New "Caring for Giants" $30.00 Experience Debuts at Animal Kingdom on March 12 2017

[AndrewsJ]

I just don't like that they've added another viewing area in the savanna. I miss the old story line with the sound of the plane flying overhead and the communication on the radio. The African music playing on the radio used to take my breath away. A shell of its former self. A glorified zoo train. The old story line could never work now because of the tourists and viewing areas on the savanna. Makes me sad.

 

[xdan0920]

zoo. I found one zoo 800 kilometers from where I live, where I went to see them.

What the he'll is a kilometer?

2. These jokes about restrooms and poop were actually related to what we joked about on our way to the experience. We weren't told any details and kind of wondered if the tour (which we didn't have to pay for, but others would in the future) would actually be showing us the habitation stalls and having us shovel elephant dung. We laugh, but there will someday be such a tour, right?

ha. You know what? Disney could institute this poop shoveling tour, and I can think of a handful of posters here who would gleefully defend it.

 

[NearTheEars]

Why not have it included with the admission charge? Allocated first come first served.

Because many a vacation would be "ruined" because of a family's late arrival. And many a guest services CM would be getting an earful.

ETA: much like all the other upcharge events, this one doesn't tickle my fancy.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

Doesn't Busch Gardens offer a tour where you can meet giraffes? (I've done it, it was good!) How is that different from this?

 

[GoofGoof]

Doesn't Busch Gardens offer a tour where you can meet giraffes? (I've done it, it was good!) How is that different from this?

One has elephants and one has giraffes

My local zoo has some giraffes that you can feed. They give you some lettuce and the giraffes come over and take it from your hand. Pretty cool. The kids love it. And yes, it's an upcharge there too.

 

[larryz]

What the he'll is a kilometer?

I think it's 2.2 pounds of meter.

 

[Gabe1]

Because of all the precious snowflakes who don't get to do it and complain. Easier to make it a new tour i guess.
Edit; Same as behind the seeds has always been a pay tour .

Ok I have 2 former snowflakes. Never once complained If we are going to continue to state snowflakes as a defense I would like to see the source and statistics that snowflake complaints are a genuine cause for upcharges. Otherwise without the data source I'm calling snowflakes just pixie dust Source please.

 

[Gabe1]

It's also their cheapest being 30 dollars for a cool day at the savannah with a view of elephants.

Day? Day or an Hour?

 

[rob0519]

Another day another new idea from disney and another day of the typical ( and same worn out boring posters) whining about everything. Again, you must have some pretty miserable lives. Just go crawl in a hole, ignore Disney and dont go. Youd be doing all of us a favor. If you cant have constructive discussion and criticism more than "just another upcharge" or "making up for the shortfall" garbage than just dont post. You waste the rest of our time.

Honesty, how much of your time has been wasted? You joined less than a month ago and have a whopping 20 postings.

 

[George]

What the he'll is a kilometer?



ha. You know what? Disney could institute this poop shoveling tour, and I can think of a handful of posters here who would gleefully defend it.

I think you need to take English again, Mr. "What the he will is a kilometer". Also, though I like @KevinYee 's idea of a dung shoveling experiment, I really wish they'd do my diarrhea bucket dangling overhead on a rope pull experiment. I figure many would pay in order to increase the verisimilitude of the Frontierland experience. Woe be to the poster who says that they don't like the new smell permeating Frontierland or that the Frontierland experience has been lessened in any way unless they want to be bludgeoned with stories of open stalls from the past.

Doesn't Busch Gardens offer a tour where you can meet giraffes? (I've done it, it was good!) How is that different from this?

Actually they have a tour where you can meet elephants for the same price (29 bucks per person). The main difference seems to be the elephant interaction at BGT takes place in the animal care center and you see the trainers communicating with and caring for the elephants. I suppose if Mr. Magics insists, I can review both elephant tours this June for a small fee.....terms to be negotiated.

 

[ford91exploder]

^The KS experience isn't ruined by all the changes over the years. But it has been significantly diminished. One can even make an objective argument it is a less-authentic, lower-quality experience: ie. Today, at Point A (and B and C and D, etc.), I can now see a chain link fence or 'backstage' area/enclosure. In 1998, at those same points, no fences were visible, only natural looking rock and vegetation. Therefore, at these various Points, the KS today looks more like a traditional zoo and less like an Idealized Safari in East Africa than it once did. Period.

True the structures and fence line do intrude they are appropriately themed but break the illusion nonetheless

 

[ford91exploder]

What the he'll is a kilometer?




ha. You know what? Disney could institute this poop shoveling tour, and I can think of a handful of posters here who would gleefully defend it.

A kilometer is 1000 meters. Standard measure of distance most everywhere except United States.

 

[Karakasa]

I really don't get the hubbub about this. There's plenty to be miffed by in regards to recent WDW decisions. But this? I can see no harm in this, especially at only 30 dollars (for something at Disney, that's a steal). If you don't want to see people there in the middle of the safari, then plan to go on the safari at a time when the tour isn't going on. The viewing outposts, to me, have been otherwise unobtrusive on the experience and just seem like observatory outposts for rangers which you WOULD see in a wildlife preserve. I think that's what people forget- this isn't a ride into the wilds of Africa per se, it's within a protected park in Africa.

Really if anything has been truly obtrusive, it's the sheer number of vehicles... but I recognize that's the only way they'd be able to properly funnel enough guests through the attraction, so it's fine.

But watch. Even though I'm mostly a lurker, I'll be branded as "sniffing the fairy dust" or whatever, even though there are a number of complaints I have with the handling of WDW. Meh.

