If you missed parts 1, 2 or 3 of this trip report then click on the corresponding number to catch up!

Our mid-trip relaxing day gave way to a very early morning at Animal Kingdom. For those staying on site, the park has the earliest hours for the extra half hour guests get in the morning. If you can manage to roll out of bed and get there in time, that makes the early mornings at Animal Kingdom the most valuable because others don’t get up for them. We were set to meet our friends there that morning, arrived a little before them and then walked right onto Na’vi River Journey.

This seems like an opportune time to tell you that this trip report will be a little more photo driven than the previous few. That’s all thanks to just how beautiful Animal Kingdom is. Take Na’vi River Journey, for example. The ride is simply there to look pretty and it does that very well. Yes, a plot would have been nice! But, it’s an atmospheric ride that does the trick. I’m hoping over the next decade that Animal Kingdom adds quite a few rides so that this will start having shorter lines throughout the day. We can always hope…

We met up with our friends at Kilimanjaro Safaris and went for an early morning ride. Early in the day and about an hour before sunset are my favorite times to go on the attraction. Unfortunately, on this ride through we missed out on seeing the elephants!

That was more than made up for because the lions were up and active!

Kilimanjaro Safaris remains one of the best offerings at Walt Disney World. Each ride through is unique and, despite the lack of plot, the variety of habitats guests go through is impressive. There are still very few ride moments as cool as going down into the savanna.

Next on the agenda was Expedition: Everest. Animal Kingdom has so few attractions but quite a few fun paths, shows and restaurants. That makes getting there early and zipping through the attractions well worth your time. Everest is a showstopper and slightly overlooked now that new coasters have come along. This is a bit of a hot take but I think this is my favorite roller coaster in Walt Disney World, even with Cosmic Rewind emerging. I reserve the right to change my mind!

We finished off the ride sprint with a trip back in time to see the dinosaurs. The attraction setup is still fantastic here but the on-ride experience is diminishing. With Tropic Americas just around the corner, Dinosaur becoming extinct is likely. In its current condition, that’s not a big loss and an Indy ride would likely be better.

We took a small break after that to grab something to drink before waiting in the long Flight of Passage line. When you’ve essentially walked onto every other attraction that’s not a big deal. I took the rehydrating (is it still hydrating if it’s coffee?) time to look at monkeys. Dude looks like he could use some coffee with the bedhead he’s got going on.

We waited nearly 2 hours for Flight of Passage, which is the downside of leaving it for last. Unless you’re among the first few in the park, I would advise saving the Pandorian ride for the late morning. The rest of the lines will be very short if you do them first while the difference in the Flight of Passage wait will be minimal. As for the attraction, it remains one of the best that Disney has built this century.

After a ride filled morning, we were excited for lunch. Melissa ordered the bowl pictured above from Harambe Market while I got the most expensive thing I could at Flame Tree Barbecue. We were on the dining plan for the day so I tried to take advantage! The others also got food from Flame Tree and we ate down by the water, staring at Everest. It was a gorgeous afternoon!

Our leisurely lunch morphed into a relaxing rest of the day, starting with a walk through Maharajah Jungle Trek. There were surprisingly few animals out and no tigers but the trail is so pretty that I didn’t mind. The different architecture, murals and plant life are always beautiful. Obviously, it’s better when you can see tigers. Everything is better when you can see tigers. Here’s a few more photos from the trek.

We spent the next hour or so around the Tree of Life, watching Winged Encounters and then exploring the paths around the icon.

Winged Encounters is such a treat to see in Animal Kingdom. Taking place right in front of the tree, macaws flood the skies before coming down by all of the trainers to get a snack. Some of them fly uncomfortably close to your head and that will either make for some funny moments for your group or will make you afraid of birds for the rest of your life.

The afternoon made clear both the pros and cons of Animal Kingdom. We’d accomplished all of the rides we wanted to go on before lunch and that’s not ideal for a theme park. But every turn is picturesque and unlike any other American theme park. On that February day, it was around 70 degrees and the colors were brilliant.

This little fella was enjoying the afternoon too, readying for a nap. We took a cue from him and went to find a place to relax for an hour.

That came in the form of Nomad Lounge’s comfortable chairs, tasty churros and delicious iced tea. An afternoon stop at Nomad Lounge has become an integral part of an Animal Kingdom day for us. It is one of the best spots to sit down for a drink in Walt Disney World.

