Disney Day 2: Animal Kingdom

There are several depots at our resort at which Disney buses stop every ten or fifteen minutes to pick up guests and shuttle them to the various parks and other resorts in Walt Disney World. The north depot is the shortest walk from our room, so we were there bright and early this morning for a quick bus ride to Animal Kingdom. This theme park didn't exist when Susan and I were at Disney World nearly fifteen years ago, so we were excited to see it ourselves, as well as to start our daughters off on a week's worth of Disney adventures. We also had another surprise in store for the girls: Susan's sister, Cassie, and her husband, Nick, had come to FL to visit friends for Thanksgiving, so they arranged to meet us at Animal Kingdom and spend today with us before returning to NC after supper--something we hadn't told the girls. They were delighted to see Cassie and Nick approach the entrance to the park, and we all had a fantastic day together.

Surprise! The girls react to seeing Nick and Cassie walk up to us at the entrance to Animal Kingdom.

Susan had planned ahead and knew which rides to get on at which times of day (to avoid crowds and minimize wait times). She also knew about the FASTPASS feature at many attractions: the ability to use our "keys to the world" at a ride to get FASTPASS tickets telling us what time to return, at which time we could bypass those waiting in line, go to the front of the line, and have virtually no delay in getting on the ride ourselves. Nice! Animal Kingdom is divided into seven named lands, each with its own theme and related attractions. There was more to do and see in each land than we could get to or take in today, but here's what we did see/do (not in chronological order)--click the links to see video clips:

Oasis

• at the entrance to the park--we saw wildebeest in their pen but otherwise rushed through it to get to the other lands and their attractions

The Christmas tree outside the entrance to Animal Kingdom. Its decorations include animal faces carved from wood.

DinoLand U.S.A.

• rode Primeval Whirl (twice!), a roller coaster whose cars spin around while traveling the track
• rode TriceraTop Spin (twice!), in which we each boarded dinosaurs that we could make fly higher or lower as the whole contraption rotated carousel-style
• rode DINOSAUR (twice!), in which we boarded vehicles that took us (roller coaster-style) back in time to retrieve one dinosaur--and survive other dinosaurs--before a meteor struck the planet
• saw Finding Nemo--The Musical, a live stage version of the Disney animated movie Finding Nemo with beautiful puppetry, clever set pieces, original songs, and a quick pace (half-hour)

Asia

• walked through Maharajah Jungle Trek, a zoo made to look like the ruins of an ancient palace now inhabited by exotic animals native to the continent
• rode Kali River Rapids, a white-water rafting experience that we were prepared for: we wore ponchos and came out of it only mildly soaked!
• rode Expedition Everest--Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (twice!), a thrilling roller coaster in which we rode train cars steeply up Mt. Everest, encountered tracks torn apart by a Yeti, backed up at high speeds, and descended the mountain even more rapidly on tracks that twisted and rose and dipped with alarming unpredictablility!

Rafiki's Planet Watch

• never did get to this section of the park

Africa

• rode Kilimanjaro Safaris, in which we boarded a safari vehicle driven by a guide who pointed out the roaming, sleeping, and hiding animals native to the African savannah (the guide started the ride by pulling away from the entrance and teasingly welcoming us on a "14-day safari," which caused Hillary to look at me in alarm and point out, "We didn't bring enough clothes!")
• watched male acrobats in African garb do tumbling and balancing tricks on a gymanstics mat with a tribal beat playing in the background

Nick and Cassie having more fun than one might expect on a safari.

A baobab tree. Unusual, no?

Camp Minnie-Mickey

• saw Festival of the Lion King, a production based on the Disney animated movie The Lion King but featuring acrobats, a fire juggler, singing and dancing, and audience participation

Discovery Island

• saw It's Tough to Be a Bug, a funny 3-D movie with characters from Disney's animated movie A Bug's Life--because of the 3-D effect, the bugs seemed to leap off the screen and into our laps; and the theater was equipped to blast odor and water at us to coincide with the bugs' spraying and spitting at us from the screen (very cool effects)
• ate dinner at Flame Tree Barbecue where Susan and I shared our meals: a half-slab of St. Louis ribs and half a smoked chicken, each served with baked beans and corn muffins; and Key lime pie and chocolate cake for dessert
• listened to a group play traditional Christmas tunes on tropical instruments, like steel drums!

See Daddy and the girls peeking through the foliage at the steel drum-playing musicians (out of camera range)?

We left the park to have supper at Animal Kingdom Lodge, a short bus ride away. We ate at Boma, a restaurant two levels down from the lobby of the lodge. It looks like an African marketplace and features a buffet of delicious foods unlike anything we'd ever otherwise encounter in decidedly non-African North Dakota! Just scan this sample menu for an idea of the unusual selections. We sampled a little of everything and found the flavors interesting and appealing. Mango and papaya and coconut in salads and soups? The spiced couscous of northern Africa alongside the Dutch-influenced slaw and pickled dishes of South Africa? Loved it all.

Cassie and Nick in Boma after supper.

The Christmas tree in the lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge (a couple floors above Boma). Notice the full-sized person in front of the tree, and use that to adjust your perspective to judge the size of the tree and the chandeliers above.

After supper, Cassie and Nick headed off on the long drive back to NC, but we rode back to Animal Kingdom for a second ride on several of the attractions and a look around the park in its nighttime glory. You know how a city street has a different character in the daytime from that at night? Surrounding darkness and limited illumination at night adds a sense of excitement and mystery and appeal to a city street that it just doesn't have by the full light of noon. Same thing with a Disney park; it's a different beast at night with its appropriately themed lighting and its abundance of shadows. Terrific to walk through and soak in!

The Christmas tree at the Animal Kingdom entrance as it looks lit up at night.

When we returned to our room, we found that our "mousekeeper," Elke, had left us a surprise in response to the decorated tip envelope that we had left for her. Disney magic!

Gift from Elke, our mousekeeper. It's an animal made from towels and wash cloths. The note says, "Thank you! Have a magical vacation."