How else could one entitle a blog post about the Animal Kingdom without the iconic song: In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle, the Lion sleeps tonight. And indeed we did have the pleasure of listening to the Lion King and singing along with this song while in the Kingdom.
Travelling to the Animal Kingdom
I got up this morning at 5am and loaded some pictures onto Flickr. With such long busy days blog posts have got delayed, as the excitement of the next day arrives. I'm sure readers will understand. Having showered, shaved etc we went down to breakfast at 7.15am. As well as the usual mix of meats and cheese for breakfast
Drew treated himself to a Mickey Head Waffle with cream.
After breakfast we headed down to the Ground Floor to the hotel bus station where regular buses run to the parks not connected by the Monorail - Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
The Bus arrived at 9.11am and we got to the entrance to the Animal Kingdom by 9.30am.
Outline of the Animal Kingdom
Like the other Parks the Animal Kingdom is well stuctured, and indeed is clearer in its structure than the other parks.
You enter the park and cross onto Discovery Island. From here each of the four corners of the island lead to bridges to the four 'lands'. In the case of Animal Kingdom these four lands are: Africa, Asia, Dinoland and Pandora. This amuses me as while Africa and Asia have clear identities, there haven't been dinosaurs in these parts for 65 Million years, plus Pandora is is the mythical fifth moon of the mythical gas giant
Polyphemus which orbits Alpha Centauri A in the Alpha Centauri star system. Pandora is also the setting for the Disney Film Avatar, and it is for this reason that it has a land, though why in Animal Kingdom rather than in some other fantasy place is less clear. I guess because the famous events of the film is the humans using mental links to the Na'vi as avatars riding Mountain Banshees.
<<Co-pilot's note: The reason for it being in the Animal Kingdom is the ecological theme of the Avatar film which fits well with the ecological theme of the rest of Animal Kingdom.>>
Avatar Flight of Passage
The main ride (there is another for younger children called Na'vi River Journey) is called Avatar Flight of Passage. This ride is is the newest at Disney World, only opening at the end of May this year, and is highly popular. Even by the time we arrived at 10am there was a three hour standby queue. I repeat 3 Hours. We were so astounded we walked to the end of the queue to see how long it was. It ran all the way through Pandora and on to the bridge to Africa!
It is worth saying one of the amazing things about Disney, and that is that the queues, even the very long ones are not full of bored or aggressive people but of people filled with expectations. However in our case Drew's forward planning had involved booking a FastPass+ for this ride, so we only had a five minute wait, though I must admit I felt guilty seeing how long others would have to wait. <<Co-pilot's note: Lots of people think that the wait is one of the better part of the ride because you get to see the artifacts that you rush past when you are using FastPass. There are Avatars and wall-paintings and other themes to follow as you are walking along. That being said I still wouldn't want the wait.>> Using the Disney App means we could track wait times during the day and we did while we were here. The Avatar ride didn't fall much below 3 hours wait throughout the day.
So we got onto the ride which was the best we experienced here at Disney. It is clear to see why it is in such demand.
After a bit of background, picking up on a theme we saw yesterday of Epcot, on the negative impact on the environment - this time of an alien moon - of drilling and mining. We were led to an engagement in the alien environment.
Sitting on things that were like motorbikes and leaning forward you have headsets which give you an immersive experience. Compared with yesterday's 3D of the world in Sorain the experience of Avatar, an imaginary place, felt much more real and personal. The ride provided a banshee’s eye view of the beauty and grandeur of Pandora. We flew deep into the heart of the Valley of Mo’ara in a breathtaking ride through this incredible landscape. It genuinely felt like an out of body experience as we flew around a wonderful, pretty, imaginary world. I don't have enough adjectives to describe the amazing nature of this ride. I am so pleased we had the experience.
As ever in Disney, everything is done very well indeed. In this case the whole of Pandora has flora and fauna that are entirely alien while obviously really growing here in Disney. You can see many examples of this on our Flickr stream.
It's A Bug's Life
Leaving Pandora we went back to Discovery Island and from the sublime experience of the Avatar ride to the gentle and relaxing It is hard to be a Bug. This 4D experience, replete with smells and water spray can be watched (without said smells etc) on You Tube.
