Monday, April 23, 2012

Disney World Dazzles Sparky

I know I'm probably in the minority, but I've never been to Disney World in my life until yesterday. We just decided that since we're seven miles from the park, and it's one of Eldy's favorite destinations (he thinks he's been about ten times or more) that we would go. We didn't pick Lake Magic RV park for that reason, we just have been checking out our Florida Max Pass parks as we start to make our way out of Florida. But it's just too tempting not to go and is an added bonus that Lake Magic is so close....Let's go see the magic!

Sparky was thinking this was a place for little kids, for families with children and that she wouldn't be too interested because she's not into amusement park rides. She couldn't have been more wrong. It really was a magical place, and it's going to take two days to tell you and show you how magical it was for her....You could write books on Disney World, but Sparky is just going to share her impressions with what she saw without trying to give a complete tourist breakdown on what's available! It would take WEEKS to cover what's there for a visitor. Hopefully, you'll see a little different perspective here...So here we go.......

Where do I start? It's one of the most beautifully designed amusement parks I have ever seen. The landscaping, the flowers, the architecture in the different sections, the layout, the cleanliness of the park and the facilities, how easy it was to get around, the food, the easy transportation to get from one part to another, everything was truly amazing! The cost to get in for an adult was 85.00 per person. We purchased a "Hopper Pass" for each one of us for 35.00. That enabled us to visit as many different parks within Disney World as we wanted to for one day. They have lots of different combinations of Hopper passes and admissions, depending on how many days you wanted to explore the park. We had just one day, but we did a LOT and ended up visiting three sections of the park. We rode a few rides, but no roller coaster. (Let it be said I was REALLY disappointed that Sparky would not ride the Killaminjaro roller coaster ride with me, says E.) No way, no how am I ever getting on a roller coaster. You could offer me a hundred bucks and I STILL won't get on one!

Let's start with Animal Kingdom, because that was the first part of Disney World we visited....We walked into the park, and the first thing Sparky saw was roseate spoonbills. Sparky went nuts with the camera! (242 photos later......) Here are some of my favorite shots from the Animal Kingdom visit.
Here's another spoonbill....
The settings in which you see the animals are very very natural and realistically designed with their real habitats in mind. It's not like a zoo where there are glass walls and fences everywhere. There are a lot of natural barriers in place that separate you from the animals, yet keep everyone safe from each other! "Asia" was wonderful, the atmosphere was amazing....the settings in which the animals were seen was beautiful....We lots of exotic animals we can't remember the names of that you don't normally see in a zoo....We both felt that it's wonderful to come to Disney when you are young, but it's even more wonderful to come as an adult to see these kinds of things. You have a whole new appreciation for the park and Disney's vision as an adult....


Seeing the beautiful settings in "Asia" felt like being in another world or country so different from your own...

We saw other beautiful, incredible birds flying around above us and walking at our feet in the "Asia" section of Animal Kingdom...Like this Mandarin duck.....
These little beautiful lemon yellow birds were flying above us and busily working inside their nests upside down! The holes for the nests are at the bottom! They are called Taveta Golden Weavers.

You walk past the Tree of Life....manmade but so real looking....
And then you start to see the intricate carvings that make up the tree....

We went for a short river ride and got soaked, we watched a 3D movie with special effects "It's Tough to be a Bug" and endured screaming young children who didn't understand that the bugs weren't REALLY crawling under their seat or flying into their faces. A lot of kids were scared on that movie! We really enjoyed the Asia section of the park. It's wonderful to be a kid for a day....







These guys didn't get to go on the water ride probably. But they were having a ball in the fountain!

A street scene from the "Asia" park......
An unusual animal seen in the Asia exhibit...Or was it Africa? It's all starting to blend together....
OH! I almost forgot the flamingoes...these have always been in captivity here at the park, but what a privilege to get to see them! They are not native to Florida, you know...
Here's one preening himself....
The Disney guide/host standing nearby had an ipad, and he played a mating call of a flamingo for us...All of a sudden...heads came up.....
She's HERE??????
And then one of them did a quick mating feather flourish!  Most of them looked up to see what the excitement was about.  Cool!
See you tomorrow.....More Disney magic!

8 comments:

  1. I am so glad you got to go to Disneyworld. It truly is a magical place and every one should go..several times.

    We've been thinking of buying the Florida Wild for 3 pass. You get 3 consecutive days for $99. You convinced me! This and October is about the best time to go. You picked a great time.

    Believe it or not, we used to see Flamingos in Tampa in the Town N Country area...until they decided to build something and ruin the habitat.

    Beautiful pics....love the Tree of Life.

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    1. Yes animal kingdom is mainly for kids. And more Disney Activities for our kids will make them so happy.

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  2. Mandarin duck... my favorite by far!
    I love learning about people, places, things from other countries. Asia looks so awesome. I'll be back tomorrow for more "magic."

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  3. Flamingos are so cool. We saw this one in Punta Cana a couple of years ago. I'm posting a link to the photo because Blogger won't let me embed html into your comment field.

    http://galleries.phaetonplace.ca/Nature/Birds-1/IMG6277-Edit/948783848_4mAD6-M-1.jpg

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  4. Such a wonderful way to spend a day, or a week. My brother lived in Orlando for a few years and had a yearly pass, he went almost every week. We plan on being in Daytona this fall, for a rally, probably will check it out again.

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  5. I have never been to Disney World either. Can't believe you didn't go on a roller coaster!

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  6. Looks like a great day that's for sure. I would imagine you have to be a Florida resident to get the pass Karen is talking about. I couldn't even find a one day for less than $99. We took Carrie and a friend there and stayed at Fort Wilderness for a week when she was 8 or 10. Boy did we have a GREAT time. I've wanted to go back and play with Chip & Dale ever since.

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  7. It is one of our favorite places. I think you love Spoonbills...me too!!

    Hard to describe how magical it is, but you are doing a good job. Nothing beats your first visit!!!

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