Zootopia and More: Highlights from My Animal Kingdom Trip

Intro

I was about to have a 3-day Birthday weekend in Orlando, one of my favorite destinations in the world, and I was excited because I was going to explore new experiences in Walt Disney World, was going to use the last of my Universal Orlando Annual Pass, and for the first time ever I would go to Busch Gardens Tampa.
Pretty much a chill weekend of theme parks and adventures. What I was not expecting though, it’s that I was going to get hit by one of the hardest cold fronts in Central Florida in a while. But at the beginning of the trip, one in Animal Kingdom, everything seemed to be a little bit nice for now. In this post I am going to see new things in this park, which I usually skip when I come to Orlando, and show you the last of Dinoland U.S.A. plus Zootopia: Better Zoogether! Let’s do this!

Arriving to Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It had been a while since the last time I came to Animal Kingdom, and even then I only rode one attraction and left for the next park. But today the goal was to do more, since there were a lot of things I wanted to try. Arrived early at rope drop, since I did not stay in property.

3 days in advance I had booked my Lighting Lanes. Since I started in Animal Kingdom, the LL Multipass was cheaper, and was able to schedule Kilimanjaro Safaris, DINOSAUR and Zootopia: Better Zoogether. I was planning to do Single Rider for Everest, so I left that out of the LL. For the Single Pass, I booked Avatar Flight of Passage, since it had been a while I had ridden it, and then for later in Epcot, I booked a Single Pass for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, one of my favorite rides in Orlando. Yes, I was planning to Park Hop, and maybe even go to Magic Kingdom after Epcot, but I guess time would tell.

The Tree of Life looked so beautiful this morning, and even more so after the show inside of it changed to Zootopia: Better Zoogether. No more It’s Tough to Be a Bug.

The first rides

Started as planned going on a Single Rider line to Expedition Everest, and oh boy, do I like a roller coaster to start a day at a theme park. In Universal it would be Velocicoaster or Hagrid’s, but in Disney World, Everest hits different. I love the feeling you are actually in a mountain, and the climb gives you a lot of good views all around.

On the way to my next destination, saw Nick Wilde from Zootopia getting to their meet and greet spot. I would see them again in a bit.

For now, I just needed to get to Pandora – The World of Avatar, and get to the first Single Pass of the day: Avatar Flight of Passage.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

I did not know it would take me 40 minutes, but you never know with this ride. The Kilimanjaro Safari is the most Animal Kingdom ride of this park, and I had not been in it in quite sometime. Fortunately, I had my first Lighting Lane Multipass ready, but I had the reservation at Tiffins coming up as well. By using this LL I was able to book another one for later, this time in Epcot.

Always love a good safari, like the one I did in Pilanesberg in South Africa.

A lot of species were out and about. I suspect it was because of the chili weather that would get colder and colder through the day.

But a traffic jam started to happen halfway in into the savanna, because of giraffes walking around the road. If this happens, they usually wait, but if they do not move, then some other trucks come to lure the giraffes out of the way. Unfortunately for me, this happened a few times, and this ride took forever. A lot of cars were just here sitting for quite some time.

But the cars started moving and we were able to continue with the safari, and see a lot of animals in this cold morning.

The perpetrators of the traffic jam were innocently just walking around like nothing happened. Coincidentally, I would be seeing more of these animals the next day in Busch Gardens Tampa, but you will see more of that experience in an upcoming blog.

Always good to see one of my favorite animals, the elephants.

The queen of the jungle was also present during this morning ride. So many animals out. I would recommend to do it early in the morning or later in the day, when it’s not too sunny and hot.

And the lazy lions also just doing nothing lol.

Tiffins

My reservation for Tiffins was at 11:55 AM and it was way past that because of the giraffe traffic jams, but I quickly arrived to the restaurant for a nice meal. I usually do not go to a sit down restaurant in the parks, but I wanted to follow Keith‘s recommendations from the Try Guys, and he definitely enjoyed some food here.

Tiffins Restaurant is a high-end, signature dining location that celebrates the spirit of travel and the global inspirations behind the park’s design. The atmosphere is sophisticated and gallery-like, featuring three distinct dining rooms—the Grand Gallery, the Safari Gallery, and the Trek Gallery—each filled with intricate artwork, photography, and field sketches from the Imagineers’ research trips.