Churros gave us strength (surprised Disney hasn’t tried to put that on a shirt yet) to walk back over to Kilimanjaro Safaris for a late afternoon ride. We were nearing park closing time and decided we wanted an extra ride here and at Everest. Here’s a few photos from that ride through!

The lions were out and about again! Before this day, I think I’d seen the lions active twice in all of my times on the safari. To get them walking around and roaring (we heard it from a distance) twice was extremely lucky! Seeing them moving around is as majestic as you could imagine.

This next section of the trip report is proof that Animal Kingdom has the best signs and artwork of any theme park. Wandering in Disney will always be here making points about things no one asked us to!

The lived in feel as opposed to more of an idealized setting makes all of this signage come to life. And then there’s all of the color and texture it adds to the park. I have my nits to pick with the Harambe section of Animal Kingdom, namely the entertainment they’ve taken away from the land, but the area has so much energy thanks to all of the detail.

Afternoon turned to evening and the late winter sun was beginning to set. This turned into a beautiful golden hour for photos. I had so much fun enjoying the last hour or two of park opening.

We rode Everest one more time at sunset, narrowly escaping a death brought on by a rogue yeti. I split off from the group and took a few more photos before we left the park.

The day was a nice reminder of how much I love Animal Kingdom. It needs more rides, no doubt. But all of the texture and beautifully themed atmospheres make it a great theme park for a more relaxed day.

I do have some worries about what comes next. Obviously, I’m in favor of more attractions but know that those will be attached to IP. Will that make the park feel less organic? Animal Kingdom is the most original theme park in the United States, at least between Disney and Universal. Losing that would be a shame but it’s clear the park is on the brink of a change.

For now, Animal Kingdom remains a beautiful experience. We watched a few Tree of Life Awakenings vignettes before the park closed. With the earlier closing time, we got a late dinner reservation at the nearby Coronado Springs.

I’ve already wrote my review of Toledo – Tapas, Steaks & Seafood so I won’t rehash it here. In short, this was the best meal I’ve had in a long time, not just at Disney World but anywhere!

We stayed that night in Saratoga Springs. I think we were at the hotel for a total of 9 hours, thanks to a long dinner and then a fairly early morning. We’re planning on a longer stay there on our next trip. I have to admit, that the sprawling Disney World resorts like Saratoga and Port Orleans – Riverside are growing on me. Maybe that’s because I missed something in my first few stays or maybe it’s just because I’m getting older and like my space? I’m not sure but, in the meantime, get off my lawn! Just kidding.

Morning came, we woke up and got a spot in the Tron Lightcycle Run virtual queue and then slept for a little longer before dropping off our bags and going to Magic Kingdom. Our lovely and generous friends surprised us with Genie+ for the day and that was a treat. Thanks Dana & Ty! We arrived at the park as our boarding group was called but once we got over to the attraction the ride was down. That meant we could go whenever we wanted to and we opted for a nighttime return!

With the morning fairly open, we rode Space Mountain with a Lightning Lane before having a sweet treat for breakfast. This cinnamon bun was decent but not one I’d go back for.

From there we went over to Adventureland and rode Pirates. Yes, Magic Kingdom has an inferior version but it’s still a good ride with some amazing animatronics. I’ve knocked it many times but I’d probably be wowed by it if there weren’t other attractions of the same ilk to compare it to.

With a gap in Lightning Lanes, we hopped on the Liberty Square Riverboat for a loop around the river. Sometimes I wonder how many words I’ve devoted to steamboats on this website. In my estimation, it’s probably way too many and not enough at the exact same time. Try to make sense of that!

After a visit to the Laugh Floor, Melissa and I went outside of Magic Kingdom for lunch. We didn’t have any table-service reservations and weren’t in the mood for anything there. Going out of the park for lunch meant we got to go on another boat! We opted to go to the Grand Floridian’s Gasparilla Island Grill.

The meal was decent but more than anything it was a very relaxing experience and a nice break from Magic Kingdom’s busyness. After our lunch we caught the boat from Grand Floridian back to Magic Kingdom with a quick stop at the Polynesian. The rest of the day was spent at Magic Kingdom before one last day at Epcot. That’s where we’ll pick up in the fifth and final installment of this trip report!

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