crispy
onions and coleslaw they haveversion of it at Epcot for a
festival and they took it awayit was in America and I have
craved it every time I go intoEpcot like I need to go get that
(14:40):
and I forget it's the wrong parkfor a snack but I'm going to
Isle of Java.
They have a Tiger Tail ChocolateTwist or the Colossal Mickey
Cinnamon Roll.
Attraction.
If you luck out to be there atdark, they do the Tree of Life
Awakenings.
There's like a light projectionshow on the tree.
There's always good streetnessaround here.
We usually see Kevin walkingaround.
(15:03):
You can meet Mickey and Minniein their safari outfits.
There's always a lot of musicand dancing.
And so there's just a lot goingon right here.
And at Christmas time or theholidays, they have the animals.
What are they?
The menagerie.
The merry menagerie.
Oh, they're so cute.
Yeah, they're super cute.
And they're usually right therein front of where the tree is
after you've come out of theoasis section.
(15:25):
And yeah, they're very fun.
That's a good spot to see them.
Like Crystal said, there's nocurrent ride.
And even once they replace ABug's Life with the Better Zoo
Gatherer, attraction or whateverit's going to be.
That's opening in, they'resaying winter 2025, so that
(15:46):
should be somewhat soon.
But I'm looking forward toseeing what it's going to have.
For food, the place where I liketo get the street tacos, it's
showing up as close, the SmilingTaco Dile.
It better not be.
I'm going to be so mad if theypermanently close this.
I was looking at it when I wasdoing, you know, prepping.
(16:08):
And so it made me really sad.
Hopefully it's temporary.
But just in case, my next pickis going to be Nomad Lounge.
I'm going to get the grilledchicken satay, which is a
grilled skewered chicken thigh,curry marinade, cilantro,
pickled green papaya, and peanutsauce.
And this is gluten-free.
(16:29):
My snack...
It's going to be also at NomadLounge.
It'll be the churros becausethey have gluten-free churros.
And this is one of the onlyplaces that they have them.
And no, they're not Disneylandchurros, but it's still exciting
to have churros.
And for the attraction, I agreewith Crystal.
There's always stuff going onright there in front of the
(16:49):
tree.
But they also have the littleareas where they have little
stations where you can see theanimals.
And one of the ones we alwaysstop at is the otters.
They're so adorable.
And we just always stop there tosee them.
And my husband will say for therest of the day, he'll work in,
(17:09):
you ought to do whatever.
Oh, with the dad jokes.
Uh-huh.
Yes.
Much to my children'sembarrassment, it drives them
bananas.
And make, of course, that.
That just fuels the fire.
Yes.
It gives them even more fuel tokeep doing it.
All right.
On to Africa for my ride.
The safari.
Duh.
Like, you have to go on safari.
(17:32):
For food, I'm going to theHarambee Market.
I told you I love shrimp.
So we're going to go with eitherthe shrimp rice bowl or the
shrimp Caesar salad.
They both look really good.
Snack.
Tamiya refreshments for a DoleWhip.
Sidebar.
Did you see that Disneylandunveiled a peach Dole Whip for
the birthday?
No.
(17:52):
I was salivating.
Really?
I don't know how I feel aboutthat.
I love peach ice cream.
So maybe I would be okay withit.
If anybody's tried the peachDole Whip at Disneyland, let me
know.
And then attraction.
I had a really hard time withthis one because how do you not
pick the festival of the LionKing?
It's like one of the best thingsat Animal Kingdom.
But I also really love theanimation experience at Rafiki's
Planet Watch.
Yeah.
You have like an animator inthere drawing and you can draw a
(18:15):
picture with them.
And then you might look out andsee a vet procedure going on in
the same building.
It is possible to do all thesethings in Africa, but it's tight
and it takes a lot of forwardthinking and planning.
So don't expect to do it all.
But if you can...
it makes for a lovely day to getit all done.
It does.
(18:35):
Yeah, this is probably, this isdefinitely one of my favorite
areas.
And for a ride, I wasn't sure,you know, I was on the bubble
whether to consider Rafiki'sPlanet Watch as a ride or an
attraction because you do get,you do go on the train to go out
there.
So this one for me, I was tryingto think, I love that.
I love that whole area as well.
(18:56):
But I'm also going to choose theKilimanjaro Safari, the
experience is never the same.
The animals are always going to,I mean, they're not predictable
and it's not like they have ascript.
So they do whatever they wantand they always put on a show.
It does help for you to go earlybecause in the afternoons, they
tend to be asleep.
It's just too hot and or they'llgo inside, they'll go find a
(19:19):
cooler spot and you don't reallysee them.
So if you want to see theanimals, be out and about and
more active, definitely go likefirst thing.
In fact, the lion, they used hisroar for Mufasa in the new
movie.
Did you know that?
I didn't.
We definitely heard one of thelions or multiple lions roar
while we've been on this party.
(19:40):
And I love to hear it.
We've been stuck because arhinoceros stood in front of our
jeep.
thingy and was not moving.
He was like, I'm not sorry, man.
That's not happening.
And they can't do anything aboutit because they can't make them
move.
So until he was ready to move,we just kind of hung out and we
watched him for food.
(20:02):
I was going to talk about orCrystal mentioned earlier.
I love my sit down meals and Ican't pass up character meals.
I love them.
So I'm going to choose TuskerHouse.
It is a buffet and and charactermeal.
Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.
And then for snack, we alwaysstop at Zuri's Sweet Treats.
(20:25):
I usually get a rice krispietreat that's dipped in
chocolate.
It's one of my favorite things.
And the girls always get aslushie and I usually steal a
little bit from them.
They usually get the BlueRaspberry Glacier, which is just
like it sounds.
It's a big blue slushie and it'sso good, especially when you're
in Animal Kingdom.