 

[RandySavage]

I really don't get the hubbub about this. There's plenty to be miffed by in regards to recent WDW decisions. But this? I can see no harm in this, especially at only 30 dollars (for something at Disney, that's a steal). If you don't want to see people there in the middle of the safari, then plan to go on the safari at a time when the tour isn't going on. The viewing outposts, to me, have been otherwise unobtrusive on the experience and just seem like observatory outposts for rangers which you WOULD see in a wildlife preserve. I think that's what people forget- this isn't a ride into the wilds of Africa per se, it's within a protected park in Africa.

Really if anything has been truly obtrusive, it's the sheer number of vehicles... but I recognize that's the only way they'd be able to properly funnel enough guests through the attraction, so it's fine.

But watch. Even though I'm mostly a lurker, I'll be branded as "sniffing the fairy dust" or whatever, even though there are a number of complaints I have with the handling of WDW. Meh.

I disagree (in part) with your thoughts on this, but I'm fine reading opposing opinions that are well-reasoned like this one. Courteous debate/discussion among intelligent members is a reason I'm here, not just for an echo chamber.

More thoughts: the raison d'etre of the KS attraction (and the wider land it is integrated with) is to take a fairly common experience (a zoo safari ride) and make it extraordinary. Extraordinary, not by creating a close-to-reality Africa (you would never chase poachers down on your real world Tanzanian safari), but a Romanticized Africa. Theme parks are all about romanticizing the past, present and future, whether World Showcase, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Blvd, etc.. While Harambe is grittier and more real world than a more fantastical Adventureland, it is still a heavily-romanticized, theatrical creation.

The least of my worries are the actual huts... because as noted, the current ones are well-themed and decently-placed. I'm more opposed to the trucks and roads to get to the huts, the fences put up to secure those on Wild Africa Trek, and changes that have made the ride feel less like animals are free-roaming and wild (even glimpsed in peripheral vision, visible fencing and metal zebra barns kills that vibe) and that the place is over-run with tourists.

Real-world African preserves may be over-run with tourists today and feature traffic jams of tour vehicles, domesticated Ankole cattle displacing wild ungulates and every other downgrade that has happened to KS, but that shouldn't serve as an excuse. Again, KS was designed as a romanticized Safari adventure through Wild Africa with elements of danger and loss of control (it may have been a little hokey, but in its absence, I sorely miss the original storyline with aerial Warden Wilson and ending in a poacher machine-gun chase climax).

 

[bstiles]

When is disney going to announce the magical bathroom tour, you know to show all the inner workings of how a toilet flushes or the proper way of using a hand dryer? Then at the end a cast member can share a heartfelt story of how they were able to help a guest overcome their fear of "stage fright" in the most magical place on earth.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I think the $30 is reasonable and many guests will find it to be an interesting addition to their Disney magic making. Many areas do not have zoos nearby and getting even that close to an elephant will be exciting for most. Disney will rake in the money and maybe add more of these animal experiences.

 

[flyerjab]

So we did the Caring for Giants Tour this morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it as it was edutainment at its best. You are taken backstage to a van (and yes you can see the side of Pandora that isn't readily visible.). You then go along a back road where you can see the sound barns used for some of the animals, as well as the large device that creates the 'sunset' for the sunset safaris.

You are then let off the bus where you meet an animal specialist. You then go up a berm where it is shaded with seating. This is where you can view the elephants. It was great as we could see most of the herd as well as Stella running around.

The animal specialist did a great job answering our questions. An African cultural representative then joins the group to provide an even greater educational aspect. 100% of all proceeds of this tour goes to the Disney Conservation Fund, so at the end of the tour they thanked us for deciding to spend the money towards helping to preserve animals in the Wild. It is a very worthwhile and informative tour. I highly recommend it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

So we did the Caring for Giants Tour this morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it as it was edutainment at its best. You are taken backstage to a van (and yes you can see the side of Pandora that isn't readily visible.). You then go along a back road where you can see the sound barns used for some of the animals, as well as the large device that creates the 'sunset' for the sunset safaris.

You are then let off the bus where you meet an animal specialist. You then go up a berm where it is shaded with seating. This is where you can view the elephants. It was great as we could see most of the herd as well as Stella running around.

The animal specialist did a great job answering our questions. An African cultural representative then joins the group to provide an even greater educational aspect. 100% of all proceeds of this tour goes to the Disney Conservation Fund, so at the end of the tour they thanked us for deciding to spend the money towards helping to preserve animals in the Wild. It is a very worthwhile and informative tour. I highly recommend it.

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Wow sounds amazing, and I think it most certainly worth $30 if all the money goes to the conservation fund! Bravo Disney!

 

[JoeCamel]

Wow sounds amazing, and I think it most certainly worth $30 if all the money goes to the conservation fund! Bravo Disney!

Not "all" - "proceeds" People gotta be paid, trucks maintained and fueled etc. Not sure if a cut off the top goes to the general operation of the park.

Each donation is matched by Disney and this is not charitable so no reporting. They granted $40 million over the last 22 years from this fund. Less than the take for one day's admission to one park.

 

[raven]

Doesn't Busch Gardens offer a tour where you can meet giraffes? (I've done it, it was good!) How is that different from this?

BG Giraffe experience is feeding them from the back of a truck. DAK Elephant experience is sitting on a bench and watching from 100 feet away.

Busch Gardens Elephants are along a walking path only about 12 feet away and trainers are there to feed them and answer guest questions throughout the day. It's also included with park admission.