What's New in Disney's Animal Kingdom: Christmas Decorations and Star Wars Mickey Ears

The Disney World parks can change fast, so we’re always looking out for what’s new and different when we’re there.

Off to AK!

Sometimes we’ll find new merchandise, progress on construction projects, or unusual crowds along the way. Today, we’re heading to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see what we can find so that you’re most prepared for your visit.

We’ll start out with some new merchandise that we found inside the park recently.

Animal Kingdom Merchandise Update

Over in the Discovery Trading gift shop, we found a new Apple Watch band for sale, featuring the one and only: Donald Duck.

New Apple watch band

The band has the many different facial expressions of Donal Duck all over it, and it’s available for $34.99.

Here’s a look at the back

Also in Discovery Trading, we saw that the new Ahsoka Mickey ears were fully stocked.

Ahsoka Ears

We first spotted these ears a few days ago, and they’ve been very popular since then. Did you know that they were designed by Ashley Eckstein, who voiced Ahsoka in Star Wars: The Clone Wars?

You can buy the ears here (or in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Tatooine Traders) for $39.99.

Ahsoka Ears

That was all in terms of new merchandise in the Animal Kingdom!

Click Here to Learn More About the New Ahsoka Ears

Animal Kingdom Construction Update

We stopped by Primeval Whirl in DinoLand U.S.A. today as well. This ride is permanently closed, and construction crews are currently dissembling it.

Primeval Whirl Construction

Over on Discovery Island, we spotted some signs that Christmas is coming to the Animal Kingdom soon! (Don’t @ us, we know Halloween hasn’t happened yet — but you’ve got to be prepared for the holiday season that’s following right on its heels.) There were new Christmas decorations up, like these artistic bird sculptures…

Christmas decorations

…and new speakers and light fixtures up as well.

Christmas is coming!

We’ll definitely start to see more decor and preparations as the holiday season begins in full force after Halloween.

Click Here to See ALL the Holiday Treats Coming to Disney World

Animal Kingdom Crowds Update

Finally, we took a look at the crowds around Animal Kingdom while we were there this week.

Not crazy crowds

The park wasn’t super busy, and when we passed by late in the morning, the Avatar Flight of Passage ride only had a 40-minute wait.

Flight of Passage

Over in the Asia section of the park, Expedition Everest had a 10-minute wait…

Expedition Everest

…and DINOSAUR in DinoLand U.S.A. was just at 5 minutes.

DINOSAUR

That’s it for our Animal Kingdom updates this week! Keep following DFB for more advice and updates as you plan your Disney World vacation.

Click Here to Find Out What’s New in EPCOT This Week

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 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2022 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 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today!