Howdy! I spent the morning in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Chester & Hester’s shop, played some Fossil Fun Games, checked in on the refurbishments at Kali River Rapids, and hopped to Magic Kingdom to see the progress at Big Thunder Mountain.
Parking at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Bah Humbug… It’s never fun to start the day closer to the toll plaza than the entrance of the park and it’s still too early for the tram so walking it is. The temperature is not on my side, it is so cold in Orlando. No joke, I wore three layers today and it still was cold.
Good Morning from Disney’s Animal Kingdom
I know I have said it before but Animal Kingdom is still my favorite Disney park. It is the most themed and immersive, fight me in the comments. I can still find new animals on the tree of life every time I visit, and finding tiny details throughout the park is fun.
Four Park Merchandise
In Riverside Depot I found a new Four Park hat and keychain. The ballcap is available for $29.99 and the keychain is $14.99. I really love the simplistic clean design of this collection.
Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures Coca-Cola Machine
Unfortunately, soon Dinoland will be no more and make way for Encanto and Indiana Jones. I spent some extra time this morning taking in the details in Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures. The old-school Coca-Cola machine is a fun feature in very themed shop.
When I examined the machine closer I noticed a snapshot of Mickey Mouse giving Pluto a bath and a Pirate Princess magnet.
Fossil Fun Games
The Fossil Fun Games have been living rent-free in my head for over a month. Every trip I make I try once or twice to win a dino. Today is a big day, I won the dino, and not just any dino but THE dino, Aladar. My collection begins and ends here and I’m stoked.
Kali River Rapids Refurbishment
Kali River Rapids is currently closed for refurbishment and boy were they working this morning. As soon as I turned the corner from Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain I could hear the power tools. The river has been drained, and you can see the crews working in the distance. Be sure to visit our website for more information.
Abdim’s Storks
Of course I could not leave Animal Kingdom until I checked on the Dinoland storks. Yesterday, the Abdim’s Storks were moved to this new location behind the Tree of Life.
They still don’t have a sign nor do I see the tortoise that once lived with them in Dinoland, but they seemed happy in their corner, maybe they were a bit cold too.
Pathetic Parking Spots
I have had no luck with parking today. I parked in Hook which isn’t horrible but my location in Hook is not ideal, I ran to the tram and made my way to the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom
Indulge me for a moment this picture is so well timed. Anyway, I took the express monorail to get to Magic Kingdom as quickly as possible, also the ferryboat would freeze me solid.
Walt Disney World Railroad
When I got to Magic Kingdom I immediately boarded the Walt Disney World Railroad to see if they had updated the spiel near Big Thunder Mountain. Disney has updated the spiel to reflect Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s refurbishment. Please visit our website to hear the new spiel.
Shout out to the construction team making magic by waving hello to us as we passed by.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from Riverboat
On the Liberty Belle Riverboat I was able to see the other side of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. You can see pieces of the track that has already been removed. There are red tagged props as well, likely they are going to be removed.
Be sure to stay tuned to our website for more detailed updates throughout the lengthy refurbishment.
Villain Tram
The tram is a real life saver at the end of a long day. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on everything you accomplished in the parks. I enjoy my little tram tours of the parking lot.
I hope you enjoyed our day of park hopping. There are a lot of changes coming to Walt Disney World and every single one of them is controversial in the Disney fan community. I’m excited for the changes, but nostalgic for the memories I made in these places. Let me know what your thoughts and feelings are in the comments.
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