Photos: A tour of an empty reopened Animal Kingdom
Ever wonder what a theme park looks like when there is no one around? A morning trip to the newly reopened Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World is where I found my answer.
As an animal lover, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has always held a cherished place in my heart. The ability to not only see and learn about the animals and their behaviors, but also be able to take time out to ride attractions. Months after the park first opened 22 years ago, my wife and I visited the park one morning to find deserted park. I returned, days after it reopened this past week and found a similar scene.
Entering the park, through the new temperature checks and new security checks took less than a minute. Then it was a walk to the entrance touchpoint and with no line, I was on my way.
The first stop, as always is the park’s icon, The Tree of Life. There were a few people taking photos in front of the tree and a special surprise I wasn’t expecting. An abbreviated Winged Encounters — the Kingdom Takes Flight show.
I wasn’t expecting this, but when I heard the familiar music, I looked up to see a flock of macaws fly over the tree to the stands off to the side. Normally, there is a discussion about the bird and then the birds, fly off. There was no discussion at all. The birds landed and then within a minute they again took off. This was a nice surprise and something all should look at for.
After the tree, it’s time head further into the park. The “crowds,” which were intermittent groups of families, headed straight to Pandora, so I did as well.
Due to the coronavirus, interactive experiences were blocked off, such as the Flaska Reclinata plant when entering the land. Normally you touch it and it then spews mist into the area and makes noises.
And, if you liked walking by the Drum Circle to pound out some sound, that also is closed due to the new health and physical distancing rules in the park.
The good thing is that if you want to ride the rides, this is the time to go. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a 10 minute wait for Pandora- The World of Avatar.
Pandora is normally filled with crowds and difficult to navigate, but no one was around.
As I start walking to Africa you can see all of the physical distancing markers on the boardwalk that normally is filled with the overflow crowds for Pandora-The World of Avatar. During the old “normal morning,” the left side of this boardwalk is jammed packed with people. It appears Disney is anticipating to have to used both sides in the future.
One of the bonuses of an empty park is rediscovering the details at the park. I can’t remember the last time this area at the entrance to Asia was completely empty. It’s normally filled with people trying to find some shade.
All of the lines for the rides are short. In addition there is a number of physical distancing measures on each of the rides. Expedition Everest has a row between each group of people.
The last area of the park is Dinoland, U.S.A. Most of what’s in this area of the park is closed with two exceptions, TriceraTop Spin and Dinosaur. All of the character meet and greets are closed and the final announcement came out with the permanent closure of Primeval Whirl.
