You might say the last day of our Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort trip was the best one- and you'd probably be right. (I can't imagine ever visiting Central Florida again without seeing both resorts. Try it for yourself. Even as an Imagineering geek, you might be pleasantly surprised.) As you could guess by the photo above of Expedition: Everest, our last theme park day was at the stunningly beautiful Disney's Animal Kingdom.
We began our trip with four great days at the parks, followed by one very bad day that ended well. (In order, with trip reports linked, they were: Islands of Adventure ("The Best Family park for Thrill Seekers?"), Universal Studios ("Why I May Never Go to Universal Studios Florida Again"), Magic Kingdom ("How to Beat Disney at Their Own Game"), Epcot ("Is Disney World's New Epcot an Improvement?"), and finally Disney's Hollywood Studios ("The Worst Disney Park in Florida?".)
The theme of the day was "Chill", and it is exactly what happened. No rush, no worries, no early mornings to beat the crowds. Even walking into the park, the vibe felt different, and it was. Take in a deep breath, relax. We all did, but I also prepared to say goodbye to a couple of opening day attractions: It's Tough to Be a Bug, and Dinosaur aka Countdown to Extinction.
As with Epcot, this park and its creation and evolution has fascinated me. In fact, one of the most popular series on this blog is an eight part (so far) series highlighting its history. Throw in pieces of our trips reports, tons of photos and rare concept art, and it makes for a great read. Check it out: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight.
After many visits year after year, Disney's 4th Florida theme park is as interesting, immersive, and lovely as ever. Not perfect, not complete, but certainly one of the very best the Imagineers ever created.
Large strange Avatar world plant.
Soaring through Pandora was a must. It's my favorite attraction in this park. However, the upkeep on the film is horrible. Truly bad and needs to be top quality if the suits are going to charge add-on prices to ride the thing without a two hour wait. When you're not using physical sets to pull off immersion, the film you do use had better not be out of focus, but it certainly was. Those of us with and without lenses noticed this.
With that disappointment behind us, we discovered a quick 15 minute wait for Nav'i River Journey. I'm a sucker for an old school dark ride on water. Give me Pirates of the Caribbean, El Rio del Tiempo- I mean Gran Fiesta Tour- and even It's A Small World and I'm happy as can be. The lack of Audio-Animatronic people apart from the large blue woman at the end is still a disappointment but not as much as a lack of Audio-Animatronic animals. This is Animal Kingdom, after all. Screens just don't do it! The most successful animals seen are those jumping frog type creatures on the leaves found over passengers' heads. That simple effect is impressive and playful. With waterfalls setting what's to come, black light effects that are top notch, and the cool of the evening as a story backdrop, the journey may not be an "E Ticket" in the traditional sense, but it is a quite enjoyable one.
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Gotta love the Tree of Life!
On the way to our next adventure, we found ourselves still in awe of the park's icon: The Tree of Life. From every angle, this work of art impresses. At different times of the day, it seems to evolve into a piece of the landscape that's distinctive from the one before it. Light and color and forms change and create beauty. It's my favorite Florida park icon by far.
A view I normally don't shoot.
Hot! Hot! Hot! By this point in the day, it was already a very warm one. Time for Kali River Rapids. As usual, it was a quick walk through the queue, but dang, that area is filled with wonderful detail! The ride itself is honestly not that impressive and is the biggest disappointment of all the major attractions to be found here. The fun is there, but the length of the ride sells it short. The original plans for Tiger River Run would have added the thrill element for sure.
It was time to eat, but we still wanted to get a morning excursion on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Heading out to Africa, the lushness of the park and the stunning Tree of Life never fails to amaze us. Again. (If the real Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was this spectacular, well, what a sight!)
Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery seemed like our best bet, and what a great little find it turned out to be! I'm not an egg guy at all- not even close- but the Breakfast Totchos were so good I couldn't believe I was eating something this tasty from a Disney snack bar. We snuck around to a secluded patio area nestled between Mombassa Marketplace and Tabu Tabu Refreshments and took it in, enjoying a leisurely breakfast.