And for some reason, AnimalKingdom always feels 150
(20:46):
degrees.
with the humidity and all of thevegetation.
For my attraction, I choseFestival of the Lion King.
Lion King, it's definitely mytop five, maybe my favorite of
the Disney cartoons.
And I get super emotionalusually and sing and embarrass
my children.
(21:07):
Moving on to Asia, my ride isExpedition Everest.
This is a fun ride and it'salways fun to sit by someone
who's never ridden before.
and get to the broken track andthen freak out a little bit.
This does have a quick singlerider line.
There is the Cali River Rapidsright here if you want to get
(21:28):
wet, but that's not usually me.
For food, I'm going to Yak andYeti Local Foods Cafes.
So this is the quick servicewindow side of the restaurant.
I can easily pick a half dozenitems from this menu and we'd
probably end up each pickingsomething different and sharing.
which is what we usually do.
A firecracker shrimp, Koreanfried chicken sandwich, rib
(21:50):
tips, sweet and sour tempurashrimp, teriyaki chicken salad,
and then we'd for sure get thepork potstickers because my
household is obsessed withpotstickers.
Snack, Mr.
Kamal's fries.
These have a cult following.
You gotta try them.
You'll understand.
Ask, make sure you get thedipping sauce.
My attraction, the MaharajaJungle Trek, especially right
(22:11):
now with the baby tiger.
And just a heads up, unless youlike go and turn back, this loop
is not small.
So don't think this is like afive minute little wreck.
Neither one of them, neither oneof the like jungle treks or the
trails there.
They're not, they're not short.
I also will pick ExpeditionEverest.
(22:32):
I'm going to pick Yak and Yetifor my food, but I'm going to
pick the sit down restaurant.
We are obsessed with this place.
We can't, We can honestly likewe pick like we're, you know,
we're going picking one in eacharea.
But like I have to pick for theday.
My family is going to almostalways pick Yak and Yeti over
everything else that's there.
(22:53):
And I'm trying to get them tonot pick there because, you
know, we're trying to branch outand do other things.
But it's so hard because thisplace is the best.
It's so good.
And everybody in my family lovesit, which is a hard thing to do.
UNKNOWN (23:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:09):
For my snack, I'm also going to get Mr.
Kamal's fries.
And like Crystal said, make surethat you get the sriracha mayo
dipping sauce.
For my attraction, I'm going todo Gorilla Falls.
And I don't know.
My daughter Ella and I, forwhatever reason, we just like
this particular trail better.
(23:29):
We like the other.
We like the Maharaja Jungle Trekas well, but we like the Gorilla
Falls one better.
It has...
birds along the way as well andit has this little I don't even
know it's like a it's a buildingit's like a shack or something I
don't know what's but they haveinside it they have they have
animals but they have they havelike snakes and they also have
(23:53):
these drawers of things whereyou can pick out they're
basically like replicas ofskulls I'm sure they're not
actual skulls but replicas ofskulls and that you can look at.
And I don't know, it's justsomething we love stuff like
that.
So we're able to look at it andjust be nature nerds.
Next, we're going to DinolandUSA.
(24:14):
We'll talk more about this.
Very sad right now.
And this is probably anotherreason we haven't done it
because it's going away.
For the ride, you have Dinosaur.
It's the only operational rideright now.
My kids were a little freakedout.
They've only been on it once,but it's closing soon.
So Who knows how much longer youhave.
They'd prefer the Boneyard astheir ride.
They love the Boneyard.
(24:35):
Food, the Restaurantosaurus.
I'd get the Angus BaconCheeseburger.
For my snack, I'm going to DinoBite Snacks.
It currently has a strawberryshortcake ice cream sandwich on
the menu, and I need that in mylife.
ASAP.
They always have some prettygood ice cream sandwich combo
that is really good.
And then for my attraction, forsome odd reason...
(24:58):
Finding Nemo, The Big Blue andBeyond is considered Dinoland.
Really?
Yeah.
So it's super cute and fun.
It does follow the storyline,but it has like some exclusive
catchy songs.
So I love the show.
And if I can fit it into myschedule, I'm always going to go
sit down and watch it.
It has the big blue world.
Yeah.
(25:19):
That's very, it's very easy toget stuck in your head.
And it plays on repeat.
Well, and now every time I thinkof Finding Nemo I think of
Cassie so shout out to Cassieyes she loves that song okay so
I for the ride I the only likeCrystal said the only actual
(25:41):
ride that's open is Dinosaur butI refuse to pick it I'm sorry
Cassie Cassie's favorite ride isDinosaur by the way so I feel
she's she's a does not agreewith me on this one but it is my
least favorite ride I do notlike it it makes me feel like
I've been punched in the ribs.
And the only time I ride it orthe only reason I ride it is
because my oldest daughter lovesit and she doesn't get on it.
(26:04):
She's not a huge like rollercoaster fan and some of the
bigger rides.
So I usually go on this withher.
For food, I'm going to go toRestaurantasaurus while it is
still open.
I'm going to get the allergyfriendly chicken strips on the
kids menu.
And then for breakfast, a snack.
I'm going to go to Trilobitesand get the buffalo chicken
(26:27):
chips.
And I honestly did not realizethat the Finding Nemo show was
part of Dinoland.
So that's really the onlyattraction left at this point
for Dinoland.
So we'll go there until the newstuff comes.
(26:48):
Until we have new options.
So We have been around the park.
So just as like a little recap,we're going to kind of go around
what has been announced andplanned for Dinoland USA.
This park needs a lot of loveand it's coming.
So it's exciting.
So there are permits that havebeen filed that basically
(27:09):
include the last remainingDinoland sites.
And if you have been to DisneyWorld or to Animal Kingdom, you
will know that there are wallsup around the construction site.
It looks probably even sadderthan it did before.
