Episode 40: Disney's Animal Kingdom (An Elephant in the Room)

Have you ever heard that saying, “There’s an elephant in the room?”  It’s kind of a weird expression, but it means that there’s something so big and so obvious standing right there, yet it’s not being talked about.  Well, my elephant is the Walt Disney World Resort, and while I've lived in Florida for the better part of 15 years, I haven't been here since I was ten years old.  Cost, complexity, and a focus on family-friendly attractions have deterred me from visiting in the past, but now I'm curious.  Will the magic of Disney capture the imagination of this adrenaline junkie?  It's time to find out, beginning with my first ever visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom for Expedition Everest, Avatar - Flight of Passage, and more!

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Transcript

Have you ever heard that saying, “There’s an elephant in the room?”  It’s kind of a weird expression, but it means that there’s something so big and so obvious standing right there, yet it’s not being talked about.  Well, my elephant is the Walt Disney World Resort.  You see, I’m a roller coaster and theme park enthusiast, and I’ve lived in Florida for the better part of fifteen years, and this podcast is entering its fifth season, yet I haven’t been to the House with the Mouse since I was ten years old.  Fellow enthusiasts are shocked by this revelation when Disney comes up in conversation, and for good reason.  I live three hours from four of the most popular theme parks on the planet, home to world-class theming, beloved attractions, and  outstanding food, not to mention they’ve recently added several cutting-edge thrill rides to boot.  All of that’s got me wondering just how much magic I’ve been missing, so I think it’s finally time to send that pachyderm packing.  Sorry Dumbo.  

It’s going to be four days, four parks, and four episodes as a thrill-focused coaster enthusiast takes on Disney World for the first time as an adult.  I’ll learn to book rides on the app, and attempt to dodge the crowds all while attempting to answer my single burning question: With all I’ve heard about the headaches, stress, and cost of successfully navigating these family-focused parks, will the magic of Disney capture the imagination of this adrenaline junkie?  It’s time to find out, and I can’t wait to bring you along.

Welcome to Episode 40 of Coaster Redux.  My name is Erik, and this is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom. For years, I’d all but forgotten my coaster obsession from high school and college, but since the pandemic, I’ve been on a mission to ride as many new coasters as I can.  I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off a ride they’ve never ridden before.  That’s what I want to share with you. 

And with that, join me as I fly on the back of my own ikran, attempt to escape the Yeti on a forbidden mountain, enjoy a musical show on the Savannah, and more!  Disney’s Animal Kingdom kicks off this series on Coaster Redux.

It was the middle of December, and I was grinding hard at work through the pre-Holiday season.  I hadn’t been to a theme park since Dorney back in October, and I was getting antsy.  Early January is known as one of the best times to visit parks in Orlando, as few people travel immediately following New Years.  This also meant that I had about a week between jobs, so it was time to reward myself for the long hours I’d put in.  I finally resolved to book my first trip to the Walt Disney World Resort as an adult.  

But then, would this trip actually be an escape?  I'd listened to so many podcasts with people saying that the electronic reservation system is non-stop stress.  Like some rides require you to get up and repeatedly refresh the app hoping to secure a boarding group when the Hunger Games lottery opens at 7am.  Then if you don’t plan your day down to perfection, you’ll face endless lines, and end the day disappointed.  You have to plan how much time it will take to walk from one attraction to the next, so you don’t miss your booking window.  I like to go with the flow when I visit parks, taking time to explore, relax, and experience the atmpsphere at my own pace.  So would this even be possible?  Plus, Disney is expensive, and while no doubt the theming, atmosphere, and attention to detail are world class, it’s not known for the most mind-blowing thrill rides that typically get me fired up.  And there, my friends, is why I haven’t been since I was a child.  If I’m gonna drive 3-4 hours up to Central Florida, I want to know exactly what I’m getting, which is why I always opted for Universal, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens until now.

But I’ve been there and done that.  I have the opportunity to try something almost completely new, and that’s super exciting, especially when we’re talking about some of the best theme parks in the world.  I have fond childhood memories of the Magic Kingdom, and the parks have added some bangers in recent years.  Everybody raves about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, and the flashing lights of TRON Lightcycle/Run at Magic Kingdom.  Not to mention Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is supposedly one of the best theme park attractions ever.  Determined, I turned to YouTube to learn how all this stuff works, and before doing anything else, the first step in the process is to book your park tickets.

