Tag Archives: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom’s 20th Anniversary to Party for the Planet April 22-May 5, 2018

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Earth Day, April 22, with an expanded “Party for the Planet” celebration April 22-May 5, 2018.

Rafiki’s Planet Watch will take center stage for the celebration, which will offer backstage experiences that allow guests to learn about animal nutrition, visit the veterinary hospital, or hear how Disney promotes global wildlife conservation.

Guests can also commemorate their anniversary visit to the theme park with special photo opportunities, and kids can earn a limited-edition badge as part of the Wilderness Explorer program. Six different Tiffins Talks, themed dinners hosted by animal experts at Tiffins full-service restaurant will be available to guests who want to learn more about the animal residents at the park. And limited-edition merchandise will also be available for purchase, with one piece being a special-edition print created by renowned Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde. (He will be available to sign prints on April 22 from 1-4 p.m. at Discovery Trading Company. Quantities are limited).

Other experiences coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this spring include:

  • April 22 will mark the debut of a brand-new show, UP! A Great Bird Adventure featuring Russell and Dug from the Disney•Pixar animated comedy-adventure film “UP.” The show will give guests the chance to see Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his fuzzy friend Dug in a new adventure that includes encounters with exotic birds from around the world. This free-flying show will be performed multiple times daily.
  • A “dino-tastic” celebration with Donald and his friends will also premiere Memorial Day weekend in DinoLand, U.S.A. This dinosaur-themed party celebrates Donald Duck’s discovery that his bird ancestors were actually dinosaurs. DinoLand U.S.A. will feature colorful new décor and playful character greetings with rarely seen pals like Scrooge McDuck, Launchpad McQuack and more. A DJ-powered dance party will mix tunes from the truck-o-saurus stage, capping the nighttime festivities.
  • Memorial Day 2018 commemorates the one-year anniversary of Pandora – The World of Avatar. Here, travelers are transported to a mystical world of floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences. Inspired by the blockbuster film, AVATAR, the epic land invites guests to explore a glowing landscape, encounter a larger-than-life Na’vi Shaman of Songs and soar on the back of a banshee.

For more information on Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s 20th anniversary, visit Disneyworld.com/PartyforthePlanet.

Siera is a travel agent with Destinations in Florida, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Call her at 734-771-1290 or email her at siera@destinationsinflorida.com for your free, no obligation quote. 

Enjoy Unique Dining Experiences During Tiffins Talks at Animal Kingdom

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Disney has planned Party for the Planet, a multi-day celebration in honor of the 20th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There will be many special experiences during the Party for the Planet, including Tiffins Talks, special hard-ticket dining offerings that will take place on select nights April 22 to May 5.

Tiffins Talks are intimate dining experiences that allow guests to enjoy specialty food and beverages that compliment the topics shared by animal and conservation expert speakers. Each Tiffins Talk will feature an expert who’s had a hand in creating Disney’s Animal Kingdom as we know it today.

Speakers may include:

  • Dr. Joseph Soltis, Research Scientist for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment
  • Joe Rohde, Portfolio Creative Executive
  • Dr. Jason Fischer, Conservation Program Manager for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment
  • Rachel Daneault, Zoological Manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the Primate – Carnivore team
  • Dr. Anne Savage, Conservation Director for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment
  • Dr. Scott Terrell, Director of Animal and Science Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

You can read more on each speaker’s bios here.

Tiffins Talks are separately priced offerings and available by booking online or calling (407) WDW-DINE. Pricing is: $165 per person (tax and gratuity included). Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park admission is not included in the price of Tiffins Talks.

Speakers are subject to change without notice.

Siera is a travel agent with Destinations in Florida, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Call her at 734-771-1290 or email her at siera@destinationsinflorida.com for your free, no obligation quote. 

New Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour Available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Disney recently announced an exciting new way to experience Disney’s Animal Kingdom — the Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour!

