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: Lunch with Santa (Day 1, Part 3| November 2020)

 After our safari ride, we were both ready to eat lunch so we did mobile order at Flame Tree BBQ. We both got the pulled pork mac-n-cheese. I also got a side of onion rights which was probably a mistake. My eyes were bigger than my stomach.

Dad got us a good table on the water while I picked up my food. We did get to see some of the characters go by on their boats-including Santa!

After lunch, we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We did get to see one tiger hanging out. There were some bats, too. That made me happy because the last few times there’s been no bats. Who doesn’t want to see the puppies of the sky?

Up Next: An Early Night

Trip Report: Dining With Character

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

It was dinner time. For some reason we didn't know Tusker House was a character meal so that was a nice bonus. Areana had been getting a ton of autographs so it worked out nicely for her, too.

The food was ok. It just wasn't necessarily my style. The dessert was really good-there was a strawberry thing I particularly liked. 

The characters were great-especially Daisy. She was twirling around and showing off her outfit. Daisy actually stopped by our table twice. The other characters were Goofy, Donald, and Mickey.

Oh, I almost forgot: they serve Jungle Juice here. We got unlimited refills which was awesome.

After dinner, our group parted ways. My cousins were off to use FastPasses they had for Expedition Everest.

We would be getting back together later for another safari ride.

The parents and I ended up at the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It would be closing soon and some of the animals already went inside.

There was only one tiger-a male. I love seeing the tigers. The female tiger was inside with the babies. He obviously wanted to go in with them.

We did see a crap-ton of birds which were cool to look at. 

Then, we went to take in the Tree of Life gardens. Denise wanted to rest so it was just dad and I walking around.

We started with the animals carved in the tree. I don't know when I last really looked at all those details. It's amazing to think how much effort and imagination went into this design.

There weren't a ton of animals out in the trails. We did see a bunch of fish. We saw some lesser flamingos which are more pink than the greater flamingos you see on the safari.

It was nice to take all this in. And there was barely anyone on the tour.

Up next: An Evening Safari

Top 5 Animal Kingdom Attractions

It's time to talk about the last park-Animal Kingdom. This used to be my least-favorite park, but it's really growing on me. I've been spending more time here.

And I have not been to Pandora yet so neither of those attractions are on this list. But I do really love these five must do attractions.

1) Kilimanjaro Safaris

This is one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World. It's different everytime since you're looking at live animals. If you get a good driver it's even better. A lot of people are all about the lions, but, for me, it's the elephants. And I love the song they play in that section.

2) Dinosaur

I'm not really sure I can explain why I love this attraction so much. I just always have fun on it. And I'm pretty sure I can quote the whole pre-show and actual rides.

3) Finding Nemo: The Musical

This show is beautiful and always gets me in the feels. The music, puppets, and performers-all of it- are just spectacular.

4) Flights of Wonder

I only did this on my last trip and it is definitely a must do now. I'm not even a crazy big bird fan, but it's amazing to see what they are able to accomplish. And the show is engaging and has humor.

5)  The Maharajah Jungle Trek

A lof of people like Pangani because they are gorilla fans. But I am all about the tigers. Whether you do just one or both of the trails I highly suggest checking them out. It gives you the opportunity to see so many different kins of animals.

What are your must do attractions?

Thanks for reading!

Holly