Trip Report MILESTONE TRIP! First Orlando Visit, Final Disney Park!

THE TIME HAS COME!

In just about a week, I will be starting my very first ever trip to Orlando…and all therein that may be explored.

As the title suggests, among other milestones, this trip will see me visiting my 12th and final Disney Park – Magic Kingdom itself! I have traveled extensively, with all the other Disney Destinations worldwide under my belt, yet somehow I have so far resisted the allures of the Vacation Kingdom. In this week days leading up to my departure, I’ll be going over “why not yet,” “why now,” my itinerary, maybe even soliciting some travel advice.

But for now…Who’s going?

Me after a hike at Bryce Canyon (the real Big Thunder). My beard is much calmer now.​

Just me. Doug. Typically I’m a regular of the Imagineering forums, but I'm just a dilettante on these Trip Report boards. Traveling solo, as is my wont.

Where? Universal’s Endless Summer Resort for three nights, then the Walt Disney World Swan for like a week.

When? September 21st – October 1st.

The broadest plan is to see as much of Orlando as I can (both Disney and beyond) in the week+ prior to Magic Kingdom’s 50th. That means plans to see Walt Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, even the Fun Spots.

Over ambitious, perhaps? Sure it is, but I’ve done my research, and I know my travel style and what I'm capable of! Let’s do this!

 

[D Hulk]

Dinoland improved tremendously once we got beyond Dino-Rama. The rest of the land believably resembled a hardscrabble paleontology outpost built over a dino dig site. Animal Kingdom's omnipresent jungle landscaping didn't suit this area as well as the rest; I feel more deciduous trees would've suited this section. We didn't dawdle much in Dinoland, since we were still in morning commando mode headed towards Dinosaur. I only learned about stuff like the secret bar @cgersic mentioned long after my trip ended.

Dinosaur was a walk-on into the pre-show. We took our time oh so briefly enjoying the superior dinosaur museum section of the queue preceding that, while other guests moved past us. (We'd again skip ahead of them with strategic pre-show placement.)

That Dinosaur pre-show was gobbledygook! It's pure, unfiltered exposition, with little added entertainment except for some accidental camp value since it's so distinctly "late-90s Disney." There's a whole lotta story to set up for Dinosaur, much more than a simple thrill ride among dinos truly needs. Okay, so we're time-traveling tourists now? Okay, so we're also secret saboteurs out to snatch a baby iguanadon? Okay, so all this is happening during the Cretaceous Extinction (for some reason)? Okay, so now there's a carnosaurus on our tail? Rides shouldn't be as confusing as Genie+!

Here comes the inevitable direct comparison to Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure, since Dinosaur directly clones both its ride system and even its layout. Indy is to my tastes one of the greatest triumphs in Disney's 66 years as a theme park operator. Indy is Tony Baxter’s masterpiece. Dinosaur cannot even remotely compare. It doesn't even much stand on its own divorced from Indy. The actual ride portion is so visually dark, I could barely see the few dino animatronics which occasionally popped up. There was no greater physical place-making, certainly nothing to compare to Indy's magnificent temple reveal centerpiece. There's no on-ride music to even remotely match John Williams. The only reason Dinosaur wasn't physically disorienting is because I have Indy committed to memory. Riding Dinosaur was like riding Indiana Jones while simultaneously deaf and blind. But at least we did apparently rescue that iguanadon? That was awkwardly communicated.

Dinosaur deposited us in a trail leading back towards - no, please, NOOO!!! - back towards Dino-Rama! Along the way, I glimpsed some homespun vernacular dino outsider art, like the image above. Maybe there's more of this in the unexplored Dinoland alcoves? That's the stuff I wanted from this land's décor!

We headed back through Dinoland towards Discovery Center. Along the way was The Boneyard, which looks like an exceptionally well-made children's playground. It seemed visually pleasing, simply fun, and thematically on-point. @Disney Dad 3000 wouldn't let me stop and play in the sand pit, even after I threw a tantrum on the central thoroughfare. (Just kidding about that! Dad did let me frolic. )

There was this very neat bridge marking the transition from Dinoland.

