Credit: DisneyFind out what the best and worst parts of Disney’s Animal Kingdom are.
The Best – The Variety
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom offers the most variety when it comes to rides, attractions, restaurants, and experiences. From character buffets featuring African dishes to live shows inspired by The Lion King, there are many unique experiences to be had at Animal Kingdom. The park isn’t just focused on being a theme park, as Animal Kingdom is also home to dozens of real-life animals for guests to see and learn about.
This is best exemplified by Kilimanjaro Safari, an ultra-realistic safari tour through the African Savanna. Guests can also explore nature on their own through various trails and other attractions.
The Worst – Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids is one of Disney World’s most unique attractions, sending riders on a journey along a rushing stream of water. Guests pile into a large raft, traveling up, down, and around Asia.
The ride itself is fine, it’s more the length that makes Kali River Rapids hard to recommend. Lasting a total of about three and a half minutes, riders don’t really have a lot of time to soak in the details.
Kali River Rapids’ worst feature may also be its best, depending on how wet you like to get. The ride’s big moment is a large drop that propels guests down the rapids. While fun, depending on where the riders are seated, they can get absolutely drenched.
We’re not talking about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure-level wet; we’re talking “I just jumped in the pool with all my clothes on” wet. This can be a fun experience for some guests, while it can ruin the rest of the day for others.
All we are saying is be prepared for the ride to be short and to get wet.
The Best – The Atmosphere
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There’s an argument to be made that Disney’s Animal Kingdom has the best overall vibe of any of Disney World’s four theme parks. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are all great and have their own incredible atmospheres, but Animal Kingdom set a new bar for the Disney theme parks.
Featuring a mixture of real-world places and far-off alien planets, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is tied together through the park’s core belief that protecting nature is vital to survival. Animal Kingdom also tries to show how connected we are to Mother Nature. From safari treks with real animals to messages about conservation, Animal Kingdom harkens back to a time when Disney would both entertain and educate its guests.
All this aside, simply walking around in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is magical, as the real world feels disconnected from the other. The views and decorations at the park are simply incredible and make for one of the most immersive experiences found at Disney World.
The Worst – Half Day Park
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Since the very beginning, Animal Kingdom has been labeled a “half-day park.” This essentially means that, unlike Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, there’s not enough to do at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to justify spending the whole day there.
Your mileage may vary, but it is a harsh truth that there is less to do here than at Disney World’s other theme parks. Animal Kingdom only has a handful of actual rides and shows for guests to enjoy. The addition of Pandora—The World of Avatar in 2017 certainly helped boost the park’s offerings, but still, guests can pretty much do everything they want to do in a fraction of the time it would take at the Magic Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom is only home to one roller coaster, Expedition Everest, and while this attraction is fantastic (more on that later), the park is sorely missing more “E-ticket” experiences. DINOSAUR is fun and thrilling, but it will close in 2026 to make way for a new expansion.
It’s never a waste of time to spend a day at Animal Kingdom, but the park certainly demands less of guests than Disney World’s other three parks.
The Best – Expedition Everest
Few thrill rides offer the same level of action and immersion found on Expedition Everest. Opened in 2006, many still consider this roller coaster to be Disney’s best theme park attraction ever, even nearly 20 years later. Featuring sharp turns, huge drops, and an exhilarating storyline, Expedition Everest is also perhaps one of Disney’s best-themed and most immersive attractions.
Riding Everest isn’t just about the roller coaster tracks but also the mountain itself. Disney Imagineering went to great lengths to make the outside of Expedition Everest as realistic as possible, and to say they accomplished their mission would be an understatement. The coaster cost an estimated $100 million to produce, making it one of the world’s most expensive theme park attractions.
Everest is intense, featuring top speeds of 50 mph and an 80-foot drop. It demands guests’ attention as they explore Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests will not only see train cars zoom by but also hear riders scream, making it hard to ignore the ride.
Do you agree with our list?