Animal Kingdom: Part 1

 Honestly, out of all the Disney parks here in Florida, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite. It is still a great time and a must see at least once in your life, but out of the four park options, I would pick this one last. The reason why is because it is extremely muggy and hot due to all the water, animals, and trees. So if you do go to this park, the best time of the year is Spring or Fall.

To continue, the park can be divided into seven sections as mentioned on the official Animal Kingdom Disney website. In this post I will review two of them as thoroughly as possible.

Section #1: Oasis & Safari Village

Park Entrance & Ticket Center

 As soon as you enter Animal Kingdom and pass through the ticket section, you immediately encounter Oasis, the Rainforest Cafe, and Garden Gate Gifts. Oasis is the only part of the park that I think most resembles a zoo. You walk around the trails while viewing various animals and plant life.

Nothing very special, but there are tons of nice spots for pretty pictures. Once you come out of Oasis you hit the center of the entire park called Safari Village and you should be facing the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life itself is in the Discovery Island section of the park.

Safari Village is a great place to shop for souvenirs, specifically the Beastly Bazaar.

In the Beastly Bazaar you can find unique Disney items such as Disney themed kitchen wares, Christmas decor, and gourmet candies and sweets. I almost bought some of the kitchen items. That says a lot because living 20 minutes from Disney, nothing they can do really surprises me.

Section #2: Discovery Island

The area around the Tree of Life is called Discovery Island. The "It's Tough to be a Bug" 3D show is biggest attraction in this area and is located inside the Tree of Life. As your standing in line you get an up close view of the tree and all the cool animal carvings that create the Tree of Life.

Waiting in line for the "It's Tough to be a Bug" show.

There really is nothing more to Discovery Island except for the Discovery Island Kids Club and more trails to view animals and plant life. There are 6 kids clubs spread out throughout Animal Kingdom. When you visit one of the clubs you get a stamp. If you collect all 6 stamps you get a "bonus". What this bonus is I have no idea. If someone knows please comment.