Then there was the riverway bridge to Discovery Island, where views briefly open up across the lagoon. There was a character boat show taking place down on the waters, which we paused to enjoy. This seems like the perfect amount of Disney character infusion for Animal Kingdom: just enough to satisfy guests who come expecting Disney-branded offerings, but subtle enough that it doesn't interfere with the park's more adult-driven mellow style.

It was past 11 AM now. Time for a late breakfast, now that we'd finished off a ride-focused morning. At Dad's suggestion, we stopped at the Flame Tree Barbecue, which was a note in my tentative day plans (alongside the never-done Yak & Yeti). It took me a brief moment to figure out mobile ordering on the Disney app. That app really is overly complicated! (He says, having not experienced Genie+.) Halfway through my upcoming Hollywood Studios day, I'd finally become used to gaming the mobile ordering system, but it was a little janky for me as a first-time user. So I threw a tantrum on the central thoroughfare!

I ordered mac & cheese with pulled pork. Dad got a pulled pork sandwich. I planned on having a larger lunch than Dad did, so I hoped my breakfast would be lighter. Think it was.

We dined on a covered dock on the lakeshore with beautiful framed views of Expedition Everest. This was a delightful little out-of-the-way spot, with tasty decent food to go with it, making this overall low-key one of the better quick service spots I found in Disney World.

Dad & I caught our breaths over breakfast, slowly savoring our meals and cooling down from the creeping humidity. It was time to shift gears. The remainder of this Animal Kingdom day - not yet even halfway complete - would be a whole lot more relaxed.​

 

[Zipadeelady]

View attachment 595595

Dinoland improved tremendously once we got beyond Dino-Rama. The rest of the land believably resembled a hardscrabble paleontology outpost built over a dino dig site. Animal Kingdom's omnipresent jungle landscaping didn't suit this area as well as the rest; I feel more deciduous trees would've suited this section. We didn't dawdle much in Dinoland, since we were still in morning commando mode headed towards Dinosaur. I only learned about stuff like the secret bar @cgersic mentioned long after my trip ended.

View attachment 595597

Dinosaur was a walk-on into the pre-show. We took our time oh so briefly enjoying the superior dinosaur museum section of the queue preceding that, while other guests moved past us. (We'd again skip ahead of them with strategic pre-show placement.)

View attachment 595598

That Dinosaur pre-show was gobbledygook! It's pure, unfiltered exposition, with little added entertainment except for some accidental camp value since it's so distinctly "late-90s Disney." There's a whole lotta story to set up for Dinosaur, much more than a simple thrill ride among dinos truly needs. Okay, so we're time-traveling tourists now? Okay, so we're also secret saboteurs out to snatch a baby iguanadon? Okay, so all this is happening during the Cretaceous Extinction (for some reason)? Okay, so now there's a carnosaurus on our tail? Rides shouldn't be as confusing as Genie+!

View attachment 595599

Here comes the inevitable direct comparison to Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure, since Dinosaur directly clones both its ride system and even its layout. Indy is to my tastes one of the greatest triumphs in Disney's 66 years as a theme park operator. Indy is Tony Baxter’s masterpiece. Dinosaur cannot even remotely compare. It doesn't even much stand on its own divorced from Indy. The actual ride portion is so visually dark, I could barely see the few dino animatronics which occasionally popped up. There was no greater physical place-making, certainly nothing to compare to Indy's magnificent temple reveal centerpiece. There's no on-ride music to even remotely match John Williams. The only reason Dinosaur wasn't physically disorienting is because I have Indy committed to memory. Riding Dinosaur was like riding Indiana Jones while simultaneously deaf and blind. But at least we did apparently rescue that iguanadon? That was awkwardly communicated.

View attachment 595604

Dinosaur deposited us in a trail leading back towards - no, please, NOOO!!! - back towards Dino-Rama! Along the way, I glimpsed some homespun vernacular dino outsider art, like the image above. Maybe there's more of this in the unexplored Dinoland alcoves? That's the stuff I wanted from this land's décor!

