Tag Archives: Animal Kingdom Tips

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Pangani Forest Trail

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Animal Kingdom GorillaI’m a little perplexed about something.  (If you can clear up my confusion, please do!)  Why do so many people skip the exploration trails at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?  Is it because they think it’ll be too much like a typical zoo experience and they want more “Disney” things to do?  Maybe some folks are afraid there will be unpleasant animal smells? (There aren’t)  Is it because there are so many other things at Animal Kingdom to see and do they think they don’t have time? (That one I could sort of understand)  I have a theory about it…I think people skip the trails because they don’t think they’ll be exciting or that there’s nothing new or different to see.  Of course, if that’s the case, they’d be WRONG!  Perhaps I could dispel that nasty rumor once and for all…Naked Mole Rats at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, FIVE great things about The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail:  (Don’t worry, I will devote an entire future post to the Maharajah Jungle Trek).

1.  Naked (Nekkid!) Mole Rats.  Somewhat (okay, VERY) disgusting, always fascinating!  Along the trail you’ll come to a research building full of fascinating exhibits – none more interesting than those mole rats!  They’re like some sort of horrible oddity – you know what I’m talking about – the kind of thing you can’t look away from but you’re freaked out by.  Want to know more?  See these Fun Facts at the Smithsonian’s site.

Meerkat at Animal Kingdom2.  Meerkats – These little guys (and girls, I suppose) are so fun to watch!  Popping up and down, playing sentry for their mob.  They are cute and funny and wonderful to see.  Why would anyone pass up this opportunity?  Need more convincing?  Check out National Geographic’s Meerkat facts for kids here.

3. Hippos!  There’s an underwater viewing area.  You can see hippos in the water on Kilimanjaro Safari, but seeing them from below the water’s surface is just spectacular!  Really!Hippos at Disney's Animal Kingdom

4. The Aviary – Birds take so many different shapes and sizes!  They’re also smaller than some of the other animals on the trail, so the stroller set may find them more interesting.  Of course, if you’re scared of birds you should avoid this area at all costs!  Me?  I think they’re just ducky.  (See what I did there?)

5.  THE very best part of this experience – Western Lowland Gorillas.  Incredible.  Fascinating.  Also so fun to watch as they go about their day – and seem to be interested in watching you go about yours.  If you’ve ever Disney's Animal Kingdom Gorillabeen to a stinky primate house at a zoo, forget about it!  These amazing creatures are right there in front of you – with no bars or glass obscuring your view.  See the gorilla in the picture?  He had a metal dish/bowl for drinking water, but he stopped drinking to stare at me…while I looked at him.  I think we really connected there for a while.

So, those are my reasons for visiting Animal Kingdom’s Pangani Forest Exploration Trail on every visit.  You should give it a try!  Especially if you’re looking for any sort of educational opportunities on vacation (if you took the kids out of school to visit Walt Disney World, these trails are the stuff research reports are made of!)

Have you explored the Pangani Forest trail?  What was your favorite animal along the way? 

 

Western Lowland Gorilla at Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom - Naked Mole Rat Sign

 

Disney’s Kali River Rapids – You’ll Get WET (or will you?)

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Disney's Animal Kingdom EntranceI’ve mentioned several times before, but it bears repeating – Disney’s Animal Kingdom is NOT a half-day park.  If you think so, you’re not giving Animal Kingdom the time and appreciation it deserves.  You make me mad, you half-day person.  You should go away from here now – we don’t see eye to eye, so kindly remove your eyes from this blog.  Of course, I mean that in the nicest way possible under the circumstances.

Still here?  Love Animal Kingdom as a FULL DAY experience?  Good!  Me too.  Let’s talk about Kali River Rapids, want to?  I like Kali River Rapids in general – well themed, great queue, fun ride (most of the time).  There’s a tiny detail that always gives me pause, though – you may ride it oneView of Kali River time and barely get a drop of water on you…but, ride it again and you may get completely soaked from head to toe!  It’s a risky proposition, that ride.  Lots of times I think I’ll ride it, then chicken out because of the uncertainty.  Still, on our last visit to Animal Kingdom, I was fully committed to riding everything except the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch – if I want to go there, Animal Kingdom becomes more than a full day park for me!