As I logged onto the Disney website prepared to melt my credit card, I was pleasantly  surprised.  I secured a four-day Florida resident ticket with admission to one park per day over a seven day period.  The price?  $380.  That’s only $95 per day.  Heck, I paid almost twice that for a day at Epic Universe back in June.  

Prior to securing my tickets, I investigated staying on property, but I couldn’t find anything under $500 per night, so I booked five nights at a Marriott Fairfield just ten minutes from the resort.  $722 all in.  I’d arrive on Tuesday, visit the parks Wednesday through Saturday, and leave Sunday morning.  My Disney trip was locked in, and I was excited.

Park reservations were not required for this ticket type, and I decided to start at Animal Kingdom on Wednesday.  Being the park with the fewest attractions, I figured it would be a good introduction to the system with the least pressure in case I screwed up booking reservations.  Thursday I’d visit Hollywood Studios, a powerhouse park with several must-rides.  Then interestingly, the day ticket prices were cheaper on Friday and Saturday, indicating lower expected crowds, so I planned Magic Kingdom for Friday, and would conclude my visit with EPCOT on Saturday.  I originally planned to reverse this, but a friend advised me to ride TRON before Guardians, so that was it.

Next I had to figure out the app, and thanks again to YouTube, I got a pretty solid tutorial.  I was pleased to find out that there were no rides requiring boarding groups booked in advance.  Newly opened attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy and Tianna’s Bayou Adventure did have such a system last year, but now anyone can enter the stand-by line and wait it out if they choose.  That’s a relief!  I downloaded the My Disney Experience App, created an account,  linked my park tickets, and prepared for the next step.

There are two ways to skip the lines at Disney World.  The first is Lightning Lanes, where you pay a one-time fee for an hour-long boarding window.  The most popular attractions offer a once-per-day Lightning Lane, and you can also purchase a package of three where you can choose between a handful of rides on different tiers.  You can buy Lightning Lanes up to seven days before your arrival if you stay in a Disney resort, or three days in advance for off-site guests, so when this window opened, I secured a Lightning Lane for Guardians and Tron at $21 each.  Those were the two rides I absolutely couldn’t miss, and for comparison, I bought a single shot Fast Lane for Maverick at Cedar Point last year for $17, so not that bad.   

The second option is Virtual Queue, and this is the one where they open the flood gates at 7am and 1pm daily.  You can only use these on the day of your visit, so I’d have to try this upon arriving in Orlando.

With that complete, all I had to do was pack my car, and head north Tuesday mid-day.  It’s exactly three hours for me to drive to Orlando up Florida’s Turnpike, and it’s a relaxing albeit boring stretch of road.  As per usual, I made a stop at SeaWorld for a couple hours in the afternoon before checking into my hotel.  Everything was a walk-on, and I rode Pipeline, Ice Breaker, Manta, Penguin Trek, and Journey to Atlantis one time each.  I grabbed three laps on Mako at sunset and met a group of people who were about to head out on the Coaster Studios cruise, enjoying the camaraderie and the endless airtime.  It’s always fun meeting fellow enthusiasts in the parks.

I left SeaWorld, and drove 15 minutes to my hotel for the next five nights, the Marriott Fairfield in Lake Buena Vista.  I settled in and microwaved a meal-prepped dinner before relaxing for a bit and heading to bed.  Come 7am, I would need to have my swiping fingers prepared to get those Virtual Queues secured.

I groaned as my alarm went off at 6:45.  I’m not a morning person, and to make matters worse, I’d been working nights lately, so I’m not accustomed to these early hours.  But I had a job to do.  I needed to secure a Virtual Queue for my first day at Disney.  At 6:59 I started refreshing the app, yet nothing ever showed up.  Not sure why, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.  I jumped in the shower before heading downstairs to the complimentary Marriott breakfast, allowing me time to eat before heading to Animal Kingdom.  While the hotel is not affiliated with Disney, their signature waffle machines created mouse-eared miniatures, getting me excited for the day to come.

