Photo by Katherine Ehrisman
Hello all, here we are again on another Friday edition of the Disney World Nation Blog. Today Team Friday (Michelle M, James, Katherine, and Bill S.) answer a question about Animal Kingdom. Here is the Question for 4/22/11
Michelle M: Magic Kingdom creates memories of Fantastical lands. Epcot pushes our imaginations to explore the future and our World around us. Hollywood Studios brings us to the edge of Tinseltown both past and present. But if you are looking for tangible memories of the basic interaction within our Earth then it is Animal Kingdom that you are searching for. Animal Kingdom resonates with the primal sounds of Earth. There are many choices for exploring the animal world within the AK starting with the Oasis as you enter and leading to Kilimanjaro Safaris. One favorite choice of my family is Maharajah Jungle Trek. There is a giant enclosure that you can enter to view Fruit Bats (I should issue a warning here--the smell is not pleasant in this room) the only separation between you and the bats is a mesh across the viewing area. But, it is the Tiger enclosure that always draws a crowd. The tigers are allowed to roam in an expansive area and the separator between human and tiger is a glass wall. It is in the Tiger enclosure that we have one of the best pictures of all our vacations. The tigers were laying against the glass, one of which was on his back like a house cat waiting for his belly to be rubbed. In our photo it looks as if the tigers are lying at our feet. You cannot see the glass wall in the photo. Disney has definitely provided a great service to hard working families such as mine who could never dream of seeing many of the provided animals in their natural habitat. Disney's Animal Kingdom is a budget conscious families' answer to long held dreams of Safaris and Jungle Treks.
Bill S: For me the best place to see the animals of Animal Kingdom is none other than the Oasis. The Oasis is a bunch of different paths at the beginning of the park that leads from the entrance to the Tree of Life. There are paths, caves, and many different types of animals. Cast members are in the area usually carrying a creepy looking animal, a real life Pumbaa lives there, and the best part about the Oasis is that it is covered in shade, and I definitely want that in Animal Kingdom :)
Katherine E: When thinking of Disney's Animal Kingdom the first thing that comes to my mind is my father saying "nahtazu” or not a zoo. Even though you do get to experience a variety of animals the focus here is to entertain while you learn about the animals and their natural environment. While there are a variety of places to see animals in this park my favorite place to see them is the Maharajah jungle trek in Asia. Through this trek you get to see a variety of animals from fruit bats to tigers, but to me what makes this the most interesting trek is the atmosphere. Here you find yourself in the middle of the Maharajah jungle, with the ancient ruins you can really get caught up and almost forget that you are in the middle of Orlando.
James H: Disney’s Animal Kingdom offers many great places to see the wildlife, the most popular being Kilimanjaro Safaris. However if you forgot your fast pass and don’t fancy waiting 50+ minutes in the heat for the truly adventurous attraction, The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail offers some great spots to see the animals by foot. My favorite place on the trail is the Gorilla enclosure. Just watching these magnificent animals walking through the trees and bushes instantly makes you think of times in the past when beasts roamed the globe without a human being in sight. The Gorillas have so much character and emotion hidden deep within their focused eyes and you can learn a lot from the Cast Members there too. So next time you are tired of running around the park and need a bit of a break, just head on over to The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and watch one of the Gorillas for 10 minutes... It may turn into 30 minutes, but will definitely leave you feeling like the next Dr. Doolittle.
Animals are lurking everywhere in the Kingdom so keep your eyes peeled, because you never know where you will see them. Thank you once again for visiting the Disney World Nation blog, come back on Monday when the team talks about their favorite places to go in the Marketplace at Downtown Disney. Till next time, See You Real Soon, Bill Sauerbier
Photo by Ted and Dina Hathaway
No comments:
Post a Comment