Category: Animal Kingdom

It has been quite a while since we looked at the construction of Pandora: The World of AVATAR from the skies above Animal Kingdom, so with that being said, we are taking another exclusive look from above today:

The floating mountains and vines are looking more and more realistic every day

Props still being loaded into the massive theater for the flying Banshee simulator attraction

Towards the back of the land, you can see the military hangar which will house the main dining establishment for Pandora: The World of AVATAR

The multiple layers of mountain facade on the show building provide depth for the land’s massive backdrop

LArge masses of exposed steel still remain at the base of the mountains

We also have a video taken from the air to share with you as well:

I had been hearing good things about Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom since they had reopened from a lengthy refurbishment a few weeks ago. Someone had told me that the pizzas were different now, not the practically inedible, circular, heartburn-inducing death-discs that they had been at WDW counter service restaurants since the dawn of recorded time. I had to see this for myself…

The menu still has pizzas, but quite a bit has changed

The pizza prep process was completely revamped, with the pies being made fresh rather than prepackaged pizzas that were simply heated

I decided to start with the garlic knots. These were pretty good. Better than I expected at least and the marinara dipping sauce was a good accompaniment. You actually get a rather large serving for $6.99, whcihc really puts some Epcot festival offerings to shame as far as value.

The shrimp flatbread was our favorite item of the day. I couldn’t believe this was a counter service item. It tasted very fresh and was a nice lighter option compared to heavy with cheese pizzas. All of the pizzas also came with a small cup of antipasto salad.

I got the meat lover’s pizza. Again, I was shocked how good this was. It’s not going to change your life, but it is a million times better than the previous incarnation. Pretty much tasted like Pizza Hut, which I still think is a vast improvement over what it used to be.

When I saw a counter service restaurant had tiramisu, I had to try it. Again, it was really solid. The only issue we had was that the cake layer was a little frozen, but otherwise it tasted good. I would equate my shock level to the first time I had counter service cheesecake at Disney World: this shouldn’t be good, but it is.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by my experience at Pizzafari. This is possibly the best counter service pizza at a theme park that I have ever had (including the often overrated Red Oven at Universal Orlando). Being from New York, I am extremely harsh on fast food Italian offerings, but this is such an improvement over what came before that even I was won over. I’m praying that this kind of menu is what we see when Pizza Planet returns as a new restaurant at Hollywood Studios later this year, because it is honestly what it should be. Is this the best counter service at Animal Kingdom now? No, but now it’s a viable option at least.

The Rivers of Light show may be behind schedule, but the new viewing area for the nighttime spectacular is out from behind construction walls and the details that can now be found just across the path from Expedition Everest are among the best ever seen in any Disney theme park:

On the Asia side, guests using FastPass+ to see the show will be greeted by this gateway

A second Asia FastPass+ entrance is just as intricate

The details are what you would expect from Animal Kingdom

Even the FastPass+ scanners are gorgeous, featuring flowers that are a nod to floats seen in the show

The section just outside of the Theater in the Wild is not as intricate

Photos by WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen

As Walt Disney World rolls out the red carpet for its annual summer media preview this week, something BIG is noticeably missing from any and all press releases… Rivers of Light.

While many new attractions we do not have opening dates for as of yet are mentioned (i.e. Soarin’ Around the world, Frozen Ever After), Rivers of Light is not mentioned at all, even though Animal Kingdom does have some announced nighttime offerings:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

For the first time in its 18-year history, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will debut new day-into-nighttime experiences that celebrate the magic of nature.

• The park’s iconic Tree of Life will awaken each night amid a lively celebration of Discovery Island music and dance. Through stunning visuals, animal spirits appear and enchanted fireflies reveal stories of wonder as the tree morphs to showcase the magic of nature.

• Kilimanjaro Safaris transitions to a new nighttime adventure in the extended orange glow of a setting sun. For the first time, hyenas and African wild dogs join the safari trail creature feature.
• Hungry adventurers can have lunch or dinner at the new Tiffins signature restaurant on Discovery Island this summer. Guests seated in the restaurant’s travel-themed dining rooms or on the waterfront patio can sip libations and savor dishes featuring African, Asian and South American flavors
• Across the park, guests can experience wondrous new nighttime experiences and entertainment celebrating marvels in nature and enjoy long-time favorites such as Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR, Kali River Rapids and more – in a whole new light.

While the park will be open into the late-evening all Summer long, it is now uncertain that Rivers of Light will make its debut anytime soon. Rumors persist that the wireless control system for the nighttime show’s floats is just not working, or even that one of the larger flower barges may have sunk into the Discovery River. Either way, I wouldn’t count on seeing this show anytime soon as Disney is obviously being very cautious in its publicity.

Whatever the case may be, this latest development makes the situation look possibly worse than we originally imagined. If the show does debut this Summer, we expect it to be mid-way or late into the season.

