The Solo Scale:

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If you’re heading to Disney anytime soon, the likelihood is that you’ve already opened your wallet and dug deep to pay for hotels, tickets, and are budgeting for all the other extras. That could include souvenirs (can’t leave without something, and if you have kids then the bubble wands and light-up toys will be calling your name in your kid’s voice), line skipping (if you’re going, might as well maximize your time) and food (you have to eat, right?).

Something that you might hesitate to pay extra for on top of that are the “Enchanting Extras” that Disney offers. These range from Sangria University to tequila tasting at Epcot to greenhouse “Behind the Seeds” tours. That said, there is one Enchanting Extra that’s both a pretty good deal (at $49 per person in 2023) and gives you an experience that truly is unique to not just Disney, but almost anywhere you’ll go. That’s Up Close With Rhinos, which is available at Animal Kingdom.

If you are planning to try for this extra, a key tip: The spots for this fill up FAST. There’s typically only one departure a day and they can only take a limited amount of people. If you’ve made dining reservations in the past, you’ll know that they start at 6AM EST. Enchanting Extras open at midnight, so make sure that you prioritize this one. It’s not pleasant, but you might want to stay up to book this and then wake up for your dining reservations. If you do it all at once, you should prioritize this before some of your other dining.

Once you’ve paid, though, you’re ready to go on your park day. Don’t forget that a park admission ticket is required in addition to your Rhinos experience. A couple of more notes to make sure this is the right excursion for you:

• You won’t be able to take photos or videos given that you’ll be backstage. However, that absolutely doesn’t detract from the experience
  
• You won’t be able to go to the bathroom or consume food/drink (other than water) during the tour. Make sure that you take care of those things before you check in

On the day of, you’ll arrive at the check-in kiosk (across from the entrance to Kilimanjaro Safaris) to check in with your group. This is where you pick up your nametag for the day. It’s also where you get your chance to head to the washroom. Once the tour begins, your guide will bring the group backstage (an opportunity that not many get). Then, it’s onto an air-conditioned van that brings you to the rhinos habitat. In this area, you’ll also see the pens for the other hooved animals.

This is where you’ll meet the keepers who will fill you in on fun facts about the rhinos. This includes things like the worldwide population (which is noted on one of the pieces of wood outside the pen), their diets and habits. Then, the most exciting part. You get to pet a rhino! For my visit, I got to pet Jao while the keepers take questions from the group. That’s how I learned how they name the rhinos. It turns out that are put forward and then they take a vote! We even got to see the preparations for Milo’s birthday celebrations, which involved lots of fun props and treats.

You’ll spend around thirty minutes here talking and will get to see the keepers interact with the rhinos. When the time is up, the van takes you back around to where you started. It’s a fairly quick end to the tour because the star attractions are behind you. While you’ll have to give back your lanyard, you get to keep your nametag and there’s even some props to take photos with (to make up for the lack of photos backstage).

For the price, it’s an incredible experience, especially if you’re a fan of rhinos, or even just want to see a little more of a peek behind the Disney curtain. If you’re interested, just remember to book fast, because spots will not hang around that long.

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