The holidays have officially arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with beautiful decorations, character cruises, and gorgeous nighttime projections.

But that’s not all that’s new in this wild park! Come with us on a virtual tour around Animal Kingdom to see what new merchandise, snacks, sippers, and MORE we spotted all over!

Animal Kingdom Food Updates

Isle of Java

If you’re headed to Isle of Java on Discovery Island for a quick drink, now there are a few newer options for you to check out! First, Isle of Java recently started serving an Irish coffee drink.

This isn’t the first time we’ve enjoyed Irish Coffee in Animal Kingdom, but we were happy to see that the option is now available at this spot and is served a bit differently than what we’ve seen in the past.

Click here to see exactly what we got and whether you should try it the next time you’re in the park!

Today, we also noticed that Isle of Java is selling the Rotten Apple drink that we tried during Halloween, and also strangely got for the holidays at Flame Tree Barbecue, but it doesn’t come with any kind of garnish or Mickey glow cube here.

So, if you’re just looking to grab the drink without any additions or this spot is more convenient for you on your way around Animal Kingdom, now you can grab it here!

Check out the most 2020 drink we found in Animal Kingdom!

Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks

Over at Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks we found that the Simba pretzel has made its return!

All is good in the pridelands once again with this fun pretzel and cheddar sauce to go with it!

Check out more about this snack here!

If you’ve grabbed the pretzel and now are in need of a drink to wash it all down with, why not grab the Mickey Snowman Ornament Cup to hold your drink in?

This is another returning cutie from previous years. Snowman + Mickey Mouse Club = holiday perfection!

Click here to check out more photos of this cup and see how much it costs!

We also saw that Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks was carrying the Simba popcorn bucket and white Christmas Tree popcorn bucket we spotted in Disney World last week!

Click here to see more photos of this adorable popcorn bucket!

Drinkwallah and Popcorn Carts

In terms of the popcorn carts, we didn’t really see any new popcorn buckets at them. We did, however, notice that many of the carts were carrying the green Jingle Bell sipper along with the peppermint straw.

Drinkwallah also had the green Jingle bell sipper available!

Click here to see more information about the green jingle bell sipper!

And check out the peppermint straw here!

At popcorn carts in the park we also found that the Merry Menagerie Themed Reusable Mug had returned!

We love how this mug features those amazing menagerie puppets from last year in such gorgeous detail and with such beautiful colors.

Click here to get a better look at this mug!

Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Discovery Trading Company

It seems we can’t go a single day without finding TONS of new Disney merchandise, especially holiday items! Today was no exception! At Discovery Trading Company we found the NEW Dooney & Bourke holiday collection.

These bags are covered in all kinds of wintery fun including a Mickey snowman, Mickey and Minnie ice skating, and more!

Click here to see how you can get these bags in the park and online too!

If you want to add a little magic to your winter wardrobe, Disney’s got you covered! Today, we spotted this fuzzy zip up, grey jacket at Discovery Trading.

It’s definitely a simple and classic look with a silver Mickey on the zipper and the Walt Disney World logo on the front.

You can get this cute and cozy sweater right now for $64.99.

Animal Kingdom Decor and More Updates

Before we get to some fun holiday photos, we did want to give you a bit of an update on crowds in Animal Kingdom. Today, we spotted quite a few people waiting for Pongu Pongu, and a group of people close by waiting to pick up their orders at Satu’li Canteen.

There were lines on the floor, however, directing guests where to stand. If you haven’t been to Disney World in a while and will be going back now for the holiday season, be sure to pay extra attention to all of the lines, directional arrows, and social distancing markers throughout.

We also noticed a series of social distancing dots on the floor for those waiting for their mobile orders to be ready at Satu’li Canteen.

Okay, let’s get into the holiday decor! There was so much festive fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! When we visited the park after dark, we noticed that both the Merry Menagerie photo op at the entrance…

…and the mural wall inside were lit up for guests to take evening pictures at.

We also spotted some gorgeous lights all over DinoLand U.S.A.! There’s nothing quite like seeing our dino Santa friend all lit up for the holidays!

We also spotted beautiful trees, wreaths, and garland up in the Africa section of the park…

…amazing lanterns in Asia…

…and lots of decorations outside of Discovery Trading Company and Island Mercantile.We had seen a lot of these decorations during the day, but there’s something truly magical about seeing them all lit up at night.

Seeing the main entrance lit up was also quite a beautiful and festive sight.

But, we’d argue that the most beautiful part of the holiday decorations was the Tree of Life with its holiday projections.

Want to see even MORE beautiful nighttime holiday photos around Animal Kingdom? Check them out here!

Well, that’s all for us from Animal Kingdom for now! We’ll continue to keep you all updated on the very latest Disney news. Be sure to come back for more updates!

What is your favorite Disney park to visit during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments!