Tag Archives: Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – So Long Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade

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Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade PuppetDisney’s Animal Kingdom – Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade

Twelve years is a pretty good run for a parade.  Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, which debuted in 2001, took its last trip around Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 31st – and that made me a little sad.  I’m all for change and everything, but it’s still hard to see the parade that had become such a normal part of a day at Animal Kingdom go away – I’m sure for good.

Let’s take a minute to look at the current Walt Disney World Parade situation…Animal Kingdom Parade Character

Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy and Main Street Electrical Parades, along with some special occasion parades (and the Electrical Water Pageant) are the only ones left at Walt Disney World!  There used to be a daily parade in ALL FOUR PARKS!  Tapestry of Nations (became Tapestry of Dreams) ran at Epcot (1999 to 2003), Hollywood Studios had a daily parade almost continuously from 1991 to 2013, which changed themes many times over the years (Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun was the final one).  And now we’ve said farewell to the parade at Animal Kingdom.  Do people just not love parades anymore?  Is this the result of Disney cost-cutting?  Is a parade too old Minnie Mouse at Animal Kingdomfashioned?  Too much maintenance and dependence on good weather?  WHAT?

Back to Animal Kingdom and Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade…

Since we were at Walt Disney World during the last week of May – and since I most certainly do love parades (and always will), I felt I needed to watch Mickey’s Jammin Jungle at Animal Kingdom one last time and bid it a fond farewell.  Sources say the parade route is being negatively impacted by new construction for Avatar land.  Ever since the daily parade at the Studios ended in 2013, I’ve always felt Animal Kingdom’s parade would be next on the chopping block anyway.  I DO want Animal Kingdom to get more rides and attractions.  I am also thrilled beyond words about the Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade Birdprospect of getting to enjoy Animal Kingdom at night.  I’m still going to be sad about the parade.  But that’s okay – changes happen, sacrifices must be made, and, well, Disney is never more exciting than when there’s something new to see or do.

Weigh in – are you sad about the lack of a daily parade at every park or is it not important to you?

Donald in Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade

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? 

 

 

 

 

MY Favorite Disney Ride – Expedition Everest

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Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain!

I saved the best for last.  I told you all about the favorite rides of the rest of The Fam, but my favorite ride really is the very best, most exciting, most fun ride experience Disney World has to offer.  Expedition Everest has something for everyone – or at least everyone over 44″ tall.  As one of the newest thrill rides at Disney World, it has the best theming, best story line, best standby line – although Tower of Terror would be a very close second.  Located in the Asia section at Animal Kingdom, you’ll easily spot the ride’s famed mountain long before you reach it.

Way back in 2006, we were lucky enough to visit Disney World during Expedition Everest’s softEE Queue opening.  We rode it seven times!  Yes, we can say we are among the fortunate few who experienced The Yeti in its original, fully functioning, arm-swiping glory.  Jealous?  You know you are.  Sadly, Betty (as we super-fans call the mountain’s guardian) is broken.  Most EE fans agree – She may never be fixed, never restored to her original scary self.  All you get now is a mere shadow of her former brilliant Yeti-ness (albeit a strobe-lit disco one).  Originally (yes, I am an actual authentic eye witness), the Yeti was a highly visible, hunch-backed, dread-lock-sporting giant whose long, simian arm would take a swipe at you mid-ride – VERY cool and frightening.  However, early on, the rumors say, the foundation supporting the gargantuan beast cracked (reports about the actual problem vary).  But here’s a fact:  Betty the Yeti is broken and cannot be repaired without tearing up (or down) the entire mountain.  Searching the internet will uncover the many different theories about poor Betty but all seem to agree:  The repairs would be very costly and take a long time during which EE would be non-operational.

So why is this still my favorite ride?

IMG_1907For one thing, the queue for this attraction is SO fantastic – you’ll actually miss some of the best things about the Expedition Everest experience if you have a fast pass.  Long before you enter the actual queue, you’ll notice an abundance of detail.  The mountain itself with its snowy peak, the worn colored flags strung through the air, the statues, the trinkets and tributes – and that’s just outside.  Step into the Yeti museum and the expedition outfitters supply store!  Amazing!  So much to look at, you’ll forget you’re in line for the best ride at Disney World!

EE Queue 3EE Queue 2

IMG_1912Once you make it to the ride platform (where you’ll find still more details to enjoy), hop aboard a tea train for what at first is a delightful little ride past some pretty landscaping – then the climb begins that will take you into the forbidden mountain (check out the great view on the way up).  Once you reach the top?   Hang on!  There is SO much action on this steel coaster which reaches 50 mph during the ride’s nearly 3 minute duration.  There are plenty of surprises, so keep those eyes open!  Even the post-ride exit through the gift shop is fun.  This ride has it all!  If you haven’t yet had the pleasure and are headed to Disney World, put this at the tippy top of your “must do” list.

Anybody else love EE as much as I do?