First impressions of new Awaken Summer entertainment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

As you probably know by now, Animal Kingdom’s nighttime activities were launched this past weekend over the long holiday weekend. My family and I made two evening visits to the Walt Disney World theme park to experience the new entertainment. Here are my first impressions and some tips if you, too, are planning a trip to Animal Kingdom.

Tree of Life

I was really looking forward to seeing the projection shows on the Tree of Life, and they did not disappoint. Each show starts with fireflies awakening animals carved in the trunk and culminates in the tree bathed in a rainbow of colors as it fully awakens. Disney describes three of the four shows this way: “Witness a graceful young doe embark on a thrilling cross-country journey. Behold love blossoming between 2 hummingbirds. See a spry fox spreading gifts of love among the denizens of a wintry forest.”

Tips: Each show is less than five minutes, but there are no published times to avoid huge crowds waiting on the main walkway. The shows take place after sunset, which is about 8:30 p.m. this time of year. That means you have about two and a half hours to view the various shows. If your timing doesn’t mesh with the Disney’s, know that there is likely to be one last show right before park closing at 11 p.m.

The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic

Perhaps the most anticipated component of the Awaken Summer entertainment is “The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic” show that takes place twice each night in the new outdoor theater on Discovery River. The show was created in less than two months when it was determined that Rivers of Light would not be ready for its opening this summer. The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic features Indian-inspired, pop-style arrangements of the movie’s hit songs “Trust in Me,” “Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You” and a lot of Bollywood-type dancing on multiple stages, plus water screens showing scenes from the movie and some special effects on the surrounding trees. It’s an upbeat show, but it is different from other nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World with only one shot of pyro at the end (so as not to disturb the park’s animals). Though I know reviews have been mixed, my family and I enjoyed the show. My daughter loved the dancing, and my son and I couldn’t tear our eyes away from the fire twirlers who entered on barges toward the end of the production. I did dislike waiting so long — just as I do with Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios — to guarantee that we had a decent seat.

Tips: You’ll want to get a FastPass+ reservation or reserved seating with a dinner package for The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic for the best seating and to avoid standing for more than an hour in the standby queue. Seating opens for those with FastPass+ and dinner packages at 7:30 p.m., even though the tickets say to arrive at 8:25 p.m. We arrived about 8 p.m. and still got great seats.

Kilimanjaro Safaris at night

Kilimanjaro Safaris is my 13-year-old son’s favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom, so he was excited to have the opportunity to experience it at night. Despite the fact that Imagineers had designed an artificial sunset for the savanna, many park-goers naturally have questioned whether they would be able to see animals at night both because of the low light and the bedtimes of various species. The answer is: yes and no. Our trek departed at 9 p.m. and we certainly did not see as many animals as we do during the day. However, we did see plenty of animals because of various dim spotlights, and it was an interesting change to see which animals were huddled together to sleep and which were loners. We even saw a baby giraffe and its mama grazing. My children thought it was really cool to ride on the safaris after dark, and I suspect they are not alone. There’s something extra special about being at Walt Disney World at night, and Animal Kingdom is no exception.

Tips: Don’t waste your time trying to take photos at night; just sit back and enjoy the experience. Our driver didn’t even pause during the trek, so it was nearly impossible to get a good shot. If you can only ride this attraction once, you’ll see more if you go during the day. But if you are going to be at Animal Kingdom at night, give the ride a try for a different experience.

Discovery Island Carnivale

The Discovery Island Carnivale is a street party that takes place across from Flame Tree Barbecue, and it’s an interactive experience for children and adults alike. The Viva Gaia Street Band takes to the stage, while dancers and stilt-walkers in brightly-colored costumes create a party atmosphere. After an initial dance, they invite guests to join them and hand out colorful streamers to kids. The dancers lead everyone through some simple but high-energy steps and then finish off the set with one big conga line.

Tips: There are no official published times for Carnivale at this time, but it appears to take place at half past the hour every hour beginning at 6:30. We saw parties at 7:35 and 8:40. I’m not sure if they continued after that. There was a PhotoPass photographer circling the street party to capture images, so if you participate, be sure to ask for a PhotoPass card so you can add the photos to your My Disney Experience account.

Harambe Wildlife Parti

In Africa, near the Kilimanjaro Safaris, the Harambe Wildlife Parti kicks off several times each night with the Burudika Band in Harambe’s Old Square. Different performers join the band in the space in front of the stage, and guests are invited to gather around and watch. We saw the Harambe Village Acrobats, who climb into man-made pyramids and break away into spinning, tumbling towers. Other performers include Muziki, a drumming stilt-walker; Karibou Sisters, who perform elegant dance, acapella songs and acoustic party music; and Harambe Soccer Meerkats, who engage guests in pick-up games and entertain with their skilled moves.

Tips: Want to enjoy the lively music and rest your tired feet? Take a seat in the adjacent Dawa Bar, outside Tusker House restaurant, where you can order a drink if you want. My kids love the Jungle Juice Slushies from the Mahindi snack stand across the plaza. Made with guava, passion fruit and orange juice, the drink tastes like frozen version of the popular P.O.G. juice served at O’hanas for breakfast. Also nearby is Tamu Tamu Refreshments, which serves the famed pineapple Dole Whip — with or without rum.

Tiffins restaurant and The Nomad Lounge

Deb Wills and Linda Eckwerth dined at Tiffins, Disney’s newest signature restaurant located inside Animal Kingdom, on Friday, its opening day. They stopped by the adjacent The Nomad Lounge for a drink, too.

Here’s a look at the new Discovery Island Carnivale and Harambe Wildlife Parti:

Follow @Kristin_B_Ford

Post a Comment