Meeko's Walt Disney World Trip 2004
With a day at EPCOT and an evening visit to the Downtown Disney Marketplace behind me, my Wat Disney World vacation had just begun.
After a 6am wake-up call, it was time to start getting ready for a day at Disneys Animal Kingdom. First stop of the morning would be a quick breakfast at the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory and finally over to the bus stop.
By the time the bus arrived at Disneys Animal Kingdom, the park was preparing for opening. After getting through the turnstile, it was straight to Africa and Kilimanjaro Safaris. The wait wasnt too bad and the ride was wonderful. The male lion was a lot more active than I had ever seen him- walking around and even growling softly. Also, this was the first time after all my trips on the Safari that I actually saw the warthog. All this time I thought they were just pulling everyones legs when we passed the warthog burrows and that they were fake like the termite mounds or something and that there was no warthogs at the Animal Kingdom. Well, Im happy to say I was wrong- theyre real and there is at least one warthog there. It was quite a surprise.
After the safari, it was on to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. There seemed to be a lot of gorillas out this time, which was pretty nice. The meerkats seemed very cautious though since there were some sorts of buzzards flying around, but they were still out. After finishing the trail, I headed over to Harambe to see the shops. While I was there, it began to rain lightly at first, but then a little harder. It got hard enough that the acrobats that were performing near Tusker House had to stop their show early right after their first routine. After waiting out the rain for a minute or so under an awning, the rain let up enough to let the walk between Africa and Asia be comfortable. By the time I reached Asia the rain had stopped altogether.
In Asia, Maharajah Jungle Treck would be my main destination. After briefly taking a look at the Komodo Dragon and Tapir, I headed over to my favorite area- the tiger habitat. Because the temperature had cooled because of the rain, they were still fairly active for that time of the day, being both awake and moving. True, they werent running around or anything, but for a creature that usually sleeps 19 hours a day, that was pretty active. After walking through the rest of the trails and aviary, it was time to head out of Asia.
DinoRama in Dinoland U.S.A. would be my next stop, so instead of taking the bridge to Discovery Island and getting back on the bridge to Dinoland like usual, I took the new bridge that takes you past where the Expedition Everest ride is going to be to the courtyard outside the Theater in the Wild in Dinoland. Ive got to say, the path is a great addition- a lot easier and less confusing than having to walk all the way back to Discovery Island. Along the way, I noticed a band playing on one of the old Discovery River/ Radio Disney River Cruise boats. They played tropical-style music while Mickey and Minnie danced on board the river boat. It was really a nice way to bring some life to a very quiet area and make use of the river again. Very nice.
After arriving at DinoRama, I headed over to Primeval Whirl. Last time I was at the Animal Kingdom, it started raining when I got to this ride and after waiting in line for a while, they decided to close the ride down due to lightning. This time, as soon as I got into the queue, it began to rain again. No lightning this time, but still they were giving announcements over the loud speakers that the ride may close at any time. I chose to stay in line and see what happens and by the time I was at the front of the line, the rain had stopped completely. After the ride, I looked through Chester and Hesters gift shop long enough to let my stomach settle before heading over to Restaurantasaurus for some lunch. The restaurant was extremely crowded and it was difficult to get a table. I hope the new expansion area in Asia will have a new indoor restaurant. That side of the park really needs another one to even out the crowds a little.
By the time lunch time came around, Festival of the Lion King was the only attraction I had planned on doing that I had not done yet. According to the entertainment schedule, the next show would not start for a bit so I looked around some of the trails and shops in Discovery Island before heading to Camp Minnie-Mickey. After looking at some of the scenery in the area, I headed over to the Lion King Theater to get in line for the next show.
This would be my first time seeing the Lion King since they had enclosed the theater, so I was looking forward to seeing how things have changed. Ive got to say of all the changes made due to the rehab, I think the air conditioning is my favorite. It was great after spending so much time outside in the heat. Having the theater inside now also allowed them to do some more lighting effects which were nice. After the show, it was out of the park and back to the resort.
In the next installment, you'll find my relaxing evening back at Port Orleans. 
