Trip Report: Affection Section (Day 4, Part 2 | January 2021)

 Then we were off to Africa-my favorite land in Animal Kingdom. Really we were just passing through because we were going to Rafiki’s Planet Watch for an animation class. From the train, we got a quick look at Ranger-the newest rhino. Dad and I feel a connection to him because we met his dad when we did the rhino tour.

I checked out the displays while we waited for the animation class to begin. Someday I’ll be able to see a surgery or animal treatment.

Then, it was class time. We were drawing Dumbo. Dad and I drew him last time. Sadly, I didn’t really improve from my past experience. I still gave him chunky legs. But it’s a fun time and I would always recommend it.

My parents stopped in the bathroom so I went outside to wait. There was a sheep with her handler out there. The sheep even opened the door. I was happy to see them because I always like seeing the handlers and animals. They used to do little demonstrations on the stage. Hopefully, those will come back, too. The animals love working with their handlers. That’s why this one was out to begin with. 

After my parents came out, we headed to the Affection Section which is the petting zoo. There was an alpaca being pretty sassy with the keeper feeding it-it was pretty funny. The alpaca kept spitting on him. We walked around and looked at the other animals. 

We returned to Africa and decided to get a snack. Denise got a dole whip. Dad and I got the grilled street corn which we heard good things about. The flavors from the seasoning was good, but the corn felt a little old-it was a bit shriveled up.

Since we were already in Harambe, we got in line for Kilimanjaro Safaris. It’s always a good time. I love seeing all the animals, but I do miss the storyline. And the song from the elephant section. That was one of my favorite parts-I still listen to the song at home.

Up Next: Animal Trails

Trip Report: Animal Trails (Day 4, Part 3 | January 2021)

 Then, we went on the Gorilla trail. It’s right next to the Safari and my stepmom loves the gorillas. I think she  could watch them all day. Some of the trail was under construction so we entered through the normal exit. Because of social distancing, we had to wait a bit to see the gorillas. I kind of like the distancing because it’s easier to get closer to the gorilla viewing.

We got to see the baby gorilla being breastfed which was cool. I think her name is Grace. One of the other gorillas kept staring at me. I’m not sure if that’s cute or scary. I don’t understand gorilla psychology. The meerkats were also out and cute. 

Next, we headed to my favorite animal trail-the Maharajah Jungle Trek. There’s tigers and bats, what isn’t there to love? 

On the way, I heard one of the character boats so I briskly walked to catch-up.

In the trail, I saw one tiger and a few bats. When we went into the bird section, there were a lot of birds taking baths. I’ve never seen that before. And there was a peacock showing off. But the peahen was having none of it.

All our animal adventures left us a little hungry so we went to Flame Tree BBQ for a late lunch. We were able to get a seat on the water-one of the perks of eating off hours. It’s especially nice right now because of the boats. The characters launch and return from this area so you get some good views while eating. We got to see Pocahontas, the Ducks (Donald and Daisy), Chip and Dale, and the drummers.

After lunch, we headed to Dinoland. I know a lot of people don’t love this land, but I do. I’m a big fan of kitschy stuff. First, we did Dinosaur-always a favorite and a must do. Then, we did Triceratops Spin because it was a quick walk-on. Well, only dad and I did that one.

Up Next: Beaches and Cream

Trip Report Day 1, Part 2: Animal Watching (December 2019)

Date: November 30, 2019

If you missed the last update, you check it out here.

After the show we headed over to Africa to check out Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. This isn't my favorite trail, but it is still good. There were two young gorillas (brother I think) playing/fighting with each other. It was exciting! There was also a mom with a baby but she was sitting next to a post and a lot of people were trying to see her so I had trouble getting a picture.

Is there a process for this? I try to only stay near the glass for a couple minutes so others can get a good luck. But other people don't seem to care. 🤷

Then, we got on the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station. I don't even remember the last time I went here. We did have a FastPass for the Animation Experience. This was actually a last minute FP. We replaced our Dinosaur FP with it. That was such a good idea, because this attraction was hopping.

We did still have some time to kill first. There was an animal care story soon, so we sat and watched that. We got to learn about a sheep. She was very excited to see her caregiver and show off. Disney doesn't teach tricks. They work on performing natural behaviors on command. This makes it easier to care for them.

Then we walked around the petting zoo area. I like that there are places for the animals to go if they don't want to interact with people. And there are tons of Cast Members keeping an eye on things.

I wanted to watch another animal care story and we still had time. this time it was a goat. She was an older goat so they really let her do whatever she wants.

Then, we went inside and looked at the other animal and lab stuff. There was a medical treatment earlier in the day. Someday I'll be able to see something. You do get to see things like how they feed them. Every individual animal has their own nutrition animal. That is amazing!

And it was time for the Animation Experience. They give you a pencil, lap desk, and a paper with some guidelines. There's an animator who walks you through the drawing and there are 2 large TV screens that show you what the animator is drawing. 

Before we got started, they showed us a video about an animal from the park that represents the character we would draw. We were drawing Tick-Tock, the crocodile from Peter Pan. The video was of one of the Nile crocodiles you see on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I think his name was Blue and he was one of the top-dog crocs.

It is definitely a fast experience-perfectionists be warned. Dad and I enjoyed it. We would definitely do it again. And it is worth the FastPass. My drawing isn't perfect, but pretty good considering I have next to no artistic ability.

Then, we headed back to Africa via the train. I was starting to feel the early morning flight, but I will push through!

Up Next: Pandora!