If you’ve been here a while, you already know that my favorite park is not Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios like the masses. My favorite park is Epcot. Well it turns out Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios probably aren’t in the running for second favorite park either. The parks are really all constantly changing, especially in Covid times, and my opinions and interests are also changing, and when I finally bring my kids all of my views of Disney may completely change, so I’m reserving the right to change my mind. However, lately I’ve really been feeling like Animal Kingdom is my second favorite park.
I have told many friends and clients that Animal Kingdom has some of the best food of all four parks. I will stand by this. I mean look, Epcot obviously has amazing food, but it’s really an unfair comparison because it has the most food, so mathematically it’s likely to have the best. However, for a park with a much smaller food scene, more comparable to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, this park has some really amazing options.
My most recent table service experience at Animal Kingdom was at Tusker House, the African themed character meal. It was amazing. You can read more about it here.
On a past trip with Eric I also ate at Tiffins. I believe this is not only the best restaurant in the park, but also one of the best on all of Disney property. The ability to get food like this in the middle of a theme park is just honestly mind blowing. You can read more about it here.
I don’t think he’s ever looked at me the way he looked at this mojito. 
On my trip with Jen and Jackie, we ate at Nomad Lounge. This is connected to Tiffin’s and is more of a lounge than a real sit down meal, so it’s quicker but equally delicious if you want good food and to get right back to the park as long as it’s not a long wait (they don’t take reservations). It’s also not as adventurous of a menu for those of you who don’t eat Indian food. You can’t read about that because one week later the Covid quarantine that no one expected (except Alexa) began and I stopped writing and became a preschool teacher full time, which is my biggest nightmare. However, you can read about the trip here, just not the restaurant.
I have not yet been to Yak and Yeti, but it is certainly on my list for next time as I’ve heard great things. And there are also a few other table service restaurants, but at Animal Kingdom it’s not just the table service that’s great. They truly have the best quick service of any park (and again, Epcot doesn’t really count because of the festivals, and those booths are not permanent so it’s just a different type of eating experience). And when your park time is limited, quick service meals and snacks may be exactly what you need, so why not make it delicious?
Some snacks I’ve eaten and LOVED at the quick service/snack locations include: Chicken dumplings from Mr. Kamal’s, Buffalo Chicken Chips from Trilo-Bites, and Mac and Cheese at Eight Spoon Cafe. Don’t ask me for pictures. I ate them too fast. The internet has pictures.
I actually really want to try the Yak and Yeti quick service next time I’m there instead of the table service so that I can call it a snack and also eat at Satu’li Canteen, which I’ve heard is the best quick service food basically in the world.
Honestly I could talk about the food at Animal Kingdom for days, and I can’t wait to get back and eat more of it, but it’s not the only reason that this park is my second favorite.
There are also some really great rides and cool theming at Animal Kingdom. It is really the most unique park in my opinion.
Some of my favorite rides include the Safari (obviously), Everest (Disney is not filled with roller coasters, and I am a roller coaster lover), and of course my favorite AK ride, Flight of Passage. Don’t get me wrong, Tower of Terror will always have my heart so I can’t call any other ride my all around favorite, but Flight of Passage is absolutely incredible. And I’m not even an Avatar fan (I actually know pretty much nothing about it other than what I learned from this ride). Flight of Passage was also Eric’s favorite ride of the trip, and he’s a tough sell when it comes to Disney and theme parks in general, so you should make this ride happen if you can.
These are my favorite rides, but they’re certainly not the only ones. There are rides for every age and stage and it’s a true family park. The Kali River Rapids is a great ride for a hot day because you will get wet. Na’vi River Journey is a really cool way to experience Pandora, especially with little ones who can’t ride Flight of Passage. And you got my top three above, but if I had to pick a number four it would be Dinosaur, as long as you don’t get motion sickness.
It was July, it was 100 degrees, it was 99% humidity. I was SO excited for Kali. I got really wet. I was dry less than 2 minutes later. 10/10 do not recommend Disney in July. 
I also think Animal Kingdom has the best layout of the four parks. It is a circle, making it so easy to get around, create a flow for your day, and find what you’re looking for. Discovery Island is in the middle with each “land” branching off from there – Pandora, Africa, Asia, and Dinoland with some fun hidden treasures in between. And there’s the river running through, making Animal Kingdom the prettiest park (along with all of the other cool theming that gets it this label), and this is where you’ll see the characters floating by during the new Covid normal.
I have had friends and clients tell me that if they had to skip one park it would be Animal Kingdom because they can just go to their local zoo. This park is SO much more than that though, and I hope I was able to convince you of its perfection.
TRAVELING WITH ARDEN 