Hello from a rainy Animal Kingdom! The rain might have kept a few people away… but not us 😉 ! Umbrella in hand, we explored the park and found all the new items, changes, and more for you!

Here’s everything we found including new sweets, menu updates, new merchandise, and the arrival of the 2019 Walt Disney World mugs!

What’s New on Animal Kingdom’s Discovery Island

Our first stop of the day was Creature Comforts (the Animal Kingdom Starbucks) for a nice, warm coffee… but we ended up with something else entirely! We tried the new Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cupcake. You’ll also find this picture perfect sweetie at Pizzafari and Restaurantosaurus.

Read our review here!

In addition to welcoming the cupcake above, Pizzafari has also expanded the hours for the Family Style Dinner. It now begins at 4:30 PM (from its previous 5:00 PM start).

What’s New in Animal Kingdom’s Africa

Remember the non-refillable holiday mugs which arrived in the Magic Kingdom a few weeks ago? Well, now there is an equally adorable holiday mug featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Mahindi and Cornivores in Dinoland, USA!

These are available for all guests to purchase (just note that they are not refillable, like those at the Resorts).

Tamu Tamu Refreshments has made some spirited additions! You can now add Dark or Coconut Rum to your Malva Cake, or you can add Rum to your Dole Whip Float. Yep, they’ve also added Dole Whip Floats to their menu as well as a Warm Brownie Sundae. To make room for these new treats the Mickey Ice Cream Sundae has been removed from the menu.

They have been also busy at Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery. We tried their new breakfast items: a Pistachio Honey Croissant (also available at Creature Comforts and other in-park Starbucks locations), a Guava Cheese Danish, the Spinach and Feta Quiche, and Sausage, Egg and Cheddar Biscuit. Read our review here!

Changes to lunch options at Kusafiri include the new Hot Roast Beef Sandwich served on toasted herb foccacia replacing the Roast Beef and Cheddar Panini on ciabatta, and the removal of the Ham and Cheese Panini. Plus, Cranberry Mayo now comes on the Smoked Turkey Sandwich. You’ll also be able to grab the Guava Cheese Danish and Pistachio Croissant during lunch hours.

The wandering Shave Ice Cart has another new home! We spotted it outside of Harambe Market on the way towards Asia on our last visit.

After locating the shave ice cart, we found, and tried, some new items in Harambe Market. Read our review on the new Ribs, Chicken, and Roasted Vegetable Bowls.  Plus, there’s a new Chicken Gyro at this location.

Note that the Entrees which used to come with Black Eyed Pea Salad now come with African Coleslaw. (We were informed by a Cast Member that the African Coleslaw is actually the same Papaya Slaw that was available here before.)

What’s New in Animal Kingdom’s Pandora

It seems the Satu’li Canteen menu is still undergoing some changes. Along with the recent removal of Cheeseburger Podsfrom the adult menu we’ve spotted some other changes. Chili Garlic Shrimp has replaced the Sustainable Fish Filet on the adult menu as a Protein option for the bowls, and the Sustainable Fish Filet has been removed from the kids’ menu. A change to the Base options is that Noodles have replaced the Mixed Whole Grain and Rice.

The Shrimp and Noodle Bowl has also been removed from the listing, but both are now options in the Create-Your-Own menu, so you can still have that dish.

A stop in Pandora’s store, Windtraders, yielded some cool ornaments. If you’re still working on your Christmas shopping list, this may be a place to stop for you, because you can now add a Banshee to your Christmas Tree!

You might recognize this from the Na’vi River Journey ride.

What’s New in Animal Kingdom’s Asia

Well, this is interesting… Wonder what’s going on here in Upcountry Landing? (Are those stones a hint? Let us know in the comments below!)

If you’re enjoying (or would like to try) the Joffrey’s 90th Annivesary Blend which honors Mickey’s 90th, then you can hop over to Royal Anandapur Tea Company for a cup of that honorary blend!

What’s New in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland, USA

If you are craving something spicy, Restaurantosaurus has your solution. Enjoy the new Jalapeno Poppers with Petal Sauce along with a “Cocktailosaurus” (also known as a margarita).

What’s New in Animal Kingdom’s Merchandise Shops

At first glance you may say “Hey DFB Team, those Donald, Goofy, and Pluto caps aren’t new… they’ve been around FOREVER!” But take a closer look…

It looks like these character hats received an update, which includes a shorter bill. (We don’t think Donald is too happy about that last bit!)

Goofy’s bill is also shorter, but he seems more content with the change.

Pluto isn’t left out of this update. Take a look. What do you think of the changes to this classic hat? Let us know in the comments below.

Look who showed up on a new MagicBand… the main man, Walt Disney. And he’s serving as the engineer on the Walt Disney Railroad.

Fox and the Hound’s Todd and Copper are also playing around on their own new MagicBand.

Finally, get ready for your first cup of tea or coffee in 2019 with a brand new 2019 dated mug! We spotted two different 2019 mugs in the shops on our visit.

Which mug are you going to add to your collection?

Whew! Speaking of coffee or tea, it’s time to warm up after another rainy day in the parks!

Check out our video 5 Ways To Turn Rainy Days into Awesome Days at Disney World!! When you’re done – check out all of our Videos on You Tube!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you noticed anything new in Animal Kingdom? Please let us know with a comment!