Things Many People Don’t Know About Animal Kingdom

Have you ever been to Animal Kingdom during a family vacation? If you haven’t, or even if you have, there are probably a few things you don’t know about this Disney Park. Animal Kingdom is the 4th theme park at Walt Disney World. It opened back in April of 1998. Since that time, tens of thousands of people have walked through the gates. Today, I am going to share a few things many people don’t know about Animal Kingdom. Let’s see how many of them you didn’t know!

Things Many People Don’t Know About Animal Kingdom

Six Themed Areas Plus Size

Animal Kingdom is divided into six different themed areas. Those areas include Oasis, Discovery Island, Asia, Africa, DinoLand USA, and Pandora.

Did you know that Animal Kingdom is five times the size of Magic Kingdom? It is also considered one of the larger theme parks in the world.

Animal Safety is Extremely Important

The safety of all the animals at Animal Kingdom is of the utmost importance. This Disney Park was accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as well as the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Animal Kingdom works to exceed standards in research, conservation, and education.

These standards are also why you will never find any cup lids, straws, or balloons within this Disney Park.

Noah’s Ark Was in the Running

Noah’s Ark was one of the things Animal Kingdom was considered to represent the park before finally settling on the Tree of Life. The Imagineers chose the tree due to the fact the ark might be too controversial.

The Tree of Life is 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide. It took ten artists eighteen months to carve more than three hundred creatures on the tree.

Spot the Unicorns, Dragons, and Sea Monsters in Pandora

Have you ever wondered why there are unicorns, dragons, and sea monsters all over Pandora?

Many people have and I have the answer for you!

The Pandora themed area was originally supposed to be Beastly Kingdom. If that had happened, it would have focused on good and evil mystical creatures. They kept some of those creatures in Pandora to remember this change of plans.

Bathroom Entrance Doors

You may not have really paid attention to the fact that the bathrooms at Animal Kingdom have actual entrance doors. If you have been there, think about this and how it differs from every other theme park you have visited.

The reason Animal Kingdom installed these entrance doors to bathrooms is simple. If an animal ever escapes their enclosure, all guests are instructed to go to the nearest restrooms and lock the entrance door behind them.

Yeti Issues

The yeti at the Expedition Everest ride was designed to move its arm to “grab” guests. And it worked when the ride opened in April of 2006. However, a few months later, the arm stopped working and the Imagineers couldn’t find a way to fix it.

Strobe lights were eventually added to make it appear the yeti was moving once again.

Imagineers may have a way to fix the yeti, but the process will be costly and time consuming. Therefore, plan on seeing the strobe lights for quite some time.

These are six things many people don’t know about Animal Kingdom. There are probably a few others I am missing. You can try searching for those during your family vacation at this Disney Park.

So, are you ready to plan an amazing family vacation at Animal Kingdom and the other Disney Parks?

If you said yes, I would like to invite you to schedule a planning session with me by clicking here. When you click on this link, you will be taken directly to my digital calendar to schedule a time that is convenient for you.

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