I planned to Uber to the park to save on parking, but found that the price differential versus the $35 parking fee was negligible, so I hopped into my car for the short hop across I-4.  I merged onto Osceola Parkway and passed beneath that massive archway sign welcoming me to the Walt Disney World Resort.  From there, I continued past Hollywood Studios before exiting into the Animal Kingdom parking lot at 8:15, just shortly after rope drop.

While the weather was forecast to be clear with temps in the upper 70’s, the morning was cool with a thick layer of fog enveloping Orlando.  I parked my car, and as I walked towards the gate, I felt like I was standing on the edge of the wilderness.  A wall of thick greenery separated me from any vestige of a nearby theme park.  The top of Expedition Everest’s mountain was barely visible, and there was no roller coaster track to be seen.

I headed towards the entry plaza where the color palates are all earth tones and greens.  There’s a Rainforest Cafe off the the left, and the gate stands ahead with golden letters spelling out Animal Kingdom, and it’s apropos that there’s an elephant head dead center.

I fumbled for my phone, trying to figure out how to access my tickets.  Turns out, Disney has you add your ticket to your Apple Wallet when using an iPhone.  Upon approaching the gate, there’s no turnstyle, just a line of friendly cast members sitting behind pairs of spherical orbs, anxious to welcome you to the park.  As this was my first time, I didn’t know exactly what to do, so I was directed to hold my phone up to the orb and place my finger on a reader.  The orb dinged and lit up green with a mouse logo, and I was in.  

Now I know Disney doesn’t sweat any details, but there was just something calming and welcoming about the way these gates work, even compared with Universal, or any other theme park for that matter.  Maybe it’s the way it feels open, and not like being routed through a cattle pen.  It’s super minor, but it got my attention.

I entered the park and the pathways look like old dirt roads completely surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, waterfalls, and rockwork drawing you into the jungle.  This walk away from the entrance transports you away from the parking lot, and gives you a moment to enter the immersion.  I crossed a stone bridge towards Discovery Island, home to Tree of Life, the park’s massive centerpiece.  It’s a man-made tree covered in animal carvings, and despite its fantastic nature, it blends in realistically with the surrounding flora.  While it was a stunning sight, it was time for me to get down to business.  Since I didn’t have any Lightning Lanes or Virtual Queues for the day, I wanted to take advantage of my early arrival.  Priority one was Expedition Everest, the only roller coaster at Animal Kingdom, and by all accounts, one of Disney’s best.

I pulled up the app, and hung a right from the Tree of Life, bound for the Asia section.  I crossed an ancient brick bridge with pagoda style turrets, and in the moment, I felt a strange sense of familiarity from my childhood visits to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.  While I’d never been to Animal Kingdom before, Disney has a feel, and I can’t quite describe it.  Maybe it’s the use of different building materials, textures, music, or the way they combine them to create a fantastical far-off land.   It’s almost like being wrapped in a warm comfortable blanket while simultaneously anticipating an amazing adventure.  I’d wager to guess that if you’ve been to Disney, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I entered the Asia section walking towards the Discovery River lagoon.  Directly across the water rose an imposing snow-covered mountain.  The air was remained cool and crisp, and Expedition Everest was still enveloped in that morning fog.  Mother Nature gave Imagineers her kiss on this morning and the view gave me goosebumps as a train crept up the steep lift hill between its peaks.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened its gates in April of 1998.  The fourth and newest theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort was intended to share the Company’s interest in conservation and preservation while showcasing the wildlife of today, species of the past, and creatures of our imagination.  While the park was initially successful, attendance dropped in subsequent years, with many leaving in the early afternoon in search of more to do.  A dragon-themed roller coaster was originally planned for Animal Kingdom, but was cancelled due to budget.  The story goes that Universal Creative recruited several Disney Imagineers to work on their new Islands of Adventure theme park which opened in 1999, and they developed the Lost Continent and Dueling Dragons based on Disney’s scrapped idea for Animal Kingdom.                 