Or maybe it's better because allthe parts that were completely
empty, the walls are up aroundit at this point because they
(27:31):
have construction there.
The big dinosaur is gone.
Yeah.
The big dinosaur is gone.
It's tear-topped.
It's been taken down.
Yes.
And the boneyard, RIP, as ofSeptember 1st, it is going to be
going away and will be replacedby a new kids' space.
(27:51):
play space.
So there is going to be a newspace that's hopefully
comparable.
Disney is saying this is, youknow, it is going to make the
Boneyard fans happy.
So we'll see.
That's yet to be seen.
The Wilderness Explorer kiosknear Dynamite Snacks.
This location continues tooperate for right now, but its
inclusion in the constructionfilings indicates eventual
(28:13):
removal, or I'm sure they'lljust relocate it.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, I'm sure.
Or they'll like shut it downtemporarily and then bring it
back up.
Also, Trilobite Snacks, it'slocated just outside of the
Dinoland entrance.
It's still open, as we justmentioned, for now, but it's
(28:35):
included in the permits.
So it's probably going to begone soon and it has limited
days.
And then, as we said, the formersite of the triceratops spin.
This area has been fully clearedfollowing the demolition of the
ride and surrounding queue.
There is currently no officialclosing date for Dinosaur.
Disney has said 2026 and manyare predicting January of 2026.
(28:57):
So we don't quite know for sure.
They promised that they wouldkeep it open through the end of
2025.
And they announced that it wouldbe definitely going away in
2026.
So I think people are justassuming that.
that when they say 2026, itmeans the beginning of 2026.
For those of you that have kindof followed along with this,
(29:18):
Disney released concept art ofthe Tropical Americas area at
the D23 event in August of 2024.
So it's been almost a year sincethey've announced everything.
They also have given the areathe name Pueblo Esperanza, which
(29:38):
translates roughly to Hopetown.
And they're going to have,obviously, new restaurants,
newly themed restaurants.
They're going to have severalnew rides.
As soon as you walk in, you'regoing to see the Pueblo
Esperanza Fountain.
And it looks like that's justgoing to be like a really pretty
area.
The concept art shows itsurrounded by really pretty
(30:01):
flowering trees.
Obviously, it's concept art, soit may not be exactly that way.
But I think Disney does a prettygood job of keeping to what they
say they're going to do.
They also are going to have ananimal-themed carousel.
There's a concept picture.
It looks like Heaven.
Yeah, it does.
But he's almost like vintageLatin-inspired.
(30:24):
They're also going to haveNigel, Squirt, and Sheldon from
Finding Nemo, Timon and Pumbaafrom The Lion King, and Heihei
from Moana.
So they'll have differentcharacters from Disney movies
kind of mixed in there with thecarousel.
I'm excited to see what it lookslike.
Something else that we know, theold Boneyard is going away and
(30:44):
they're going to put in a newMayan playground.
We don't suspect it is going tobe in the same location, but
we're hopeful that it stands upto what the Boneyard is.
The dinosaur ride is going to bereimagined as Indiana Jones.
So I don't think it's going tobe exactly like the one in
(31:07):
Disneyland, but I'm assumingit'll be similar because the
ride vehicle is similar to theone in Disneyland.
I think I saw somewhere, I don'tknow if it's official or just
rumor, that it was going to belike a different movie,
different time frame.
Yeah, because the other one wasRaiders of the Lost Ark, I
(31:29):
think.
We do know that there's going tobe a new Encanto dark ride.
The Encanto ride will be set inAntonio's room, which...
has transformed into arainforest and guests will
explore alongside Antonio andother magical family members as
he receives his gift of talkingto animals, which I think is a
good fit.
Not sure if it's going to be awater ride or just a classic
(31:51):
dark ride.
There are at least threeunidentified buildings that
people are assuming are going tobe meet and greets.
I'm sure there'll be lots ofshopping.
So I think overall it's awelcome addition.
It's going to be fun.
I don't really see anything thatI'm not excited about.
I think there are people thatlove Dinosaur that are really
(32:12):
sad that it's going away.
And I'm okay with the foodoptions that they have currently
in Dinerland.
I don't think it's anything outof this world.
If they were to replace Yak andYeti, I would be crushed.
I would have to mourn the lossof that restaurant.
But I don't think there'sanything in Dinerland that I'm
(32:34):
going to miss.
I am putting my officialpetition out that there needs to
be a Brazilian-type steakhouse.
Oh, yes.
I completely agree with you.
That's a fantastic idea.
If they don't put that in there,they're definitely missing a
huge opportunity because peoplewill be all for that.
That place will sell out almostimmediately.
(32:54):
It will be so hard to getreservations if they do
something like that.
I think they were smart andsane.
If you're listening to ourpodcast, you need to listen up.
I think it's smart on their partthat they are being pretty broad
about the tropical Americasbecause that could lend to so
many different themes, differentthings that they could add
characters.
(33:15):
So hopefully it's quick movingand it's not 2030 before we see
it.
Agree.
Well, we hope that you haveenjoyed.
our podcast for this week.
I know we took a little bit of adifferent turn at the very end
just to talk about the changesthat are coming to Dinoland or
to the area where Dinoland isjust to give you some updates.
(33:35):
We hope everyone has a fantasticweek and we'll talk to you next
week.
Bye! Thanks for tuning in toanother episode of Wonderlust
(33:56):
and Wishes.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform.
And remember, the world is fullof wonders waiting to be
explored.
Until next time, happy travels.
Bye for now.
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
UNKNOWN (00:28):
Music
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to episode 61 ofWanderlust and Wishes.
Today, we are going to finishour You Can Only Choose One
series at Walt Disney World withDisney's Animal Kingdom.
But first, we have a new review,which is so exciting.
Whoever AFF Traveler is, thankyou.