View attachment 595605

We headed back through Dinoland towards Discovery Center. Along the way was The Boneyard, which looks like an exceptionally well-made children's playground. It seemed visually pleasing, simply fun, and thematically on-point. @Disney Dad 3000 wouldn't let me stop and play in the sand pit, even after I threw a tantrum on the central thoroughfare. (Just kidding about that! Dad did let me frolic. )

View attachment 595606

There was this very neat bridge marking the transition from Dinoland.

View attachment 595607

Then there was the riverway bridge to Discovery Island, where views briefly open up across the lagoon. There was a character boat show taking place down on the waters, which we paused to enjoy. This seems like the perfect amount of Disney character infusion for Animal Kingdom: just enough to satisfy guests who come expecting Disney-branded offerings, but subtle enough that it doesn't interfere with the park's more adult-driven mellow style.

It was past 11 AM now. Time for a late breakfast, now that we'd finished off a ride-focused morning. At Dad's suggestion, we stopped at the Flame Tree Barbecue, which was a note in my tentative day plans (alongside the never-done Yak & Yeti). It took me a brief moment to figure out mobile ordering on the Disney app. That app really is overly complicated! (He says, having not experienced Genie+.) Halfway through my upcoming Hollywood Studios day, I'd finally become used to gaming the mobile ordering system, but it was a little janky for me as a first-time user. So I threw a tantrum on the central thoroughfare!

View attachment 595608

I ordered mac & cheese with pulled pork. Dad got a pulled pork sandwich. I planned on having a larger lunch than Dad did, so I hoped my breakfast would be lighter. Think it was.

View attachment 595609

We dined on a covered dock on the lakeshore with beautiful framed views of Expedition Everest. This was a delightful little out-of-the-way spot, with tasty decent food to go with it, making this overall low-key one of the better quick service spots I found in Disney World.

Dad & I caught our breaths over breakfast, slowly savoring our meals and cooling down from the creeping humidity. It was time to shift gears. The remainder of this Animal Kingdom day - not yet even halfway complete - would be a whole lot more relaxed.​

Love your description of Animal Kingdom. We love it as a family but everyone here has heard that from me multiple times. I also love your review of Dinosaur. I have a love hate relationship with it. It could be sooo much better. I really want to love it but you're right it is so dark. I don't realize what is happening until about 30 seconds later. It's just way to dark to enjoy what is going on.

 

[D Hulk]

A relaxed breakfast at Flame Tree gave me the chance to finally take stock of Discovery Island, Animal Kingdom's "Main Street" land. In contrast to the cultural specificity of Africa and Asia, Discovery Island takes on a more generic "world" architectural style, not unlike what you might see at any given zoo. This is fitting. Since Discovery Island is essentially guests' introduction to Animal Kingdom (ignoring the Oasis entry sequence), it needs to have a broader, more accessible look, to set the stage for the more distinctive adventures to come.

There are animal-themed details in every nook and cranny when you start to pay attention. Every light fixture and building joint and downspout and seatback resembles a distinct critter. After breakfast, while Dad took a moment to Skype with his family, I explored the tiered dining patios surrounding Flame Tree Barbecue, hunting for smaller design details. The rest of this post will simply be a chronicle of those little details...

 

[D Hulk]

I wished to see The Tree of Life up close, and if that meant wandering through the queue for "It's Tough to be a Bug" then so be it.

The Tree of Life is, of course, absolutely gorgeous. As you all know, when seen from up close, there are nearly countless carved animal figures all throughout the Tree's great organic tangle of roots and bark. The pathways exploring the Tree's base fully interact with this rather elaborate three-dimensional maze, intertwining with waterfalls and rocky canyons.

This all adds to a park icon which is already so symbolically perfect to begin with. So many cultures worldwide regard trees with special mythical significance. Think of all the trees which represent the Center of the World, from the Garden of Eden to Yggdrasil to even Jack's Beanstalk.

"It's Tough to be a Bug" is a merely adequate attraction for such a fantastic setting. It isn't the "thesis statement" attraction which would ideally be found within the Tree, though at least it doesn't detract too much from the surrounding area. The Pixar IP infusion is happily confined to a limited area indoors.

