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Rivers of Light-A Must Do…or One and Done?

My co-blogger Jessica Holmes and I have a lot in common. We are both passionate about family, Disney, runDisney and Dole Whips! We also both love the nighttime entertainment in all the Disney Parks! Jessica loves all the big spectaculars like Fantasmic and Illuminations, and I love Wishes and everything fireworks!

Over the last two months, we were both lucky enough to experience the brand-new nighttime show at Animal Kingdom-Rivers of Light. We both agreed that it was beautiful, and that the park is gorgeous after dark! However, we did disagree about one thing…Jessica believes that Rivers of Light is a “must do” every time, while I think it’s more of a “one and done” experience you can check off your Disney Bucket List! Read on and weigh in!

Getting Tickets

Jacqueline My friend Tiffany and I were literally in the final stages of planning for our upcoming runDisney Princess weekend when we heard that tickets for Rivers of Light were being released during our visit! Even though our spreadsheet had been set for months, we frantically moved our ADRs around in order to reserve a dining package at one of our favorite restaurants, Tusker House. (The other option was to get a Fastpass…but we didn’t want to mess with our Expedition Everest line up!)

After an awesome lunch (and of course photo ops with Safari Daisy and the rest of the gang) we were handed our tickets. At the time of booking, they were only advertising the first show at 7:15, but eventually added a second show (now at 9:15) … due to popular demand!

Jessica As soon as the Rivers of Light dining packages were announced, I booked a breakfast at Tusker House for the morning after the Star Wars 5k. We had been to the restaurant a few times and knew that we enjoyed it, and like Jacqueline, I didn’t want to use a FastPass. I figured this was the best possible way to see the show.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were given instructions about what time to return, and we were also given a light-up lotus flower popcorn bucket that could be filled at the show for $1.50. We goofed off (and snuggled) with our pals, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast.

Checking In and Pre-Show

Jacqueline Cast Members told us we needed to check-in no later than 7:00 for our 7:15 performance. Since we were childless and there was only the two of us (we can squeeze!) we really pushed the envelope! We snuck away to Tamu Tamu Refreshments to grab Dole Whips with rum to enjoy during the show. By the time we got back…at 7:00 on the dot…lines for people with Fastpasses were wrapped everywhere, and the lines for people waiting on Stand-By were even longer! The dining package tickets were really the way to go! We walked right up to a Cast Member and were seated immediately. It was tight-we were one of the last to arrive-but our seats and visibility were still great. (And FYI…we did NOT get the very cool lotus flower popcorn bucket at lunch!! LOL!)

Dole Whips with rum enhance every experience!

Jessica We were advised to return an hour early for the show. We did, and we had our choice of seats – the area we were directed to was mostly empty. I enjoyed relaxing and taking pictures as the sun slowly went down. There was no pre-show entertainment, but there was a PhotoPass photographer who came and took pictures of anyone who wanted one. By the time the show started, the seating area was packed.

I loved relaxing and taking in the beautiful surroundings!

Rivers of Light

Jacqueline As the sun went down it was so cool to see the Tree of Life turn into a backdrop for a projection show. Birds migrating, elephants trumpeting…the technology was amazing! The lotus flower floats began moving in harmony, music played and dancers appeared out of nowhere!

Then came all the different water features…animals appearing on a “screen” of water, lotus flowers rotating and spraying fountains, and animal floats that looked as if they were made out of stained glass-gorgeous. It was truly mesmerizing.

A peacock projected on the water screen.

Jessica I can’t wait to see Rivers of Light again! While it didn’t move me the way that IllumiNations does, I thought it was beautiful and so much fun to photograph. I loved that there were projections on the nearby trees, and the finale was breathtaking. I loved the animal floats (especially the turtles!), and I feel like there were probably other details that I missed the first time. The main complaint that I heard was that it didn’t have a cohesive story the way that the other shows do. It has an overarching theme of “we are one” that I thought was great.

I simply love being in Animal Kingdom at night! I’m so glad that there is a nighttime show here now, and I think the amphitheater is gorgeous, too. I love that area of the park. Having a show to go to really adds to the whole nighttime vibe and gives guests a reason to stay (or come to the park later).

The Verdict?

Jacqueline Rivers of Light was gorgeous and packed a lot of imagery in just fifteen minutes. I couldn’t help but marvel at this feast for the eyes…even when I couldn’t follow the storyline. Would I go again? Yes, but only to take my children so they could experience it for themselves. Once. (Assuming we could get a dining package again…I don’t think any of us would be willing to wait in that line! LOL!)

Dancers on a boat tell the story of “We are one.”