(00:52):
This review is titled TravelVariety.
This is not your typical Disneypodcast, and I love Disney, but
they sprinkle in lots of othertravel to keep me yearning to go
other places.
Keep up the great work.
Yay.
Thank you.
Yay.
Thank you so much.
We also have a little bit ofnews.
Not a ton.
First of all, happy birthday toDisneyland.
(01:14):
This past Thursday, July 17th,was the official 70th
anniversary or 70th birthday ofDisneyland opening July 17th,
1955.
And speaking of Disneyland,there are some deals or a promo
that was just dropped forDisneyland Resort Hotels.
(01:35):
There are two differentcomponents to it.
There's just a general guest cansave up to 20% during Halloween
time or the holidays.
This offer is valid for standardand premium room types at
Disney's Grand Californian Hoteland Spa, Disneyland Hotel, and
the villas at Disneyland Hotel.
They keep excluding Pixar Place.
(01:55):
I'm wondering if it's becauseit's still really popular and
it's continuing to be booked up.
I don't know.
Probably, but I was justsurprised because the Villas is
on here and the Villas is justas new.
That's true.
I think right now, if I weregoing to go and I wanted to book
a Disneyland hotel, I wouldprobably book Pixar Place.
And this discount obviouslywould maybe steer me towards
(02:18):
another just potentially, butthat would probably be my top
pick just because I would loveto experience that hotel.
The booking is for now throughDecember 16th, and then travel
must be completed by December20th, 2025.
And kind of a second deal that'ssimilar, it's Disney Visa card
members can save up to 20% onthe same hotels, including Grand
(02:42):
Californian, Disneyland Hotel,and then the villas at
Disneyland Hotel.
Similarly, it is booking throughDecember 16th, and then travel
must be completed by December20th.
Another piece of news.
I think this came out a minuteago, but we've just failed to
mention it.
If you have a Disney Cruise Linesailing coming up, there is an
extended adventure offer forDisney Cruise Land and Sea
(03:06):
vacations.
If you're sailing out of PortCanaveral, you can save 35% on a
pre- or post-cruise stay atSaratoga Springs or Disney's Old
Key West Resort.
This offer is valid for traveldates.
It started in March and is goingthrough June of 2026.
So just get with us and we canfigure that out for you.
UNKNOWN (03:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:29):
Okay.
You ready to jump in?
All right.
For our episode today, we areback with another in a series
that you all have loved andwe've had so much fun making.
Somehow we skipped over AnimalKingdom or maybe just because of
all the impending changes, wejust didn't prioritize it.
But today it's finally gettingsome love.
So if you're new here, welcome.
(03:51):
The way that we do this issimple.
We go land by land in eachDisney park and choose one ride,
one food, one snack, and oneattraction, which usually means
like a show or something elsethat you shouldn't miss in the
area.
So when we created this series,it was kind of with one goal in
mind.
There's a lot of noise out thereand so many people are telling
you what to do, what to skip,what's overrated, what's a
(04:14):
hidden gem.
And when it comes down to it andit's a hot day, you have tired
kids, hangry husband, suddenFlorida rain, you're not going
to be scrolling a blog post forthe best rain shelter.
You need like real practicaltips you can remember, or at
least this is the biggest thing,at least recognize when you see
the sign.
(04:34):
So even if you don't rememberall the little details that we
talk about, maybe you'll see asign and something will click
like, oh, they talked about thaton that podcast.
So it can't be terrible.
So we want these episodes to bea helpful little tool in your
Disney tool belt.
And then I think it's also justbeen really fun to see where we
agree and where we differ on allthese.
(04:54):
Like if we both suggest the samething, you know, it's really
good.
But we usually bring differentperspectives to the table.
Julie loves her sit-down meal.
I prefer my quick service.
Julie's in the teen parentingphase.
I have littles.
Julie grew up going to WaltDisney World.
I grew up going to Disneyland.
So between the two of us, you'regetting like a very wide angle
view on what to prioritize ineach land.
(05:17):
So absolutely.
We can also link in the shownotes to catch if you want to
catch earlier episodes in thisseries.
Episode two was Epcot WorldShowcase.
Episode 10 and 22 were MagicKingdom parts one and two.
Episode 31 was HollywoodStudios.
And then we also did somethingsimilar for quick service
(05:40):
restaurants.
You can only pick one.
And those are episodes 35 isDisneyland, episode 38,
Hollywood Studios.
Episode 44 is Magic Kingdom.
Episode 48 is Animal Kingdom.
So as you can tell, we stillneed to fill in with certain
episodes to finalize our quickservice and also to wrap up our,
you can only pick one overall.
(06:01):
We still need to include Epcot.
The front of Epcot, it's abattle.
Do we include it with festivals?
Do we do it with festival free?
Yeah.
But if you have any othersuggestions for these type of
episodes, we love doing them.
Just let us know.
We're always open tosuggestions.
In fact, I think our quickservice episode was came started
(06:23):
with a suggestion.
So.
All right.
So we're going to start with theOasis, which is the little land
between where they scan yourtickets before you get to
Discovery Island, which is theTree of Life.
And I only put the section inbecause it's for Julie's
Joffreys.
UNKNOWN (06:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:41):
So I'm skipping all the rye, the food, the snack,
and going straight to theattraction, which is Divine.
Be on the lookout for her.
She's very easy to miss.
She's very tall, just elegant,beautiful, Mother Nature-type
streetness-fear, but she'susually hiding in the trees.
Yeah, and she's on stilts and isall green, all leafy.
(07:04):
So yeah, she can be like rightthere and she moves really,
really slowly on purpose.
It can kind of freak you outbecause all of a sudden you'll
see her and you didn't realizethat she was there.
So for the week of Earth Day,she grows and sprouts a bunch of
flowers.
(07:24):
Did you know that?
I didn't know that.