We reached the waiting lobby within the Tree of Life's hollow with lousy timing, as we waited nearly the entire show's runtime before the doors opened. There wasn't much to do there to pass the time, not unless I wanted to talk to Dad ( ), and not much to look at either, other than Dad, so I grew impatient waiting around for a show I'd already seen, when there was so much wonder surrounding it.

I'm fairly lukewarm on ITTBAB, having grown overly familiar with it already from its time in DCA. (It fits oh so much better in Animal Kingdom, incidentally.) It's a dated 4D screen show, brought down by a creepy Kevin Spacey vocal performance, brought up by some nice enough animatronics, but ultimately it’s merely a torture device for young children. I've never seen this without seeing multiple toddlers exit the theater early in a state of utter shrieking nightmares-for-life terror. This day was no exception. I'm all for frightening little children in the proper context (the Snow White dark ride), but ITTBAB always catches unaware parents off-guard. It sort of flabbergasts me that Disney has never amended this show.

Afterwards (or at some point, at any rate), @Disney Dad 3000 pondered if A Bug's Life could be better utilized in Animal Kingdom. With "A Bug's Land" no longer there at DCA, could some of its old rides be brought out to DAK to form the basis for a small, out-of-the-way, non-intrusive kiddie land? Dad has past experience bringing young children to Animal Kingdom (Dad is a dad), so he knows this park's blind spots from experience. I had to admit it was a good proposal. Heimlich's Chew Chew Train could live again!

We headed back into Asia afterwards. Kali River Rapids was running, and beckoning. There were more lovely cultural details along the way, such as this unassuming dining patio built into a charming boat dock with excellent Tree of Life views.

 

[Suchomimus]

(Dad is a dad)

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

Breaking news at 11

 

[PerGron]

 

[Suchomimus]

Afterwards (or at some point, at any rate), @Disney Dad 3000 pondered if A Bug's Life could be better utilized in Animal Kingdom. With "A Bug's Land" no longer there at DCA, could some of its old rides be brought out to DAK to form the basis for a small, out-of-the-way, non-intrusive kiddie land? Dad has past experience bringing young children to Animal Kingdom (Dad is a dad), so he knows this park's blind spots from experience. I had to admit it was a good proposal. Heimlich's Chew Chew Train could live again!

And ITTBAB could not only get a facelift but its current location would used for a show that focus on more than just one area of the Animal Kingdom.
This was all (maybe not the upgrade for ITTBAB) realized (among other concepts) in this parallel park that came in the beginning of the year.

Imo, I think that more could be done with ABL; like utilize the Flea Circus and the fake bird as attractions.

 

[D Hulk]

Kali River Rapids was up and running as it neared noontime, so it was time to grab something we missed in our morning rush. The 20-minute wait was just long enough to show off Kali’s fantastic queue. This queue gives Everest a run for its money as the best in the resort, largely because it uses a lot of the same design techniques. This is ground zero for Animal Kingdom’s “upcycling” habit. The repurposed temple is just jam packed full of Indian and Southeast Asian items. For every decorative keepsake which a typical traveler might bring home, there are just as many inexpensive thrift shop items which serve as a snapshot of daily life here in fictionalized Anandapur. Based on my travel experience, this felt extremely authentic as a fusion of various neighboring Asian cultures, heightened for a theme park setting.

This is an image-centric post. Kali’s queue is worth it!

 

[cgersic]

It's so nice to see Kali getting some love! Most people just complain about the ride and don't even mention the queue Excellent work @D Hulk!

 

[D Hulk]

The on-ride portion of Kali River Rapids continues the high level of decoration seen in the queue, especially in the sections which are visible from off-ride. Taken simply as a ride, though, judged by amusement park standards, Kali River Rapids comes up short. Of the 4 raft rides which I enjoyed in Florida, Kali ranked 3rd (Popeye's was #1). Kali is shorter than most, not extremely wet, and with weaker rapids. The mid-ride drop, though, provides a nice jolt of adrenaline, one which ought to have been saved for the climax. Disney's later raft rides - Grizzly River Run and Roaring Rapids - do more with this ride genre, and include more typically "Disney" storytelling touches. (Apologies to @cgersic for bringing up the usual ride complaint. I still loved the overall attraction experience.)