Prepare for an adventure like no other as this tour gives you the opportunity — as the park transitions from day to night — to experience the magic of nature in a totally unique way. Your tour guides treat you like a VIP as they impart their detailed knowledge while you explore the Disney’s Animal Kingdom lands to observe the critters, creatures and other denizens of the park. Plus, you get to enjoy certain attractions with expedited FastPass+ access. The Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour is a great way to make the most of your time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

The tour takes approximately four hours, and there is a discount available for Annual PassholdersDisney Vacation Club members and Disney Visa cardholders.

If you haven’t tried the Enchanting Extras Collection, yet, it lets you enjoy extra, unparalleled access to what Walt Disney World has to offer. And that equals unforgettable memories for you and that special someone or you and your family. From behind-the-scenes tours and culinary adventures to special events and encounters with nature and more, you’ll be amazed at the range of enchantment that awaits you beyond the theme park fun.

Other experiences in the collection include limited-time events throughout the year that make each season special, like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween PartyDisney Night of Joy, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and more. You can view wild animals of nearly every color, shape and size in their natural habitat with Wild Africa Trek. Plus dessert parties that cater to your sweet tooth, each set to the backdrop of a popular special event — including Celebration at the Top – Sip, Savor, SparkleStar Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert PartyTiana’s Riverboat Party; and the new Frozen Ever After Dessert Party.

Create treasured moments with the Enchanting Extras Collection, a unique, specialized way to splurge on yourself and your loved ones.

Separate park admission is required for the Ultimate Nights of Adventure VIP Tour. For more information about the Enchanting Extras Collection or to make reservations, call 407-WDW-PLAY (939-7529). Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.

Siera is a travel agent with Destinations in Florida, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Contact Siera today at siera@destinationsinflorida.com or at 734-771-1290 for more information or your free, no obligation quote. 

Incredible Photo Opportunities and Magic Shots in Pandora- The World of Avatar

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Incredible Photo Opportunities and Magic Shots in Pandora- The World of Avatar

Expeditions to Pandora – The World of Avatar have begun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

When you’re not trekking among mountains, drifting down a Pandoran River deep into the bioluminescent rainforest, or soaring on the back of a mountain banshee, you’ll find the striking beauty of Pandora offers many locations to take photos of your interplanetary travel.

Disney PhotoPass Service photographers are placed in the best locations in Pandora – The World of Avatar to capture your entire group’s adventure into this exotic world. There are some incredible photo opportunities and magic shots in Pandora – The World of Avatar that you won’t want to miss on your visit!

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Disney PhotoPass photographers are also able to capture a number of Magic Shots and Animated Magic Shots in Pandora featuring some of your favorite Pandoran inhabitants. Check them out below!

When you visit a PhotoPass photographer in front of the floating mountains during daylight hours, you’ll have the opportunity to include a banshee in your photo.

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

In the evening, PhotoPass photographers can capture a woodsprite floating into your photos in both a Magic Shot and Animated Magic Shot:

(Photo: Disney Parks Blog)

Remember, Animated Magic Shots can only be downloaded as part of an active Memory Maker entitlement, which allows you to take home all of your Disney PhotoPass photos and videos from your Walt Disney World Resort vacation for one price.

Enjoy your adventure!

Siera is a travel agent with Destinations in Florida, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Contact Siera today at siera@destinationsinflorida.com or at 734-771-1290 for more information or your free, no obligation quote. 

Disney Characters Coming to Dinner at Tusker House

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Tusker House is always a popular spot for character dining during breakfast or lunch at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney has recently announced that there will be Disney characters coming to dinner at Tusker House, too! Beginning March 8, 2015, Donald, Mickey, and more will be visiting guests at Tusker House all day long!

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You can meet Donald Duck dressed in his safari wear, and some other classic Disney friends like Daisy Duck and Goofy at Tusker House each day. Throughout your meal, Disney characters will visit your table for pictures and autographs.

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This buffet offers a great variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from flavors of Africa as well as all-American tastes.

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Breakfast is served daily from 8 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.; lunch from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and dinner starts at 4 p.m. The cost is $29.99 for adults and $16.99 ages 3 to 9 for breakfast, $34.99 and $17.99 for lunch and $41.99 and $19.99 for dinner.

