Category Archives: Animal Kingdom

We’re Going to WDW – 10 Things I’m Looking Forward To!

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As mentioned before, I’m crazy excited to introduce our granddaughter to the joys of a Disney vacation. I can’t wait to see her reaction to characters, rides and all the sights, sounds, and flavors we can find for her to enjoy.

Personally, I am looking forward to quite a few things by myself. When I focus on staying “in the moment” while I’m at WDW, it’s amazing what random experiences stick in my mind as being particularly wonderful. I know what I’m most looking forward to changes for every visit, but this time the top ten are….

Drumroll, Please

10. The Electrical Water Pageant. Sure, there’s no afternoon parade in Magic Kingdom and no nighttime fireworks in the parks right now, but I’m kind of okay about it because I can still enjoy the most cheerfully ridiculous spectacle on the Seven Seas Lagoon!

9. Florida dawns and sunsets. I suppose we have some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets in Louisiana, but I’m typically too busy to notice. Seems like when I’m at Walt Disney World I get to start and end the day with gorgeous skies and have time to soak up every moment.

8. The Ghost Host will lower my safety bar. And then I’ll get to see and hear all the things I adore in the Haunted Mansion! Madam Leota, Constance-in-the-attic, all of it! Maybe Little Leota at the exit might be my favorite. Hard to say because I love it all.

Haunted Mansion's Madame Leota

7. The smell of the lobby in Bay Lake Tower. Sure, it’s lovely when they say, “Welcome Home!”, but nothing is more welcoming to me than that special scent. It’s like a warm hug that washes away all my worries. I could be weird, but there it is.

6. Earning the lowest score on Toy Story Midway Mania. I don’t do it on purpose, but there’s a reason I have never participated in any sports requiring eye-hand coordination. Nonetheless, I love this ride! Breaking those plates is inexplicably gratifying.

5. PeopleMover. If you don’t love it, stay off of it and let the rest of us have it to ourselves. There’s not a single second of resting on that lovely blue upholstery as I cruise around Tomorrowland that I don’t love. Mr. Morrow, I can’t wait to be there!

4. Sipping and Snacking my way around World Showcase. This is the ultimate Epcot experience for me. I can shop, stroll, or sit and relax while sampling exotic fare and sipping an adult beverage. Doesn’t matter if we start in Mexico or Canada, I’m going to enjoy the trip around the World!

Italy Pavilion / Epcot's World Showcase

3. Taking a million pictures on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I’ve stopped trying to NOT do this. I can ride the Safaris five times on a single vacation and I will snap pics like I’ve never been there before. I’m convinced my family appreciates this phenomenon as just another of my many adorable quirks. And if they don’t, I don’t care. Look! An Okapi!

2. People watching from the Dawa Bar. Give me an Old Elephant Foot IPA and a place to stand. This is a great spot for soaking up the atmosphere in Africa. I don’t have very many must-do’s on every trip, but this is absolutely one of them.

And Number One…

Walking down Main Street USA. I can’t be alone here. This is probably something the majority of people love to do on a Disney vacation. It’s the ultimate I-am-back feeling. Familiar sights, sounds, and smells. The lovely air of nostalgia. There’s Cinderella Castle in all her glory…a familiar and beloved sight that will be especially welcome to these weary eyes…they’ll probably start leaking.

View of Cinderella Castle from Main Street U.S.A.

What will you be looking forward to the most on your next visit?

Watch for Okapis – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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There are so many cool animals to see at Walt Disney World! In Animal Kingdom, between the walking trails, the exhibits, and Kilimanjaro Safaris – the number of birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals guests can see and, more importantly, learn about is amazing. Today I want to share with you some fun facts about one of the cutest and most bashful animals you can find in Animal Kingdom – The Okapi.

Watch for Okapis – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Okapis are shy. So shy, in fact, that their existence remained nothing but a rumor (like unicorns) until around 1901! They hide from their only predators, leopards and humans, and would live peacefully and very happily alone, but are now considered endangered due to hunting, mining, and deforestation.

Okapis are often called “forest giraffes” and indeed, they are the only living relative of the more popular and well-known giraffe. While giraffes live on the African savanna, okapis spend their lives in the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both animals have long, dark tongues and love to dine on local vegetation. Both have long necks (although the giraffes’ are much longer) and the males of both species have ossicones (short, skin-covered horns on their foreheads). Also, both species walk the same way – both feet on one side step forward at the same time. Aside from those similarities, okapis have a unique look all their own.

Okapis in the Wild

Okapis live solitary lives and only occasionally graze and play together in small numbers. Their bodies have dark brown fur and their legs are striped like zebras. This allows them to blend in well among the plants of the rain forest. With lighter-colored faces and large ears, okapis are completely adorable! Those dark-colored tongues are 14-18 inches long which means that okapis can lick their own ears and eyelids! Male and female okapis stand about 5 feet tall but the females grow a bit larger (495-770 lbs.) than males (440-660 lbs.). Adult okapis eat between 45 and 60 pounds of vegetation a day! They live between 20 and 30 years.

When a mother okapi gives birth (after a 14-16 month-long pregnancy), she has a single calf that stays in a “nest” on the ground for the first 6-9 weeks. This helps to the baby safe from leopards. The mother okapi communicates with her calf using an infrasonic call (at around 14HZ) which is too low for humans to hear.

