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Animal Kingdom Observations: September 21, 2013

By Daisy Lauren

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When I first started with Touring Plans I was surprised to hear the least popular park on the blog is Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  I say that because any given day if you ask me what my favorite park is I will either answer Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom depending on my mood.  I find that Animal Kingdom is consistently different and I have the opportunity to take beautiful photos, making it a park I visit quite frequently!  The below photos were all taken this morning.  (Believe me – it would look way better if I was pulling out old photos!! )  Let’s get on with our visit to Animal Kingdom!

It was beautiful this morning.  When I parked my car at 8:30am the thermometer said it was only 72 degrees outside.  With the 90+ degree weather we’ve had for the last few months this felt amazing!  As I walked in I noticed that the large bus sign had been removed and replaced with sandwich board signs advertising the new Downtown Disney bus route.

Continuing on to bag check you can see the first sign that crowds were low and it was going to be a great day:

After this we made our way up to the turnstiles and waited for the park opening at 8:45am.  It opened at 8:45am right on the dot and we headed towards the Kilimanjaro Safari, of course stopping for the obligatory Tree Of Life photo.

Along our route to the Safari we checked in on the progress of the new Festival of the Lion King theater.  It is coming along:

I can’t wait to see this new theater open!  Before riding the Safari we, of course, stopped to pick up fastpasses since we knew we would want to ride again.  We had decided early this wasn’t going to be a roller coaster day so using fastpasses for an extra safari was an easy choice.

And then we were off for the standby line of what I think is my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World!  Here are the animals that I was able to get great photos of while on the ride.  We saw many more than are actually featured here:

Bongo

Black Rhino

Giraffes (look at the baby!!)

Bull Elephant

White Rhino

lioness

Zebra

Addax

This is why we always head straight for the Safari in the morning!  The animals are all wake and roaming.  Going even an hour later during the warmer months can mean that you miss lots of them.  After the ride we had some time to kill before our fastpass window opened so we headed over to the Pangani Forest Trail.  Again here are the animals that were feeling photogenic!

Colobus Monkey

Okapi

Bird

Bird

Meerkat

Male Gorilla

Notes on these photos – that is the laziest Meerkat I’ve ever seen.  While it was still performing its “lookout duties” it was doing so from the equivalent of a La-Z-Boy.  Also, apparently Gorillas eat off of frisbees?  When we reached the end of the trail it was 10am and time to cash in our fastpasses.  I noticed it had gotten warmer and had a feeling this one wouldn’t be as good as our first ride.  Taking a look at the photos below you can see I was right.

A bloat of hippos

Ankole Cattle that had been blocking the road

Male Lion

Hot, Tired White Rhinos

I included the photo of the Rhinos because I found this is what most of the animals were doing by 10:30am!  Our earlier safari was much better but I didn’t want to give up just yet so we headed over to the Maharajah Jungle Trek hoping to catch a few animals before they escaped the heat.  As you can see from the photo below this didn’t quite work out as I had hoped!

The only animals I found that were still out were the birds:

At this point we decided that if it was too hot for the animals it was too hot for us!  We took the the log way out and hopped on Dinosaur once with a 10 minute wait.  As we headed toward the exit I snapped a quick photo of the wait times.  At 11am the longest line was 20 minutes:

  

One last note on our way out was that there are no longer turnstiles to exit Animal Kingdom!  There was just a big gate manned by a single cast member.  I stopped to ask if this was permanent and it sounds like they will be fully converted to Magic Bands very soon and no longer require a turnstile to exit.

I hope you enjoyed this morning tour of Animal Kingdom!  In just a couple hours you can see so much at this very unique park.  I hope you will take some time to go wild at Animal Kingdom on your next visit.  It’s a jungle out there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exclusive Perks At Disney Hotels

By Kristina Murphy

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When planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, choosing to stay on-property opens the door to a certain amount of built in perks, namely:

Disney’s Magical Express - a complimentary shuttle for resort guests between Orlando International Airport and the WDW Resort.
Extra Magic Hours - extended hours either before or after (or both, depending on the season) regular operating hours avaialble just for resort guests.
Free transportation - buses, monorails and watercraft are all at guests’ disposal, and/or parking fees are waived at theme park autoplazas with valid resort identification.
Resort Hotel Delivery - all merchandise can be arranged to be delivered directly to WDW Resort hotels, with no additional charge.

While these perks are reason enough for many guests to book their vacation package, believe it or not, there are some additional – as well as some ‘little known’ – bonuses at some of the resorts that are worth considering. The following is a list of some fun perks that might come in handy when planning your next trip – by no means is it comprehensive, however, so please share any other fun tips you’ve found!