With Disney management seeking a headlining roller coaster to draw guests into its new park and keep them there, Imagineers went back to the drawing board.  In a process spanning five years, they created Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain.  Opened in 2006, it features 3,884 feet of track, mostly built within a man-made mountain standing 199 and a half feet tall to avoid having an aircraft warning light at its summit.  The ride manufacturer is Vekoma, Disney’s long-time go-to, and at the time of completion, it was the most expensive roller coaster ever built, with a price tag of $100 million all in.

Approaching the entrance, I walked through the Nepalese village of Serka Zong before finding my destination,  a stone-slab faced building home to Himalayan Escapes.  It’s a newly opened ecotour company using repurposed steam trains from a defunct tea plantation to transport visitors up to Everest.  The only problem is that it passes through the Forbidden Mountain which locals believe to be protected by the mythical Yeti.  The wait was posted at a mere 15 minutes, and I was psyched to begin my Disney experience on such a massive attraction.             

I stepped into the standby queue and walked directly through the company’s offices before meandering back outside.  Switchbacks are bordered by stone walls, bamboo railings, rockwork, and wooden fences as you journey through the compound.  You enter a storage room filled with climbing and survival gear before being routed through the Yeti Museum.  It’s filled with artifacts and lore surrounding the legendary beast.  Prior to exiting, you’re met with a final warning from the museum’s curator: 

Respect the power of the Yeti.  The weight of the evidence leads to the inevitable conclusion that the Yeti is real.  You are about to enter the sacred domain of the Yeti, guardian and protector of the Forbidden Mountain.  Those who proceed with respect and reverence for the sanctity of the natural environment and its creatures should have no fear.  To all others - a warning.  You risk the wrath of the Yeti.  

Then on the wall directly ahead, Himalayan Escapes posted their counter: The opinions expressed by the curator of the quote unquote Yeti Museum in no way reflect the views of the owners and operators of Himalayan Escapes Tours and Expeditions.  Signed, Norbu and Bob, Proprietors.  

Without time to process this, we depart the museum and approach the ride platform.  A grouper assigns me somewhere in the middle of the train.  I find my numbered row and the empty train marauds into the load station with an authority I’ve never seen before.  It stops abruptly and I climb aboard.  When it comes to capacity and dispatch intervals, Disney is clearly leaving no second to spare.  

I lowered Vekoma’s ratcheting lap bar, and here’s a first.  I’m instructed to pull up on it while the cast member watches.  I just did my own safety check.  There’s a new credit!  Then the steam engine pushing the train sounds two short blasts and we’re rolling.  Man, I hope Norbu and Bob know what they’re doing.

We roll out of the station and turn slightly right before engaging a short chain lift.  As we ascend, the Forbidden Mountain looms just ahead, still enveloped in fog.  The rockwork here is just spectacular.  At the top, we release and dip down and to the left, following the terrain just like any normal train ride.  We travel out into the Himalayan foothills, still surrounded by a green forest, and make a turnaround to the left.  Now it’s time to begin the climb up the mountain on the second chain lift.  We pass through a bit of a shrine to the Yeti before heading out over that long upward bridge.  There’s nothing ahead but towering snow-capped peaks of the Forbidden Mountain and we’re heading straight for them.  Our max height on this ride is only 112 feet, but it feels so much higher due to the steep lift and the scale of the mountain.

At the top, we dip into a crevasse with snow on both sides and begin accelerating with a turn to the left.  We pass through a tunnel through the mountain before heading up, but wait!  There’s a mangled mess of track in front of us, and we’re heading straight towards it!  The wind whistles around us as we pause at the summit.  Just waiting.  

Then we begin falling backwards, banking left and dropping as we enter the mountain’s interior.  I think it’s a full helix in darkness but I’m not sure.  We ease to another stop, and the Yeti appears above, growling with anger as he rips up more of our track before swinging away.  We begin rolling forward again and blast into daylight down the ride’s longest drop at 80 feet before banking hard left at the bottom and re-entering the mountain.  Inside, we do a quick bunny hop, then return to daylight for a massive double helix with some pretty sustained positives.  We careen back into a tunnel where we come face-to-face with the Yeti himself.  Lights flash and he roars ferociously as we narrowly escape the Forbidden Mountain and return safely to basecamp.