Oh, that's so fun.
So she's just all verybeautified.
So if Julie would like to takeover the Oasis now.
I did add a couple of things inhere for the ride.
I said there was no ride, so Ididn't pick that.
And this is not reallytechnically an oasis, but I did
throw in that Rainforest Cafe isin here.
(07:46):
I have, I will be honest, I'venever been here and I would not
choose this restaurant if I hadto pick something, you know, if
I had to wait and go somewhereelse within Animal Kingdom.
We have lots of other favorites.
And also just because it It's achain.
Yeah.
And I tend to not want to go toa chain.
(08:07):
But if I were going to go thereand I had to pick something out
of this location, I wouldprobably pick a salad, a cop
salad.
And of course, my snack would bethe shaken Jamaican from
Joffrey's at the entrance.
Yum.
I can never have too many ofthose.
I love them.
And then also the attraction.
I agree with Crystal.
It would be divine.
(08:29):
All right.
So as you're Going clockwisearound the park, you can kind of
sneak back to Pandora.
My ride is Flight of Passage.
There's just nothing else I getaround.
It's unmatched.
I do think they need to updatethe graphics a little bit
because depending on whereyou're sitting, it can get a
little 3D, fuzzy, but it'sreally neat.
(08:51):
For food, I'm picking SatouliCanteen.
They have all kind of like bowlsituations.
I'd get the combination bowlwith chimichurri beef and chili
garlic shrimp.
You'll notice that I love shrimpand there are a lot of shrimp
things on this episode today.
Apologies.
Animal Kingdom has a lot of goodfood.
They definitely have a lot ofvariety because of the different
(09:12):
cultures that are available.
So yes, I think it's kind of ahidden gem when it comes to
food.
I don't think people think of itfor that.
And it has a lot of goodoptions.
That's as I was going throughthis, every time I look at all
the menus, I'm reminded how manygood options and unique things
there are.
So it's always so hard to narrowit down.
So a lot of like I might havepicked you on some of these for
(09:35):
a snack right outside SatoliCanteen, right outside the what
is it?
Wind traders.
What's the the gift shop forPandora when you get off the
ride?
It's hard.
You almost miss it.
There's a little window calledPongu Pongu and a lot of drinks.
I'm going to try the PonguLumpia, which is like a
pineapple cream cheese springroll.
(09:56):
I wish that I could try thatbecause that looks, it just
sounds so good to me.
I wish there was an option thatI could have.
And then for my attraction inPandora, this is offered all
over the park, but I suggestfinding it early and getting
your booklet.
But the Wilderness Explorers, sosimilar to like an Epcot
(10:17):
scavenger hunt, but there's morelearning involved.
You can earn badges at differentstops and they usually like ask
you questions or do somethingeducational.
I would not stress and worryabout trying to do them all
because there are 25 badgesaround the park.
So we have our books.
We'll take them back next timeand work on more.
But if you have like a hole inyour touring or need a minute,
(10:39):
it's a fun, easy thing to pullout for your kids.
I agree.
And my 12 year old loves doingthis because she loves animals.
She loves any kind of naturetype activity.
So she likes to go, even if shedoesn't, take her little
passport booklet, she stilllikes to go and just learn about
(11:04):
whatever it is that they'reteaching.
I picked Flight of Passage aswell, although I tend to skip
this one depending on how I'mfeeling because I can get a
little queasy even though I lovethe ride.
Don't get me wrong.
I love the ride.
I love the feeling of it.
(11:26):
My body just doesn't alwaysfeel, it's just not always
feeling it that day.
And if I'm not feeling right, Iusually will just skip it.
Because if I get sick, it'lljust put me out for the whole
day.
I also picked Satuli Canteen,even though Satuli Canteen and
Pongu Pongu are the only placesto eat in Pandora.
(11:47):
So it's kind of that part ofit's kind of limited.
But I would also get the bowl,the chili garlic shrimp bowl.
And then For my snack, at PonguPongu, I would get the Night
Blossom without the boba ballsbecause I cannot stand boba.
(12:08):
But the drink itself is soyummy.
It's layers of apple and desertpear limeade, and then it's
topped with the boba balls,which I will not eat because
they're gross.
And then I actually put for theattraction, because I did not
even think about the WildernessAnd I think that is a great, I
(12:30):
think that's genius.
That's actually, now that I'mlooking at what I picked,
because I would honestly neverpick Navi River Journey.
I think it's terrible.
But I was like, if I don't haveone more thing to choose, sorry
for anyone that loves Navi RiverJourney.
I just don't think it's worththe wait.
That's usually, it's usuallysome crazy wait.
And it's just not that great.
So now I'm going to retract myoriginal choice and I'm going to
(12:54):
throw in Wilderness Explorerstoo because I think that is a
really good idea.
Listen, if you have babies ortoddlers, Navi River is superior
in Animal Kingdom becausethere's nothing else for them to
do.
And it's dark and cool to getout of the heat, for sure.
It's just really boring.
Yeah, no idea why the line iscontinually 90 minutes.
(13:15):
Not worth 90 minutes.
The first time I got off, I waslike, What in the world?
Yeah, we've ridden it once and Iwas like, we're not doing that
again.
That was not worth it.
All right, hopping back toDiscovery Island.
This is where the Tree of Lifeis.
There's actually a lot going onright here on the island.
Animal Kingdom is set up like ahub and spoke with the tree in
(13:38):
the middle.
And then there's lots of likeall the countries and things are
spokes off of it.