Everest
Leaving Discovery Island we crossed into Asia and had a Diet Coke each at DrinkWallah's sitting in a lovely Indian style summer house, which had nice breezes from the river, combined with air-conditioning, to make the 98F hear a little bearable.
We then went to our next FastPass Plus, another ride new since we were last here: Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. As we walked towards Everest Drew was in full Disney mode commenting: "They must have had a lot of seismic activity here since 2004 to create a big mountain in that time!!" Expendition Everest is a roller coaster ride inside a mock up of Everest. The ride included meeting a Yeti ripping up the track, which led to a reversal of the journey and a full loop. While the Yeti wasn't convincing, the roller-coaster was quite good fun.
The Flight of Wonder
After Everest, as the heat built up, we wanted something
which was more relaxing and less energetic and we opted for a bird show called: The Flight of Wonders. We got into the 12.30pm sitting and enjoyed a wide range of Asian and African birds being shown and flown around the arena.
Again there were so many birds that we have plenty more photos if you'd like to look on Flickr.
Even though the show was open air the area was air-conditioned and fanned, so it was very comfortable.
Meeting Rafiki
We walked from Asia to Africa, not actually you understand, but in those areas of the Animal Kingdom and came across the made up village of Harambe in Africa. The writing on the walls and the language is clearly Swahili, so I suspect Harambe has its roots in East Africa, say Kenya or Tanzania. And indeed having visited both countries I can see the resemblance. We had missed our opportunity to go on the Kilimanjaro Safari without a long queue, but we were able to jump start on the the Wildlife Express Railway to the Conservation Centre. I was happy about this as seeing wild animals out of their natural environemnt is not a real exictement of mine. Time to do an African Safari when we go to that continent. That being said I've been six or seven times, but Drew has never visited.
The Conservation Centre, as the name implies, is full of examples of conservation work done by Disney and others around the world. As well as the informed scientific elements in the conservation centre, there is also the chance to meet one of the Lion King characters Rafiki. Drew loves these character encounters so he took the chance to meet Rafiki and that wise monkey tapped Drew's head and the tree behind him - I think he meant Drew's brain is made of wood.
Kali River Rapids
Our next FastPass ride was back in the Asia part of the park. It was one which brought back good memories of our time here with my Father, who loved the ride called the Kali River Rapids. Kali River is a water ride, like Splash Mountain, but it is a much wetter water ride than Splash. Given the wetness our cameras had to be in the bag Drew carries on days like today, as did our other electronic devices. So we have no photos of the ride. The warning for visitors says:
Kali River Rapids is a whitewater rapids attraction that features gurgling geysers, jetting water and a dramatic splashdown. Guests wishing to experience this attraction but remain dry for the remainder of the day are encouraged to bring a waterproof poncho, an extra pair of clothes or a towel to dry off.
We didn't use a poncho and given the heat we were dry again in a few minutes after the ride. Although the map I had in my pocket got too wet to be useful later (still they have plenty around the park).
This ride is full of laughs and as the people opposite were mocking Drew who got wet first so they got splashed from behind, so the mutual mirth was highly infectious.
Once off the ride you are able to make use use of two Elephant shape squirters which can be activated by pressing a button and can help those down below get even wetter. Drew was keen to have his revenge for getting squirted earlier.
Nemo and the Lion King
Almost overwhelmed by the heat and amount of walking we have done we opted to spend the next few hours in the comfort of air-conditioned rooms being entertained by Disney Cast Members.
We began with the Finding Nemo - The Musical at 4pm, which was being shown in the Theatre at the edge of DinoLand, this show lasted 40 minutes and retells the main theme of the film, but includes new songs written especially for the performance.
We then walked back across Asia to Africa and watched the Festival of the Lion King at 5pm in the Harambe Theatre. This was a sing-along to some of the songs from the film. Rather than focusing on the film's story it celebrated the life of Simba, the Lion King. It included some amazing gymnastic feats by people dressed as monkeys and included some astounding Fire-juggling, a Samoan rather than an African tradition, but worth watching all the same.
Riding Dinosaurs
After the Lion King we still had an two hours before our dinner reservation, so we headed to Dinoland to visit some of the attractions there.
The first was my favorite, and Drew's least favorite, the Primeval Whirl this was a very old fashioned roller-coaster in the style I remember from sairgrounds of my youth. The 'car' is a waltzer style vehicle, but it is not flat like waltzers, rather it turns fast and goes back and forward, up and down, along rails. I could ride it again and again, but once was enough for Drew.
