Wordless Wednesday - Wildlife

This week's Wordless Wednesday's theme is Wildlife.
Thanks to Deb for hosting this blog hop - why don't you stop by and join in.

Jambo everyone, and welcome to Kilamanjaro Safari and your two week adventure. Please seat children in the middle of the seat and watch your step as you board. It can get bumpy so hold on to your cameras, hats and glasses since we can't stop to retrieve them. All set? 

   

Spring Trip - Day 2 - Disney's Animal Kingdom

April 8, 2012

Today is a holiday for some, and we hope to avoid major crowds, so we decided that Disney's Animal Kingdom (DAK) might be a good choice for today. (From what I later heard, the other parks were also rather uncrowded today as it turns out.)

Our daughter will not be working today since it is Sunday, so since she lives closer to DAK than to Pop Century, we will meet her at the park. Today, as usual, we get up and go to the food court for a late breakfast before heading out.

When we get to the park, I immediately get my camera out, as this is one of my favorite places to take photos - not just in Disney World, but anywhere. (You can see all of today's photos by clicking here.) As we walk to the park itself, I stop for a few photos.

As usual, we head back towards Harambe villiage and the Safari with plans of either getting fastpasses or waiting on the standby line if it is short. It is currently 40 minutes, but the fastpass return window is in about an hour. I decide to text our daughter to see what time we should expect her to arrive so I know if I should wait for her or get our fastpasses now. Since she is on her way, we decide to wait so we can all ride together. We find a table at the Dawa Bar and soon she arrives.

We get our fastpasses and then decide to get some lunch before our fastpass window opens. Usually it is either too hot or too cold to get lunch at Flametree BBQ which only has outdoor seating, but today it is comfortable so we decide to eat there.

Once we are finished it is time to ride the Safari. You never know what to expect, and today we see a rare sight, one of the hippos has left the water. I don't think we have seen that in all the times that we have ridden through the Safari, so naturally I have to get the shot. Happily it is a bright sunny day and I can use a fast shutter speed since the safari truck does have a tendency to be quite bouncy. Also, we are in the front on this trip which helps, as it it quite a bit more stable than the back, where we usually find ourselves riding.

Amazingly, I am able to get another once in a lifetime shot on this safari - of the scariest mammal on this adventure ... have a look! (Yes, it is my wife!)

We have a good driver, and she does make a few stops along the route to see the animals. Yet another unusual sighting is a troupe of mandrills. Most often they are not seen, but today is a charm. What we don't see, however, as we approach Pride Rock, is any of the lions. This is now the second time in a row that has happened, and it has been suggested that with the modifications to the safari (the poachers story will be dropped and that area will have a zebra herd occupying the space) that perhaps the lions will be moved and they might be getting acclimated to their new space, as the zebras currently are doing. Time will tell.

Since my feet are still feeling pretty good, my daughter and I decide to walk the Pangani Trail - while my wife heads to Rafiki's Planet Watch where we will meet her once we are finished.  Within Conservation Station at Rafiki's Planet Watch there is quite a lot to keep her busy, and best of all it is air conditioned and has plenty of places for her to sit while she is there.

Although I usually want to take the walk through Pangani, either my feet are hurting by the time we get here or no one wants to go with me. This time it is early enough in the week and the day so with camera in hand we walk through. One of my favorite animals to photograph here are the lowland gorillas, and sure enough, at one point on the trail, a few members of the bachelor troupe are within sight. In fact, two of them almost seem to be posing for pictures. This fellow seems to be playing peek-a-boo! (Don't forget, more of these photos can be seen here.)

Once through, my daughter and I head over to the train to meet my wife. This is sort of a homecoming for my daughter, since this is where she worked when she first started working at WDW ... almost 12 years ago now. She has since moved on to other roles within the company, but this is where it all started.

We all catch up at Conservation Station, and spend some time in Affection Section petting the goats and sheep, and then head back to the train station to catch the train back to Harambe and head over to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see the Festival of the Lion King. We almost make it before our way is blocked by Mickey's Jamming Jungle Parade. With no other choice, we settle in and watch the parade. Once it passes, we become parade followers until we come to the road to Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Even with the delay, we make it to the show before the doors open, and when they do we find seats and watch the show. This is one of our favorite things to do here, and no matter how many times we see it ... well, a show with Timon and Tumble Monkeys ... it's a must see. Oh yes, don't forget this guy. (Do I still have to remind you where you can see the rest of this photos from today, including the photos from The Festival of the Lion King? No? Okay then!)

