Hi, Christine! Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
I am so excited to hEAR that you will be experiencing
Up Close with Rhinos. I attended Up Close with Rhinos last winter, and it was such a unique and informative opportunity. The Cast Members we met during our tour were incredibly knowledgable, and it was obvious how much they care for the rhinos who call
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park their home. The highlight of this experience was getting to pet a rhino named Helen. Cast Members cannot guarantee that participants will be able to pet one of the rhinos, as that is up to the animal. However, I hope you will be able to have that opportunity. I was so surprised at how it felt to pet Helen. The best way I can describe it is that she felt like a hairy basketball!
Up Close with Rhinos is a 60-minute long experience. When you factor in time to travel from place to place within the park, I do not think you will make it in time for the noon performance of
Festival of the Lion King. Festival of the Lion King is one of my favorite Walt Disney World shows, so I would definitely recommend you catch one of the other performances. You can find showtimes in the
Entertainment Schedule or your
My Disney Experience mobile app. You could try to modify your
FastPass+ time to another performance or simply attend a show using the standby entrance. The theater where Festival of the Lion King takes place is quite large with plenty of seating. I rarely book FastPass+ for Festival of the Lion King, and I have never had trouble finding a great view of the show.
I hope you have a wild day at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park!
Samantha