So for a ride on DiscoveryIsland, there's not like a
traditional ride under the treeof life there is a theater and
they are changing it it was oncebugs life and it's now going to
be zootopia better zoo gatherit's so hard to say it's so hard
(14:00):
to say i'm curious if they'regoing to keep the 5d element or
if there's going to be morescreaming children i hope
there's no spiders dropping fromthe sea i know or like the like
the pricklies in the back whenyou don't expect it so who knows
that'll be fun when they finallydo that for food this is one of
the ones I was having issueswith there's so many good
(14:20):
options right here but I Ipicked flame tree barbecue the
baked macaroni and cheese withpulled pork topped with crispy
onions and coleslaw they haveversion of it at Epcot for a
festival and they took it awayit was in America and I have
craved it every time I go intoEpcot like I need to go get that
(14:40):
and I forget it's the wrong parkfor a snack but I'm going to
Isle of Java.
They have a Tiger Tail ChocolateTwist or the Colossal Mickey
Cinnamon Roll.
Attraction.
If you luck out to be there atdark, they do the Tree of Life
Awakenings.
There's like a light projectionshow on the tree.
There's always good streetnessaround here.
We usually see Kevin walkingaround.
(15:03):
You can meet Mickey and Minniein their safari outfits.
There's always a lot of musicand dancing.
And so there's just a lot goingon right here.
And at Christmas time or theholidays, they have the animals.
What are they?
The menagerie.
The merry menagerie.
Oh, they're so cute.
Yeah, they're super cute.
And they're usually right therein front of where the tree is
after you've come out of theoasis section.
(15:25):
And yeah, they're very fun.
That's a good spot to see them.
Like Crystal said, there's nocurrent ride.
And even once they replace ABug's Life with the Better Zoo
Gatherer, attraction or whateverit's going to be.
That's opening in, they'resaying winter 2025, so that
(15:46):
should be somewhat soon.
But I'm looking forward toseeing what it's going to have.
For food, the place where I liketo get the street tacos, it's
showing up as close, the SmilingTaco Dile.
It better not be.
I'm going to be so mad if theypermanently close this.
I was looking at it when I wasdoing, you know, prepping.
(16:08):
And so it made me really sad.
Hopefully it's temporary.
But just in case, my next pickis going to be Nomad Lounge.
I'm going to get the grilledchicken satay, which is a
grilled skewered chicken thigh,curry marinade, cilantro,
pickled green papaya, and peanutsauce.
And this is gluten-free.
(16:29):
My snack...
It's going to be also at NomadLounge.
It'll be the churros becausethey have gluten-free churros.
And this is one of the onlyplaces that they have them.
And no, they're not Disneylandchurros, but it's still exciting
to have churros.
And for the attraction, I agreewith Crystal.
There's always stuff going onright there in front of the
(16:49):
tree.
But they also have the littleareas where they have little
stations where you can see theanimals.
And one of the ones we alwaysstop at is the otters.
They're so adorable.
And we just always stop there tosee them.
And my husband will say for therest of the day, he'll work in,
(17:09):
you ought to do whatever.
Oh, with the dad jokes.
Uh-huh.
Yes.
Much to my children'sembarrassment, it drives them
bananas.
And make, of course, that.
That just fuels the fire.
Yes.
It gives them even more fuel tokeep doing it.
All right.
On to Africa for my ride.
The safari.
Duh.
Like, you have to go on safari.
(17:32):
For food, I'm going to theHarambee Market.
I told you I love shrimp.
So we're going to go with eitherthe shrimp rice bowl or the
shrimp Caesar salad.
They both look really good.
Snack.
Tamiya refreshments for a DoleWhip.
Sidebar.
Did you see that Disneylandunveiled a peach Dole Whip for
the birthday?
No.
(17:52):
I was salivating.
Really?
I don't know how I feel aboutthat.
I love peach ice cream.
So maybe I would be okay withit.
If anybody's tried the peachDole Whip at Disneyland, let me
know.
And then attraction.
I had a really hard time withthis one because how do you not
pick the festival of the LionKing?
It's like one of the best thingsat Animal Kingdom.
But I also really love theanimation experience at Rafiki's
Planet Watch.
Yeah.
You have like an animator inthere drawing and you can draw a
(18:15):
picture with them.
And then you might look out andsee a vet procedure going on in
the same building.
It is possible to do all thesethings in Africa, but it's tight
and it takes a lot of forwardthinking and planning.
So don't expect to do it all.
But if you can...
it makes for a lovely day to getit all done.
It does.
(18:35):
Yeah, this is probably, this isdefinitely one of my favorite
areas.
And for a ride, I wasn't sure,you know, I was on the bubble
whether to consider Rafiki'sPlanet Watch as a ride or an
attraction because you do get,you do go on the train to go out
there.
So this one for me, I was tryingto think, I love that.
I love that whole area as well.
(18:56):
But I'm also going to choose theKilimanjaro Safari, the
experience is never the same.
The animals are always going to,I mean, they're not predictable
and it's not like they have ascript.
So they do whatever they wantand they always put on a show.
It does help for you to go earlybecause in the afternoons, they
tend to be asleep.
It's just too hot and or they'llgo inside, they'll go find a
(19:19):
cooler spot and you don't reallysee them.
So if you want to see theanimals, be out and about and
more active, definitely go likefirst thing.
In fact, the lion, they used hisroar for Mufasa in the new
movie.
Did you know that?
I didn't.
We definitely heard one of thelions or multiple lions roar
while we've been on this party.
(19:40):
And I love to hear it.
We've been stuck because arhinoceros stood in front of our
jeep.
thingy and was not moving.
He was like, I'm not sorry, man.
That's not happening.
And they can't do anything aboutit because they can't make them
move.
So until he was ready to move,we just kind of hung out and we
watched him for food.
(20:02):
I was going to talk about orCrystal mentioned earlier.
I love my sit down meals and Ican't pass up character meals.
I love them.
So I'm going to choose TuskerHouse.
It is a buffet and and charactermeal.
Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.
And then for snack, we alwaysstop at Zuri's Sweet Treats.