Okapis are territorial animals with males having larger home areas than females. Okapis produce a sticky, smelly tar-like substance from scent glands on their feet and use it to mark their territory. When I see an okapi in Animal Kingdom, it’s easy to imagine them happily spending their days munching on leaves, fungi and fruit in the forest.

Okapis in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney is a leader in animal conservation and is recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for its okapi conservation efforts. In October 2018 Animal Kingdom’s okapis, Zelda and Mandazi, welcomed a baby – helping to boost the world’s okapi population.

If you’re headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, be sure to look for okapis on Kilimanjaro Safaris and on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. If, like me, you love them and can’t get enough, you can purchase your very own okapi and take it home with you. (I found mine in Mombasa Marketplace.)

What’s your favorite animal at Walt Disney World?

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

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Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

I’ve confessed my love of the egg-rolls at the Yak & Yeti Local Foods Café (quick service window) many times right here.  It’s a rare day in Animal Kingdom that I don’t have to have at least one on my way to or from Expedition Everest.   On our last visit, I skipped the egg-rolls in favor of fancier fare.  It had been several years since we’d eaten in the Yak & Yeti table service restaurant and it was past time to go back.  Our previous experience had been great, but we’d been too busy trying other places to make our way there until earlier this year.  As it turned out, this was an excellent decision and that lunch was one of my favorite meals of the trip.


Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

Our day had started with double Kilimanjaro Safaris, because animals.  Followed by at trek around Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and a train ride up the Forbidden Mountain on Expedition Everest.  By lunchtime we’d worked up quite an appetite and were ready for a break.  The day was cold and cloudy and we were happy to have a warm place to relax.  We were having lunch with our friends Barbie and Nick and Nick’s mom, Freida, and when we arrived at Yak & Yeti, we didn’t have to wait long.  The five of us were seated at a second-floor table with an excellent view and the host and server were both friendly and welcoming.

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

But what about the food?

The menu at Yak & Yeti looks exotic, but has something for everyone. While I don’t have a sweet tooth, I definitely have a starch tooth – anything pasta, potatoes, or rice is my weakness. Sure enough, one item on the menu quickly caught my eye…noodles! More specifically, the Lo Mein Chicken.  

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

As I was exceptionally hungry, I didn’t pay close attention to what anyone else ordered. I did manage to snag pictures of their food though, because rudely photographing everyone’s dish at every meal is my thing. I’m like the plate-parazzi! So far, I’ve not made anyone mad enough to make me stop, so I’m going to keep doing it. All the time. Everywhere we go. Now back to lunch…

I was very happy with the flavors in my lo mein. The noodles were the right texture (this is important to my happiness) and the seasoning was spot on. There was a nice balance between chicken and veggies. I would absolutely order this dish again.

This lunch reminded us that Yak & Yeti is really a gem and we need to visit this little corner of Asia more often! Have you been to Yak & Yeti lately? What was your experience like?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls’ Naked Mole Rats

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls’ Naked Mole Rats

If you trek the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Research Centre.  I’ve been there many times and can tell you that a lot of folks walk in, see a bunch of small animal exhibits and cruise right on out the exit.  What?  Lizards, snakes, and tortoises not interesting enough?  I’ll never understand these people. 

If you don’t spend some time looking around the Research Centre, you miss one of the most amazing animals in the whole park!  After you enter the building and turn to the left, on the far wall there’s a glass panel behind which tunnels and burrows can be seen.  Look closer and you’ll spy the subterranean occupants…Naked mole-rats!  Sound disgusting?  Yes, they certainly are…both disgusting and absolutely fascinating at the same time.

Before you declare a loathing for rodents, let me lay down some incredible Naked mole-rat facts I dug up (Ha! See what I did there?!?) on the inter-webs (mostly at the National Zoo website).  If, after my mini-mole-rat presentation, you still feel like they don’t deserve even a tiny bit of your attention, then I’m sad and sorry you don’t find them as unbelievably cool as I do.  Gross and interesting – what’s not to love?

What ARE Naked mole-rats anyway…?

Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus Glaber) are mammals from eastern Africa who live in colonies led by a queen (like bees).  The queen is the only member of the colony who gives birth.  The other mole-rats take care of the queen, guard the tunnels, and do general food and housekeeping duties. 

Naked mole-rats are herbivores and while they weigh barely mere ounces and are only 3-4 inches long, these unique animals can live more than 30 years. That seems like a crazy long time for such a tiny creature!  They have whiskers but no fur, and their bodies are pink and wrinkly (don’t they sound charming?).  A quarter of a mole-rat’s muscle mass is in its jaws and those jaws hold some awesome teeth!  A Naked mole-rat’s front teeth can operate independently like chopsticks. Their lips close behind their teeth to keep dirt out of their mouths while they’re digging. (Look at that smile!)

Naked mole-rats live out of sight, seemingly mind their own business, eat veggies, and have a very organized society of cooperative togetherness. No, they’re not cute and fluffy, but they are pretty darn amazing just the same.

Have you seen Animal Kingdom’s Naked mole-rats? What did you think about them? If you haven’t stopped by their tunnels for a visit…don’t you want to now?