We next went to another ride in this area called Dinosaur, this ride is in a 12-seat Time Rover which travels past dinosaurs of various shapes and sizes which leap out at you in a way which might scare a young tide, but is a bit tame for adults who have been on Avatar, Everest and the Kali River earlier. I love the photo which was taken of us in the ride, you can see the absence of enthusiasm on our faces. Indeed the photo produced more mirth than the ride.
Serendipitous Encounters
One of the great things about the Disney Parks in general is the serendipitous encounters which take place because you turned one corner at the exact right time. This happened to us when we walked out of Dinoland and moved back on to Discovery Island.
As we did so a band of dancers and stilt walkers were moving towards us with music of a Latin style for what was called: the Discovery Island Carnivale. So we stood and enjoyed their music and dancing for the next twenty minutes. It was immensely colourful and very entertaining.
Dinner at Tiffins
So after a long, but enjoyable day at Animal Kingdom we came to our Dinner at Tiffins, the fine dining restaurant influenced by Asian, Latin, African Cuisine in the centre of the park on Discovery Island.
A friend of mine (you know who you are Kath!) was worried when we were coming to Disney that we wouldn't find food of the standard which we enjoy. Well Tiffins is defiantly evidence that we can.
The waiter began by explaining the menu and its roots and highlighting his favourites as well as the chef's favorites. Before the appetiser course we were offered Pomegranate Focaccia with pomegranate molasses and olive oil. The bread had too sweet a flavour for me, but Drew loved it, dribbling the molasses and oil over the bread to make it almost dessert like.
For starters Drew opted for an unusual Lobster-Popcorn Thai Curry Soup with Lime-Basil Emulsion and Popped Sorghum. We are lovers of Thai food and this soup was cooked to perfection. The lobster popcorm was served in the dish and the soup pour over as part of the eating experience, meaning the lovely wafts of galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves exploded even before Drew got to eat the soup. He thoroughly enjoyed it and made sure to tell me it would be to coconuty for me, so I wouldn't ask for some to taste.
I on the other hand choose marinated grilled Octopus with
salsify, saffron aïoli and lemon-caper Olive Oil. I am a big fan of octopus and eat it often in Spain. Indeed this dish had a large Spanish influence. But the tenderness of the Octopus was so unexpected. Its long period of Sous Vide followed by being lightly flash fried made it both crisp on the outside and soft on the inside at the same time. I know I can get to excited about food, but there are times in your life, well in mine anyway, when I almost want to cry and the pleasure of the flavour of what I am eating, this is one of those times.
For mains Drew selected Duck Leg Confit, Forest Mushrooms, Parsnip Purée, Truffle Reduction and Huckleberry Compote. The two pieces of duck looked perfectly cooked and were large pieces cooked perfectly pink, with just the right amount of seasoning. The sweetness of the huckleberry compote worked well with the earthiness mushrooms and parsnip. Drew said it was very, very nice.
In my case I had Ethiopian Coffee rubbed, butter-infused Venison Loin with the South African venison sausage called boerewors, soubise, South African onion, tomato and beans in a chakalaka plus a tamarind barbecue sauce with leek ash on the side. These flavours all worked well to bring out the lush richness of the veal. I added a side of Nepalese Potatoes, which were sauteed in spices. The dish needed the additional vegetables, but they complemented rather than competed with it. The plate was empty and almost returned to entirely white by the time I had finished with it, it tasted so wonderful.
Drew finished with dessert. This was a Lime Cheesecake with almond-sesame tuile, pistachio crumb and a green tea sponge. This was not as limey as Drew was expecting and not really like a cheesecake, the cheese was pleasantly foamy, but the 'biscuit base' was replaced with a sponge base which gave it a rather odd texture. Still the plate was empty at the end of the meal, which is always a good sign.
We ended the meal with a cafetiere of Peruvian coffee, this had a nice intensity that brought the meal to a fitting end.
Rivers of Light
As we left the restaurant it was just after 9pm. Time surely for us to go home after a 12 hour day in the park - of course not. Rather time for the water and light spectacular called Rivers of Light.