Expedition Everest is great fun, and I think the scale and the views on this attraction are where it truly shines.  The direction changes are also great, and completely hidden from view.  I wish I went into this ride spoiler-free and didn’t know they were coming.  You get a great sense of speed through those wild-looking high-banked helixes, and Disney crushed it with an engaging story and cool effects, despite the long-broken Yeti animatronic.  

That being said, given the size and speed of this roller coaster, it was very clearly profiled to provide next to no negative or lateral G-forces.  You only have a few moments of positives in the valleys of the helixes.  I wish Disney and Vekoma could have given this thing just a bit more of a bite.  Like, I kept bracing for laterals in the helixes and there are none, and that big drop out of the mountain looks incredible from off-ride but has zero force to it.  Hagrid’s at Islands of Adventure, Hiccup’s at Epic Universe, and Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood do the family thrill thing better, bringing more dynamic elements at similar speeds while remaining family friendly.  I get that this is an older ride, but it would be so much better if it was just a smidge more intense.  Somehow RCDB has Expedition Everest categorized as “extreme,” and I respectfully disagree there.  Still, it clearly accomplished its mission, providing an e-ticket roller coaster for Animal Kingdom that’s non-stop fun with excellent storytelling.

There was still barely a 20 minute wait when I exited, so I hopped back on Expedition Everest for a second lap.  Again I ended up in the middle of the train, and my opinion didn’t change.  I will say that I actually got a bit nauseous during the backwards enclosed section both times I rode, and I thought that odd, as this never happens to me on roller coasters.  I’ve heard others say the same thing.  Maybe that’s why it’s extreme?  Anyway, I’d successfully gotten two laps and secured the sole coaster credit at Animal Kingdom, so it was time to set about exploring the rest of the park.  

I reversed course though Asia, passing the Kali River Rapids ride.  I typically skip these types of rides as I hate being wet in theme parks.  As I continued around from Asia into Africa, I heard a train whistle.  I didn’t realize they had a train ride here, so I decided to check it out.  Trains were my first childhood mania, and the Walt Disney World Railroad was my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom last time around, so I was intrigued by this one.

The Wildlife Express boards from the Harambe Station.  The coaches feature incredible detail with piles of luggage scattered atop the roofs, and a weathered appearance making them look like they’ve been travelling through Africa for decades.  I couldn’t get a good look at the locomotive from the platform, so I grabbed a seat and prepared to depart.  The backs of the cars are covered with guests sitting sideways, only able to look out the left side of the train.  I didn’t know anything about this attraction going in, so I was hoping to get some views of animals on the excursion.

Turns out that’s not the point here, as the Wildlife Express is a transportation ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, a conservation outpost located away from the park proper.  When the train came to a stop at the next station, I disembarked.  I made a brief walk through the Conservation Station and Affection Section, basically an education center and petting zoo.  Cool to see, but not my cup of tea.  I reversed course and boarded the next train back to Harambe.  

As the train navigated the corners, I got a better look at the locomotive.  It’s a tank-style 2-4-2 European steam engine mock-up, but it’s clearly diesel powered.  Guess I’ll have to wait for the Magic Kingdom to really nerd out on a live steam train.

Time check?  10:00 am.  And upon checking my phone, I got a notification.  My Expedition Everest on-ride photos were available to view and purchase on the app.  That’s some seriously cool tech going on in the background to make that work.  I then swiped over to wait times, and Avatar - Flight of Passage was 90 minutes.  This was the park’s other major attraction, and since I hadn’t waited in a line thus far, I decided to get this one over with.  

The walk to Pandora was lengthy, circumnavigating the Discovery River on the land side of the island.  Pathway bridges are decked in synthetic wood, and were a bit slippery as the sun had yet to break through the fog layer and dry the morning dew, but it was tranquil, simply walking through the lush tree canopy and listening to chirping crickets and birds.

Now I loved the first Avatar movie, so I was psyched for my first IP-based land at Disney.  The colors of Pandora are just so vibrant, I couldn’t wait to be immersed in this world.  I passed a sign announcing my entry into the Valley of Mo’ara, home to the Na’vi people.  This land exists after the conclusion of the first movie when the sky people from the Resources Development Authority mining unobtanium were defeated.  

