What's New at Disney's Animal Kingdom: A Hidden Dinosaur and SURPRISING Crowds

Possibly the most underrated theme park in Disney World is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Exciting thrill rides, animal exhibits, Broadway-style shows, and Cheeseburger Pods — what’s not to love??

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If you’re also a fan of this amazing park, come along with us to check out what’s NEW here since we last visited. Get ready for returning character meet-and-greets, a hiding dinosaur, and shocking holiday weekend crowds — time to dive in!

Animal Kingdom Entertainment Updates

Several characters returned to Animal Kingdom this week, and we said hello to all of them! Russel from Up was greeting guests from a boat…

Adventure Flotilla

…and so were Launchpad McQuack and Scrooge McDuck! These flotillas sail on the Discovery River periodically, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for them on your next trip.

Launchpad and Scrooge!!!

Over at Donald’s Dino-Bash (in DinoLand U.S.A.), we saw Donald in his fancy dino-inspired outfit.

Donald’s Dino-Bash in Animal Kingdom!

Daisy was out greeting guests at Daisy Designs on the Cretaceous Trail.

Daisy at the Dino-Bash!

And Chip & Dale were out in their adorable dinosaur costumes as well!

Chip and Dale

They can also be found on the Cretaceous Trail.

Animal Kingdom Construction Updates

There are a couple of construction updates to watch out for. One of the animal exhibits at The Oasis (located at the front of the park, just after you enter) is currently covered up by construction walls.

Construction walls in Animal Kingdom

You can’t see animals in this exhibit right now, but the walls don’t affect traffic at all.

If you’re going to ride DINOSAUR (a thrill ride located in DinoLand U.S.A.), you’ll notice that our friend Aladar is currently blocked by some bushes.

Where’d he go?

Again, this update doesn’t affect traffic or the ride in any way — you can still ride the attraction and travel back in time with Dr. Seeker, you just won’t be able to see the fountain in front of the ride’s entrance.

Animal Kingdom Crowd Updates

Since this weekend is Labor Day weekend, we expected crowds in Disney World to seriously pick up. However, that wasn’t the case!

An empty walkway in Animal Kingdom

When we visited, Animal Kingdom looked pretty calm, actually. The popular Flight of Passage ride only had a 55-minute wait, when usually this attraction can easily get up to a 2-hour wait in the afternoons (especially during holidays).

Flight of Passage

We’ve seen this trend all over the Disney World parks. Since kids and teachers are back in school and many people have already wrapped up their final summer travel, crowds have been VERY low. This is something to keep in mind when you’re planning your future vacations! If you can swing a Disney World vacation in early September, it might be an ideal time to visit.

Entrance

That’s all the updates from Animal Kingdom this week! If you’re going to visit this park soon, make sure to check out our guide on how you should spend your money in Animal Kingdom. And don’t miss out on some of our favorite restaurants and snacks while you’re there.

Pandora — the World of Avatar

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