At this point, we left the park, and our daughter drove us to see the neighborhood to which they would be moving the day after we go home. Unfortunately they don't get the key until then, but the neighborhood looked very nice, and the next time we are there we will get to see inside their new apartment.

From there we drive by her current apartment to pick up her husband and go out for a very nice dinner.

Tomorrow we will be heading to EPCOT.

Winter Break at Disney World - Day 6

December 31, 2011 - The last day of the year and our last full day here in WDW. Last year on this day my wife and I were at Disney's Hollywood Studios, but this year our daughter will be with us, and the only park she can get into today is Disney's Animal Kingdom (DAK), which is why we saved the full day here for today. Also, since this is the only park which is not opened for a midnight celebration of the New Year, it will be the least crowded of the four parks.

She meets us at our room and we head out to take the bus to DAK. It is another very comfortable day, with sun and no rain ... in other words, perfect. As we travel to DAK we see huge lines of cars waiting to get into the EPCOT parking lot, and our driver informs us that the Magic Kingdom has already been closed to cars and non-resort guests. It is only about 10:00 AM ... it can only get worse!

We arrive at DAK and, following our usual routine, head over to Harambe to get our fastpasses for the safari. With fastpasses in hand, however, we decide that since the standby line is only showing a 10 minute wait - having just been reduced from 20 minutes as we approached the queue - we get on the standby line and walk almost directly to the load area. Once again we are in the back row of our truck which bounces along quick a bit, but I still manage to get some good pictures of the animals we pass during our 2 week (cut short) safari. (Photos from the safari and the rest of the day at DAK can be seen here.)

Unlike the other parks, most of our time at DAK is spent watching shows. One of our favorites is still The Festival of the Lion King, so we head towards Camp Minnie Mickey where it is presented. However, along the way my wife wants to make a stop at one of the gift shops, so while she and my daughter head inside, I park my scooter outside and do one of my favorite things - actually look at the details of the construction of the park. Many people just rush by so quickly, and never see the details that went into the look of DAK. (The link above has some photos of that detail as well.)

My wife's shopping having been completed, we continue along until we get the the theater in Camp Minnie Mickey. Our timing is perfect and we go directly in to the theater where the show begins in about 10 minutes. The Festival of the Lion King has been playing since DAK has been opened, and almost always plays to a full house, and although this is still the least crowded park today, the theater is almost at capacity. And the show does not disappoint. How can you not enjoy a show hosted by Timon and featuring tumble monkeys? (Photos of The Festival of the Lion King can be seen here.)

Our well planned and well timed trip around DAK continues with Flights of Wonder, a bird show in which the natural beauty and behaviors of the birds are featured. Of course, sometimes the birds have a mind of their own and things don't go exactly as planned, but today it almost goes according to script. Again our timing is perfect, as we get there just moments before the show is about to begin.

Once done, and after we get a quick bite for lunch, we walk over to Expedition Everest, where my daughter checks the single riders line to see if there is time to ride. Have I mentioned how not crowded the park is today? In fact, there are only 2 people on the single riders line when she gets there, so she decides to ride. The stand-by line is less than a half hour at this point. My wife and I wait this one out today, and before we know it, she has returned!

Our next show will be Finding Nemo - The Musical, but there is still a bit more time until the next show, so we once again head into Dinoland where my wife plays some more carnival games, and then she and my daughter ride Primeval Whirl while I take some more photos. It's a nice, relaxing break, and once everyone is finished with what they want to do in this area, we get on line for the show. As has been the case all day, we get right in and only have a short wait until the show starts. (Photos from Finding Nemo - The Musical can be seen here.)

As always, we enjoy it thoroughly, and when we exit, it is just about time for dinner. We have reservations at Yak and Yeti this evening, and once done we decide it is time to leave the park and head back to our room where my son-in-law will be meeting us.

