Tag Archives: Disney World

The Creatures of Disney World

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Squirrel at Home, Moth in Key West, Raccoon at Home.

Little Back Story:

Before I delve right on into today’s post topic.  I need to give you some background info on the youngest member of The Fam, Joseph. He was, like many a boy-child born here in the Sportsman’s Paradise, a big fan of catching and studying all manner of creepy-crawly things.  Almost from birth.  We implemented a catch-and-release rule at our house by the time he was five.  We did allow a few pets and over the years Joseph cared for dogs, cats, pet rats, a gecko, a hairless guinea pig named Rufus (oh, just imagine how cute! No.), and some mail-order larvae that, thankfully, did turn into butterflies.  The rest of Joseph’s animals just came for a visit and then moved on.  That list included many snakes, skinks, and lizards, one baby possum, a baby rabbit, a baby raccoon, a flying squirrel, and an enormous garden spider named Mildred that lived outside our dining room window (Joseph tossed bugs into her web and she lived there for five months).  Joseph!  If you are reading this, call your parents!  (Sorry, empty nesting is HARD!)  Back to my post.

Here’s the Disney part: 

Animals at WDW

Bunny: Epcot, Ducks: Magic Kingdom, Lizard: Studios

What Joe’s awesome animal finding skills mean for us when we’re on vacation at Disney World is that, if there’s a creature or critter around, Joseph’s going to spot it.  Duck and baby ducklings at Magic Kingdom?  Joseph will point them out.  Lizard on a tombstone at The Haunted Mansion?  Joseph will see it.  Bunny in Epcot?  You bet Joe will show it to you.  All that is, and was, just fine.  Until one day at the China pavilion in Epcot.  Our darling boy, with no advance warning whatsoever, reached into the carefully manicured landscaping and pulled out a snake.

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SNAKE! Epcot China Pavilion

Genuinely concerned about the snake’s well-being, Joseph began looking around for an Epcot Cast Member he could give the snake to-hoping it could be safely moved from such a high-traffic area.  I was freaking out – not about the snake itself, I was used to that (at least it wasn’t poisonous this time)- I just knew there was pretty much no chance at all that any Cast Member would be willing to take that snake off Joseph’s hands.  So I began quietly trying to talk him into putting the snake back where he found it.  I took a few pictures (and noticed a few random strangers doing the same), and continued to coax Joseph – I argued that the snake looked like it would be just fine if only Joseph would PUT IT BACK!  Took me a few minutes, but finally Joseph decided that it did indeed look healthy enough and he gently sent it on its way up the same tree below which the snake had been found.  Whew.  We resumed our vacation with no further reptile encounters. 

What’s your most unusual animal encounter at Disney World?

 

Favorite Ride at Disney World? Rock’n’ Roller Coaster

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I Recently polled The Fam and asked them about their favorite ride at Disney World.

Raymond didn’t actually have to respond to the poll.  You can’t be married to the same person for 24 years and not know their favorite Disney World ride – Rock’n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith has been Raymond’s favorite ride since he first rode it in 2004 (the ride originally opened in 1999).

I did ask him what specifically about the ride made it his favorite…is it the introduction?  The dark?  The speed?  The loops?  The music?

Raymond’s answer?  “Yes.”  (Know what?  You just can’t get him to quit rambling on about stuff!)

What’s not to love about this ride?  If you are a thrill ride junky – this is as thrilling, as extreme a ride, as you will find at Disney World.  Here are the deets (Spoiler Alert):

Rock’n’ Roller Coaster is located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the end of Sunset Blvd.  Since it is right next to Tower of Terror, best to hit them both first thing in the morning and/OR score some fast passes for at least one of these if you love them.  Just FYI:  Toy Story Midway Mania (which I’ll talk about in detail at another time) is located very far away from these two rides (Pixar Place) and is also a headline attraction.  To tour successfully at the Studios, have a good plan for how you will accomplish all three with a minimum of wait time.  Use fast passes and early arrival (extra magic hour if available) to your best advantage.

Now back to R’n’R…

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The Studio at G-Force Records

Pre-Ride:  Enter the recording studio for G-Force Records where Aerosmith is busily working when their manager informs them they’re going to be late for their own concert.  Luckily you score back-stage passes and a ride to the concert in a super-stretch limo – head out into the alley to wait for your ride and get ready to blast off onto the LA freeways.

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Cheesy Ride Photo!

Brace yourself – this is no ordinary limo!  This ride hurls you from 0-60 miles-per-hour in 2.8 seconds!  Then you’re flying through banks, turns, dips, and corkscrews (yes, upside down!) before reaching your final destination.