Have you ever enjoyed breakfast or lunch with the Disney characters at Tusker House? Are you planning to try dinner?

Siera is a Disney travel specialist. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Plus, she would be happy to make your dining reservations for you. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email siera@destinationsinflorida.com for more information. 

Don’t Miss Harambe Nights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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Harambe Nights, a new special event that celebrates the story of “The Lion King,” made its debut at Disney’s Animal Kingdom earlier this month. This amazing celebration “stretches Disney entertainment and dining to new heights.”

Harambe Nights features a 55-minute theatrical extravaganza called “The Lion King Concert in the Wild,” which includes a celebrity narrator, a live orchestra and choir, and special effects that together present the story of Simba like never before. The event also offers a welcome reception and a post-show street party, complete with musicians and a buffet of culinary creations to keep the party going through the evening.

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Harambe Nights continues every Saturday evening from 7 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. through August 9, 2014. Each nights, a celebrity narrator joins the villagers of Harambe for their performance of “The Lion King- Concert in the Wild.” The following celebrity narrators from film, TV, and Broadway are scheduled to appear include:

  • June 21 – Montego Glover: “The Following,” “Memphis”
  • June 28 – David Alan Grier: “Porgy & Bess,” “In Living Color”
  • July 5 – Michael Beach: “ER,” “Third Watch,” “Sons of Anarchy”
  • July 12 – Harry Lennix: “The Blacklist,” “The Five Heartbeats”
  • July 19 – Joe Morton: “Scandal,” “American Gangster,” “The Good Wife”
  • July 26 – Alfre Woodard: “Desperate Housewives,” “Miss Evers Boys”
  • August 2 – Brian Stokes Mitchell: “Ragtime,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “Glee”
  • August 9 – Patina Miller: “Pippin,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”

A limited number of tickets are still available for each of the remaining nights. Tickets cost $119 for adults and $79 for children ages 3-9 plus tax. Your ticket includes parking, a Welcome Reception, admission to “The Lion King- Concert in the Wild,” two additional hours of live entertainment during the Harambe Nights Street Party, and plenty of food and drinks throughout the evening.

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You can enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at some of the tremendous work that has gone into the staging of this all-new show, “The Lion King – Concert in the Wild.”

Are you planning to attend Harambe Nights at Animal Kingdom this summer?

Siera is a Disney travel specialist. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email siera@destinationsinflorida.com for more information. 

Attend runDisney’s Expedition Everest Challenge May 3, 2014

expedition everest medals

Are you looking to get into the runDisney events or just try something new and fun with your family? If so, runDisney’s Expedition Everest Challenge may be the perfect event for you!

You will discover the adventurer in you during the Expedition Everest Challenge, “an adrenaline- driven, thrill-packed weekend of a great run on a breathtaking course in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park.” Throughout the weekend, there will be a Family Edition, runDisney Kids races, and even a celebration Post-Race Party with plenty of Disney entertainment and exclusive ride access.

You can take a run on the wild side during the Expedition Everest Challenge, “a thrill-packed, timed endurance event that combines a 5K adventure run through Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park with the challenge of a scavenger hunt.” Your adventure begins in base camp where you’ll begin a journey along an obstacle strewn course. Then, get ready for all the excitement of a scavenger hunt in the spectacular setting of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. If you successfully complete the challenge, you will escape with a special edition Compass finisher medal.

You can also double the adventure and fun and run as a two-person Trek team! Trek teams can be all male, all female, coed, or military.

You can also take advantage of room discounts as well as a fifth day free at the theme parks during this event.

May is a wonderful time of year to visit due to beautiful weather, low crowds, and great rates. Plus, the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will be happening, which you won’t want to miss!

Siera is a Disney travel specialist. She would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email siera@destinationsinflorida.com for more information.  

