Feature Article: Overlooked Attractions at Animal Kingdom - Walt Disney World Attractions Review - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Feature Article: Overlooked Attractions at Animal Kingdom - Walt Disney World Attractions Review
Overlooked Attractions at Animal Kingdom - Walt Disney World Attractions Review by Cheryl Pendry
In the final part of this series on some of Walt Disney World's overlooked attractions, it's the turn of Disney's Animal Kingdom. (Check out Part One, Part Two, and Part Three!) I often find, judging by the comments I read from others, that this is the most underrated of all four parks at Walt Disney World, which is such a shame, as there’s so much to see, and do here. Perhaps that’s part of the problem.
The attractions also aren’t always that easy to find, with many people oblivious to what’s just a few feet away from them. That starts with the Oasis, which people tend to rush past, but spend a few minutes here and you’ll be rewarded with animal sightings, something that then continues as you move into Discovery Island.
It’s not just real-life animals you can find here. We’ve had endless fun, trying to see how may animal carvings we can see on the Tree of Life, and every time we visit the park, we find new ones, always wondering how on earth we failed to see them before. Around the Tree of Life are various Discovery Island Trails, and we’ve loved venturing out along them, often the only ones within eyesight. It’s very rare you get the feeling of being alone at a Disney park, but you can here! The most isolated attraction here is Rafiki’s Planet Watch, which requires a separate train journey to access it. As a result, it’s something that many people never find, and I must admit that we have to make a specific point of going there, as it’s all too easy to forget about it. That’s a huge shame, as it is a real treat there, particularly the peek at the park's animal operations. It’s a fascinating glimpse into what must be one of the most amazing jobs to have at any Disney theme park in the world. However, because of its location, it does eat a huge chunk of any day at Animal Kingdom, which is why I think it’s so easy for us to skip.
Something else that I see so many people skip, despite its location at the exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris, is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Although its starring act is the beautiful gorillas, there is just so much to see here that I'm disheartened when I see people walk past it. They have no idea what they’re missing!
Its sister attraction, Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia, also suffers the same fate, with thrill-seekers making a beeline for Kali River Rapids. However, the animals you see here could easily occupy you for an hour, and it’s a great opportunity to slow down your touring and just take it easy. As well as the animals, the theming is just beautiful. The attraction really does transport you to a completely different land.
Of the three shows at Animal Kingdom, Flights of Wonder is perhaps the most often overlooked. Yet again, as with so many things at Disney, when you do experience it, it’s so much better than you remember. Just like so many of Epcot’s attractions, this blends education and entertainment beautifully, with you learning about the birds without you even realizing it. If you’re a photographer, like me, as with so much of the rest of this park, you’ll be in your element here.
Another beauty of Animal Kingdom is the strolling entertainers that you find there – another similarity to Epcot. My personal favorite is the beautiful, enigmatic, and unbelievable DiVine. There’s something very special about watching her, if you can spot her of course, as that can be exceptionally hard, especially when she’s in the undergrowth. After all, she is a vine! I always feel a twinge of disappointment if we can’t find her when we visit, as she really does make our day.
As I mentioned at the start of this article, a lot of the attraction of Animal Kingdom is the setting of this park, and that is something you’ll notice as you stroll around. Take time, perhaps here more than anywhere else, to look around, both up, and down, to ensure you don’t miss anything, from the playful monkeys outside Kali River Rapids, to the beautiful views across the many waterways, or the glimpses of the Tree of Life. Also, take time to talk to the cast members, as they may have interesting things to share with you. We can't count the times we’ve found them wandering around with critters in their hands, and it’s amazing how much you can learn from talking to them.
The often-overlooked sights are the real beauty of this park, and something you miss at your peril. It’s all too easy to leave here without fully appreciating Animal Kingdom. To do that takes time, and sadly that’s something we don’t always have enough of when we’re at Disney.
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
If you really want to get into the details of the Animal Kingdom, I highly recommend "The Imagineer's Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom at WDW" by Alex Wright. It's a little outdated but has all the original details of the park to help you make the most of your visit! It's a pocket size book that is easy to pack as well.
So many details within the park to discover. The different decorations on the several pavilions of Flame Tree BBQ, the different themed rooms at Pizzafari, Sculptures tucked away in the foliage, birds settling into the trees at dusk, the lighting after dark ...
The parade in Animal Kingdom is my favorite because it is so human scaled with touches of humor and opportunity to interact with the performers.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Great article Cheryl. AK is one of our fav parks. We can spend 2 days here to do everything. We haven't been back on the train to Rafiki lately, so probably due for another visit.
We love the trails, and save them for later in the day when lines get too long for the attractions.
One of our fav things to do is to look for the baby gorilla, Lily, and to compare how much she's grown since our last visit! Her antics are adorable!
Love Flights of wonder too, but as people that go twice a year, we don't do this every visit. In fact, I'd like to see a new story line!
Great Article, Cheryl!! AK is one of our favorite parks - and we had no idea about the animal operations there - will have to make sure we visit next time!!
Animal Kingdom has become my second(a very close to World Showcase in Epcot being first) favorite park. If I don't get to the rides on the first day, it doesn't bother me one bit and that is why I allow two days for AK when we go. Even I didn't realize all the animals that are there(someone just did a trip report and I learned there are kangaroos in AK) Good excuse for another trip in the future-- I need to see the "roos"!!!!
I love AK just because it has what I call the "laid back" feel. You don't rush to get to the rides(some people do but not our family) and it's quieter.
Last edited by Pretty Kitty; 12-29-2012 at 03:21 PM..
AK is my favorite park. Last trip, I struck up a conversation with a CM manning a t-shirt station in Asia and learned a bunch about Wyoming and the Dakotas. I also talked with a CM near the siamangs. I'm not ultra chatty with strangers, but it was very interesting. I missed the gorillas first trip, so I made sure we did that second trip. The tigers are always a must. Beautiful photo ops when you hit the trails. Still haven't seen the parade. It's on my to-do list for next trip.
If you really want to get into the details of the Animal Kingdom, I highly recommend "The Imagineer's Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom at WDW" by Alex Wright. It's a little outdated but has all the original details of the park to help you make the most of your visit! It's a pocket size book that is easy to pack as well.
So many details within the park to discover. The different decorations on the several pavilions of Flame Tree BBQ, the different themed rooms at Pizzafari, Sculptures tucked away in the foliage, birds settling into the trees at dusk, the lighting after dark ...
The parade in Animal Kingdom is my favorite because it is so human scaled with touches of humor and opportunity to interact with the performers.
I really enjoyed this series of articles - lots of "ooh we haven't done that for a while" moments. I've definitely got a few things jotted down for this summer's trip.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
<--- Disney Fantasy 2016!
PassPorter Guide Author
Previous trips: POFQ 2005 & 2007, Boardwalk 2008, BCV & AKLV 2009 (our honeymoon) & 2012, BCV & BLT 2011, BCV 2013, AKLV 2014
Linear Mode