The thickness of the forest remains impressive upon entering Pandora, then I looked up and got my first look at the floating mountain.  Vines entangle everything, and Imagineered creations of alien plants are beautifully intermingled with natural vegetation.  While the land was grand, I was slightly underwhelmed.  It just didn’t have those fantastical bright colors from the film.  I found the entrance to Flight of Passage and entered the queue.

It began with switchbacks weaving uphill directly beneath the floating mountain surrounded by water features and plant life complete with sounds of native Pandoran species.  Tree roots are covered in bright green moss, and queue railings are bamboo-like poles tied together with string.  We were making our way slowly up towards a cliff face, and after about 30 minutes, we entered into the rock.

The sound of flowing water dominates, and there are still tree roots going everywhere.  Blue symbols are painted on the overhead, and we continue through a maze of passages leading inward.  Then, all of a sudden, we walk through a hole in the rock clearly drilled by humans, and pass an open steel door, the word “airlock” stenciled on it, with an elaborate keypad for entry that is no longer needed.  The airlock exit is also open, and now we’re clearly inside a concrete man-made compound.  A logo for A.C.E, or Alpha Centauri Expeditions is visible.  This is a research and tourism company providing excursions in Pandora while also conducting research on the Na’vi and their habitat.  

Next you enter an area that feels exactly like the Pandoran forests from the movie.  It’s dark, and filled with sounds of life.  Plants glow blue and green with bioluminescence, and a sign informs us that this is a laboratory working to understand and reverse the damage to the mountain banshee ecosystem caused by the mining of the past.

After switching back and forth beneath the blacklights for about 30 minutes, I approached the Alpha Centauri Lab.  Here, there are several enclosed glass chambers with active experiments taking place.  There’s so much detail to take in, but the crown jewel of this room is an actual Na’vi avatar laying in a suspension tube.  It’s a beautiful bright blue, and at about ten feet tall, it brings the opening scenes of the movie to life!

The final room features a screen displaying the current location of banshees, those dragon-like creatures flown by the Na’vi which they call ikrans, and the human-driven avatars on their backs.  We’re about to do the same thing.  Take control of a scientifically-created Na’vi body and fly through Pandora on the back of a banshee.  This is gonna be fun!

We’re separated into two lines leading up to a ramp where we’re finally grouped and led into the pre-show.  

In this first room, we’re linked to an avatar sharing our DNA make-up.  

Properly matched, we then proceed to another room where we’re briefed on the process.

We entered the theater, and I grabbed my seat on the link chair and put on my flight visors, a fancy name for 3-D glasses.  A few moments later, it was time to fly!

The link comes to life, and I’m soaring just above Pandora.  We’re led by an actual Na’vi guide flying through trees and diving low to the water.  Majestic wildlife abounds on this scenic journey above a fantastic landscape, and the coolest thing is that we can actually feel the ikran’s muscles and lungs working between our legs.  We journey to the sea and dodge whale-like creatures that could swallow an ocean liner before skimming through the pipeline of a breaking wave taller than the Tree of Life.  

You rocket back up to meet up with Toruk, the largest of the banshees before descending to ground level to Eywa’s Tree of Souls to come up close and personal with the goddess’ most sacred spot.  Finally, you break back out for a final epic flight dodging and weaving through the endless floating mountains of Pandora, coming to a soft landing above the water just before sunset.  

There’s no plotline here, no epic battle, and this flight doesn’t need one.  Pandora’s had enough of that.  Flight of Passage is a pure pleasure cruise on the back of a majestic creature that’s as joyous as it is immersive.  You can’t appreciate it without riding for yourself.  The ride system does a wonderful job injecting realism into the experience, and whether you’re an Avatar fan or not, you can’t help but be sucked into this infectious attraction.  It’s a stunner.

I emerged back into daylight, and the fog had finally burned off.  The sky was clear, and that change in light brought Pandora to life.  The shimmering blue colors that were missing from this land in flat lighting were now apparent, and this is what I’d hoped for.  The sun radiated off the floating green mountaintop, and now that I’ve properly experienced Pandora, it was time to eat.