And while I appreciate their commitment to keep the show true to Animal Kingdom’s mission of preserving nature, I know my own children would have loved to have seen some Disney favorites like Simba and Rajah incorporated into the show. You know…kind of like Festival of the Lion King on water. 😉 As for me, I’ll take advantage of the empty park to ride Expedition Everest in the dark-my new Animal Kingdom Bucket List item!

No PhotoPass photographer in the show for us, but many were stationed around the Tree of Life!

Jessica I love nighttime shows. Sitting down at the end of a long day with a bucket of popcorn or a Mickey bar and watching a show is something I always look forward to. It has become ingrained as a part of my Disney traditions. IllumiNations is my favorite – I could watch it every night. I connected with it the first time I saw it, and I usually see it more than once if I am on a week-long trip. On most trips, it’s my first night tradition – the thing that makes me feel like I’m finally home. The soundtracks for all of the nighttime spectaculars are regularly played in my car, and my trips aren’t complete without seeing them!

Does Rivers of Light measure up to the others? I don’t think it’s quite as spectacular, but it is beautiful, and it’s one that I will watch again. Not to mention that by being at Animal Kingdom after dark, you get an incredible ride on Everest and you get to see the Tree of Life come alive!

Restaurant Review: Yak & Yeti

Before discovering the Yak & Yeti table service restaurant last year, my family had always eaten at the Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe (which is quick service). Both of these are located in the Asia section of the park (near the Flights of Wonder pavilion), and are beside one another. Once I experienced Yak & Yeti, it became my “must-eat” restaurant at Animal Kingdom. Three words: cream cheese wontons. But more on those later.

On our most recent trip, we ended up dining here twice. Once was a planned visit with an ADR, and the other was an evening when everyone except my husband and toddler decided to stay back at the resort. There is seating both upstairs and down, and some of the upstairs tables have a great window view. The restaurant really is beautiful, and I realized that I failed miserably in not getting pictures of the interior (looks like I found a reason to go back – I need a do-over!).

On the first visit, I had the Seared Miso Salmon, which comes with coconut-ginger rice, baby bok choy & shitake mushroom stir-fry. This is deeeee-licious! The glaze on the salmon had such a good flavor, and the salmon had a nice consistency, as well.

My more adventurous husband tried the Malaysian Seafood Curry, which includes Mahi Mahi, scallops, little neck clams, mussels, shrimp, as well as some veggies and rice. This was a new dish for him, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He said it had a medium spice, and he would definitely eat it again.

The other members of our party had the Crispy Honey Chicken (more on this later, since I ordered it on the second trip) and the Lo Mein with Shrimp. Both were hits – everyone raved about this meal.

The service was also great – our server was extremely friendly and helpful. He was taking a trip to our home state the following weekend, so we were able to chat about the area a bit. Now, on to my favorite part of the meal: dessert! I had been dreaming about the Fried Wontons for months, so my choice was easy. What is this magical creation, you ask? It consists of skewers of cream cheese wontons and fresh pineaple, drizzled with a delicious honey vanilla sauce, and a side of ice cream. It is as amazing as it sounds.

Fried Wontons: this is the stuff dreams are made of…

Other desserts were ordered, as well – Pineapple Upside Down cake (served warm and covered in ice cream and caramel sauce), and the Chocolate Pudding Cake. The Pineapple Upside Down cake was very good, but the Chocolate Pudding cake was too much, even for our biggest chocolate lover (ahem, that’s me). Neither one stood a chance against my wontons, though!

Chocolate Pudding Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Our second dining experience here was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I made an ADR about 2 hours in advance, as we were on the bus to the park. We sat downstairs this time, and had a long, relaxing dinner. I started with a Kiwi Kimono, which was light and delicious.

This time I opted for the Crispy Honey Chicken, and it was great. Crispy on the outside with a sweet-but-not-TOO sweet flavor, it was perfect.

My husband opted for the Kalbi Steak & Coconut Shrimp, and he loved it. It came with a pineapple-mango salsa, chili plum sauce, wasabi mashed potatoes, and stir-fried veggies. I sampled the mashed potatoes and they were wonderful! We were both extremely happy with our meals, and the service was again great, as well.

For dessert, we both got…you guessed it, the cream cheese wontons! Have I mentioned how delicious these are? So, so good.

One more wonton picture, because I can’t get enough!

If you’re looking for a table service restaurant in Animal Kingdom, I would definitely recommend Yak & Yeti. And bonus tip: right across the street is a little kiosk called Drinkwallah. Inside, you will find my favorite drink in this park: Coconut Lychee Lemonade! It’s perfect for a hot day, and goes down way too easily.

Exploring the Parks: Animal Kingdom After Dark

I love Animal Kingdom. I know that for a lot of people, it’s a half-day park, a place to go knock out a couple of rides and be on your way. But I love it. I love walking around and taking pictures, I adore the Tree of Life, and I could ride Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari over and over (and I have, on several occasions). I admit, I would be happy if DinoLand were completely demolished, but that’s another story.

