April 24, 2026- Pt. 2
Friends,
You are welcome, but you don’t have to wait! Just come on in, put your feet up and enjoy some time at Animal Kingdom with me.
We last left off with a nice, long exploration of Harambe including its wilder side on the savannahs and in the highlands. Animal Kingdom was intended to lead its guests into “wild” exploration by intentionally creating multiple paths to keep folks guessing at what was around the next bend. It truly is a masterpiece at encouraging a bit of unscripted wandering and that’s part of why I love this park so much!
As we left Harambe, we were gently reminded that “quiet brings blessing”. This has so much truth to it. My work days are so busy, so noisy. It is exhausting and makes me physically tired. The quiet I find on my weekends is truly a blessing to me that I look forward to all week.
I had wanted to see if any of the Tree of Life trails were open but as we got a ways down the trail that features the wallabies it was blocked off. Foiled again. I am starting to wonder if those trails will EVER open again. No wonder AK was feeling very crowded! DinoLand, closed; ToL trails, closed; the train and Conservation Station, closed. Geez, Louise!
Caroline suggested we go and see the new Zootopia show; it was new to me so I eagerly agreed. We just missed a show so had to wait a bit. That’s okay, I took the time to get some snaps of a few of the animal carvings along the way:
I also got a few of the storyboard posters in the pre-show area:
I noticed the giant ball and assumed it was a huge poo rolley-polley:
It is not.
Here is what it really is:
Cute addition to the story-telling, as are the hamster trails:
By the way, when we saw that show back in April, I hadn’t seen Zootopia 2 yet. Disney Plus was available on my trans-Atlantic in May, and I watched that and Avatar 2, both of which were okay. Not amazing, but okay, with Avatar slightly edging out the other by a little. Just my opinion, feel free to argue. Anyway, yes, in hindsight I think the show would make a ton more sense after watching the movie.
I didn’t take any photos really during the show itself and just enjoyed it while mostly just trying to figure out the plot.
All that trekking worked up a hankering. Would I eat again shortly?
Well… YEAH!
Do you think I cared?
Yeah, no.
I’d had my eye on a relatively newish snack (at least to me) at the park that you can get at Flame Tree BBQ. It’s been ages since I’ve had anything from there at all. I stopped going there when they discontinued the delicious, enormous fruit platter they used to have. Once upon a time there were some healthier options there. Ah well… sometimes you just have to find better eats and right now that is at Satuli for me. As a side note on AK dining, I am eager to see what the new place in Tropical Americas might have when they open.
So, let’s head over to Flame Tree and pick up that order!
Key Lime Pie Pop: Dipped in Dark Chocolate with Graham Cracker Crumble. Served on a Stick- $6.29
I think if you like Key Lime Pie, you’d probably like this. A cold, dark choco-covered pie on a stick. Did I like it?
Not really.
Caroline helped me out which was nice. I hate tossing food (but do it fairly regularly now at Disney when it’s just me solo). I think I would have liked it a lot more had I gone in with accurate expectations. I THOUGHT it was a going to be like a key lime soft-serve covered in choco. No, it was a rich, thicker-than-I-expected, cheesecake-like stuff and just too heavy for my taste. Personally, I don’t think I’d get it again, but YMMV.
The best two things about this snack were:
This gorgeous edible print on the bottom. I honestly really loved this surprise!
And, of course, who wouldn’t love this view while resting?!
This has been my primo, go-to place for a mid-morning break for years. Most of the time I grab my latte and ham and cheese croissant from Starbies if it’s before 11:00; if it’s after 11:00, I’ve often gotten some iteration of the Mac n Cheese from 8 Spoons.
*RIP Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce Mac n Cheese and may a pock smite all decision-makers who discontinued this.
I hit one of my oft-used potties. Heck, I use them ALL of them multiple times every trip. That is a bit of TMI. But, for my friends who share the scourge of TTBS, you get it, my kindred spirits. In terms of the *SPRS© this is a solid 6/10. The décor is its strong suit, but has been “discovered” now so it’s lost some of its rating in the last couple of years. It’s loud a lot of the time now too with the hip-hop dance party blaring just a few feet away. This could work to your advantage in some cases. Just sayin’.
*Liesa’sPottyRatingSystem©
By the time we had finished, it was time for our Navi Lightning Lane. This is definitely my 2nd favorite attraction in AK. Especially when I get a boat of quiet people. *refer to earlier discussion about blessings in quiet
I’m always on the look out for Hidden Mickeys. This one is doubtful, but it did catch my eye:
We only waited a few minutes before boarding our reed boat with a front-row view. YUS! No random head shadows in my photos!
I always find a new detail and the color palette is so soothing, as is the soundtrack.
That day I was able to get the clearest, best shot of the Shaman of Songs I’ve ever gotten. She is absolutely mesmerizing!
By the way, she still VASTLY outshines other large animatronics in terms of fluid movement, but is tiny compared to some others! Even compared to the infamous “Yeti that Never Works” she is small.
A comparison:
| Animatronic Figure | Theme Park / Location | Scale & Key Fact | Status |
King Kong | Carthageland (Tunisia) | 42 feet tall / 55,000 lbs | Operational |
Argentinosaurus | Zatorland (Poland) | 115 feet long / World’s longest dinosaur animatronic | Operational |
The Yeti | Disney’s Animal Kingdom | 25 feet tall / 8,000 lbs | Broken (Strobe-light “B-Mode” only) |
Frankenstein’s Monster | Universal’s Epic Universe | 9 feet tall / 800 lbs | Operational (Highly dynamic) |
And:
Animatronic | Height / Length | Weight | Degrees of Freedom (Movements) | Focus |
King Kong (Carthageland) | 42 feet tall | 55,000 lbs | Low to Moderate | Scale & Impact |
The Yeti (Disney) | 25 feet tall | 8,000 lbs | 19 Degrees of Freedom | Power & Speed |
Shaman of Songs (Disney) | 10 feet tall | 375 lbs | 81 Degrees of Freedom | Lifelike Realism |
Kinda of makes me want to go to Tunisia.
Again.
We waved good-bye to her, and she waved back. Nice of her.
It probably won’t shock you that we hit up another potty before making our way towards the park entrance.
The perfectly placed water station near that potty at Satuli:
Oops! Time for another ©LPRS Review…
This is definitely NOT a favorite of mine! It’s always crowded with people coming off of FoP and with a sea of humanity in the area for Satuli’s and the snack kiosk. The theming is poor too. For a higher ©LPRS experience, head towards the entrance/exit of Moara Valley (the main one, not the “Africa” side), where you’ll find a much lovelier potty which is usually quiet with no wait and far better decor.
Caroline wanted to do some looking in one of the shops on the way out. While she browsed, I began the first bit of my intense research project in the Discovery Island area. I’m going to give you the first shots of my hefty collection I’d build over the course of this trip. In fact, my plan is to dedicate an entire chapter to my findings, but that’s not for many chapters from now. I did discover during this initial recon that there is one whole “room” in the Island Mercantile that is themed with elephants. Loads of actually wonderfully carved, colorful elephants are on display in there and the room is accented with cutout silhouettes of ellies as well. Another “room” features bees.
The last one I took was of a couple of snakes hovering over a spider. What could these animals/scenes have in common? You know me; I’m a huge sucker for the intricate backstories and theming at the Disney parks. My mission is to make a believer out of you too!
I’ll let it rest here now and pick it up next time as we park hop to the 2nd of 3 that day. Yes, 3 parks in one day! We’d done a lot, but were just getting started!