Now Disney’s known as a leader in the theme park food game, so there’d be no hamburgers or chicken fingers on today’s menu.  I took to the app to order from the nearby Satu’li Canteen, a mess hall from the old RDA mining days re-purposed for us visitors.  With my meal ordered and paid for electronically, all I had to do was show up at the pick-up counter and wait for my phone to buzz that it’s ready.  This is so much more convenient than waiting in a long line to order, and then another to pay.  

Within ten minutes, I grabbed my tray.  A bowl with chimichurri beef and chopped wood grilled chicken, with red and sweet potato hash, and creamy herbed dressing.  $17.49 and a $4.79 soft drink.  Plus, it was served in a real bowl.  It looked delicious, but I had to make a lap or two around the Canteen before locating an empty table.  I dug in, and it was right up my alley!  Fresh, flavorful, interesting, and different.  It was immensely satisfying, and a perfect portion.  Not so small I felt cheated, but not so big I’d be ready for a nap in 30 minutes.  Plus, given that a McDonald’s meal with fries is $15 these days, $17 and change for food of this quality is very reasonable.  I could whine about spending almost five bucks for a soda, but it’s a theme park.  Comes with the territory, and Six Flags and SeaWorld are no better.

Refreshed and satisfied, it was time to wrap up my visit to Pandora with the Na’vi River Journey.  This is an indoor themed boat ride, and it’s one of Disney’s go-to ride systems with good reason.  They’re simple, reliable, high-capacity, and allow for endless creativity in storytelling.  The line was posted at 45 minutes, but I think I waited less.  

While in line, I started thinking about tomorrow.  I would be going to Hollywood Studios, and I had way more rides to experience there.  I pulled up the app and looked at wait times.  Lots were long.  Afraid I’d struggle to do everything, I decided to grab Lightning Lanes for what I could.  Rise of the Resistance wasn’t available, but I did secure slots for Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror for $24 combined.  Again, not bad.  

I meandered my way though the outdoor, yet very well-shaded queue before boarding my boat in a station tunneled through rocks.  As we gently floated into the first scene, I rejoiced.  While the rest of Pandora was well done, this was what I really wanted in an Avatar ride.  Darkness with phosphorescent blues, oranges, and purples.  Those Jellyfish like things.  And the spinning floating mushrooms.  All of the synergies of Eywa’s creatures complete with their sounds, recreating that feeling when Jake Sully first stumbles into the forest and meets Naytiri.  It’s here, and I’m all in.

As we move between scenes, the soundtrack grows louder, becoming more full.  Each room introduces more vibrant creatures with brighter colors.  In the ride’s finale, we travel to the Tree of Souls and meet the Shaman of Songs, giving high praise to Eywa through the movie’s main theme, and she’s probably the best animatronic I’ve ever seen.  Her head, body, arms, and even her tail move fluidly with the music.

Then as the boat enters the final tunnel on the return to the station, we’re surrounded by Eywa’s light, and those harmonic vocals amplify within this incredible setting.  As a storyteller, there’s something that just pulls at me when a musical score so perfectly captures a moment of rapture, reverence, and wonder.  I laughed, fully connected to the moment, and simultaneously shed a tear of joy.  Call me what you will guys, but this ride has some serious feels.          

I emerged back into the bustle of Pandora, and bid this gorgeous land adieu, reversing course around the loop.  I didn’t really have a destination in mind.  I still needed to ride Dinosaur, maybe grab another lap on Everest and see what else I could get up to.  As I entered Africa, I heard an announcement for a five minute warning for the Festival of the Lion King.  Being one of my favorite childhood movies, I hung a left into the theater, entering a bit late, but in time for the first musical number.

Now this opening Circle of Life sequence is so grand, and always gets me.  On stage are life-sized puppets of adult Simba, Poomba, an elephant, and a giraffe.  Timon is a character in a costume.  The Festival is a live-action musical show with acrobats, dancers on stilts, fire juggling, and features all the music from the movie combined with crowd interaction.  It’s so much fun, and before we’re sent on our way, the finale is a sing along to “A Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  I’m such a sucker for great vocal performances, and this one was excellent!

