Tag Archives: Discovery Island

Day 83- Animal Kingdom

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It is beautiful today. It actually feels like the sun is hot enough to get a sunburn. The temperature will have a high of 82 or 83 today, and it is hot. However, the breeze is wonderful and keeps us cool. We are going to Animal Kingdom today. As we enter the parking area, it looks really busy until we see the new changes. Yes, they have refinished one huge section of the parking lot and repainted the lines; it looks great!

We ride the tram to the entrance and the tram attendant is so funny. These cast members make Disney so much fun! Soon, we are at the entrance, our bags are checked, and our MagicBands are scanned. Now, off to check the pin stroller at the stroller rental, but once we get there, we find that it is out and about. Not a problem! So, we make our way up and around the Oasis, viewing the animals on our way up. Once we are almost at the top of the Oasis, we make a turn to the left, and step across the rope bridge! I love this bridge! It reminds me of my childhood, crossing rope bridges on vacations.

Now we cross the bridge to Discovery Island, passing the Wilderness Explorer sign up station. It is so cool to find the different animals and get reward stickers! It is a fun way to make your way around Animal Kingdom.

We are heading to Island Mercantile for pin trading. As we enter, we see so many different items in the shop that we haven’t seen before! As the girls are pin trading, I browse all of the cool gifts and hats. As we leave the shop, we make our way through Discovery Island and cross the bridge into Africa. As you are crossing over the bridge, look to your right and you can see Expedition Everest. We on the side of the bridge and enjoy the view for a few minutes. There is a really cool bird that hangs out on the riverbanks here, sometimes he spreads his wings; they are so beautiful and so massive! Today, he stretches one out and also stretches his foot out along his underside. It is just beautiful!

It is rather hot, so we stop at Harambe Popcorn to see what cold beverages they have. We see Jungle Juice Slush and grab one. It is so very good! It is a perfect beverage for a hot afternoon. We enjoy our fun and tasty drinks as we continue to walk toward Asia, then cross the bridge back to Discovery Island. As we walk, I have to chuckle as an ibis sits right above a couple, watching to see if they drop any food. I had not noticed that seat before, it looks like it was carved out of rock, but the ibis sitting above them made me notice. It is a funny picture.

We are finished with pin trading for the day, so off to the rope bridge, and around the Oasis. Out the front entrance, oh, let’s check the Outpost Shop for pins! Found one! Yay!

Now, off to the tram! We sit at the front of a car, and a whole family jumps on with us. I sat by the little oldest son. I asked him, “Are you the oldest?” He said, “Yes!” I said, “You are doing good.” His dad looked at him, then me, smiled really big, and nodded. He was helping with the other 3 siblings and I was impressed with his actions. He did do a good job. See you later, Animal Kingdom; it was a very good day!

Day 58- Animal Kingdom

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It is an absolutely beautiful day. We checked the temperature for the day at 10am and it was 71 degrees. By the time we left at 10:45, it was 78 degrees, sunny, and hot! We are headed to Animal Kingdom and I am looking forward to going; it has been way to long since we headed this way!

We park near the end of the row and get to walk to the front gates! We go through bag check, scan our MagicBands, and walk into Animal Kingdom! Instantly I am looking for DeVine, I check and cannot see her anywhere. So, we go on up and around the Oasis and walk to Discovery Island. The path around the Oasis is all uphill, it is a good walk. There a various animals and birds that you can watch here if you choose to seek them out.

As we get to Discovery Island, my goal is to photograph the signs that mean a lot to me. These signs feature words of wisdom from Mr. Walt Disney, and I love reading them. The signs are posted on the construction walls that are scattered around the park. I love seeing these walls because it means that there are new projects being created, and soon we will get to see the new things that Disney is building!

Here are a few of these posted signs:

We take a moment to get Babycakes gluten free mini-cupcakes and Twinkie got a gluten free cinnamon donut. The lady in front of us is new to the gluten free lifestyle and seems a bit nervous about the whole process, which is completely understandable, it’s a lot to learn! The young man that is taking the orders gives her a sheet with all of the Animal Kingdom restaurants that work with allergies. She turned around and was concerned, so I added, “Disney is great about working with gluten free and they will work with you on this. They have even made something not on the menu for us to help us eat safely!” She was so excited and asked me about Yak and Yeti’s quick service restaurant, I said, “Oh, yes, they are really good about gluten free.” Twinkie let her know that they can specially prepare their sweet and sour chicken with grilled chicken, and it is very good! The lady was happy, relieved, and smiling when she headed out to eat.

During our stop to eat the treats from Babycakes, these little dudes showed up…

Now, off to Asia to see more signs! I love crossing the bridges to the different areas and seeing all of the sights. Oh, look! There’s Baloo and King Louie! As you walk, there is so much detail and so many things to see.

It’s finally cool enough for the monkeys to be out, so we paused for a while to watch them! They were snacking on lettuce and swinging from the many ropes on their house.

We pass by another area of construction and see one of my favorite sayings, “TOGETHERNESS. FOR ME, MEANS TEAMWORK.” –Walt Disney

Now, we are hungry! It is a good walk around Animal Kingdom. Today the crowds here are very courteous, kind, and so relaxed. We decided to go to Flame Tree Barbeque. This is the kid’s favorite place to eat at Animal Kingdom. We already know we can have the half a chicken (specially prepared) and Tooti loves the southwest salad. The manager is great as she talks to us and helps us get our gluten free food started. It does take a few minutes longer if you need special allergy-friendly food, but it is so worth knowing that the food you are eating is prepared specifically to help avoid your allergen(s). Disney Chefs are the best and we are grateful that they care so much to make sure that we are eating safe foods! Thank you!

While the kids are waiting for our food, I see a flock of Macaws and hear a cast member talking about these beautiful birds. This is the coolest, most beautiful, spectacular display of birds. This is my must see, I love seeing the Macaws as they fly in with their fantastic variance of color. The cast member tells about the Macaws and describes which varieties they are. Near the end of the presentation, she is going to send them out. I had hoped to tape it, but one loud, “Caw!” and they were gone. The cast member explains, “The loud ‘Caw’ is a warning sound that they do in the wild. With that warning, they all leave.” Oh, cool! The “Caw” is sort of like the Macaw’s safety alarm! No problem, another day we will come back and get the beautiful flight recorded so we can share it.

I walk back to Flame Tree Barbecue and meet back up with the kids. We get to eat in our favorite area by the water and enjoy our gluten free dinners.

Now, we are heading for the Oasis, I think I can just walk to the front. Just kidding! I have to walk across the rope bridge! I love rope bridges and I wait until the family in front of us crosses, then Twinkie and I enjoy walking with enthusiasm across the bridge! It is so much fun.

It is a beautiful day and an equally beautiful walk to the front entrance! We enjoyed Animal Kingdom and all of the kind people today!