Kali includes some light storytelling. There is a deforested logging site just before the drop, which wordlessly communicates a conservation message. I largely haven't mentioned Animal Kingdom's conservation undercurrent, which is fairly omnipresent and usually isn't as heavy-handed as it is here. Animal Kingdom practices a lot of subtle "edutainment." Some guests pick up on the conservation aspect more, or the zoological elements; I gravitated towards DAK's cultural anthropology.

Sometime after the drop, and still dry as a bone, Dad commented to me that typically only half of the raft gets wet. With clockwork timing, a great big wave kicked up, and without fail we wound up as that lucky wet half! YAY! I was so happy to get soaked. Weather this day was being mild, but a little cooldown was still much appreciated anyway in a park without many indoors AC areas.

We paused for a bit afterwards at some restrooms. Even these were nicely themed...simply as rural Indian restrooms, though it's the small touches like the visible water main and the nearby phone pole tangle which really sell the believability.

My big afternoon plan was to take 'er easy & enjoy Animal Kingdom's many overlooked walkthrough attractions, beginning with Maharajah Jungle Trek. This is an elevated example of a traditional zoo trail, with a naturalistic jungle setting and blurred habitat infrastructure all laboring to sell the illusion that you're on a genuine nature hike in the Indian subcontinent. Disney's designers took pains to create a walkthrough which would be enjoyable even without the animals, with an extensive historic backstory about an old royal hunting lodge which was reclaimed by nature centuries ago.

It was all exceptionally well realized, meeting that high Animal Kingdom standard of excellence.

Animal sightings felt somewhat scarce, not as plentiful as in some of the more pedestrian zoos. Maybe the beasts are less active at noon? Like on the Safari, sightings will be different each time, making each Jungle Trek unique.

I was especially taken by the tiger. Such a lazy kitty! All the big cats I've seen in the wilds and the zoos are all hilarious. They clearly behave as if they're housecats, and vice versa. (My housecats are ferocious terrors!) I wanted to leap over the themed fencing a nd scritch that tiger's big feral belly, but self-preservation instincts got the better of me.

Other animal sightings included these water buffalos. There was an enclosure for bats, and a second enclosure for tropical birds. The theming often overwhelmed the animals, who proved harder to photograph.

Maharajah Jungle Trek isn't a high-tech marvel or a film franchise mega-attraction, so it seems to be overlooked in some Disney fan communities. It deserves more love! This is an Animal Kingdom centerpiece, one which gets close to the park's thematic heart. If you can enjoy the Jungle Trek on its own terms, then Animal Kingdom starts to feel a whole lot more complete.

(Just to be cheeky, I included a few international photos from India and Thailand above. Can you find them?)

Kali put us halfway towards Expedition Everest along Asia's cul-de-sac one-way road (which certainly doesn't loop around to any additional lands). So we decided to get a couple more rides in on Everest. I found more thoughtful touches along the way...such as this shrine, which subtly mimics the distant mountain's shape. Wordless "edutainment," showing with decoration alone the mountains' holy reverence within Himalayan culture.​

 

[Suchomimus]

Of the 4 raft rides which I enjoyed in Florida, Kali ranked 3rd (Popeye's was #1).

Congo is #4 and Infinity is #2, right?

 

[Suchomimus]

Other animal sightings included these water buffalos.

Were there also earth buffalo, fire buffalo, and air buffalo?

 

[D Hulk]

Congo is #4 and Infinity is #2, right?

Yup!

Were there also earth buffalo, fire buffalo, and air buffalo?

Nope!

 

[spacemt354]

So we decided to get a couple more rides in on Everest.​

Loving the trip report as always, but I just chuckle at these little sentences. "a couple more rides" you and @Disney Dad 3000 have quite the stamina (we haven't even gotten to Pandora yet? )

 

[D Hulk]

"So we decided to get a couple more rides in on Everest."
A testament to the inhuman stamina of @D Hulk & @Disney Dad 3000, as told in 10 photos...

"Dancing Yeti" sign = acknowledgement of the fan term "Disco Yeti?"

