Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicDisney’s Animal Kingdom is getting a major new addition in summer 2026, and it’s one that will instantly change how families plan their park day.
Bluey and Bingo are officially coming to Walt Disney World, bringing character meet-and-greets, dancing, and interactive games to Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Disney has also indicated the experience will feature animals native to Australia, leaning into the show’s roots and giving Animal Kingdom something that actually fits the park’s theme.
On paper, this sounds like an easy win.
In reality, it could become one of the biggest operational headaches Animal Kingdom has faced in years.
Animal Kingdom Needs More Capacity, Not More Waiting
Animal Kingdom has always been a park that feels slightly different from the others at Walt Disney World. It’s immersive, it’s beautiful, and it has some of the most impressive environments Disney has ever built.
But it also has a major problem: it doesn’t have enough attractions to absorb crowds.
Right now, the park’s lineup is heavily dependent on a small group of rides that consistently pull long waits:
- Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Expedition Everest
- Kali River Rapids
Beyond those, there are smaller offerings like walking trails, animal exhibits, and meet-and-greets. Disney has also brought in the new Zootopia: Better Zoogether show, which helps distribute crowds slightly.
Still, when Animal Kingdom gets busy, it gets busy fast. There simply aren’t enough major attractions to spread people out.
That issue is only going to feel more intense as Tropical Americas construction continues, since large-scale work tends to create walls, reroutes, and fewer usable guest areas.
Bluey Is Not a “Small” Character Addition
Disney isn’t adding Bluey as a minor entertainment option. Bluey is one of the biggest family franchises in the world right now, and it has something most kids’ shows don’t: parents love it too.
That means demand won’t just be high. It will be nonstop.
This isn’t going to be a meet-and-greet that peaks for a few weeks and settles down. Bluey and Bingo will likely become one of the most in-demand character experiences at Walt Disney World, especially for families with young children.
And that’s exactly why the location Disney chose could become a serious problem.
Rafiki’s Planet Watch Creates a Built-In Bottleneck
Rafiki’s Planet Watch has always been one of the most isolated areas in Animal Kingdom. It’s not somewhere guests can casually walk to while heading toward a ride or restaurant.
To get there, guests must ride the Wildlife Express Train.
That train has historically served a smaller number of visitors. Planet Watch has usually been treated as an optional side experience, not a headline attraction. But once Disney places Bluey and Bingo there, everything changes.
The Wildlife Express Train stops being a quiet transportation option and becomes a required checkpoint for one of the park’s most popular experiences. That creates a major bottleneck before guests even arrive at the attraction itself.
Guests Will Be Waiting Just to Reach the Experience
The problem isn’t just that Bluey will have long lines. The bigger issue is that guests will likely have to wait multiple times.
Families may have to stand in line just to board the Wildlife Express Train. Then they’ll take the ride over to Planet Watch. Then they’ll get off and immediately face another massive wait to meet Bluey and Bingo. Then they’ll have to wait in a massive line to get back to the rest of the park.
It’s easy to imagine this becoming a two-hour commitment, especially during peak seasons.
That’s a huge ask in a park that already struggles with guest flow.
And because Planet Watch is isolated, guests can’t easily pivot if the line looks too long. Once you take the train out there, you’re committed. You either wait it out or you ride the train back.
That could lead to frustration fast, particularly for families with small kids who expected a quick character stop.
Disney’s Closure Timeline Suggests Major Changes Are Coming
Disney has already started preparing the area for this transformation.
The Affection Section has closed, and the animals have been removed. Even more significantly, the Wildlife Express Train is slated to close on February 23 and is not expected to reopen until summer 2026 when the Bluey experience launches.
That’s an extended shutdown, which signals Disney is likely planning infrastructure work, not just a cosmetic refresh.
The question is whether those upgrades will truly solve the crowd problem or simply delay it.
Because even with improvements, the core issue remains: the train is still the only way to access the area. Bluey is arguably as popular as any IP to families with younger children in the world today. Can you imagine how bad that wait time could get?
With no Bluey at Planetwatch, the Wildlife Express Train is posting a 20 minute wait and goes back to here on this holiday week Monday.
I hope Ops has really thought this out for the addition of Bluey. pic.twitter.com/PDdfalGKcy
— Belle (@FiBelleFi) February 16, 2026
This Could Become Animal Kingdom’s Next Major Crowd Problem
Animal Kingdom already has high-pressure zones. Pandora can turn into a wall of people. The Safari queue can dominate Africa.
Bluey could create a new problem zone entirely.
Instead of crowding around a ride entrance, guests could flood a transportation system. If the train line becomes excessive, it may impact nearby walkways and create congestion that spreads beyond the station area.
And once guests arrive at Planet Watch, the space itself isn’t designed to handle the type of crowd Bluey will attract. It’s a smaller environment with limited pathways, meaning the area could feel packed and stressful even on normal attendance days.