(20:25):
I usually get a rice krispietreat that's dipped in
chocolate.
It's one of my favorite things.
And the girls always get aslushie and I usually steal a
little bit from them.
They usually get the BlueRaspberry Glacier, which is just
like it sounds.
It's a big blue slushie and it'sso good, especially when you're
in Animal Kingdom.
And for some reason, AnimalKingdom always feels 150
(20:46):
degrees.
with the humidity and all of thevegetation.
For my attraction, I choseFestival of the Lion King.
Lion King, it's definitely mytop five, maybe my favorite of
the Disney cartoons.
And I get super emotionalusually and sing and embarrass
my children.
(21:07):
Moving on to Asia, my ride isExpedition Everest.
This is a fun ride and it'salways fun to sit by someone
who's never ridden before.
and get to the broken track andthen freak out a little bit.
This does have a quick singlerider line.
There is the Cali River Rapidsright here if you want to get
(21:28):
wet, but that's not usually me.
For food, I'm going to Yak andYeti Local Foods Cafes.
So this is the quick servicewindow side of the restaurant.
I can easily pick a half dozenitems from this menu and we'd
probably end up each pickingsomething different and sharing.
which is what we usually do.
A firecracker shrimp, Koreanfried chicken sandwich, rib
(21:50):
tips, sweet and sour tempurashrimp, teriyaki chicken salad,
and then we'd for sure get thepork potstickers because my
household is obsessed withpotstickers.
Snack, Mr.
Kamal's fries.
These have a cult following.
You gotta try them.
You'll understand.
Ask, make sure you get thedipping sauce.
My attraction, the MaharajaJungle Trek, especially right
(22:11):
now with the baby tiger.
And just a heads up, unless youlike go and turn back, this loop
is not small.
So don't think this is like afive minute little wreck.
Neither one of them, neither oneof the like jungle treks or the
trails there.
They're not, they're not short.
I also will pick ExpeditionEverest.
(22:32):
I'm going to pick Yak and Yetifor my food, but I'm going to
pick the sit down restaurant.
We are obsessed with this place.
We can't, We can honestly likewe pick like we're, you know,
we're going picking one in eacharea.
But like I have to pick for theday.
My family is going to almostalways pick Yak and Yeti over
everything else that's there.
(22:53):
And I'm trying to get them tonot pick there because, you
know, we're trying to branch outand do other things.
But it's so hard because thisplace is the best.
It's so good.
And everybody in my family lovesit, which is a hard thing to do.
UNKNOWN (23:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:09):
For my snack, I'm also going to get Mr.
Kamal's fries.
And like Crystal said, make surethat you get the sriracha mayo
dipping sauce.
For my attraction, I'm going todo Gorilla Falls.
And I don't know.
My daughter Ella and I, forwhatever reason, we just like
this particular trail better.
(23:29):
We like the other.
We like the Maharaja Jungle Trekas well, but we like the Gorilla
Falls one better.
It has...
birds along the way as well andit has this little I don't even
know it's like a it's a buildingit's like a shack or something I
don't know what's but they haveinside it they have they have
animals but they have they havelike snakes and they also have
(23:53):
these drawers of things whereyou can pick out they're
basically like replicas ofskulls I'm sure they're not
actual skulls but replicas ofskulls and that you can look at.
And I don't know, it's justsomething we love stuff like
that.
So we're able to look at it andjust be nature nerds.
Next, we're going to DinolandUSA.
(24:14):
We'll talk more about this.
Very sad right now.
And this is probably anotherreason we haven't done it
because it's going away.
For the ride, you have Dinosaur.
It's the only operational rideright now.
My kids were a little freakedout.
They've only been on it once,but it's closing soon.
So Who knows how much longer youhave.
They'd prefer the Boneyard astheir ride.
They love the Boneyard.
(24:35):
Food, the Restaurantosaurus.
I'd get the Angus BaconCheeseburger.
For my snack, I'm going to DinoBite Snacks.
It currently has a strawberryshortcake ice cream sandwich on
the menu, and I need that in mylife.
ASAP.
They always have some prettygood ice cream sandwich combo
that is really good.
And then for my attraction, forsome odd reason...
(24:58):
Finding Nemo, The Big Blue andBeyond is considered Dinoland.
Really?
Yeah.
So it's super cute and fun.
It does follow the storyline,but it has like some exclusive
catchy songs.
So I love the show.
And if I can fit it into myschedule, I'm always going to go
sit down and watch it.
It has the big blue world.
Yeah.
(25:19):
That's very, it's very easy toget stuck in your head.
And it plays on repeat.
Well, and now every time I thinkof Finding Nemo I think of
Cassie so shout out to Cassieyes she loves that song okay so
I for the ride I the only likeCrystal said the only actual
(25:41):
ride that's open is Dinosaur butI refuse to pick it I'm sorry
Cassie Cassie's favorite ride isDinosaur by the way so I feel
she's she's a does not agreewith me on this one but it is my
least favorite ride I do notlike it it makes me feel like
I've been punched in the ribs.
And the only time I ride it orthe only reason I ride it is
because my oldest daughter lovesit and she doesn't get on it.
(26:04):
She's not a huge like rollercoaster fan and some of the
bigger rides.
So I usually go on this withher.
For food, I'm going to go toRestaurantasaurus while it is
still open.
I'm going to get the allergyfriendly chicken strips on the
kids menu.
And then for breakfast, a snack.
I'm going to go to Trilobitesand get the buffalo chicken
(26:27):
chips.
And I honestly did not realizethat the Finding Nemo show was
part of Dinoland.
So that's really the onlyattraction left at this point
for Dinoland.
So we'll go there until the newstuff comes.
(26:48):
Until we have new options.
So We have been around the park.
So just as like a little recap,we're going to kind of go around
what has been announced andplanned for Dinoland USA.
