Florida Vacation Rentals, Information and Travel Articles
Useful information and articles for anyone visiting Florida & the Disney Theme Parks
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The aim of this blog is to provide as much information about things to see and do whilst you are on the holiday of a lifetime in the vacation capital of the world - The Sunshine State of Florida.
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Walt Disney World - Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Posted on April 8th, 2009 1 commentWritten by: Iain & Gillian Thompson
Authors WebsiteWalt Disney World - Animal Kingdom Theme ParkI have decided to write about Disney’s Animal Kingdom because it is one of my favourite parks to visit when we are on holiday in Florida. I have also got together some fun facts about my favourite rides and attractions. It was opened 10 years ago in 1998 and is the fourth of the Disney Parks and covers over 500 acres. I love it because all the animals seem to have plenty of room and are left to roam free where possible. The whole of the park is themed around animals.The park is split up into 7 separate lands, a bit like the Magic Kingdom really. When you go through the entrance, you have to walk past the ‘Oasis’ which has animals to look at such as anteaters, ducks, macaws etc. Directly ahead is ‘Discovery Island’ which is the centre of the park and has paths that lead to the other 6 lands: Camp Mickey-Minnie, Africa, Asia, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and DinoLand U.S.A.Discovery IslandThis is the home of the ‘Tree of Life’ - a massive 14 story, 15 metre wide tree that is covered in carvings of animals.Fun Tree Of Life facts:- 13 people worked full-time for 18 months to create the 325 animal carvings on The Tree of Life.
- There are more than 103,000 translucent leaves in 5 varying shades of green that were all individually fixed in place and they actually blow in the wind.
- At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, there are over 4 million living plants and the Tree Of Life is one of very few artificial trees.
- The tree’s branches are constructed of fibreglass and its trunk and roots are made of concrete.
- For great photos of the Tree of Life, stop on the bridge between the Oasis and Discovery Island.
Other attractions are the ‘Discovery Island trails and one of the best attractions in my opinion: ‘It’s Tough To Be a Bug’ that is based on the Bugs Life film. My daughter is still scared of this 3D film show and she is now 21!!!! As soon as she sees the trays of glasses at the entrance, she doesn’t want to go in. She thinks the scary spiders and bugs are too realistic. This attraction is located at the bottom of the Tree of Life in the tree root system.Camp Mickey-MinnieThis is to the left of the entrance but you have to walk to Discovery Island in the centre of the park to access any of the other lands. This is where the theatre is located that shows ’The Festival of the Lion King’ 3 or 4 times a day. This is a fantastic musical show, with no animals, that involves lots of audience participation. I would recommend everyone visit this show at least once and parents with small children under 10, to sit as near to the front as possible so that their children might get picked to do something. Our son Lee was once picked to roar like a lion and he has never forgotton it. Children love to be picked, even for small things like this. He is 15 years old now but its still his top show to watch. Camp Mickey-Minnie was also home to Pocahontas and Her Friends but this show has just closed and won’t be re-opened again. You can see lots of characters in this area so its great for smaller children.AfricaThis is set round a fictional village called Harambe and is to the left at the far end of the Animal Kingdom. You can see African dancers perform a show here daily, they are excellent and again, are well worth watching. The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, a walking do-it yourself type of tour has lots of interesting animals to see. There is an underwater hippo section plus the gorillas, fish, birds etc. A ‘research centre’ half way round the walk has a really interesting bit with naked mole rats.The main part of Africa is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. You get on a safari bus and set off through the 110 acres of ‘African Savanna’. You take part in a mission to stop some ivory poachers on the way round which the kids always find exiting. Its quite a bumpy ride so you have to hold onto your camera pretty tightly. You can see giraffes, gazelles, elephants, lions, hippos plus much more. Its very good the way they have set this bit up because most of the animals are just roaming freely and you have to stop the bus sometimes whilst waiting for them to move, but some of the animals, whilst not caged, are not free to roam round. The lions for example are set on land that has a valley between them and you so that you can see them, but they can’t escape.Fun ‘Safari’ facts:- No two safaris are ever the same because the animals have minds of their own. Animals are typically more active in mornings and during cooler weather, so the best time to visit is in the morning.
- Disney Imagineers made many research trips to Africa to ensure that the landscapes accurately replicate the experience of taking a safari in Africa.
- There used to be gunshots in the chase for Big Red and Little Red but these have been stopped.
