What's New at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Food Specials, an Adorable Mickey Throw Blanket, and Fun Animal Encounters!

Ready for a wild adventure?

Pandora

Recently, we ventured over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see if we could find anything new and exciting, and sure enough we found some new merch, a delicious sounding specials menu at one of our favorite spots, and more! Come along with us to explore this beautiful park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Food Updates

Dawa Bar

Dawa Bar reopened a few weeks ago and we got the chance to take a break from our busy park day to enjoy some delicious drinks there. As we walked past this spot recently, we spotted some signs that were new to us.

Dawa Bar Signs

There’s a smaller sign showing some of the beer, wine, and speciality cocktails available at this spot.

Dawa Bar Sign

There’s also an entrance sign, showing the way to the Bar.

Dawa Bar Entrance Sign

We hadn’t seen these signs since the reopening.

Nomad Lounge

Over at Nomad Lounge, we noticed some Beef Sliders on their specials menu.

Nomad Lounge Specials

We’ve seen quite a few new items appearing on their specials menu. It’s definitely a spot you’ll want to keep coming back to so you can try all of the new dishes!

Hot Dogs!

Looking to grab a quick hot dog while at Animal Kingdom? During our last trip, we noticed that the Ice Cream Cart that is near the exit of the Finding Nemo: The Musical theater and just before DinoLand U.S.A. was selling hot dogs!

Ice Cream Cart Selling Hot Dogs

The hot dogs are sold with a bag of chips with condiments and napkins available at the pick-up location.

Click here to read more about how and when you can grab this snack!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Discovery Trading Company

At Discovery Trading Company in the Discovery Island section of the park, we found a new Pink Mickey Knit Throw Blanket.

Mickey Throw Blanket

It was so soft and pretty, with a simple design featuring Mickeys all over it.

Mickey Throw Blanket

You can grab this throw for $59.99.

Discovery Trading Company also had the same Dream, Wish, and Magic Keychains that we spotted in Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently.

Keychains

Each of these keychains are $12.99.

You can see more details and photos of these keychains here!

We also spotted the Disney Dogs Dooney & Bourke MagicBand available at Discovery Trading Company.

MagicBand

We’ve seen this MagicBand at several spots around Disney World, but the Dooney & Bourke Disney Dog Collection has been selling out fast, so if you want to grab some of these items, you’ll definitely want to act fast!

Click here to see more about the Dooney & Bourke Disney Dog Collection MagicBand!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Animal Updates and More!

In the front of the park, we noticed lots of the new, stricter Face Mask signs near the entrance and right past the entry way.

Face Mask Sign

We first spotted these signs in Magic Kingdom earlier this week.

Click here to see more photos of these signs.

As we walked around the park, we saw that the Siamang Gibbons were back and SO vocal!

Siamang Gibbon

They were active and swinging all around.

Siamang Gibbon

It really was so fun to watch!

Siamang Gibbon

Over at Kilimanjaro Safaris, we got a really close look at the Giraffes! So adorable!

Giraffes!

As soon as we got off the ride, the Cast Members started a cleaning cycle of the safari vehicles.

Cleaning Cycle

You can see the Cast Members spraying down and wiping the seats.

Cleaning Cycle

Toward the front of the park, we walked past the Wilderness Explorers booth…

Wilderness Explorers

…and saw that were open from 9:30AM – 5PM today, which was different than the park’s operating hours.

Wilderness Explorers Hours

So, it’s important that you check to see the operating hours for the Wilderness Explorers if that’s a must-do for you. Also, if the main location toward the front of the park is not open when you get there, you can stop at any badge location later in the day to become a Wilderness Explorer.

While we were at the park, we were also able to catch a bit of the Winged Encounters show…

Winged Encounters

…saw a majestic gorilla at Gorilla Falls…

Gorilla Falls

…caught a Character Boat Cavalcade…

Character Cavalcade

…and stood in awe of the floating mountains in Pandora — The World of Avatar.

Pandora

It’s always a wild adventure at Animal Kingdom!

Wild Adventure Sign

Well, that’s all the new things we spotted during our most recent trip to the park. We’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so be sure to come back for all the latest updates.

Click here to see what’s new at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 900 pages, the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2023 to save 25% off the cover price today!