dinosaur – WDWNT Archive

PHOTO REPORT: Disney’s Animal Kingdom 12/14/16 (DINOSAUR Returns, Flame Tree Expands, Christmas Decor, Etc.)

WDWNT on November 18, 2016

In our latest photo report, we take a trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park to see what’s news and exciting as 2016 draws to a close.

Merry Christmas from Animal Kingdom!

Flame Tree Barbecue Expansion

The new dining gazebo at Flame Tree Barbecue finally opened a few weeks ago.

Have aÂ Wild Holiday!

The kitschy decor in Dinoland U.S.A. continues to be a favorite of mine.

Animal Kingdom boasts some of the best decorations in all of Walt Disney World.

DINOSAUR Reopens

DINOSAUR reopened a few weeks ago from its lengthy, multi-month refurbishment boasting a number of upgrades and fixes.

The first section of the queue added a number of new display cases, as well as removing the large mural that once stood at the left end of the room.

The graphics package for all of the existing displays were updated as well.

Here is where the mural once stood.

Many of the items on display are on loan from Texas Christian University’s College of Science and Engineering.

As for the ride itself, a number of effects were fixed, most notably the laser field that appears over the Iguanadon in the finale scene, indicating that he indeed was captured and transported back to the institute. This effect is simple, but has been broken since the earliest days of the ride’s existence, dating back to Countdown to Extinction. A new effect replaced the long staticÂ “Compsognathus” dinosaurs who appeared to jump over the Time Rover, a large screen with video of these creatures doing this action. Overall, the ride looks amazing and the changes are all positive. This is one of the finest attraction refurbishments I have ever seen, and much needed for our beloved DINSOAUR.

The graphics along the exit of the attractions were updated as well and look great… other than the fact that the logos get cut off in the frame…

This and That

I had to pay a visit to my favorite Christmas decoration in all of Walt Disney World on my last visit…

IT’S SANTA-SAURUS!!!

2017 merchandise is now available at Walt Disney World.

Closure of DINOSAUR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Has Been Extended

WDWNT on October 14, 2016

DINOSAUR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will not open from its lengthy refurbishment as scheduled. The ride was scheduled to reopen on October 17th, 2016.

DINOSAUR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Guests are reporting that their FastPass+ reservations have been cancelled for anytime in the next 30 days. Disney has yet to announce when the ride will reopen.

UPDATE: The closure of DINOSAUR has been extended over a month to November 20th, 2016.

PHOTO REPORT: Animal Kingdom 8/23/16 (AVATAR, DINOSAUR, Chocolate Waffle, ETC.)

WDWNT on September 2, 2016

It has been a little while since we checked in on Animal Kingdom, which is probably because it has been the red-headed step-child of the Disney World parks this Summer, starting with such promise, but then careening into one of the worst Summer campaigns ever experienced in Orlando. September 5th brings the end of nighttime offerings at the park for a little while, but for just how long we do not know. However, work progresses slowly on AVATAR, Rivers of Light is still yet to get a debut date, but yet life goes on at the 4th gate of WDW. Let’s see what’s new and exciting at the park since our last visit…

Pandora: The World of AVATAR

Scaffolding has vanished from the floating mountains of Pandora, giving us a nice look at what should be a rather pleasant looking area.

Pandora: The World of AVATAR

A lot of foliage is going in, making it harder to see the area. Don’t worry, we will take to the skies above Pandora later this week to show you a better look.

Pandora: The World of AVATAR

We also have a video of the AVATAR area to share with you:

Go Wild with Food and Drinks

A quick stop at Nomad Lounge for a Kungaloosh Ale

Pizzafari

Even though what they had before was really very good, the Pizzafari menu was revamped once again to include more flatbread and less traditional pizzas.

Pizzafari

The cheeseburger flatbread… If you haven’t watched our review yet, you can do so below:

Pizzafari

The new menu board wasn’t available yet, so they board outside is just blank right now.

New menu at Tamu Tamu Refreshments

Tamu Tamu Refreshments has an updated menu, including a chocolate waffle.

New menu at Tamu Tamu Refreshments

Tree of Life Trail

Tree of Life trail

Work continues on the path behind the Tree of Life, the only project moving slower than AVATAR. Maybe we should put the beach-rock team on these projects? At least there is a fence now.

New Everest Merchandise

Expedition Everest Adventure Pack

I never noticed this Expedition Everest Adventure Pack for kids, which is kind of neat as each item has the Everest logo.

Expedition Everest Adventure Pack

Everybody Paint the Dinosaur

Hester & Chester’s Dino-Rama

The giant dinosaur in Dino-Rama now has spots to go with the new green paint scheme.

Hester & Chester’s Dino-Rama

DINOSAUR Refurbishment

DINOSAUR remains closed for enhancements through the Fall of 2016.

DINOSAUR Refurbishment

There’s not many attractions where you can just close the blinds to keep people from looking in, but this is one of them.

DINOSAUR Refurbishment

The fountain is off during the refurbishment.

DINOSAUR Refurbishment

Don’t worry kids, you can still pin trade even though the ride is closed.

DINOSAUR Refurbishment

I do love the use of concept art on the board, as well as the picture of Chester and Hester…

Flame Tree Barbecue Expansion

Flame Tree Barbecue

The expansion of Flame Tree Barbecue rolls on…

Flame Tree Barbecue

2017 Walt Disney World Calendar

The always popular Walt Disney World calendar for 2017 is now available.

2017 Walt Disney World Calendar

The Main Street Electrical Parade made it in, as did an image from Star Wars Weekends, both discontinued heading into 2017.

Banks Lee’s 9/10/10 Animal Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on September 11, 2010

What’s going on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park? It’s a question often asked by Walt Disney World regulars. To answer that question, WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee went to the park to take a few newsworthy photos:

All of the kennels are gone thanks to the Best Friends Pet Resort