The standby wait for Expedition Everest hovered around 20 minutes all day. Even with the Single Rider option always available, I wanted to do at least one more trip through Everest's wonderful queue. This was totally worth it. Even with much off the added wait time (compared to the morning) taking place in a less interesting outdoor courtyard, there was still time enough to zoom through the yeti museum and notice more artifacts.

The ride experience offered no new insights. Same stunning setting, same overpowering positive G-forces.

If my memory serves me correctly, Dad & I both got a 4th and final ride on Everest for the day using Single Rider. Any more than that in quick succession would be physically overwhelming, especially since I was starting to feel a little exhausted from Universal.

That was enough thrill rides for the day. There was an hour before our late lunch reservation at Tiffins, and once again I turned towards Animal Kingdom's relaxed, contemplative pleasures to fill that time. We set our sights on Africa.

The overland journey from Asia to Africa - let's call it the Silk Road - took us past backpacking adventurers seeking shelter from the harsh Himalayan conditions under a mountaineering lodge...

...and past culinary influencers sampling the subcontinent's latest exotic concoctions.

It wasn't ever clear to me if the Up bird show was running that day. We never tried doing it...nor did we do Finding Nemo: The Musical, which was (still is?) on hiatus. I know that since my visit, the bird show has been retooled, with new signage and possibly less of an Up tie-in. So there's something to look forward to on a later visit.

Back into the port village of Harambe!

Simply for the relaxation, for the chance to sit down for an extended period of time without feeling useless, I decided we should do a circuit on the Wildlife Express, out to Rafiki's Planet Watch or Conservation Station or whatever exactly, the nomenclature somewhat confused me. Unsurprisingly, the Wildlife Express train was immaculately themed, with wear and tear like a genuine African legacy train, with authentic luggage and supplies lashed to the passenger car rooftops.

Like Kali, only more so, the ride element itself seemed half-baked. Wildlife Express pulls back the curtains and reveals Animal Kingdom's backstage, with some unexpected glimpses of animals in their enclosures. We got especially good views of the elephants, however traveling too swiftly to photograph them. The Conservation Station itself was apparently little more than a petting zoo according to Dad - it sure smelled like one - so I simply opted to stay on the train and return to Harambe. I know that @PerGron, our resident zookeeper, loves this spot. Apologies to him, I didn't feel like heading over there. He could explain what we missed. (I guess Disney also relocated the Animation Academy over to here? That seems random.)

It would be nice if Wilderness Express could more effectively extend the fictionalized world of Animal Kingdom. This is a lot of ride infrastructure for so little payoff. The return trip included a brief show scene of a traditional African village, which seemed weirdly out-of-place when the ride otherwise made no effort at immersion. I simply enjoyed the train ride itself, just like at Kings Island or Cedar Point or elsewhere, but there was a definite "That's it?" sense to this. Animal Kingdom bristles with untapped potential!​

 

[Voxel]

Looks like you are enjoying your time!

 

[Suchomimus]

Simply for the relaxation, for the chance to sit down for an extended period of time without feeling useless, I decided we should do a circuit on the Wildlife Express, out to Rafiki's Planet Watch or Conservation Station or whatever exactly, the nomenclature somewhat confused me. Unsurprisingly, the Wildlife Express train was immaculately themed, with wear and tear like a genuine African legacy train, with authentic luggage and supplies lashed to the passenger car rooftops.

With Wildlife Express, I’m mixed on it. Not just because of the short distance, the backstage stuff, and the okay destination, but the engines. Don’t get me wrong. I love trains, I love their design and the impeccable detail on them, making them look like they’ve been serving and trekking Eastern Africa since they were built (in 1926 by the real life Beyer-Peacock in England on their builders plate (trains were actually built by Severn Lamb, also in England)), but at the same time, the type of engine they’re based on isn’t really the right one. The engines they’re based on were built in 1882 by the own workshops of a domestic railway. I know the distance between stations is short but I don’t think a little 2-4-2 tank engine of a Victorian design would truly represent the hardy and well traveled trains that run on the Eastern Star. Tank engines built for long distance at that time would’ve have had 6 or 8 driving wheels (and that would those built for domestic traffic). A six wheeled tank engine would seem reasonable enough besides a tender engine, but I think it was a truly missed opportunity to use a very special engine considering the aforementioned Beyer-Peacock. That engine being the garratt, an articulate steam engine that had the working power of two locomotives while only requiring one crew. They were especially common in Africa and ranged in many sizes and gauges, and I believe this type (though built for South Africa and not any part east Africa) would have been perfect for running on the Eastern Star Railway.

