Today we have our third and final update of Disney’s Animal Kingdom changes as of the end of June 2015 (read parts one and two). The park is in the middle of an upgrade as expansive as the Magic Kingdom got with its New Fantasyland but there is surprisingly little attention being paid to it from the fan community. Perhaps this is due to the extremely long time it has been taking.
Construction began on “Pandora: The World of Avatar” (aka Avatar-Land) began in January of 2014 and construction on Rivers of Light just a few months later. Rivers of Light is expected to open in 2016 and Avatar sometime in 2017. So it could be moving faster, but almost all of the Avatar construction is taking place completely out of site of park guests, which tends to make it seem like it is taking longer than it really is. When you see the scale of the construction, they’re adding a whole entire new land to DAK with a lot of steel infrastructure, it is really quite impressive.
Some things are getting finished. We’ve covered the new Harambe Market that was added to Africa and today we look at the finale piece to open in that puzzle – Zuri’s Sweets Shop. And just across the bridge on Discovery Island, we have our first look inside the finished Starbucks.
Zuri’s Sweets Shop
The bakery window over at Tusker House in Harambe Village has some competition in Harambe Market. Zuri’s Sweets Shop features a lineup of sweets, confections as well as kitchenware and assorted food items exclusive to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Here’s a photo gallery with a bit more detail.
Yes, Zuri’s Sweets Shop did get some press for selling “poop,” that is sweet treats that looked like animal droppings, but tasted delicious. Those items were just a test and couldn’t overcome a bit of negative feedback from some guests. So sadly we’re left with more traditional treats going forward.
Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts over on Discovery Island is now home to Starbucks Coffee. Disney’s Animal Kingdom was the last of the four theme parks to get a Starbucks Cafe. Like the other parks it serves pretty much the same thing you can get at your local Starbucks with a few special Disney baked goods to boot. Unlike other Starbucks you get a paper straw with your drink. If you like to sip your frozen coffee confection slowly, you might want to grab two or three. It’s no fun drinking coffee through a soggy straw, trust me.
And a photo gallery with a bit more detail.
I’m happy to see Disney’s Animal Kingdom getting some much needed love and attention in order to give a few more hours of things to do for guests in the park. What are you looking forward to next
Thank you for your photos and info. I am disappointed that guests with no sense of humour complained about the poop. Was hoping to try the stuff for myself next week.
I love that AK is getting lots of attention, though. My favorite park!
Pingback: Zuri’s Sweets Shop – New treats for Disney’s Animal Kingdom | The Disney Blog
Comments are closed.