Where to Meet Disney Characters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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On January 6, 2014, Camp Minnie-Mickey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom closed permanently to make way for a new AVATAR-inspired land which won’t open until early 2017. Camp Minnie-Mickey was home to The Festival of The Lion King as well as multiple character meet and greet opportunities. The Festival of the Lion King will have a new home in the Africa section of the park, just behind Tusker House, when construction is complete on the new theater later this year. So, you may be wondering where can you meet some of your favorite Disney characters at Animal Kingdom. The good news is that all of the characters that called Camp Minnie-Mickey home have been relocated to another area of the park.

Here are the new locations where you can meet Disney characters at Animal Kingdom:

  • Chip and Dale will “meet and play” at Rafiki’s Planet Watch on the path from the Wildlife Express Train station to Conservation Station. In this playful setting, children of all ages can pose for photos with the chipmunks and hear music by GiTar Dan
  • You can say “Wingapo” to Pocahontas as she joins porcupines, colorful exotic birds, and other animal friends along the Discovery Island Trail
  • Donald Duck will welcome friends to join him for a photo with Cory the dinosaur along Cretaceous Trail in DinoLand U.S.A.
  • King Louie and Baloo have found a home in Upcountry Landing along Bradley Falls
  • Mickey and Minnie have a new home at the Adventurers Outpost on Discovery Island (FastPass+ available)

Have you also heard that a new completion badge was added for Wilderness Explorers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Anyone who completes all 31 Wilderness Explorers badge activities can receive a Senior Wilderness Explorer badge. You can pick up your badge at any of the six Troop Leader locations throughout the park, which can be found on the guidemap.

What do you think of all the changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Siera is a Disney travel specialist who would love to help you plan your next Disney World vacation at no cost to you. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email siera@destinationsinflorida.com for more information. 

Construction on AVATAR-land at Animal Kingdom Now Underway

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Camp Minnie-Mickey officially closed for good on Monday, January 6, 2014 to make way for AVATAR-land at Animal Kingdom. That same day, Disney’s Animal Kingdom began the largest expansion in the theme park’s history with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new AVATAR-inspired land with blue, Na’vi-inspired shovels.

AVATAR-land is being designed by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with “AVATAR” creator James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment. This area is expected to be unlike anything that has ever been experienced at a Disney theme park. Guests will “experience the wonders of Pandora when they fly with banshees and explore a rich natural environment with mountains that float and interactive plants that glow at night.”

“Disney’s Animal Kingdom is already home to some of our guests’ favorite attractions,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “With AVATAR, we are adding a spectacular new world and an exciting set of attractions unlike any our guests have experienced. The expansion now under way will make the park a true full-day, must-see experience.”

This milestone is just the first step in a larger expansion for the entire park that will also include the debut of a new evening spectacular and even a nighttime version of Kilimanjaro Safaris!

Check out the video below for a sneak peek:

Siera is a Disney travel specialist who would love to help you plan your next vacation at no cost to you. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email siera@destinationsinflorida.com for more information. 

Coming Soon: AVATAR-land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney finally made the official announcement that an AVATAR-inspired land will be coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the next few years. Disney has stated that this “partnership and combination of talent and imagination would produce an experience unlike any other ever created.”

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Disney is working with James Cameron as well as Lightstorm Entertainment to bring the land of Pandora from the movie “AVATAR” to Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Disney’s Imagineers at Walt Disney Imagineering are working to make Pandora a real place for you to see, hear, and touch.

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In the world of AVATAR, you will find awe-inspiring floating mountains and experience a nighttime jungle of bioluminescent plants that are alive with both light and sound. You can even discover what it feels like to soar into the sky riding a Banshee.

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However, the new AVATAR-land is not the only change coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As part of the largest expansion in the park’s history, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will also offer brand-new entertainment experiences, including a new nighttime show featuring live music, floating lanterns, water screens, and swirling animal imagery in Discovery River. Disney’s Animal Kingdom will also add more nighttime entertainment as well, such as live performers on Discovery Island and a new nighttime version of the Kilimanjaro Safaris.

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What do you think of the changes coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Siera is a Disney travel specialist and would love to help you plan your next Disney World vacation so you can experience all of exciting new additions at the theme parks. Request your free, no obligation quote on the right side of the page or email spreadingmagic@gmail.com.