So, back to Kali…

Kali River RapidsI wanted to film our trip down the rapids with my new GoPro camera.  I like the experience of riding in the round raft and I like making friends (or at least trying to) with our fellow passengers.  I don’t like being soaked and especially don’t like wet shoes (which you are NOT allowed to remove for the ride, by the way).  So as we made our way through the ride’s queue (it has some of the best, most beautiful details in all of Animal Kingdom!) I dug our rain ponchos out of my backpack and handed them out all around.  As we approached the boarding platform, we all suited up, so to speak, and took our seats.

There’s a bar around the boat’s middle section you can put your feet on – don’t know if that Animal Kingdom's Kali River Rapidshelps keep them dry or not, but it makes me feel more prepared.  Since I was wearing my poncho over my backpack, I didn’t feel the need to store it in the bin provided in the middle of the boat, but the bin is there if you need it.  GoPro at the ready, we found ourselves in the boat with a couple of other families who were really friendly and nice and gave me permission to film them knowing I’d put the video on YouTube.  I made a joke as we left the dock – you can hear it on the video – I joked that we were the people who were going to stay dry since we were wearing ponchos while everyone else was going to get wet.

Kali River Rapids BoatIn the end, WE were the ones on the side of the boat that got completely drenched.  Thank goodness we were wearing ponchos and had the hoods up!  My shorts were somewhat wet – as was the front of my hair, but in no way was I as completely soaked to the skin as I would have been without proper protection.  SO glad we’d come prepared!  The best part was this frog that hitched a ride during the big splash and ended up jumping right on me which was really funny.

Have you ever ridden Kali River Rapids?  What did you think of the experience?  Which side of the boat were you on?

 

 

 

16 Best Things About Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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Animal Kingdom's Tree of LifeSweet 16!  Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating its anniversary this week and in honor of such a special occasion, I thought I’d share some thoughts on what I love about this oh-so-much-more-than-a-half-day park.

16 BEST Things (both great and small) about Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

1. Tracks! Take an occasional look down while you’re walking around and you’ll see animal tracks and leaf prints in the pavement.  This tiny detail adds to the feeling that you’re in the wilds of Asia and Africa and it’s just pretty darned cool!IMG_1116

2. Naked Mole Rats (g’head and say nekkid if you like, I do) – They’re really pretty disgusting, but SO interesting!  Find these gross yes undeniably riveting critters on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (Africa).

3. Kilimanjaro Safari – My love for this attraction can be found here.  It’s just awesome! That is all.

4. Foliage – The trees and plants in Animal Kingdom are cultivated to perfection!  Lush, exotic Animal Kingdom Foliageand perfectly overgrown to add to each area’s theme in a way that is pretty much taken for granted and underappreciated – it’s SO good, you just don’t really think about it.  A lot of work goes into perfecting the live backdrops for each area and attraction. Pay more attention next time you’re there, okay?

5. DiVine – Speaking of greenery!  DiVine details can be found here.  Please don’t miss her next time you find yourself following my advice (see #4).

6. Gorillas – The highlight of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (Africa section), this exhibit (two troops of lowland gorillas) is absolutely amazing.  Patience during crowded times pays off – I Gorilla at Disney's Animal Kingdomcalmly and quietly wait for an opportunity to zoom in and get some incredible pictures.  In the morning, when the gorillas are most active, it’s just fun to watch them go about their day.

7. Festival of the Lion King – Currently closed for relocation to a new theater and scheduled to reopen later this year. This show is a must-do for our family.  Wonderful songs, super costumes and tumble monkeys!  Who could ask for more? Go see it and you’ll understand it’s greatness.

8. Tigers – Just as the gorillas are my favorite animals along the Pangani Forest trail, tigers are, to me, the best part of the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Animal Kingdom’s Asia section.  The tigers are gorgeous and appear close enough to touch!  Great photo ops abound in this beautiful area.

9. Perfect Theming – In every area, every building, every ancient ruin – there’s just no Boat on the Water in Animal Kingdombetter overall perfection in theming than you will find in Animal Kingdom.  It’s nothing short of genius!

