Disney has been through a lot of major changes recently, including replacing Bob Chapek with the new(ish) CEO Bob Iger. But there are lots of smaller changes happening every day in the Disney World theme parks!
Holiday decorations in Animal Kingdom
Come along with us to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see what’s changed in this park since our last visit.
Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates
Wind Traders
This gift shop is located in Pandora: World of Avatar, near the exit of the Avatar: Flight of Passage ride. It’s getting in on the festive fun with a couple of new ornaments. We spotted a wooden Direhorse ornament for $22.99…
Direhorse Ornament
…and a wooden banshee ornament, also for $22.99.
Banshee Ornament
You can head in now to buy these ornaments for your Christmas tree.
Discovery Trading Company
There were lots of new items at the Discovery Trading Co., including a Little Mermaid ornament for $24.99…
Ariel Ornament
…a Minnie Mouse wallet for $16.99…
Minnie Wallet
…a set of earrings that look like Disney snacks for $19.99…
Snack Earrings
…and an entire collection of Princess Jasmine bathroom accessories. There’s a shower curtain for $44.99…
Shower Curtain
…a jewelry tray for $17.99…
Jasmine tray
…a toothbrush holder for $29.99…
Toothbrush Cup
…and a Rajah rug for $34.99.
Rajah rug
Your entire bathroom could be themed to Aladdin with these new items.
Island Mercantile
Haunted Mansion fans will want to check out this vault collection Haunted Mansion t-shirt, which has an image of the hitchhiking ghosts on it!
Haunted Mansion Shirt
The tee is $34.99.
Click here to see NEW Minnie ears that are in Disney World AND online!
Animal Kingdom Ride Updates
Thanksgiving crowds have arrived in full force at Animal Kingdom, and the ride wait times are showing it! Avatar: Flight of Passage (the most popular ride in this park) was showing a wait time of 195 minutes on Monday afternoon, which is over 3 HOURS 
. DINOSAUR (which usually has a wait time of under 45 minutes) was up to 65 minutes.
©Disney
Na’vi River Journey, which is also in Pandora: World of Avatar, had a wait of 95 minutes, and TriceraTop Spin (a kids’ ride in DinoLand U.S.A.) was up to 40 minutes.
©Disney
The popular Kilimanjaro Safaris ride was almost at 2 hours (115 minutes, to be exact), and the Mickey and Minnie meet-and-greet at Adventurer’s Outpost had a 75-minute wait.
©Disney
The It’s Tough to be a Bug! show in the Tree of Life had a wait of 35 minutes, and Kali River Rapids got up to 60 minutes. It might be wintertime, but it was still 75+ degrees in Orlando today, so a water ride where you could get soaked might not be a bad idea.
©Disney
Rounding out the list, Expedition Everest had a wait of 60 minutes.
©Disney
All of the rides had wait times that are a bit longer than we’re used to seeing, likely because of holiday crowds in the park. If you want the best chance of getting on your favorite rides without a super long wait, make sure you’re at the parks early in the morning! And you might consider purchasing Genie+ (although keep in mind that the price went up BIG TIME today).
Click here to check out more holiday crowds in Disney World.
This is a lot of news to take in, right? We’ve got a little fun break for you now – check out all the new, fun Disney-themed graphic tees and more in our merch store by clicking here!
Disney World during the holiday season is purely iconic.
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What’s your favorite thing to do in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.
The post What’s New at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Shocking Ride Wait Times first appeared on the disney food blog.