The 2022 Ultimate Guide to Animal Kingdom

HOW TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

Getting on Flight of Passage without waiting HOURS
• If you’re a guest at a Disney World hotel or a Good Neighbor hotel you can enter the
park 30 minutes before the official opening time, which means you can get in line for
this ride
• Or you could choose to get in line 15-30 minutes before the park closes as the queue
won’t close if there are still guests in line
• Flight of Passage is also an Individual Attraction Selection ride, so you can pay to skip the
long queue and use the Lightning Lane instead

Cutting down your time at Starbucks

• Creature Comforts is the Starbucks location for Animal Kingdom and the line can often
be very long
• There are actually TWO lines for this location and if you want to get in the shorter line,
head toward the line closer to the Africa section of the park
• Or you can visit Joffrey’s and skip Starbucks

SECRETS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Best Bathrooms
• If you’re looking for larger, less crowded restrooms head to Restaurantosaurus in
DinoLand USA
• The bathrooms at Finding Nemo: The Musical are open (even if the show is not)
• There is also a bathroom mid-queue at Flight of Passage

Secret menu items

• At Restaurantosaurus you can order the Raspberry Fizz cocktail made with Bacardi
Raspberry, Sprite, cranberry juice, and garnished with a strawberry
• Yak and Yeti has several secret menu items including Bang Bang Calamari, Lobster Tail
Garlic Noodles with Shrimp and Scallops, and Hibachi Steak and Shrimp

Quick breakfast
• Yak and Yeti Local Foods Café has a variety of breakfast items
• Pongu Pongu in Pandora: The World of Avatar also serves up quick eats at breakfast
DiVine
• DiVine is one of the characters you can spot around Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I want to
say, “you can’t miss her,” but that’s not necessarily true. DiVine’s appearance allows her
to blend in with the surrounding greenery. But when you DO see her, you’re going to
see a walking plant on four stilts – making her over 7 feet tall (or 15 feet if she decides
to raise her stilts in the air.

COMING SOON
Though Disney’s Animal Kingdom isn’t undergoing QUITE as many changes as compared to the
other three parks, it still has its fair share of announcements, closures, and updates
• Finding Nemo: The Musical closed in 2020. Last year, Disney announced that the show
would be reimagined to Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond, with a projected
reopening date for 2022. Many characters and songs will remain in the performance,
but the way the story will be told is going to switch up a bit. Instead of acting out the
events as they happen in real-time, the story will now take place in the Marine Life
Institute (featured in the Finding Dory movie), where our fishy friends will recount
Nemo, Marlin, and Dory’s wild journey in “the big blue world” and beyond.
• You’ll often find seasonal treats at Animal Kingdom that are here one day and gone soon
after. If you see a sign for a “limited-time” treat, we suggest getting it before it’s gone!

EATING LIKE A (LION) KING

Favorite Restaurants
• Tiffins: This restaurant celebrates travel and exploration through the displays and artsy
decor featured around the restaurant’s three main dining rooms – the Grand Gallery,
the Safari Gallery, and the Trek Gallery. Be sure to check out the Signature bread service
and the Tamarind-braised Short Rib and Grits,
• Nomad Lounge: This lounge is adjacent to Tiffins and is VERY popular. You should get
there when it opens, or try the walk-up wait list option
• Royal Anandapur Tea Company: Stop by this a uniquely-themed Joffrey’s location with
specialty tea offerings from around the world
• Yak and Yeti: A DFB favorite location with dishes that will please a lot of folks
• Satu’li Canteen: This often gets a vote for one of the best quick service restaurants at
Disney World. Here at DFB, we are Team Cheeseburger Pods! Be aware that this
location gets really busy at lunchtime.

Looking for a spot for picky eaters?

