DAY 3, DEC 7, Wednesday:
Instead of posting daily report, I'm combining 2 days at the same theme park. So this post is day 3 and 6 of our visit both at Animal Kingdom.Here's the link for our real African safari
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/06/south-africa-trip-report-kruger.html
Here's the Christmas tree at the entrance of Animal Kingdom...with suitable animal themed ornaments
This is a kingdom of animals, real, ancient and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival....
Home to more than 1,700 animals from 250 species and sprawling across 500 acres of lush landscape, Disney's Animal Kingdom park is the biggest animal-themed park in the world!
Walt Disney World's fourth and newest theme park opened in April 1998. When it first opened, park advertising used the faux-African word "nahtazu" ("not a zoo") as a slogan to emphasize
that it was not just a collection of animals in small iron cages.
The sign boards, lamp posts and even the seats strewn around for resting our tired feet are all a labor of love.
Some light carving thrown in...Stone seating and bamboo grove also conform to the Asian display area character
Lovely drinking water fountain...
Lamp posts with cute animals...
Quite scenic as well...who can believe this is a fake mountain?
Here's the Tree of Life:
The tree of life is 145-foot tall, 50-foot wide. Ten artists and three Imagineers worked full-time for 18 months to create the 325 animal carvings on The Tree of Life...
Such realistic carvings...it becomes a pleasure to wait in the queue for the show when the route is covered with such lovely carvings
We loved this 8-minute, 3D movie featuring Flik, the ant, and his grasshopper friend, Hopper, from the film A Bug's Life—along with a supporting cast of insects and arachnids.
It's Tough to be a Bug!. is a 3-D film and has creepy crawlies, complete with special effects. Screamed my head off when it felt as if a rat was crawling behind my back at the end of the movie. On our 2nd visit to the same show, examined the chair minutely but still could not see how they perform this illusion... Probably a burst of air ...heard a few screams from other 1st timers this time....
Animal Kingdom is a very large park, and most of the attractions are outdoors. .After going through the entrance gates, we are in the Oasis area. there are no rides or shows here, there are two well-shaded paths that pass by a number of animal enclosures.
This leads into the park toward Discovery Island, which is the hub from which we explore the rest of Animal Kingdom.
This leads into the park toward Discovery Island, which is the hub from which we explore the rest of Animal Kingdom.
Asia has the Kali River Rapids where we had a wet and enjoyable ride. At the far end of this area is the ride, Expedition Everest.
Note the innovative sign board.
The Asian section is meant to represent a fictional community
Anandapur, a South Asian village on the edge of a jungle and
not far from the Himalayas. Again, the attention to detail is
incredible... sadly it has walls with pealing plaster and broken
ruined structures...exposed bricks are the norm here..
Glimpse of the forbidden mountain...
Cross a Himalayan river...in colored ferries. These are props of course to add atmosphere.
The foot of the yeti is available for darshan...
did not have the heart to photograph the Gupta stores with dusty backpacks and rusty mountaineering gear.
One would imagine this is really some
remote Indian mountain village... right down to the fruit/ flower
offerings at the Mandir [Temple]...Yeti mandir here; the queue route for the
ride.
We rang the bells just as we do at real temples to announce our presence to the Gods and got into the mood..
Museum /gift shop ...
Expedition
Everest is a high-altitude, high-speed, roller coaster train ride to
the "Roof of the World," home of the inhospitable beast,
the Yeti.
We climb aboard a railway car bound for
Mount Everest; it begins with a few scenic twists and turns,
then sets out on an ascent towards the summit.
Nail-biting hairpin turns hurl us
forward and down sudden drops on the mountain slopes in a race to
escape Yeti....after plunging into darkness, when the light comes on,
we see, the yeti has twisted the tracks and yanked them out... now
where do we go??
The train starts careening
backwards! It was a very thrilling ride--not sure if we want a
repeat ride on it. It was pretty rough....especially on the neck when
the train started speeding backwards.
Gorilla was having fun on its playground.
3 tons of food a day is used to feed all the animals in the park… that's a 4.5 year supply for the average person.
Next was the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Similar to the Pangani Forest trail, this is a walk through ancient "ruins" showcasing Asian wildlife.
Again the exposed bricks. uneven stone floors theme, continues...
In the netted ceiling aviary.. the bats are behind the chain entrance...
Maintain this rustic look...
The Bengal tigers are the stars,
but we also liked the giant fruit bats, and the countless birds inside the aviary.
Weaver birds at work here on their nests---AWESOME!
Maintain this rustic look...
but we also liked the giant fruit bats, and the countless birds inside the aviary.
This is Harambe, fictional east African town, Saying "Jambo!"...that is Hello in swahili ...before going on the African safari, having a go at Afro drums... Hakuna Matata... no worries...
We were on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. According to the story of this attraction, we are headed out on a two-week safari through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. We have boarded our well-equipped (and
very large) safari jeep, and our driver/guide points out the animals
along the route. This area of the park covers more than 100 acres (40 ha.), with habitats representing wetlands, forest, and savanna. The trick for seeing maximum animals is to go at relatively cooler parts of the day.
We get quite an authentic African safari, with guaranteed show of all the animals/birds on the itinerary. Lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and many more species can be seen during the trip.
Longhorn at close quarters here--they make fodder available near the safari route to ensure a good show.
Giraffe having its lunch
again lack of fencing makes the viewing experience great.
Many of the herbivores hang out just feet from the jeep's path, and there are no windows or fences between us and them. A strategic water body serving as fence between the elephant and the jeep route--they don't take chances with passenger safety.
Longhorn at close quarters here--they make fodder available near the safari route to ensure a good show.
Giraffe having its lunch
again lack of fencing makes the viewing experience great.
Many of the herbivores hang out just feet from the jeep's path, and there are no windows or fences between us and them. A strategic water body serving as fence between the elephant and the jeep route--they don't take chances with passenger safety.
Water hogs here...
Flamingos...
Here we are on Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. A walk-through area near the exit of the Kilimanjaro Safaris. This forested area is home to hippos, meerkats, and gorillas.... The coir net bridges add to the ambiance.
No fireworks at the animal kingdom but the parade made up
..Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. This afternoon parade celebrates the animal spirit, featuring plenty of Disney characters, abstract animal puppets, and other visual surprises. .
I'll upload videos later.
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