Or the garratts could just be 2-4-0+0-4-2 if clearances are an issue.

Like Kali, only more so, the ride element itself seemed half-baked. Wildlife Express pulls back the curtains and reveals Animal Kingdom's backstage, with some unexpected glimpses of animals in their enclosures. We got especially good views of the elephants, however traveling too swiftly to photograph them. The Conservation Station itself was apparently little more than a petting zoo according to Dad - it sure smelled like one - so I simply opted to stay on the train and return to Harambe. I know that @PerGron, our resident zookeeper, loves this spot. Apologies to him, I didn't feel like heading over there. He could explain what we missed. (I guess Disney also relocated the Animation Academy over to here? That seems random.)

It would be nice if Wilderness Express could more effectively extend the fictionalized world of Animal Kingdom. This is a lot of ride infrastructure for so little payoff. The return trip included a brief show scene of a traditional African village, which seemed weirdly out-of-place when the ride otherwise made no effort at immersion. I simply enjoyed the train ride itself, just like at Kings Island or Cedar Point or elsewhere, but there was a definite "That's it?" sense to this. Animal Kingdom bristles with untapped potential!

And I want to tap open the Tree of Life to let flow some ideas. Maybe not for the stretch between Africa and C.S. since people might want to see the animals in their houses; and advertisements in their redundancy; but since the return journey is nothing but dense forest, I think a diorama there would really spice things up. Savannas, highlands, live rainforests, desert, mountains. Really, any habitat active with animals and other interesting features like weather and landmarks would make the trip back that much more memorable.

 

[PerGron]

The Conservation Station itself was apparently little more than a petting zoo according to Dad - it sure smelled like one - so I simply opted to stay on the train and return to Harambe. I know that @PerGron, our resident zookeeper, loves this spot. Apologies to him, I didn't feel like heading over there. He could explain what we missed. (I guess Disney also relocated the Animation Academy over to here? That seems random.)

So while I am deeply offended (/s) I do totally get why other people aren’t fond of conservation station. It’s very very focused on the education with small exhibits for reptiles and bugs.

I definitely think the animation academy absolutely ruins the whole ordeal, but if that’s what I have to suffer with to keep conservation station open, so be it. I was genuinely terrified it’d close forever a few years back.

For me, it’s the mix of random keeper talks where they bring animals out and just demonstrate training and behavior stuff, the small animal exhibits that don’t get much love, the ability to watch a surgery or vet procedure, and the messages about the actual conservation work Disney engages in that really makes this place something special. That and the entrance (exit now) that is just countless animal paintings on a black background that is so good.

It’s where I hope to work when I finally move down to Florida (if I don’t get a position at the new bird show) but I totally see why people wouldn’t make it a priority. If you ever want to see Animal Kingdom through the lens of someone who reveres it like a deity though, let me know haha!

 

[Suchomimus]

So while I am deeply offended (/s) I do totally get why other people aren’t fond of conservation station. It’s very very focused on the education with small exhibits for reptiles and bugs.

I definitely think the animation academy absolutely ruins the whole ordeal, but if that’s what I have to suffer with to keep conservation station open, so be it. I was genuinely terrified it’d close forever a few years back.

For me, it’s the mix of random keeper talks where they bring animals out and just demonstrate training and behavior stuff, the small animal exhibits that don’t get much love, the ability to watch a surgery or vet procedure, and the messages about the actual conservation work Disney engages in that really makes this place something special. That and the entrance (exit now) that is just countless animal paintings on a black background that is so good.

It’s where I hope to work when I finally move down to Florida (if I don’t get a position at the new bird show) but I totally see why people wouldn’t make it a priority. If you ever want to see Animal Kingdom through the lens of someone who reveres it like a deity though, let me know haha!

What you did back on the Imagineer forum where you put Conversation Station as integral part of the hub was a much better take imho.