Disney World Animal Kingdom - Florida Attractions

Disney World Animal Kingdom - Not To Be Missed

The Disney World Animal Kingdom theme park, the latest and largest of the Disney theme parks, opened in April 1998. Over 500 acres or 2 square kilometers in size, it's the worlds largest Disney theme park. While Animal Kingdom may resonant with Walt Disney's early support and enthusiasm for animal conservation, it's had a somewhat less than completely enthusiastic welcome by the public. More likely than not the early somewhat lackluster response may have derived from the nature of the attractions. Many visitors come for the primarily for the rides, cartoon characters and the excitement of the Disney environment and less for an experience of nature.

That may be changing as the Disney World Animal Kingdom attractions continue to be developed. People are discovering that the Finding Nemo live musical show may be the best show at all of Disney World. In fact, some are calling it the best show they've seen at any theme park. The show is a stage adaptation of Pixar Studios Finding Nemo animated movie with original songs and excellent sets and costuming.

The Kilimanjaro Safaris ride may be the closest most will ever get to an African safari. Though popular with young children, the Poacher story is considerably less exciting for adults, but getting a feeling for the African landscape and seeing the animals outside a zoo setting is worth the wait in line. It's hard to predict when you'll be able to see the most animals. Some say first thing in the morning is best. Others suggest that after a light rain the animals are more active. Finally, some say that an hour to 2 hours before the park closes is one of the most active times. Everybody does seem to agree that during the hotter sunnier hours, the animals are far less active and prefer to remain in the shade where they can be quite hard to see.

And the Disney World Animal Kingdom now has its own top-rated roller-coaster type ride. Opened in early 2006, Expedition Everest makes a trip to Animal Kingdom a necessity. While this is not the twistiest, most stomach disturbing of roller coasters (no loops and no inversions), it has some unique features such as the huge and powerful Animatronic Yeti as the guardian of the mountain and the backward escape from the ruined track. From the very beginning in the queue area throughout the journey, right to the final stop, Disney has done a remarkable job with the look and feel of the landscape. Incredible attention to detail has really paid off here with people even talking about how pleasant it was to wait in line and how quickly the time passed because of the surroundings.

These are just a few of the highlights from the Disney World Animal Kingdom and there are quite a few other worthwhile attractions as well as the Animal Kingdom Safari Resort. These days, particularly since the addition of Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom has moved from most people's "skip it" list to their "got to see" list so don't miss it on your trip to Disney World.

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