Originally we had planned on heading to the lounge in the resort to celebrate the new year, but once we were all in the room (and my son-in-law was wrapping Chanukkah presents from him and my daughter for their nephews back home) we decided to stay in the room and see in the new year.

Tomorrow morning my wife and I pack and start our trip back home. Unlike the cold visit we had last year, this year was always comfortable (at least during the day) and there was no aftermath of a blizzard to deal with when we got home. And unlike our last trip, in August, there was no earthquake or hurricane at home which kept us here for an extra 4 days.

Your comments on the reports and/or the photos and video are encouraged. Please take a moment and comment below to let me know if you have enjoyed reading these posts and seeing the pictures.

Day 7 - Disney's Animal Kingdom

8/28/11

Here it is, Day 7 ... our second day of being stranded in Disney World. Today Hurricane Irene is due to hit at home. Originally they predicted that it would come towards evening, but as we watch TV before leaving for Disney's Animal Kingdom this morning, we are watching the effects that the storm is having already. Flooding at the Battery in Manhattan, and flooding of many neighborhoods on Staten Island. My son's house is in the evacuation zone, and mine is just blocks from it. I worry that my backyard furniture may be a problem, but there is nothing I can do about it from here. My brother has taken his family to Pittsburgh to get out of the way of the storm. We watch for a while, and then since there is nothing we can do, head off to Animal Kingdom for the day.

As it has been since we have been in Disney World this trip, it is another hot day. Animal Kingdom has always been the hottest of the Disney World theme parks because of the vegetation and other factors, so we know that we will not last the whole day even before it begins. As we sit waiting for the bus we can feel that it is another very hot, and very humid day. We arrive at Animal Kingdom and while I go through security rapidly, my wife encounters a woman who is very thorough and goes through her backpack with a fine tooth comb. When she finds the pen that holds my medicine she demands to see me before she lets my wife through. Ironically, it was taking so long that I had almost told my wife that I would meet her inside the park, so I could take some pictures while I waited. However, I was nearby and eventually my wife was passed through.

As usual, first thing we do is head back to Africa to get our fastpasses for the safari. They are valid in only about a half hour from now, so we decide to go on the standby line first and then use our fastpasses for a second trip when we are finished. While many of the animals are not to be seen - they can opt to stay backstage any time they want, and with the weather the way it is, I suppose many did just that - the ones that are out and about present some great photo opportunities. There is a lot of traffic out this morning, and we get to stop at many places for good views. (You can see some of my best photos from today's safari here, as well as all of my photos from the safari and the rest of the day here.) Between the two trips we walk past the section of the trail from which you can see the gorillas and find a solitary silverback sitting in the shade munching on a snack, so I decide to take this picture. Once that is done, we continue back to the fastpass entrance to the safari for our second trip.

Once we do both safaris, my wife and I decide it is time to get something to eat. It is so hot that neither of us want to eat outdoors or a heavy meal, so we decide on restaurantosaurus. It is very crowded so we split up to try to find a table which we simultaneous do. We decide to use the one she found, and proceed to get our lunch. 


One of my wife's favorite things to do in Animal Kingdom (or most typical amusement areas for that matter) is play the carnival games, and Hester & Chester's Dino-Rama provides this opportunity for her. I, on the other hand find a seat to sit on while she does. It is now the hottest part of the day, and the heat and humidity are starting to get to me, so when she is done, and we notice that it is almost showtime for Finding Nemo The Musical, we take the short walk and head into the show. It's nice and cool here, and we sit down and watch the show - something we always enjoy.

 

By the time we exit the show, we decide that it is time to leave Animal Kingdom for the day. My wife wants to head Downtown Disney to the Marketplace where we will have dinner and she can spend some time looking around The World of Disney. 


Dinner here is at Earl of Sandwich, perhaps the best food bargain on the entire property. Even without my daughter we get a discount using our AAA membership. Once done, my wife heads into The World of Disney and I find a seat in the outdoor theater in front of the store to sit and relax a bit, giving her as much time in the store as she wants. Surprisingly she comes out quickly, and even more surprisingly without any purchases. So it is time for dessert and that means going to Ghirardelli's for some ice cream!


Finally, we head back to The Boardwalk and watch the news to find out how NYC has weathered the hurricane.


(Don't forget that you can see some safari pictures here and all of the pictures from today here.)