Disney's Animal Kingdom has to be the most beautiful of the Disney Parks. The first time I went was during the preview March of 98, the last time was during the passholders preview of Asia in March of 99. I still think the park needs to offer more attractions, but it is off to a great start. The Tree of Life is a true work of art, the detail is amazing! Hundreds of different animals craved into the tree trunk. The park also has lots of winding paths, make sure you take your time and enjoy the birds, other wildlife, and foliage.

Touring Tip
Right now the park is very crowded, even in the off-peak seasons so make sure you try and go on weekdays early in the morning or late in the day.

(views of the Tree of Life. This is also the line area of Tough To Be A Bug, hosted by Flick from 'A Bug's Life'. It is anoth 3-D 4-D movie like Muppet's in MGM. note: some small children maybe afraid of this one, but my 2 year old loved it!))

The preview was a wonderful time to see AK for the first time! The park was empty, less then 2000 attended that day. We really got to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Depending on the time of day you get to the park will depend on where you want to start. If you go in the morning head for the Safari ride. This is a long ride and the animals are most active early in the day or towards park closing in the evening (try both times). In the middle of the day or later in the morning I have seen a 1 1/2-2 hour wait, and many of the animals are hiding from the FL sun. If arriving in the later afternoon, try one of the shows (the Lion King show is the BEST that I have seen in WDW) or head to Tough To Be A Bug or I have had GREAT LUCK at Countdown to Extinction in the afternoons, never waiting longer then 10 mins..

view of the safari

I really enjoy the safari, as does my family. This again is not for the "thrills and chills" seeker, but more for the nature and animal lover.

Everytime you go it will be different as you never know what or who you'll get a close up view of. Hold on to your cameras and small children it is a BUMPY ride!

Did you know the Animal Kingdom has a train? It is a really cool train that goes to Conservation Station. NOTE: all the luggage on the top of the train ) However the ride itself is uneventful, I think this is a mistake on Disney's part. Conservation Station has a petting zoo and you can see Disney's animal doctors at work, which can be very interesting. Conservation Station is basically a place of learning, and worth a look. However if your expecting thrills, chills and special effects you will not like this place.

Animal Kingdom also has River Boats. They are ment to be transportation, like the boats in Epcot, however many took them to be a ride and the lines were hours long, after the short ride Disney had many upset guests. Because of this the boats are closed most of the time only opening on days of peak attendance. Camp Minnie and Mickey is home of the 'Lion King' show which is Fantastic!!!!!. It is also where you can get character autographs. Disney does plan to develop this area in the near future (and it really needs too!!!!) I have heard several rumors, One being Beast Castle(a castle with a rollercoaster in it, I even heard they may use the old Mr. Toad cars for something. But I'll say again these are rumors -I'll keep y'all posted....

My family and I attended the passholder preview of Asia this past March. Stop in again very soon to see pictures of Asia. I will tell you everyone but me got soaked on the river rapids(I wore a poncho). Come back soon! Linda