As long as I have been going to the parks, I have always wished that I could ride Everest at night. So when I heard that Animal Kingdom was getting nighttime entertainment, I was thrilled! I scheduled two nights of our trip to make sure we got to do everything. The thing that really struck me on both nights was that the park seemed relatively empty. Wait times were low and the only huge crowds seemed to be around the time that the Jungle Book show was letting out. So did the nighttime entertainment meet my high expectations? In some ways, absolutely! In other ways, not so much. Let’s take a look at all of the things I experienced.

Everest After Dark

I’m a big, big fan of coasters, and Everest is my favorite at any of the Disney parks. Riding in the dark has always been on my Disney Bucket List, and I was extremely excited to check it off. Everest at twilight was actually my favorite – seeing the sky and all of the twinkling lights below. Riding in the complete dark didn’t disappoint, either! It felt like you were better able to see the Yeti, probably because your eyes were already adjusted to the dark. Over the course of two evenings, I probably did 6 rides. Lines were extremely short and the single rider line was almost nonexistent. This was definitely a highlight – it was just as amazing as I had always imagined it would be. If you’re a fan of this ride, then riding at night is an absolute must-do!

Kilimanjaro Safari: Nighttime Edition

The Safari is one of my favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom, because it is always different, and sometimes you get a really unexpected and up-close view of an animal. I was excited to try it at night, and we went on at a few different times to see what the best time might be. We went on around 6:30 (still light), 7:45 (dusk), and 8:30 (fully dark). The ride at dusk was definitely the best. It seemed to be feeding time for a lot of the animals, so we got a good look at a lot of them, but it also felt different being out there slightly later than usual. The lions were even up and about at this time! When we went in the complete dark, we didn’t see nearly as many animals. It was also nearly impossible to get any pictures, at least using my iPhone. It was really cool to get a different experience on an attraction that we have been on so many times, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’ve never been on the safari during the day. They have lights on the jeep, and lights strategically placed in the trees throughout the ride. Another thing that I also noticed in the evening: they were only loading from one side, so this slowed things down a little. It operated that way both nights we were there, but the line was still pretty short compared to the wait during the day. I’m glad I got to experience this, even if the nighttime safari wasn’t all I had hoped it would be. Now I just need to check off the Wild Africa Trek, and my AK Bucket List will be complete!

A giraffe came up to say hello on our earlier safari.

Tree of Life: Awakening

Around sunset each night, the animals on the Tree of Life begin to “awaken”. Sometimes they just slightly move, but there are also four different entire animated sequences (lasting around five minutes each) that are accompanied by music. Imagine something similar to the “Celebrate the Magic” projection on the Castle, but with animals. I thought this was really charming, and since it happened at various times throughout the evening, you could walk up and catch it at any time. We stood and watched for quite awhile, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I would love it if new sequences were eventually added, but I consider this a hit and a definite must-see. Please note that since it is a projection, it’s only visible from the front of the tree.

A little fox “awakens” on the Tree of Life.

I loved the colors and music that were used.

The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic

By now, you’ve probably heard all the bad reviews about this show. Let me just add: they’re all true. This show was unbelievably awful. I was so excited about Rivers of Light, and I was bummed that it was delayed. The theater that was built for it is absolutely gorgeous, and seeing all the lights right at dusk is breathtaking. Thankfully, the Jungle Book show has now ended and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve missed your chance (September 5^th was the last show). It was basically Indian-style music and dancing to the Jungle Book soundtrack, while scenes from the movie were projected onto water in the background. There were also some cast members that danced up and down the aisles. It was painful. It was boring. And every single person in our party hated it. Most of them had no idea of the bad reviews going in, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to influence their opinion. It was surprisingly bad for a show put on by Disney, which just speaks to the fact that it was quickly thrown together as a replacement. Fingers crossed that Rivers of Light arrives quickly!

The floats were pretty. That’s the only nice thing I have to say about this show!

Overall, I loved being at Animal Kingdom after dark, and I can only imagine that it will get even better once Rivers of Light debuts and the expansion is finished. While we were there, the park felt fairly empty, and it was really fun to walk around and just enjoy the views. It seemed like a good deal of the vendors were open late, as well. I stopped to ask what time they would stop serving drinks in the Harambe Market, and the answer was 10pm.

Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom began to cut their nighttime hours right after our trip. They are currently still open until 9pm, so you can still enjoy lots of nighttime activities, but you’ll have to hurry. The hours scale back to 8:30 in October and then to 6:00 in November. I’m looking forward to experiencing Animal Kingdom at night even more once the new show and expansion are ready!