Animal Kingdom: Ride-Free Options
- Amelia Stansberry
- Oct 2, 2023
- 6 min read
Are you concerned about going to Disney World when you have someone with you who won't or can't ride rides? Are you worried that they will be bored or that they will feel left out? Put those fears to rest because Disney World is packed full of options for those who can't ride typical theme park rides. In this article, we discuss all of the options in detail for Disney's Animal Kingdom. For a brief overview of all of the parks, check out our general post on Disney ride-free guide.
Disney's Animal Kingdom (AK) has some really great options for non-riders. Na'vi River journey is a slow moving boat ride, much like small world, but is themed to Avatar. Unfortunately, this ride can draw really long wait times because it's one of the few ride option in this park that do not have any height restrictions. Is it worth an 85 minute long wait (current wait time as I'm writing this)? Absolutely not! We've only ever ridden it twice, because I refuse to wait more than 15 minutes for this ride. That being said, if you have littles that can't ride anything else, this is one of your few ride options at AK. Another ride without any restrictions is Triceratops Spin. This is the exact same ride system as Dumbo, so you do have to be able to handle going around in a circle (these rides make me dizzy). The last ride without any restrictions is Kilimanjaro Safaris. Disclaimer on this ride is that it can get really bumpy. If you have back or neck problems and/or are sensitive to bumpy roads, you should avoid this one. On this Safari, you'll see all kinds of animals out in the open. The vehicle is driven by a real human and they will point out fun facts about the animals as you drive by.
The area where this park shines for non-riders is their shows. These are indoor, air-conditioned shows. Festival of the Lion King is a Broadway style show. There is singing, dancing, tumbling monkeys, flying birds, and more. These are all live actors in costumes performing these beautiful acts. This is literally my favorite show in all of Disney World. There is also another show called Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! This show was revamped upon reopening in 2022, for the better I might add. This is also a Broadway style stage show where the actors have huge puppets they carry around while singing. It's a really cute story line, and I love it. Since these are live actor shows, they do not run continuously like the animatronic shows do. Check the My Disney Experience app for showtimes.
I'm not really sure how to classify this next thing, so I'll just call it an attraction. It's Tough to be a Bug! is a screen show, but is in 3D (so you have to wear the 3D glasses), and are also a couple of animatronics. I will put a disclaimer here that this show can be scary for some guests. I don't think I have ever once left this theater and not heard a child crying. The Kiddo was quite terrified of it when she as a little. If you guys remember the movie "A Bug's Life", you'll remember that Hopper is a pretty scary character, and that character is prominently displayed during one part of this show. The cool part of this show is that it is INSIDE of the Tree of Life. It is a really long walk to get to the show, but the queue takes you all around the Tree of Life. There are so many things to see along the route. It's one of my favorite queues in all of Disney World. The awesome picture below was taken just outside of the exit of It's Tough to be a Bug!
While we're talking about the Tree of Life, let's talk about just how amazing this tree is. The Tree of Life is hand carved and displays over 300 animals throughout its roots, trunk, and branches. You can spend all day just exploring the Tree and still not see every single carving. If you weave in and out of the base, you will see different animal habitats scattered throughout. Animal Kingdom is, after all, a huge zoo and conservation facility. If you go deeper into the park where Africa and Asia are located, you will find long walking paths that take you to animal habitats and animal viewing areas. Basically, it's a zoo. AK is The Kiddo's favorite park because she loves animals and she loves zoos.
Streetmosphere is top notch at AK. There is a band that performs Caribbean style music. I always see guests up dancing to this upbeat music. Just in front of the giant Tree of Life you can see macaws fly right over your head several times a day. Over in Africa, live entertainment abounds. The Tam Tam Drummers perform amazing African inspired music. There are amazing Acrobats that perform really cool stunts.
Keep in mind that many experiences at AK will close early for animal safety and care, so you need to plan your day accordingly. One of these experiences is only accessible by a separate train that departs from the back of the park near the entrance to Safaris. If you go to the right of Safaris, you will see the entrance for the Wildlife Express Train. This train will take you behind the park to a location called Rafiki's Planet Watch. Here you will find cool things including a petting zoo, a glimpse into a working animal OR, the animal nutrition area, a science center, a butterfly garden, and an animation experience! At the Animation Experience, you will be guided, step by step, in drawing a Disney character by an actual Disney animator. The last class of the day is at 4:45, which means you will need to board the train to get there no later than 4:05. Each class is also 25 minutes long, so you will need to factor that chunk of time into your day. My favorite part is seeing the animal surgeries. I'm a CVICU nurse, so I love this type of thing. Plus, it's really awesome seeing the vets, vet techs, and keepers from the Disney+ show "Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom". Below, you can see Dr Natalie and her team performing emergency surgery on an injured bat.
AK has some unique character meet and greets with some characters that you can only find at this park. Mickey and Friends are dressed in their best safari outfits at the AK meet and greets. Chip and Dale meet over in the Dinoland USA area and are dress up like dinosaurs. New for summer 2023, you can now meet Moana!!! Not gonna lie, Moana is my favorite character ever. We did wait two hours to meet her this summer. Starting this month, she will also be meeting at EPCOT! But you want to know about the unique characters that you can only meet at this park, right? AK is the only place in all of Disney where you can meet Russell and Dug! You can also usually spot Kevin roaming around in Discovery Island. Rafiki will also occasionally meet over at Rafiki's Planet Watch (remember, you have to take a train to get there), but he's not out every day. Pocahontas and Meeko can be seen on the barges that float by. Launchpad McQuack and Scrooge McDuck can also be seen on the floating barges.
If you have non-riders in your group and they love animals, then this park is probably where you want to spend the majority of your time. The Kiddo LOVES this park.
Hopefully you now have a good understanding of everything that Animal Kingdom has to offer beyond the rides. I'm sure there are even more things that I am missing. Disney is constantly changing up their offerings, so make sure you check the website or app for current, up to date offerings during your travel time.
I hope this helps to give you a starting point when trying to plan your Walt Disney World Vacation. For help booking a room and park tickets check out Jillian with Destination Dreaming Travels. She's a FREE travel agent waiting to help you book your most magical vacation ever.
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