On Monday we were all awake relatively early again. In 1999 we had been recommended to get to Animal Kingdom as early as possible as it gets too hot for the animals and they tend to go and sit in the shade. We decided our next Disney park would be Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year so it was very new when we were there last time.
In 1999 we were already at the park as 7:45am as it opened at 8:00am. This time normal opening was 9:00am but the park was open to people staying in Disney hotels from 8:00am. We arrived at 9:15am and the park was already busier than I remembered it being last time. We were parked quite a way from the entrance in Giraffe 42.
We headed straight to the Kilimanjaro Safaris in the Africa area. There are lots of animals to see in the safari Jeep style ride and it doesn’t look like the zoo it really is. There was also a brief moment of worry when we had to drive across an ‘unstable’ bridge, which rocked to one side as we drove across. We saw all the animals we expected and some very close up. Bethany thought it was great.
Hippos including a small calf
Crocodiles 🐊
Tree of life – it stores water in its massive trunk and some animals use their tusks or claws to break open the bark to get a drink.
African cows – I’ve forgotten the actual name.
Giraffes 🦒
Wildebeests
Elephants 🐘
Flamingoes
Cheetah – sitting in the shade
Lions 🦁 – they were just having a nap. Not surprising as they can sleep for 20 hours a day and are more active at night.
Rhinos 🦏
Zebra 🦓
Ostrich and her eggs 🥚 – strong enough for a human to stand on. Goodness knows how the baby chick hatches.
I can’t remember the name of the next bird and it’s not a great picture but I think its colors are great.
After the safari ended we stayed in Africa and went to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. This is a walking tour through different habitats to see other African animals. The biggest of which were the gorillas 🦍 . Luckily for us they were in posing mode.
On the trail we also saw meerkats, fish and birds.
Our next choice was to go on the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This area is all about conservation and animal care. You can also get a behind the scenes look at how the animals are looked after.
Part of it is called the Affection Section where you can pet goats, sheep and pigs. When we were there a show called Animal Encounters – It Started With a Mouse was on. It was very informative and entertaining, especially the show steeling pig.
Parrot
Porcupine
Skunk
We decided we need lunch so we took the train back to Harare and headed to Asia next.
We managed to book a Fast Pass for the Kali River Rapids but after lunch we still had a bit of time to spare so we went on another walking tour – Maharajah Jungle Trek. This included more Asian animals.
Tigers 🐅
I can’t remember what these deer were called.
Water buffalo
Birds
The landscaping and attention to detail in all areas was very good.
It was then time for our Fast Pass and after securing all our belongings in the free lockers we set off to cool down on the river rapids. The signs said “You WILL get wet, you may get soaked.” Luckily for us it was more the former than the latter. There were other people on our raft who definitely got soaked.
Animal Kingdom is overlooked by a huge mountain which is where the Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain ⛰ ride is located.
This wasn’t here last time we came so it was on my wish list. Unfortunately not on Michael or Bethany’s. There were no Fast Passes available at the right time but the ride has a single person lane which means you can also skip a good part of the queue. It was a full on rollercoaster experience going forwards and backwards, outside and in the dark as we tried to escape the clutches of the Yeti! I was pleased not to have persuaded Bethany to give it a go as her first rollercoaster experience.
The next area we visited was Dinoland USA and the first attraction we found was Finding Nemo – The Musical. This was a musical version of the film including all the crucial parts of the story acted out by puppeteers with 3D puppets and sections of the film. The singing was all live and it was entertaining.
While waiting for Finding Nemo, we had booked Fast Passes for DINOSAUR 🦖. This was a mixture of pre-filmed and 3D moving models which we moved through at speed with frequent changes of direction. Bethany decided after this ride that she loved this type of ride – from the girl who was nervous as we were lining up!
Bethany then decided she liked the look of Primeval Whirl – a rollercoaster which also span on route. We booked a Fast Pass but it had been temporarily closed due to the thunderstorm that had passed over while we were in DINOSAUR. Bethany went to check how long it would be before the ride opened again. The staff thought only 5 to 10 minutes so we went for a look around the shop.
Unknown to us, Fast Pass had e-mailed us to tell us that the ride wasn’t running and offered us the option of using our pass on other rides instead. I didn’t however see this until I check my mail when we got back to the condo.
Luckily the ride was back up and running within 10 minutes and the queues were very short. Bethany loved the ride and wanted to go again, but as Michael was waiting for us we decided not.
The other rides we really wanted to experience were in the new Pandora – The World of Avatar area. Both the rides – Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey – had had long wait times all day (between 60 and 180 minutes) and Fast Passes were constantly sold out. We would definitely recommend booking Fast Passes in advance for these rides as so many people had obviously done. If you book tickets in advance online, you can book Fast Passes 30 days in advance and if you are staying in a Disney resort you can book 60 days in advance.
After a quick stop at Starbucks, including the purchase of our first mug of the trip, we headed back to the tram to go back to the car park.
As there were fewer people around I got a better picture of the Tree of Life with all the animals carved into the trunk.
When we got back to the parking lot we had a little confusion finding the car – had we parked in 41 or 42 and on the front of back row? – which was quite quickly resolved and we drove back to the condo.
We had nothing to cook at the apartment so we decided to go out to eat rather than pick something up at Walmart. A neighbouring complex has a sports bar / restaurant on site so we decided to check out Drafts.
It turned out to be a great choice as they were showing a live ice hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins. One of Bethany’s favourite players is Auston Matthews who plays #34 for TML. We asked for a table with a good view of the big screen. The food was also good and we chose an interesting starter (appetizer) – Tatchos. Potato bites drizzled with a cheese sauce and sprinkled with peppers, spring onion and crispy bacon.
After the first two periods we headed back to the condo. Unfortunately the TV channel had decided to show the final period of another game so Bethany and Michael didn’t get to see the end of the game but they did find out that TML has won.
Over dinner we decided to give Disney a break the next day and thought we would head to Universal instead. Watch out for the next article!
Crouch Family On Tour 