They say you can "never go back," but I just don't listen. In this first picture from my last day at WDW, I attempted to recreate a shot of me from back in 1978. I think I need more sleep! And I am sure George is wishing I had the hat. Fortunately, that bit of 70’s "fashion" is long gone.



It was sad to know that I would be leaving soon, and of course my mind was racing trying to figure out how I was going to squeeze in everything that I wanted to do during these last hours. My original plan was to spend only enough time in Animal Kingdom to get a few shots and experience Everest, and then I’d head back to The Magic Kingdom to get a few shots that I missed over the previous few days.

This plan changed when I found that Animal Kingdom was much cooler than I thought, and Dough liked it, too.



Each park has an icon, and for this one, it’s the Tree of Life, which really is somewhat awe inspiring. The sculpts of the animals into the "bark" of the tree is breathtaking:





The theming and landscaping in this park are stupendous. Extremely lush, it is an inviting atmosphere that beckons the guest to take a more leisurely pace and to enjoy the nature and wildlife at a slower gait.





All I could think about was Everest; I really wanted to experience it and didn’t want to have that be one that was on my unchecked list! My heart sank when I saw that it was not working on my initial attempt. No time for tears though, as I wanted to do the Dinosaur attraction as well. On the way, I passed through (as quickly as possible) the Dino-Rama area. This seemed as bad as the original Paradise Pier at DCA; obviously trying to have something to passify the kiddies and thrill-riders, this section is very out place here. It seems somewhat tacky and not in keeping with the beautiful theming elsewhere in the park.



The Dinosaur Dark Ride was fun, even if the track was obviously the same as Disneyland's Indiana Jones attraction.





The line queue has a very nice mix of edu-tainment, which I felt was a nice addition to many of the areas in the Animal Kingdom.









Since I would only have time for one ride-through, I put my camera away and decided to enjoy the attraction. The animatronic dinosaurs were fantastic, and I do regret not having any shots of them, but sometimes, the camera just needs to be put away!



Flights of Wonder Bird Show was next. I really enjoyed this one; it was great to sit down, but it was also great to see a show that didn’t exploit the animals, but instead, focused on behaviours that were natural to them. It seems Disney is afraid to present anything too educational as it might bore or offend, so they added in a very stupid storyline to the show about a tour guide who is afraid of birds to attempt to heighten the excitement. Note to Disney: these beautiful and talented birds are just fine on their own. I like "corn" as much as the next guy, but the "corn" detracted from this show.



These amazing creatures do just fine on their own; no silly supporting cast necessary!







Time was running out as I was already over my guestimated allotted time for Animal Kingdom. Still, I wanted to make one more attempt to ride Expedition Everest. SUCCESS! The line seemed a little long, but not as long as waiting another 8 years or so to come back!



The line queue was extremely well done; interesting artifacts (the majority of them general), art pieces, and educational information were presented in a way that kept the long line (about 30 minutes) much more bearable.















Once again, I made the decision to enjoy the attraction and put the camera away. Yes, I have regrets, but am glad I got to experience it without having to worry about getting the perfect shot. Was it worth the wait? Yes. It is the Matterhorn on steroids! Probably one of the best rollercoaster-type attractions that Disney has put together for a long time. Fantastic theming, thrills to take away your breath, and it actually seemed to last for a fair amount of time, too. Unfortunately, the infamous Yeti was not working. THAT was a bit of a letdown. Hopefully Imagineers will be able to find a way to get that thing working consistently (at a pricetag that the pencil pushers will allow!). By the time we exited the ride, the line for this attraction was crazy, and probably would have made for at least a 90 minute wait. Talk about timing!

Time for the Magic Kingdom! First up, no ifs, ands, or buts, was the train. Hard to believe I hadn't an opportunity to ride it yet. I was determined to get on that contraption before I left (the night before it had been closed early).



The station is beautiful, but as I've said many times before, just doesn’t quite have the smaller scale & authentic old fashioned charm of Disneyland's.











One other thing that Anaheim has in spades over Orlando is 100% theming. Even a train trip at Disneyland has things to see along the way; very rarely do you get a backstage glimpse that breaks the wall of Fantasy. Not so in Orlando; there are constant reminders that this is a theme park and operations are nearby. The Frontierland train depot seems to lack an authentic flavor as well.



The riverbanks are beautiful, and it's nice to see them uncluttered by all the equipment of Fantasmic or the Pirate overlay that Anaheim has. For once, Orlando has the leg-up on "charming."





I’d still take the Twain over the Liberty Belle though!





A quick lunch back at Main Street afforded the opportunity of hearing the Dapper Dans—yeah!



One more trip on the Jungle Cruise (Dough hadn't been on the WDW version yet) and then it was time to leave.



Another good JC Skipper (2 for 2!) and this time, in the daylight, I was able to get a few more shots that I’d missed on my previous ride at dusk.





A dark one from the tunnel:



And the east-coast version of Trader Sam:



Dough actually preferred the WDW Jungle Cruise; I like many of the elements (especially the tunnel!), but don’t know if I prefer it or not.

And that folks is the end of my trip report. It was a rush back to the Polynesian to check out and head back to the airport. It really was an excellent trip, and I only wish I'd had 2 more days to spend more leisurely time in Animal Kingdom as well as a day to lounge at the Polynesian—it truly is a wonderful resort. Hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did!