• Global Flavors: The menu draws inspiration from African, Indian, and South American cuisines, offering adventurous dishes like tamarind-braised short ribs and butter chicken.
• Artful Setting: The interior acts as a mini-museum, showcasing hand-carved pillars and original sketches that tell the story of the park’s creation.
• Signature Drinks: It is closely tied to the adjacent Nomad Lounge, which is well-regarded for its extensive cocktail list and scenic waterfront views.
• Refined Escape: It provides a quiet, air-conditioned respite from the standard theme park bustle, making it a popular choice for a more relaxed, upscale meal.

For started I got the Tiffins Signature Bread Service: Pão de Queijo with Guava Sauce, Onion Kulcha Naan with Coriander Chutney, Thai Curry Milk Bread with Coconut-Curry Sauce. The guava sauce was sweet and yummy and the pao de queijo was definitely a good addition to this meal. I saved some of this bread for later. I usually bring Ziploc bags during my trips in case I wanna save something for later.

And I knew I was going to be full by the end of this meal because look at this beast as lunch: Whole-fried Catch of the Day: Coconut Fried Rice, Thai Green Papaya Slaw, Peanuts, Red and Green Curry Sauce. The fish felt fresh, and the coconut rice tasted like the ones I ate in my home country of Colombia. Really recommended plate if you have an appetite. I was just hoping I kept walking today to digest this feast, and save space for all the foods I was going to eat at Epcot.

Saying goodbye forever to Dinoland U.S.A.

This was the last weekend for Dinoland U.S.A. and that’s why I rushed to this park during this cold front, otherwise I would have not come all the way from New York. This land reminds me a lot of good times I had with my family, and specifically my nephew, who loved the DINOSAUR ride. But this land is being demolished to make space for Pueblo Esperanza, a Tropical Americas land that would feature Encanto and Indiana Jones rides. As Colombian and fan addict of Encanto and their music, I love having a ride here, but I wished it was in different circumstances. Still excited for all the new rides and land coming to Animal Kingdom, and Disney World in general.

At 1:20 PM the wait time for DINOSAUR was already 95 minutes. It would close in just 2 days, so it made sense everyone wanted to ride it for the last time. I believe the type of ride will stay, but it would get an Indiana Jones layover, like the one in Disneyland. Fortunately, I had scheduled a Lighting Lane Multipass for this ride today.

Walking around this land was tricky, given all the fences around, but the concept art of the upcoming Pueblo Esperanza looked amazing. Can’t wait for the Colombian food we would get from here.

It was time to say goodbye to this ride, and get that dino.

I had never seen lines this long here. Everyone needed to pay tribute.

And after going through the Lighting Lane, that was it, the last time I would go back in time to get a dinosaur, and now the Stand-By was 95 minutes. It took me 5 minutes with the Lighting Lane.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether!

I had overstayed my stay at Animal Kingdom, given that I was planning to park hop to Epcot around 1:30 PM, but also my last Lighting Lane was Zootopia: Better Zoogether! at 12:30 PM, and it was already 2:15 PM. Fortunately, they give a 120 minutes grace period after the LL expires to make it back into the ride, and this is what I did. But I was also planning to go for the first time to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and that was not going to happen. I had a lot to do in Epcot, and I needed to leave, for now let’s do Zootopia: Better Zoogether!

Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is a 4D show located inside the Tree of Life Theater. It replaced the long-running It’s Tough to Be a Bug! in late 2025.

The Experience

• Storyline: You join Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde for a “Zoogether Day” celebration, a holiday focused on unity across the different biomes of Zootopia. The show follows the characters as they try to solve a mystery when the festivities are sabotaged.
• 4D Effects: The show uses “CarrotVision” 3D glasses and features in-theater effects like scents, water, air blasts, and bubbles to immerse you in the various environments (Tundratown, Marsh Market, etc.).
• Audio-Animatronic: A major highlight is a highly advanced Officer Clawhauser animatronic located to the side of the screen, who interacts with the show and the audience.
• Duration: The show runs for approximately 9 minutes.

Key Takeaways

• Less Intense: Unlike its predecessor, which was known for scaring younger children with giant spiders and dark themes, this show is much more family-friendly and lighthearted.
• New Music: It features an original song, “We Are Zoonited,” and a musical finale by Gazelle.
• Location: You can find the entrance on Discovery Island, right at the base of the Tree of Life.

At the exit I found again the meet and greet with the main characters of Zootopia.

But this was a refreshing visit to Animal Kingdom. I got too behind schedule, but was happy I was able to do a lot as well, and say bye to DINOSAUR and hello to the Zootopia attraction. Now, with the day getting colder and colder, it was time to hop on a bus and get to Epcot. But you will see more of that in the next blog. See ya there.