Rafiki’s Planet WatchI must admit, I have never really bothered with this part much, probably because I think it is more for smaller children in my opinion. It is located to the right at the furthest end of Animal Kingdom. You have to take the ‘Wildlife Express Train’ to get over there. The trains leave every 5-7 mins throughout the day so you never have long to wait for them. You walk through ‘Habitat Habit’ which is an outdoor discovery trail with lots of cute monkeys. There is ‘Conservation Station’ which Disney has created to promote awareness for animal conservation. There is a vetinary window where you can sometimes watch them operating on animals plus there are a variety of interactive exhibits. At ‘Affection Section’, a petting yard, you can go and pet or stroke lots of farmyard animals such as goats.AsiaLocated to the right of Animal Kingdom, this has our families favourite ride: Kali River Rapids. I don’t like it because you always get soaked. I’m afraid that I am one of those people you see looking daft with a rain mac on or I have to hold the bags for everyone (this one is my best excuse for not going on) 12 of you get on a round raft that rushes down the ‘Chakrandi River’ through an Asian Rain Forest, past a waterfall. geysers and an inferno. If you make it back without getting soaked, which is very unlikely, people can squirt you from the bridge just as you are returning.Fun Kali River Rapids Fact:- Most of the statues and the various bits of decoration are authentic and were made in Asia.
Other attractions in Asia include Flights of Wonder, a show with free flying birds, the Maharaja Jungle Trek and the latest addition to the park: Epedition Everest - Legend of The Forbidden Mountain. This is a fast train/roller coaster that goes forwards and backwards through Himalaya that is guarded by the Yeti. I’ve got to say that this ride is highly over-rated in my opinion and I wouldn’t go in if it wasn’t for the single rider line which means you can get on in a few minutes usually. Its good, but not worth queing up for hours.Fun Expedition Everest facts:- Bumper to bumper, the Expedition Everest train is over 20 metres long; while the track length is over 1,341 metres long.
- Up to 2000 people an hour use the ride
- In the making of the mountain, over 1,800 tons of steel were used.
- The yeti is 22 feet (6.7 m) tall.
- Plants - over 20 acres of rockwork on the mountain is covered by: 4 varieties of Giant Bamboos, 10 species of trees and 114 species of shrubs.
DinoLand U.S.ALocated to the right of the entrance, this land has quite a few attractions. ‘The Boneyard’ is a play area for younger children where they can even dig up bones. Primeval Whirl is a spinning coaster that is always seems to be shut because its broken. I have only been on the ride once despite going to the park lots of times.This is my least favourite land in the Animal Kingdom, mainly because they have added some stalls and attractions that you have to pay for and my son is a sucker for these things. Its a bit like Blackpool in front of the Primeval Whirl attraction. Triceratop Spin and Dinosaur are 2 other rides. The only saving grace for me in this land is that they have the ‘Finding Nemo - The Musical’ which is situated where the old ‘Tarzan Rocks’ show used to be. It is a fantastic show, the costumes are fabulous. It is better than going to see a West End production in London.Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle parade is held every afternoon and features over 60 cast members. Haven’t seen this though so I can’t tell you what its like but Disney always put on a good show so I would imagine its fantastic.The park closes earlier than all the other Disney Parks. Best to check the times before setting off because some days it has closed for 5pm.One response to “Walt Disney World - Animal Kingdom Theme Park”
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Vacation Villas in Orlando Florida. The best way to enjoy your theme park visits.
Have you ever considered renting an Orlando Villa instead of a hotel room? There are so many advantages to doing so.
Many years ago it was probably different but now vacation villas, condos and town houses offer so much more than many hotels and at a cheaper price. It is not uncommon to be able to rent a property on a resort that has a communal pool, clubhouse with bars and restaurants, fitness centers, fishing lakes and much more. With such enchanting names such as Watersong, Emerald Island and Thousand Oaks they all live up to it with beautifully landscaped gardens and conservation.
Most villas have private pools that can be heated on request again some of them overlook breath taking views of lakes or conservation giving you the opportunity to see some Florida wildlife close up.
Increasingly, there are now many homes that offer high speed internet access, free long distance and international phone calls, large screen TV’s, DVD players, spa’s/hot tubs and everything you need to make the villa your home from home, including, all linen, cooking equipment, towels etc. All included in the price. If you want mid stay cleans these can always be arranged.
If you consider the cost of say a group of 6 travelling to Orlando, work out the cost to stay in hotel rooms, then compare the cost of a vacation home. I am sure you will be surprised. Plus you have all that privacy, independence and freedom. If you want to cook in the villa then there are all the modern appliances at your disposal. If you need to do any washing, no need to drag all your washing to whichever floor the washing machines are located in a hotel, you have your own washer and dryer.
All vacation homes are within a short drive to Disney World and the other Orlando attractions.
A have look at our vacation villa at Watersong Resort in Davenport, near Orlando, Florida at http://www.vacationinflorida.nl
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