The New Fantasyland has been in soft openings since Friday and I finally made my way over there yesterday. Here are some of the pictures that I took while I was there. It is so amazingly beautiful! The Imagineers have truly outdone themselves this time. I can’t wait for Be Our Guest to finally open too!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently welcomed another baby on June 21. A baby okapi was born. The female calf was given the African name “Nafuna” which means “delivered feet first.” (source) She passed her first wellness exam and will be joining her mother, Zawadi, in the Ituri Forest in a couple of months. Her father, Akili, can been seen in the savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I will be sure to share pictures of her as soon as she is out!
The tigers in the Maharajah Jungle Trek were active this past week. One was playing “broken kitty” just like my cats at home. Another decided to take a dip in the fountains to cool off. So much fun to watch them play!
I had a great day this week playing tourist with my Mom and my nephew. I got to really enjoy some of the attractions that I don’t get to spend a lot of time at and I got to finally see a procedure at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I need to plan to spend more time there in the mornings in the future.
The Tumble Monkeys!
The Festival of the Lion King
Addax
Affection Section still closed for refurbishment
Quarantine exam on some new Animal Kingdom ducks
Dr. Beth describing the procedure she is about to perform
During my preview of Brave I was able to see the teaser trailer for Monsters University. If the whole film is as funny as this trailer, it is going to be a good one!
My friend Matt over at Studios Central is a huge, I mean HUGE Studios fan. And this week he is celebrating International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week. In honor of the Studios, I am sharing some of my favorite pictures that I’ve taken in the past year. Be sure to check out our round table post over at On the Go in MCO today. So obviously, despite all the time I spend at the Studios, I don’t spend a lot of time taking pictures lately. I plan on making up for that in the near future.
One of my favorite animals that you can find in Kilimanjaro Safaris is the Addax. I never really took notice of them until I noticed them one day near the lions. A lioness was watching them closely and I was certain she was going to escape and have one for dinner. I did a little bit of research about the Addax and I wanted to share so of the information I found.
Addax are also known as the screwhorn antelope. They are critically endangered, which means that they are at an extremely high risk of extinction. According to my safari driver recently, there are only 500 known Addax left in the world. They live in the Sahara desert, but are extremely rare due to unregulated hunting. They are primarily herbivores and have adapted to live in areas with scarce water sources. They can be easily hunted do to their slow pace. (source)
Here are some of the pictures from my visits and from Disney:
After another absence from Animal Kingdom I was able to return there yesterday. It was a hot day and it turned out to be Gay Days at the park too. For families traveling to the area during Gay Days who may be concerned about how it will affect their experience, I can say that you have nothing to be concerned about. I was in the park for a good two hours before I even realized what day it was. And the only reason I even came to that realization was because I was taking time and people watching. Here are the pictures from the day:
Buridika
Warden’s post
Addax
White Rhino
Lion (they do exist!)
Baby elephant trying to break a branch
Baby elephant
Elephants
Monkey point
Ankole cattle
Black Rhino
Great Horned Owl (4.5 months old)
Street party in Africa
A “fish” I caught during a magical moment
“Bat” in Pizzafari dining room
Wilderness Explorers Meet Up
Extra tables set out to handle crowds at counter service locations
Managers reviewing one of the demonstration booths for the Taste of Africa
Megan in Wonderland 