This park needs a lot of loveand it's coming.
So it's exciting.
So there are permits that havebeen filed that basically
(27:09):
include the last remainingDinoland sites.
And if you have been to DisneyWorld or to Animal Kingdom, you
will know that there are wallsup around the construction site.
It looks probably even sadderthan it did before.
Or maybe it's better because allthe parts that were completely
empty, the walls are up aroundit at this point because they
(27:31):
have construction there.
The big dinosaur is gone.
Yeah.
The big dinosaur is gone.
It's tear-topped.
It's been taken down.
Yes.
And the boneyard, RIP, as ofSeptember 1st, it is going to be
going away and will be replacedby a new kids' space.
(27:51):
play space.
So there is going to be a newspace that's hopefully
comparable.
Disney is saying this is, youknow, it is going to make the
Boneyard fans happy.
So we'll see.
That's yet to be seen.
The Wilderness Explorer kiosknear Dynamite Snacks.
This location continues tooperate for right now, but its
inclusion in the constructionfilings indicates eventual
(28:13):
removal, or I'm sure they'lljust relocate it.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, I'm sure.
Or they'll like shut it downtemporarily and then bring it
back up.
Also, Trilobite Snacks, it'slocated just outside of the
Dinoland entrance.
It's still open, as we justmentioned, for now, but it's
(28:35):
included in the permits.
So it's probably going to begone soon and it has limited
days.
And then, as we said, the formersite of the triceratops spin.
This area has been fully clearedfollowing the demolition of the
ride and surrounding queue.
There is currently no officialclosing date for Dinosaur.
Disney has said 2026 and manyare predicting January of 2026.
(28:57):
So we don't quite know for sure.
They promised that they wouldkeep it open through the end of
2025.
And they announced that it wouldbe definitely going away in
2026.
So I think people are justassuming that.
that when they say 2026, itmeans the beginning of 2026.
For those of you that have kindof followed along with this,
(29:18):
Disney released concept art ofthe Tropical Americas area at
the D23 event in August of 2024.
So it's been almost a year sincethey've announced everything.
They also have given the areathe name Pueblo Esperanza, which
(29:38):
translates roughly to Hopetown.
And they're going to have,obviously, new restaurants,
newly themed restaurants.
They're going to have severalnew rides.
As soon as you walk in, you'regoing to see the Pueblo
Esperanza Fountain.
And it looks like that's justgoing to be like a really pretty
area.
The concept art shows itsurrounded by really pretty
(30:01):
flowering trees.
Obviously, it's concept art, soit may not be exactly that way.
But I think Disney does a prettygood job of keeping to what they
say they're going to do.
They also are going to have ananimal-themed carousel.
There's a concept picture.
It looks like Heaven.
Yeah, it does.
But he's almost like vintageLatin-inspired.
(30:24):
They're also going to haveNigel, Squirt, and Sheldon from
Finding Nemo, Timon and Pumbaafrom The Lion King, and Heihei
from Moana.
So they'll have differentcharacters from Disney movies
kind of mixed in there with thecarousel.
I'm excited to see what it lookslike.
Something else that we know, theold Boneyard is going away and
(30:44):
they're going to put in a newMayan playground.
We don't suspect it is going tobe in the same location, but
we're hopeful that it stands upto what the Boneyard is.
The dinosaur ride is going to bereimagined as Indiana Jones.
So I don't think it's going tobe exactly like the one in
(31:07):
Disneyland, but I'm assumingit'll be similar because the
ride vehicle is similar to theone in Disneyland.
I think I saw somewhere, I don'tknow if it's official or just
rumor, that it was going to belike a different movie,
different time frame.
Yeah, because the other one wasRaiders of the Lost Ark, I
(31:29):
think.
We do know that there's going tobe a new Encanto dark ride.
The Encanto ride will be set inAntonio's room, which...
has transformed into arainforest and guests will
explore alongside Antonio andother magical family members as
he receives his gift of talkingto animals, which I think is a
good fit.
Not sure if it's going to be awater ride or just a classic
(31:51):
dark ride.
There are at least threeunidentified buildings that
people are assuming are going tobe meet and greets.
I'm sure there'll be lots ofshopping.
So I think overall it's awelcome addition.
It's going to be fun.
I don't really see anything thatI'm not excited about.
I think there are people thatlove Dinosaur that are really
(32:12):
sad that it's going away.
And I'm okay with the foodoptions that they have currently
in Dinerland.
I don't think it's anything outof this world.
If they were to replace Yak andYeti, I would be crushed.
I would have to mourn the lossof that restaurant.
But I don't think there'sanything in Dinerland that I'm
(32:34):
going to miss.
I am putting my officialpetition out that there needs to
be a Brazilian-type steakhouse.
Oh, yes.
I completely agree with you.
That's a fantastic idea.
If they don't put that in there,they're definitely missing a
huge opportunity because peoplewill be all for that.
That place will sell out almostimmediately.
(32:54):
It will be so hard to getreservations if they do
something like that.
I think they were smart andsane.
If you're listening to ourpodcast, you need to listen up.
I think it's smart on their partthat they are being pretty broad
about the tropical Americasbecause that could lend to so
many different themes, differentthings that they could add
characters.
(33:15):
So hopefully it's quick movingand it's not 2030 before we see
it.
Agree.
Well, we hope that you haveenjoyed.
our podcast for this week.
I know we took a little bit of adifferent turn at the very end
just to talk about the changesthat are coming to Dinoland or
to the area where Dinoland isjust to give you some updates.
(33:35):
We hope everyone has a fantasticweek and we'll talk to you next
week.
Bye! Thanks for tuning in toanother episode of Wonderlust
(33:56):
and Wishes.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform.
And remember, the world is fullof wonders waiting to be
explored.
Until next time, happy travels.
Bye for now.
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