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In the Alley Waiting for a Ride

 

 

 

 

Look for:  The limo’s licence plates!  There are five different limos, each sporting it’s own vanity plate.  (1QKLIMO for example) – while you’re looking at the plates, see if you can spot any Hidden Mickeys!  There are MANY both in the queue and on/around the ride.  For the most part, each limo plays different Aerosmith songs.  Listen carefully if you hear “Love in an Elevator” – the words are a bit different, recorded just for this ride!

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Safe and Sound Post-Limo Ride

You must be 48″ tall to ride.  There are health warnings for this ride and if you’re prone to motion sickness or have claustrophobia, I’d sit this one out.  Due to the nature of the ride, the harnesses that hold you in the limo are big and restrictive.  If you’re brave enough and get a kick out of a major adrenaline rush, you’ll love it just as much as Raymond does.

What’s your favorite ride at Disney World?

 

Magical Memory Monday – Walk Around the World Brick

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We took our first trip to Disney World with children in 1996.  Megan was four and Joseph was 13-months old.  This trip was taken during what I fondly refer to as “the lean years” – you know, the just-starting-out part of your lives when you’re living on love ’cause there’s not much else.  It was a big deal for us to take this trip.  A family reunion was planned at an off-site motel, so we flew down a few days early and splurged for an on-property stay at a value resort.  All Star Music is where we ended up.  In July.  Yes, just imagine!  We knew so little back then!!!  I will say, the Brazilian teens we encountered were very sweet and the girls all wanted to hold Joseph, marveling over his (then) blonde hair and blue eyes.  He soaked up the attention (and candy) they heaped upon his little baby self while he practiced his charm with the ladies at the guitar-shaped swimming pool.

Even though money was so tight back then, we were, of course, completely and totally IMG_1980enthralled by the perfection of Disney World as a vacation spot for The Fam.  We decided on an additional splurge: a Walk Around the World brick to mark our spot at OUR Happiest Place on Earth – even if we couldn’t visit again for a while.  I have found that Disney does a great job of inducing you to make emotion-driven purchases, but that’s another topic for another day.  Plus, I’ve never been a fan of being TOO practical anyway.

IMG_2076So the deal was, you dished out about $250 (if I recall correctly) for a personalized brick paver to be placed on the walkway which had been planned to circle the Seven Seas Lagoon.  Now, unfortunately, the circling was scrapped, but hundreds (thousands?) of us purchased bricks nonetheless.  Look down on the walkway outside Magic Kingdom!  It made us feel part of the magic – even if we couldn’t be there.  It took us a while to go back – about 8 years, but once we made it, it was time to see our brick.

A code on the certificate we received with the brick’s purchase indicated the brick’s location.  Ours started with a “W” so we knew our brick would be west of the Magic Kingdom heading on the walkway towards (but never reaching) the Grand Floridian.  Raymond did the research to narrow down the exact location.  We went in search of our little mark on Disney World.  A lot worn down and worse for IMG_1981wear, we were thrilled anyway when we found it!  Even though a long time had passed between trips, knowing that our hexagonal marker was waiting for us, made it’s very impractical purchase worth every penny.

 

 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Kilimanjaro Safari

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I must really love the Kilimanjaro Safari!  Every time I take the tour I act like I’ve never seen any of those animals before in my life (and may never see them again).  I take a million pictures.  As if my life depends on it.  Every.  Single.  Time.

I can’t just get in the vehicle and happily listenIMG_3185 to the guide as we go along on our exotic animal-spotting expedition.  I hear, “Jambo, Everyone!” and I immediately start swiveling and craning, camera ever at the ready – snapping pictures like crazy!  WHY!?!!  What causes this irresistible urge to photograph every single animal over and over again?  How many pictures of giraffes eating does one family need?

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If you haven’t yet enjoyed this grand adventure in the Africa section at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – hit it as early in the day as possible while everybody out there on the savannah is feeling perky and moving around.  Once in the park, head for the Tree of Life.  Once you’ve crossed the bridge onto Discovery Island, keep the Tree on your right as you go back along its left side.  You’ll cross one more bridge and then you’ll be in Africa!  The line for the Safari moves quickly and the tour takes about 18 minutes to wind you all around the 100 acres of African habitat.

There are some extremely cool animals to see and, if you’re lucky, many of them get pretty close to you (while you bump along safely in your open-air tour vehicle).  I prefer sitting close to the front (if I can manage it) and at either end of the bench seat (to minimize the number of times I accidentally take a picture of the back of someone’s head).

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Among the many animals you can see (and photograph!) are rhinos, lions, wildebeest, IMG_5319crocodiles, antelope, giraffe hippos, elephants, okapi, mandrills, and many others.  Go ahead, take some pictures.  I’ve decided that for some of us, that’s just how we answer the call of the wild.