We had to rush from the restaurant, back into Asia and to the river-side temple which would be familiar to someone who has gone to the Ganges River at places like Benares. That sense of bring in a run-down river-side temple was carried throughout the decor in the seats which faced the river.
The presentation used a brilliant mix of water, sound and light to impact on the senses. It was quite unlike anything
I've experienced before and well worth waiting for.
We have lots of pictures on Flickr, Drew's expensive camera <<co-pilot's note: Oi, Robin's was much more expensive, plus I saved my own money for it. And in this case it is the new lens aperture which makes the difference not the camera itself>> Haydn's comment - the Lens was expensive enough! comes into its own on occasions like this, taking great photos that would be blurs on more usual cameras. The one shown here is my personal favourite, but I could have picked many of them.
We left the park, with a large crowd of others, all who had stayed for the show. The queue for the Avatar ride was still two and a bit hours long, that part of the park stays open until Midnight. We got on the Bus at 10.10 and back to our room by 11.00pm, ready for bed by 11.15pm. (That's over 18 hours today, but it was worth every bit of it.)
So I opted for a breakfast of fruit: melon, watermelon, mango, pineapple, blackberries and blueberries. These were accompanied by a bagel with creamed cheese. Which went down well with the Orange Juice and Coffee.
After Breakfast we walked down to the hotel's bus station and caught the bus to the Studios. The bus left at 9.14am and we were at the park at 9.30am. 
Once we were in the park our first destination was our first FastPass+ ride - Aerosmith's Rock and Roller Coaster. This roller coaster was my favorite ride of my 2004 visit to Disney World and my 2007 visit to Disneyland Paris. So was a must do today. 
We did this twice and Drew became even more comfortable with the ride even to the extent of opening his eyes for the last ride. Given the number of threes, parents with one child for example, that were in the Standby queue, the single rider queue was regularly used. The first time Drew was in the car behind me and the second time only three cars behind, so there was no real delay and conversation is really not possible on such a fast bendy ride.
Moving from Star Wars we came to an area focused on the Muppets called Backlot with the Muppets, this includes the central attraction: Muppet Vision 3D. There is a fun area with various Muppet themes while you wait to go into the theatre and then the 3D film includes all the great Muppet characters in unlikely but funny settings making the most of 3D to engage the audience. We both laughed a great deal. 
Given our experience in Animal Kingdom yesterday, we adopted the same strategy today. Being busy in the morning and finding air-conditioned spaces when we were in the heat of the afternoon. Our first such space was the Beauty and the Beast Stage Show, this was in an open air auditorium called the Theater of the Stars which was open but also air-conditioned. While I've never seen the film, the story is, as the song says; a Tale as old as time. 
In a way that could only happen in a Disney park, as we ran from the end of one show to the start of the next we passed a couple of Galactic Storm Troopers on their way through the park.
Our visit to Hollywood Studios ended with a live concert by a concert orchestra. This was the 5pm performance of The Music of Pixar Live!. The performance was some epic fully orchastrated music played to a background of video scenes from Cars, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story and Up. All culminating in a final singalong of 'You have a Friend in Me.' with the whole audience standing up and singing this enthusiastically. 
The Coral Reef was our choice (a) because the food looked like it would be really good (b) you eat in a venue with a live coral reef and its attendant fish just through a window and (c) in my intention to do my abstinence on this Thursday I could choose fish from the menu. 
I opted for crispy Rhode Island Calamari which was served with roasted Corn Relish and Tomatillo Sauce. I'm afraid the reflection of the water which permeated the restaurant means this photo is not as good as was the food. The calamari were whole squids, not just the rings that we often see in the UK. So it moved from crisp legs, to soft and juicy bodies with a lightly spiced sauce. I would certainly have it again if I saw it on a menu.
Being down in the American South it was time for me to select a regional recipe from somewhere a little north of here - Shrimp and Grits. This was some delightfully sautéed shrimp with cheddar grits, corn succotash and creole spice emulsion. I could easily be back in New Orleans with this range of flavours, and they worked together very well. Eating, what is effectively maize porridge with a main meal is somewhat alien to the British palate, but I have travelled enough in the Southern USA to have got a taste for grits and these were finely made with a strong cheddar flavour, the bits of corn and fava beans in the succotash added a crispness to the overall meal. It was lovely.