• Flame Tree Barbecue: This spot is great for less adventurous eaters, and you don’t want
to miss the Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese.
• Rainforest Café: Kids love this spot. The food isn’t great, but the restaurant is a lot of
fun!
• Tusker House: This character meal features family-style dining, a bottomless bread
service, and CHARACTERS.
Best places for snacks
• Eight Spoons Café: Stop here for Mac and Cheese or Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
• Trilo-Bites: Check out the Buffalo Chicken Chips here

Best spots for dessert:

• Zuri’s Sweet Shop is serving up house-made sweets with animal themes
• Anandapur Ice Cream Truck is where you’ll find soft serve ice cream
• Dino-Bites is home to the must-get ice cream sandwiches

NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THIS…EXCEPT US

Holiday celebrations
• The Merry Menagerie of animal puppets is part of Animal Kingdom’s low-key holiday
celebrations

Entertainment
• Animal Encounters: Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight happens
throughout the day near the Tree of Life
• Feathered Friends in Flight Show is a 35-minute show that takes place in the Anandapur
Theater in Asia
• A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King is a modified version of Festival of the Lion
King and takes place every hour from 10AM until 5Pm
• Street performers also serenade guests around the park. You’ve got the Asia musical
performance, Chakranadi, with Indian melodies played on Sitar – as well as the Tam
Tam Drummers of Harambe, the Viva Gaia Street Band, and the harp-stylings of the
Kora Tinga Tinga in Africa
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug is a 4D experience based on the Pixar film, A Bug’s Life. Not only
will you be deemed an “honorary bug,” but you’ll face some pretty frightening
challenges when Hopper decides to invade on all the “fun.” This show can be scary for
guests of all ages.
• At Rafiki’s Planet Watch you’ll find the Animation Experience at Conservation Station --
a 25-minute class that will teach you how to sketch a Disney animated animal
• And don’t forget about the character cavalcades on boats

New entertainment
• For the 50th anniversary celebration, Animal Kingdom introduced KiteTails, a daytime
show featuring kites flown over the Discovery River Lagoon. There are two KiteTails
shows – one featuring The Lion King and the other featuring The Jungle Book. Each
performance is 10-minutes long.
• Beacon of Magic: At night, the Tree of Life lights up with lights and whimsical fireflies
surrounding this icon in a celebration of nature and discovery
Walking trails
There are three main trails in the Animal Kingdom
• Discovery Island Trail, which wraps around the Tree of Life – allowing you to get an up-
close-and-personal view of all the detailed carvings in the trunk and vines of the giant
tree
• Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is close to Kilimanjaro Safaris in the Africa section of the
park
• Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia features beautiful pathways and animals like tigers, tapirs,
bats, and birds
• If you’re walking the trails with kids, be sure to check out the Wilderness Explorers! It’s
FREE to join. Grab a Wilderness Explorer handbook from the headquarters, find a
Wilderness Troop Leader, and then start earing your badge.

Tours
Currently, you can make a reservation for four different Animal Kingdom Tours:
• Caring for Giants is a 60-minute tour that lets you take an up-close look at the Animal
Kingdom elephants while also learning more about their history, care, and upkeep.
• You can also embark on a Wild Africa Trek. This tour will take you across an extensive
swinging bridge next to a gathering of lounging crocodiles, teach you about different
African-native animals, drive you along the savanna, and provide you with a unique
array of Animal Kingdom snacks.
• Up Close with Rhinos is… pretty self-explanatory.
• And last but not least we’ve got Savor the Savanna, which is a private safari, followed
immediately with food and drinks over at the Harambe Wildlife Reserve

BASICS
Travel
• You can get to Animal Kingdom by bus or car, but the good news is the bus lines don’t
usually get too long
• The park hours are currently 9AM until 7PM, and there are currently no Extended
Evening Hours

Rides
• Expedition Everest is currently closed until mid-April
• In DinoLand USA, you can ride the intense dark ride adventure, Dinosaur, and the not-
so-scary Triceratops Spin.
• If you need to cool down while you’re in Asia, you can get in line for the Kali River Rapids
• Africa has the beloved Kilimanjaro Safari
• Pandora – World of Avatar has Navi River Journey as well as the ever-popular Flight of
Passage.
• We recommend skipping Genie+ for Animal Kingdom and using stand-by queues instead