Resort(s): Disney’s Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans (Riverside) Resorts

Step Into The Story With Immersive Theming

(source: The Walt Disney Company)

All WDW Resort Hotels tell a story, but these special rooms go beyond the theming of the grounds and hallways, and immerse your family into an adventure from the minute you wake up! Art of Animation has family suites themed around Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King, as well as standard rooms with The Little Mermaid decor. At Caribbean Beach, you can be a real buccaneer in a pirate-themed room, or choose the fairytale experience with Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside.

Resort: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (and Villas)

Get a taste of Africa with Culinary Tour(s) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge 

(source)

Lindsay DuBose wrote a fantastic review (HERE) about this daily tour that departs each evening at 4 p.m. from the Boma desk. Tours are led by Cultural Representatives, special Disney Cast Members on exchange from a variety of participating African countries and feature colorful descriptions of the many sensory aspects of the lodge’s signature dining experiences, Boma and Jiko. Although it is open to anyone (not limited to just registered guests) I considered it a perk on this list, since it’s the most convenient for guests staying at either the lodge or villas. For additional information, or to confirm dates, consult the Resort Activities Calendar or call (407) 938-3000.

Note: there is also a tour of Sanaa (review HERE) daily at 4 p.m. which lasts 20 minutes and departs from their podium at Kidani Village.

Embark upon the “African-Inspired, Disney-Designed” Tour

Lindsay shared her thoughts HERE about this daily 20-minute tour, a colorful look into the inspiration behind the resort. Tour departs at 4:30 p.m. from the Johari Treasures Gift Shop. For additional information, or to confirm dates, consult the Resort Activities Calendar or call (407) 938-3000.

Journey on the Wanyama Safari and Dinner

Unlike the previously mentioned experiences, this special booking is exclusive to guests of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas only. Limited to just 12 guests, this personalized experience features an animal-spotting tour aboard a safari vehicle, plus a decadent meal at Jiko. Reservations must made be through the itinerary planning office or Concierge at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at (407) 938-4755.

Resort: Disney’s Beach Club Resort (and Villas) (+ Disney’s Yacht Club Resort)

(source)

Take a Dip at Stormalong Bay

All WDW Resort hotels have pools, but the swimming complex known as Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club is definitely a guest favorite. While guests are generally dissuaded from pool-hopping in general, proper identification is a must here. Erin Foster provides a comprehensive guide to this, and other deluxe and villa-resort pools here, along with detailed descriptions and helpful photos.

Resort: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (and Villas)

Discover History With The Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge Tour 

(source: The Walt Disney Company)

Also previously reviewed in Lindsay DuBose’s review (HERE), this unique hour-long tour takes place Wednesday through Saturday at 9 a.m. and features a look at the history, design and inspiration of the resort. Like the Culinary Tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, this tour is open to all guests, but due to its location, may be most convenient for guests of the Lodge and/or Villas. For additional information or to confirm dates, consult the Wilderness Lodge Resort Activities Calendar (on site) or call (407) 824-3200.

Resort(s): Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and Disney’s Polynesian Resort

(source)

Travel With The Greatest of Ease (And Options) 

Although free transportation is included with every Walt Disney World Resort stay, nothing beats the array of options of the three “monorail resorts.” Along with the resort monorail, the Grand Floridian and Polynesian provide boat launches to the Magic Kingdom, as well as bus service to the other theme parks and Downtown Disney. Additionally, the Contemporary (and DVC component, Bay Lake Tower) provides an easy walking path to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom.

Side note(s):

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Ft. Wilderness also enjoy resort launch services to the Magic Kingdom. For other water taxi services, also check out Disney’s Port Orleans, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa and Disney’s Old Key West for service to Downtown Disney, or Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club, Disney’s BoardWalk or the Swan & Dolphin to access Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Check Erin’s comprehensive transportation guide HERE for more details.
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa also offers walking paths to the Downtown Disney shopping area.

Other fun perks offered at multiple Walt Disney World Resort Hotel locations:

(source)

Relax with a fun family campfire at these 14 locations: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas – Kidani Village, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (both French Quarter and Riverside), Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort (note: Ft Wilderness’ campfire experience includes a Sing-a-long with Chip ‘n’ Dale, see Daisy’s recent post on that experience here). Call 407-WDW-PLAY (939-7529) for more information.
Watch a movie under the stars – offered at multiple resorts, call 407-WDW-PLAY (939-7529) for current schedules.

 

 What other special perks do you know about that are offered at certain WDW Resort Hotels?

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