The theming was subtle, remote feeling, and charming. Surely, this wasn't a theme park. You gotta give props to Imagineering's Joe Rohde and his team. They created a modern masterpiece. This placemaking (Does Disney still use that term or do they not care anymore?) is what I loved about Epcot's World Showcase. As they move firmly away from realism into an increasingly cartoon look for this once great park, I find I appreciate this aspect of Animal Kingdom more than ever. I do know transformation is coming. D23 promises Encanto and Indiana Jones coming here, but I hope they do not go full blown fantasy for the architecture and feel of the area. It's the last U.S. Disney theme park that is coherent in its execution. Please keep it that way. A guy can dream, right?
Some folks might say that creating a park that looks like the real world is not what they come to Disney for. I say, bring it on! Even though my daughter in law is from Kenya, I may never go there. So, Disney's Animal Kingdom may be as close as I ever get. My son and his family have been on a real safari. (How does it compare? Check this out. You might be surprised by their photos.) If they ever go to Disney with us, it will be very interesting to hear their thoughts.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you how some of those trips through the beautiful Disney created savannah are just so-so? Not this one! With more animals out than we'd ever seen, it was just wonderful, making this one of the best excursions we've ever had. We'd seen the safari lands at twilight, early in the morning, and even late afternoon, but this time, the animals were plentiful and active. Perhaps they'd just been fed? I don't know, but what a ride. Although I miss the original drivers that were from the continent, this American guide knew his stuff.
More than any other on the Walt Disney World property, taking time for exploration and taking in the details is the way to visit this park. There's something to be discovered around every corner if you do so.
This is the this way I love visiting the Disney theme parks- the way it used to be when you could spend a few hours in say, New Orleans Square at Disneyland, and soak in all the details instead of rushing around from attraction to attraction. With Lightning Lane / Genie+ / Virtual Queue, the suits are trying to manipulate us and take away that leisurely visiting. It's a money maker, but it degrades and defiles what should be the Disney experience that differentiates them from their competition. As it stands now, it is a less pleasant vacation than it used to be. This will only lead to decreased return visits- and lower profits long term. Moving forward, Universal Orlando would do well to learn from Disney's mistakes, and this is one of the biggest.
Wandering around Disney's Africa, I couldn't help but think about the plans that were once in place for an Equatorial Africa spot at EPCOT's World Showcase. I imagine it will never happen in any form now, but that's fine. It exists in its best presentation here in Animal Kingdom. It's so rich an experience! From the Gorilla Falls Trail to each shop, cafe, and attraction, the work of the Imagineers places you in the middle of a place that seems very real but still alluring.
I will not miss Dino-Rama.
You can argue all you want about how in-theme and how excellently done Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama is. The truth is, the little slice of Americana carnival was a blemish on a beautiful park. It never fit nor should it have been built. (For that matter, remove Pixar Pier from Disney California Adventure as well. Do it yesterday.)
Removing Dinoland U.S.A. is a whole different story.
Dinosaurs belong in this park. In fact, they belong in any park themed to animals of all kinds. Who doesn't love them? To see Disney lift the white flag in defeat to Jurassic Park over at Islands of Adventure sadly encourages guests to give up on Animal Kingdom and take in a day at Disney's biggest competitor instead. If dinosaurs are your thing, drop into Islands. The comparison between how each company handled them is so shockingly different. Check this article out, and then tell me who won the dino wars. Any guesses?
A taste of creatures to come.
Long live the DINO INSTITUTE!
Knowing this would be our very last ride on Countdown to Extinction aka the generically named Dinosaur, brought a bit of sadness as well as thrills. It was one of the opening day attractions, and we as a whole family of six joyfully rode it on our first park visit in 1999. Consensus was Disney had a major hit on their hands. Then they toned it down year after year as well as allowing the broken effects to remain.
One last ride in the CTX Time Rover.
But it still rocked in a good way. And over two decades later, we loved the ride for what it was: a rite of passage for the grandkids among a long list of thrilling rides to be found here in the Orlando area.
Name changes come and go, but a piece of history was still there waiting to be found.
The medallion. Pretty stinking cool!
Will the Imagineers leave a piece of the past as they turn this into a piece of the Indiana Jones saga? I hope so. Let's just hope it is not a clone of either ride found at Disneyland or in Tokyo Disneysea. Let it be a brand new story that rings out with It's Fast! It's a Blast! It's in the Past!