I’m so glad I stopped in for this show.  It brings the movie to life with a fun circus style, and that music is some of the best from any Disney movie.

I continued around towards the front of the park, bound for DinoLand USA.  As I approached, green work walls flanked both sides of the pathway.  The area is being converted into Tropical Americas set to open in 2027, featuring an Encanto themed ride and a new carousel boasting animals carved from wood.  My destination was Dinosaur, the last remaining component of this land, which has since closed to be converted to an Indiana Jones attraction.  

The posted wait time was only five minutes, and I breezed through the queue, home to a T-rex skeleton in the lobby of the Dino Institute.  The story is that we’re being sent back in time on a tour expedition to view live dinosaurs, but one of the company’s employees gives us a secret mission, bring back an iguanodon dinosaur that he believes holds the key to understanding these creatures.  I mean, if we can go back in time and return, then why not bring a dinosaur back with us, right?  This required him to tweak our time travel programming from the early Cretaceous Period to the end, so we’d be racing against the clock to rescue the iguanodon before the asteroid hits Earth, eliminating most life on the planet.  

The ride system is known as an EMV, or enhanced motion vehicle.  It’s basically a Jeep with three rows of four with motion simulator capabilities, and in this case called a Time Rover.  I’m assigned to the front row right.  I climbed aboard and buckled the seatbelt, prepared for a time jump.

We bob and weave passing different dinosaur animatronics.  They’re fine, but nothing that’ll blow your mind.  We keep searching for the iguanodon as the asteroid impact grows closer.  Then at the last possible second, there it is!

So the ride story is fun enough, but the rest is super dated.  The motions of the EMV are unnecessary and jerky without much purpose.  The slogan of the Dino Institute is that the Future is truly in the past, and that’s where I’d leave this ride.  Now, Disney currently has two other EMV rides at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, both themed to Indiana Jones, so it seems this will get a new overlay.  I’m not sure how good those rides are, but I’m hoping the new version will be an improvement.

I left DinoLand and returned to Expedition Everest to record video.  I would have taken another ride, but the wait had ballooned to 90 minutes.  Not worth it.  I headed back to Discovery Island to check out the new Zootopia: Better Together 4-D film, as my friend Swizey from the Coaster Chronicles podcast wanted to get my take.  The queue meanders beneath the Tree of Life, and the rockwork and greenery carry over beautifully. 

I only had to wait a few minutes to enter the theater, and donned my special glasses.

The story focuses on Zoogether Day, in which all the different animals in Zootopia celebrate their shared unity, but something is wrong.  It seems every event of the day is being sabotaged, and it’s up to Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde to solve the mystery.  We follow them around Zootopia until they eventually solve the case and save the celebration.  

So technically this production was a marvel.  The 3-D film dazzles with confetti being thrown right at your face.  There’s water mist, and even a moment when something happens with the seat, selling the immersion.

The story, on the other hand, didn’t wow for me.  Now I’ve never seen the movies, but despite that, it felt predictable and bland.  This show was just refreshed from A Bug’s Life, so it will likely remain in place for quite a while.  I was phenomenally impressed by the theater, but the content was lackluster.

So with everything I wanted to experience under my belt, I headed for the exit, back down that spectacular trail completely surrounded in green.  Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park, and no doubt it’s got all the details and immaculately curated experiences Disney is known for.  I feel like I got back into the Disney groove today.  I got to ride a highly themed and moderately thrilling roller coaster, a modern immersive dark ride, and a charming indoor boat ride.  I had an exceptional lunch, and got to experience two shows, one live, and one screen-based.  I felt content, and I know I’m just getting warmed up.

I returned to my hotel and enjoyed another meal-prepped dinner, anxiously anticipating another new park tomorrow, and this one has so much more magic to uncover.

Join me for the next episode for the Disney park most associated with thrills, and my most anticipated land of the trip, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.  I’ll ride a roller coaster themed to my first favorite band, enter the Twilight Zone, and have my mind blown by the concept of a trackless dark ride as I roll into Disney’s Hollywood Studios……Next time on Coaster Redux.