Stay tuned for any and all details on Rivers of Light as they become available.

Rivers of Light will debut at Animal Kingdom on April 22nd, but some of the animal floats that will be a part of the show are already traversing the waterways by Expedition Everest:

These floats and others will debut in Animal Kingdom’s first nighttime spectacular, Rivers of Light, debuting April 22nd, 2016.

Stay tuned for more information on this new show as it becomes available.

I visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the weekend to see the latest progress on all of the upcoming projects, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting around the park:

Preferred parking testing has expanded to Animal Kingdom

It’s $15 above the regular parking charge, but it is fairly close to the front entrance

A permanent structure is finally being built for the non-Disney bus stop at Animal Kingdom

Pandora: The World of AVATAR is still chugging along

Disney Outfitters has reopened as the Discovery Trading Company

Gone is the central register

You’ll also find a subdued paint scheme throughout

Work continues ont eh gazebos at Falme Tree BBQ

The viewing area for Rivers of Light looks ready for the April 22nd debut

As we posted earlier this week, we caught them testing some of the floats

A closer look

Walls finally came down around the north side of the River

It’s nice to have this section of the park come back to life

Some speakers and assorted new items for the show can be seen around the river, not sure if they will move or be covered

The Everest shrine is finally back!

Work continues to enclose the Flights of Wonder theater facade

Not much visible progress on the former trails behind the Tree of Life

A strange wall up in Harambe Market

We rode Kilimanjaro Safaris to see if there was any visible prep for the new nighttime version

If you look closely through the trees, you can see the screen that will raise up over the savannah

A giraffe walking by…

We spotted some new poacher-relate props near the elephants, so maybe the poacher storyline will return for the nighttime ride?

Work continues on Tiffins and the Nomad Lounge

With Finding Dory being released soon, lots of new Finding Nemo items are being released

The newest Walt Disney World table-service restaurant is part of the biggest expansion in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Tiffins, in the park’s Discovery Island area, opens this summer with dishes inspired by the world travels of the park’s creators.

“Tiffin” is the Indian word for a lunchbox used by travelers (also a mid-day meal), and the 252-seat restaurant in the park’s Discovery Island area will open daily for lunch and dinner with menus that takes diners to Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

A detailed map within the restaurant’s entryway sets the stage for an immersive dining experience celebrating world travel, with bold artwork derived from sketches, journals and research from those who created the theme park.

“Tiffins is the signature restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, celebrating the culture of design and research that went into creating this unique park,” said Emily O’Brien, Walt Disney Imagineering executive show producer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

O’Brien describes the interior design as “a gallery you can dine in with artwork that is a direct result of travels to Africa, Asia and South America which influenced the design of the park.” The ideas of the park’s design team, including sketches, photography, architecture and textures, are all presented in a way that is uniquely Disney.

“All the senses are explored and turned into amazing works of art,” said O’Brien. “The galleries, or dining rooms, focus on Asia [Trek Gallery with 74 seats] and Africa [Safari Gallery with 64 seats], and the third [Grand Gallery with 114 seats] pays homage to animal species that the Disney Conservation Fund works to protect.”

The travel-inspired artwork includes a static, three-dimensional piece that features prayer flags blowing in the wind. “As our research team traveled up the high mountains of Nepal, the winds were strong,” explained O’Brien. “The prayer flags are rarely seen hanging, they are always blowing.” This portrayal of the motion is realistically captured in the display which will hang above a corner booth in the Trek Gallery.

“Tiffins is not about a make-believe place, it’s about real people and places,” said O’Brien.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is about the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure and a personal call to action, and the adjacent Nomad Lounge brings into focus these core values. With beautiful waterfront views, the lounge focuses on storytelling, and also on guests’ travels, with large banners as “artistic representations” of answers to travel questions written on the perimeter wall. For instance, “what do you always do when traveling” or “what was your most adventurous moment?”

“We’re trying to tell the story of how guests can make a change,” said O’Brien. While the answers of Disney experts are displayed, guests also have the opportunity to purchase a tag that supports the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and to write their own answers to the questions to display above the bar– a way to share their own travel stories “so they can be a part of the story,” said O’Brien.

SOURCE: Disney Parks Blog

According to an internal document floating around, Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will make its very first performance on April 6th.

The April 6th showing will be for Animal Kingdom cast only. All other Walt Disney World cast members will have access to previews of the show on April 8th, 9th, 12th, and 13th.

There is some sort of “premium” annual pass holder and Disney Vacation Club member preview event being held on April 15th which will hold 4,000 guests, but we expect this to have an added fee (should be announced soon). Two normal AP and DVC preview nights are scheduled right after that for April 16th and 17th.

A press event premiere of the show will be held on April 19th and the show will of course open on April 22nd to all guests.

According to the document, showtimes once the show debuts will be at 8:30PM and 9:45PM nightly.