See more WDW Animal Kingdom photos at my website.

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Day 2 began with a long awaited breakfast at the Polynesian Resort’s Kona Cafe for Dough, Stacy, and me. The Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes...The Tonga French Toast...I can still taste them now...yum. I was definitely carbing up for the next day’s Half Marathon! Truth be told, my philosophy was pretty much to eat whatever I wanted as I wasn’t planning on returning to Orlando anytime soon.





After breakfast it was onto the Wide World of Sports Complex to pick up the registration packet for the race. I have been spoiled by Disneyland and the close proximity of the hotels, parks, and restaurants. Not so at WDW; practically everything requires a bus, monorail, or other long transportation journey involving multiple transfers. How families accomplish this with anxious little kids along the way is beyond me. The complex was crowded and it took awhile to navigate the maze of people, but once done, we headed to EPCOT for a day at the World Showcase. Much as the rain that day attempted to deter our fun, we trudged ahead anyway and managed to eat, drink, and play our way through the different lands. Naturally, we marveled (albeit very briefly) at the Spaceship Earth/Golfball icon as we first entered the park.



Mexico was our first destination: a little boat trip, some shopping (Stacy opted not to purchase the tiara), and best of all, we avoided the rain outside the Mesoamerican Pyramid attraction building.







For anyone that will never have a chance to visit a foreign country, World Showcase is a light (VERY light) and breezy tour through many different cultures that will give you a surface taste of what they are about. Let me emphasize surface. Reminiscent of California Adventure attempting to be all of California through pseudo-realistic architecture or Vegas trying to bring Paris, Venice, and New York to gamblers on the strip...it’s strictly homogenized and boiled down to the lowest common denominator essentials. There are many cool things though; the fact that the cast members for each country hail from that particular country is fantastic. The ability to shop and eat your way through the world within a matter of hours is also a fun concept...but personally, the rarely changing and somewhat less-than-dynamic World Showcase does not cry out for repeat visits.









Running out of time before our Luau back at the Polynesian, we breezed through some of the attractions of the Future World section of EPCOT. Highlights included the ride through Spaceship Earth sponsored by SIEMENS. Fun, decent length, some cool animatronics, and fantastic to be able to sit down after a lot of walking through the World Showcase.



How about this Foxy-Brown looking animatronic?



It was pretty cool to see myself part of the attraction at the end as the interactive screen on the vehicles incorporates information and photos from the passengers. Do I really look that happy when I get up?



The Nemo/Aquarium attraction was a snoozer; enter a giant (and very klunky) clamshell to be jossled through what is basically the Nemo Submarine Voyage in Anaheim with an aquarium as its backdrop.









Overall, Future World does not really appear to be cutting edge. It suffers from Lowest-Common-Denominator syndrome ("Let's make sure this appeals to kids AND adults and then throw in some Disney entertainment to make sure it’s not too heavy!) and rarely shows the creativity and forward thinking you would expect to see from Disney. This section needs a major overhaul. Apparently “Soarin’ Over California” is one of the top attractions. After seeing the other things to sample there, I am not surprised.

Back at the hotel, we discovered that the luau had been canceled due to weather/temperatures. Boy, did that suck! Still, we made lemonade out of lemons and decided to go to the Magic Kingdome instead. I’d heard good things about The Liberty Tavern in Liberty Square so we tried our luck there.

The Castle really is amazing; it is HUGE compared to Anaheim’s, and very ornate. Will it surprise you that I prefer the smaller and more intimate Castle?



A show with Mickey & Minnie was going on as we were heading to Liberty Square. It was a little jarring (but kinda' cool!) to see the characters with eyes that actually blinked.



Liberty Tavern did not disappoint; fortunately, we had virtually no wait at all to get a table.







Reminding me of a restaurant one might find in Colonial Williamsburg, the staff was very friendly, courteous, and quick to bring us our family-style served food and beverage. The Thanksgiving-inspired dinner fare included carved ham, turkey, and beef piled on top of a bed of stuffing (so savory and tasty!); sides dishes included mashed potatoes, green beans, and mac and cheese (my arteries are still yelling). Yup...carb loading...that’s it! All was fresh, delicious, and begging out for a repeat visit. Wish I’d had the time to oblige! For icing on the cake, it turned out to be a character experience. It was fun to have some of the major Disney characters drop by the table for photos (and a great idea to keep the young occupied while waiting in-between courses).





Dessert included an apple pie/cobbler concoction served with a generous portion of ice cream. It was truly heavenly.

As it was getting late and the 3:15am wakeup time for the race was looming ahead, we only did one attraction in the park that night. The Hall of Presidents is really inspiring; to see all of the Presidents together in one room can make your jaw drop. To see them moving, blinking, patting one another on the back...definitely a technical achievement to behold. I also enjoyed the exhibit in the lobby area; fantastic to see some historical treasures and to be able to learn a little bit about our nation’s history.

On the negative side—I don’t know what it is with WDW Animatronics, but they all appear to have Stepford eyes. Dark and fake looking, they almost seem to be devoid of irises. The Obaman and Lincoln figures suffered the most from this creepy-looking syndrome.









Compare with the Disneyland version of Mr. Lincoln; much more natural and realistic:



What a long day! It was now time to turn in and get some shut-eye before the next day’s half marathon. Stay tuned!

See more vintage and current Walt Disney World photos at my website.

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