I recently visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom to check out the progress on all of the new projects in the park, so here are some newsworthy photos of what’s happening at Disney’s “wildest” theme park:
The floating mountains of Pandora: The World of AVATAR visible from the parking lot
Riverside Depot opened on Discovery Island recently
New Monstro and Figment ceramic figures on sale
Some of the little details in the store are really cool
The store sells mostly pins, toys, home-goods, and smaller souvenirs
What was the Art of Disney a few years ago is now just filled with toys, mostly Star Wars
Disney Outfitters next door has now closed for remodeling
SPOILER ALERT
The construction walls for AVATAR don’t say anything, but at least they show something now
Work continues on Tiffins on the backside of Pizzafari
The spotted dogs are now out on Kilimanjaro Safaris
They were very active, running around and being playful
Construction continues on Rivers of Light, debuting this spring
Here we see moving lights with waterproof domes have been installed
The Thirsty River Bar opened recently, replacing the old FastPass distribution for Everest
The bar serves a number of pre-made food and drink items
My camera didn’t want to focus for some reason…
Lots of stickers decorate the bar
The Ole Elephant Foot IPA was quite good
The Himalayan Ghost was nothing special, had very little flavor
The Khumbu Icefall might be my new favorite drink at Disney World. Very sweet and just the right amount of alcohol, not bad for pre-made.
I also got one of the pre-packaged turkey sandwiches…
It was cut in half the wrong way and barely stayed together, but it was good. Why was I in Dino-Rama? Because there is nowhere to sit and eat and drink at the Thirsty River Bar…
It’s still Christmas here…
Guests apparently are having a hard time finding Dinosaur, there are several of these signs up in Dinoland
The speakers for the Rivers of Light seating area are being installed now
Peep holes were put in the construction walls, yet the walls still don’t tell guests what is coming…
Not sure if this is new, but all of the food stands on Discovery Island were named and received menu updates at some point…
With Disney Outfitters gone, Island Mercantile is now selling just apparel
The store’s selection has been pretty much the same since 1998, so this is a bit of an adjustment
We have to wonder what exactly will happen to Disney Outfitters during the remodel if all of their merchandise is now here.
I was trying to think of why guests would suddenly, after almost 18 years of being in the same exact spot with no changes in pathways etc., have a hard time finding Dinosaur. Can’t think of a single reason. Am I forgetting something or have people just become that lazy that they won’t look at maps? LOL
Who cuts a sandwich like that?
That sandwich breaks my heart… glad it was tasty!
I have a feeling that Dinosaur may not get the traffic as it is not as popular now. Disney also downgraded the exterior getting rid of the flames from the entrance sign. Fire always draws the crowd. Best pics so far of the seating for the new water show. Thank you.
Was at Disney world in December. My son, brother, and I went on the dinosaur ride. Felt that the ride is underappreciated. While the pre show does need some updating, the ride is still good. I believe its location is its biggest downfall.