The diversity of feathers, fur, shells, and scales is a great thing in this park- and the shows, rides, and attractions are equally, delightfully different from each other. In Nemo's big blue world, it's a sweet story of a father's love for his children and his willingness to put himself in danger to bring them safely home. The larger than life puppets are just incredible! The colors are stunning, the music is bright, the story charming, and air conditioning wonderful. Seriously, it's an overlooked gem for families and even those without kids. We were never able to see Festival of the Lion King this trip, so this filled the gap. But do see each if you can. They are unique and both are incredibly well done and worth your time.
In a land far, far away...
Cooled down now, we were now ready for something different.
An adult retreat.
This isn't a full Dine or Ditch review- I'll cover this place soon- but as of this trip Nomad Lounge is our new Animal Kingdom tradition when there's no kids in our group. The setting just around the river bend by Pandora is a million wonderful miles from civilization. This cannot be a theme park!
The adult beverages are delicious, and the service top notch. Well, what can I say about the Bangkok Chicken Wings? They may be the best thing I put in my mouth the entire trip. I would eat them non-stop if I could. Remember, we were at the Flower and Garden Festival with all those outdoor kitchens, so that is saying something!
Delectable dining choices.
We sat and rested, ate, drank, and shared stories for almost one and a half glorious hours. A perfect chilly afternoon while it was still hot. I never have more than one alcoholic drink unless I have a second at home. (I don't like the buzz.) But oh my gosh, they know how to serve up something uncommon and very, very tasty. More wings, though, please.
My youngest son loves the design details as much as I do.
Bonus thought- Use the restroom while you're there. Since they are shared with the ultra high end Tiffins, sneak a look at all the different rooms you can eat in. Worth the five extra minutes to do so.
Trust me, make time in your Animal Kingdom visit for this place.
Now, it was time to say goodbye to one more opening day attraction: It's Tough to Be A Bug. Whether or not the audience knew it was slated to be replaced by something Zootopia, I do not know. But the crowd response was more than polite. Perhaps even we were responding as though it was brand new because we knew it'd be our last timing watching this special effects story. Bugs Life is not a great movie, but it made for an enjoyable show.
Everyone screamed, jumped, and laughed at just the right times. The story writers for the next show had better come up with some great ideas. I hope it's as successful as the recent revisioning of the Magic Kingdom's Country Bear (Musical) Jamboree. There's a respectful balance of honoring the old, presenting something fresh, and giving the guests something truly worthy of their time and money.
We'd end our day in this place by riding one of the biggest thrills in a park brimming with adventure- Expedition: Everest, Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. Not once, but twice. The lines were almost non-existent by the late afternoon. We rode in the back of the train, then I rode in the very front on the single rider line. I was a bit queasier the second trip, but it has to be my increasing sensitivity to arching up while moving backwards. Disco Yeti was in full swing. As always, we got off with huge smiles on our faces and that always welcome rush of adrenaline.
Over drinks, we decided it was a leisurely Italian dinner at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria that we really wanted. Planning in advance, we'd booked a place for the end of the night, knowing we could move it out to another time if we chose to do so. This meant a quick Uber ride to EPCOT.
We explored a bit, visited Figment- whose ride seems to disintegrate more each visit- and dropped into Gran Fiesta Tour. Some shopping and a stop to see the beautiful Canada Far and Wide before heading to the other side of World Showcase for dinner. To summarize because this was about Animal Kingdom and not Disney's second park in Florida, the pizza was solid, more than average but not fantastic. The same couldn't be said for the tiramisu. We agreed this dessert was the highlight of our meal. We were thankful to the Lord for a great trip with our youngest son. We all work hard and serve God's people well, but we also play hard. We're blessed in the truest sense of the word.
The last night of a trip is bittersweet. Talking about the day and our trip to each place led to many expected comparisons between Disney and Universal. It was clear we'd split our time between the two resorts going forward. This meant cutting out a Disney park day once the new Epic Universe opens. Which one would it be? Not Animal Kingdom.
That is Disney's true thrill park but the most relaxing day of all. The variety and intensity of attractions plays well against the very serene surroundings, creating an experience like no other. It's also a day to chill as crowds haven't truly discovered it, still perceiving it as a partial day park. And rightly so.
We love it, but as it has often been said, it just needs more. Is anyone at Disney listening?
Guess its time to finish up my trip report on our previous (real) Italy vacation and then over to Paris now...
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
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