Looking back, I wish we had visited the Animal Kingdom earlier in our trip. More than any of the other parks, this one needs time to appreciate. At SeaWorld, the exhibits are built so that the animals are right there. Since most of their animals live in or near water, the exhibits aren't too difficult to design this way. Just build an aquarium with a glass wall and have people come to the glass. Animal Kingdom is about land animals, and the exhibits are designed to be as close to the animals' natural habitats as possible. This includes trees and other large plants, and lots of space for the animals to move around in and hide in. So you can't always see the animals at first glance. You need to take your time.
Unfortunately, by this point in the trip, the kids weren't interested in taking their time, and I think we adults were getting pretty jaded, too.
One ride all six of us enjoyed was the Kilimanjaro Safaris. You ride on benches in the back of a converted truck, on a simulated East African safari ride. The guide who drives the truck tells you about the animals you see along the way - and since they are roaming free, you never know what you'll see next. (We were told that potentially dangerous animals, like lions, are actually behind camoflagued barriers. They did a good job - we never saw any fences, ditches, or anything like that.)
Signs in the loading area carry warnings about not riding if you have heart problems, back problems, etc., and Dad was wondering if he should ride. He decided to, and was very glad he did. I think the warnings are purposely a bit overstated so people will pay attention to them. The ride is very bumpy and if Dad had had worse heart problems or my old scoliosis-related back problem had been acting up, I think we would have been well advised to sit it out. But mild problems under control are not a problem, I don't think.
I ended up on a bench with the kids, with Steinar, Mom and Dad on a bench behind. I gave Steinar the camera and told him to take photos, I'd help the kids, who each had their own disposable camera to work with. So here it is, folks: proof that my husband takes better photos than me.
After the Safari ride, Kenneth and I went on Kali River Rapids. They warn you that you will get wet, you may get soaked, and have a water-resistant area in the middle of each round raft for fanny packs, camera bags, and such. The first time we rode, we only got a little damp. On our way out, a cast member signaled to us that we could get back in line and ride again if we wanted to. So we did. And we got soaked!
Some time later I remembered I had our tickets in my jeans pocket. Oops. They're paper tickets with a magnetic strip on the back. Unbelievably, they survived!
We met up with Steinar and Robert again to see the beautiful Flights of Wonder show. They'd seen a 3D movie called It's Tough to Be a Bug, which had Robert in Low-Grade Freak-Out Mode, so having birds flying low over his head wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. But for that, it was an interesting and informative show. Even if we did see the jokes coming from further away than the birds.
After lunch (lovely barbecue sandwiches from Flame Tree Barbecue; we had a terrific view of the central river, and a cool breeze across our well-shaded table) we all met up by chance on the way to the busses. My parents went to see the Festival of the Lion King show. They said it was absolutely wonderful, one of the best shows they'd ever seen, and I was tempted to go back and see it. But I was even more tempted to continue on to the hotel and remove my soaking wet jeans. I said to myself, self, I said, you can go back and see it another day. And I never did. D'oh.
After a rest, Kenneth and I got bored and decided to head to Epcot. Park Hoppers are a wonderful thing. Kenneth rode Test Track two more times, and we tried some new attractions, including another 3D movie, "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience". Very funny, very silly. The folks in the row behind us were freaking out over some of the critters that appear in the movie, which, I admit, only made us laugh harder. Just one little warning: at the very end of the movie, when you think "Oh, no, he's not going to---"? He IS going to. Brace yourself!
Back to the hotel. The next day, Sunday, was the annual Disney World Marathon. We didn't know what this would do to traffic on the property in general or in the parks in particular, but we decided to head off and spend the day at Kennedy Space Center....
flodnak.com
Created 29 March 2005 * Last Updated 14 July 2005