10. Conservation – Disney’s commitment to animal conservation is apparent throughout the park, but is particularly prominent at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.  Lots of folks skip this area of the park, but it’s well worth the time and effort to make a visit (take the Wildlife Express Train to get there).  This one area of the park can take 1-2 hours or more to give it the attention it deserves. No, there are no thrill rides or shows here, but you can see veterinarians in action taking care of injured animals or just performing routine medical exams.  It’s the “backstage” area for the park’s animal care Expedition Everest - the Queueactivities.  If stuff like that interests you, you’ll like it.

11. The Queue for Expedition Everest – It’s not only my favorite thrill ride in the world, it’s my favorite standby line.  I’ve been through it literally dozens of times and can still spot something new every time.  No FastPass? It’s all good.  Go standby on this one and take it all in.

12. The Music – No matter where you go in the park, the music is just wonderful.  If you get the chance to catch a live performance, even better!

13. The Tree of Life – 14 stories tall, this is an absolute marvel!  The joy of walking around the tree to study all the animal figures that make up the trunk, roots, and branches is indescribable.

14. Dinos in Dinoland – This may not be my favorite section of the park, but I’m still thrilled byDinoland Dino the replicas of dinosaur skeletons on display.  I remember how exciting it was when Sue was discovered in 1990 – the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever found – replicated for your viewing pleasure right there in Dinoland.

15. The Cast Members – Yes, they’re top notch at all the parks, but particularly so at Animal Kingdom.  Throughout the day (and especially at the front of the park when it first opens), you’ll find interesting and passionate Cast Members – each holding a small animal – ready to let you take a look while they fill you in on anything you’d like to know about the little creature in their care.

16. Expansion!  Even if you’re still not sure about the whole Avatar thing, if you’re an Animal Kingdom fan, you’ve got to believe that expansion is good!  Think about all the cool stuff that could happen when the park stays open later – the nighttime safari, shows, and c’mon – deep down inside you’re curious about how Pandora will turn out.  Personally, I can’t wait!

You’ll notice I didn’t mention any food!  I do think Animal Kingdom offers a wide variety of delicious food, I just couldn’t settle on any particular items to make it onto the list.  Go ahead and shout out some food love in a comment!

If you’re a big fan of Animal Kingdom (like ME!), be sure to check out the Radio Harambe Podcast!

An entertaining and informative Animal Kingdom fan site is Jambo Everyone – check them out if you have a minute.

What are your favorite things in Animal Kingdom?  Were any on the list? 

 

 

 

 

It’s DiVine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

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DiVine at Disney's Animal KingdomI’m always talking about the special things that Disney does that they don’t have to do.  Would I still have a super fantastic time riding Spaceship Earth in Epcot if I didn’t smell Rome burning?  Sure.  Would I still be thrilled by Rock’n’ Roller Coaster if the limo’s license plates weren’t completely awesome?  You betcha!  Would anyone even notice if the sound of chainsaws and trees falling was missing from the queue for Kali River Rapids?  I think not.  See?  You get the idea, right?  One of the absolute best things about a Walt Disney World vacation is all the little things you can see, feel, smell, experience – that Disney doesn’t even have to do!

If you’ve run from attraction to attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, you may have missed one of the truly special details of the Disney-doesn’t-have-to variety.  If you’ve considered Animal Kingdom a (gasp!) half-day park, you may have left too soon.  Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a park best experienced more slowly rather than in a rush.  Strolling rather than power-walking, meandering rather than bee-lining, if you will, opens up opportunities one may never have considered.  Specifically, I’m talking about DiVine!

Surely you’ve at least heard of DiVine, right?  She’s incredible, unbelievable, unpredictable, a real treasure!  You won’t see her if you rush – she hides in plain sight, but often goes unnoticed.  She’s part of the surroundings, blending, chameleon-like into the abundant vegetation.  Disney's Animal Kingdom DiVineDiVine is…well, a vine.  About ten-feet tall!  Vibrant green leaves, slender, delicate limbs, a slow, creeping gait – DiVine is much more flora than fauna, but she’s as alive as she can be and completely amazing.

Next time you find yourself rushing down the path from Asia to Africa (or from Africa to Asia), slow down.  Take a look around – check out the scenery, particularly the lush, tropical foliage. See a slight movement?  Look a bit closer….

Have you met DiVine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?  Were you trying to find her or did she take you by surprise?