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Walt Disney World Disney's Animal Kingdom Discussion Thread

p. 74: Tropical Americas land announced!

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  • 5 months later...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/07/new-adventure-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-will-have-guests-trekking-into-the-savannah/

 

If you’ve ever wanted to venture off the beaten path and farther into the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition savannah, you’ll have a chance later this year. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will be offering a new, immersive experience that’ll take a small group of Guests on personalized, guided treks along some unexplored areas of the Harambe Reserve.

 

During the excursions, you’ll be able to spend more time observing the wildlife on the savannah and have a chance to learn about the animals and their behaviors from one of our Disney guides. Adventurers will also trek through an undeveloped forest area of the Harambe Reserve and then board a unique vehicle specially designed for the rest of the quest.

 

Walt Disney Imagineers are still working on many of the details but we wanted to share the news with you first. Reservations for this specially priced tour won’t begin until later this year, so keep checking back for more details.

 

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/10/new-safari-experience-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-coming-in-2011/

 

How’s that for a view? Such wildlife thrills are part of the upcoming Wild Africa Trek experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and we’ve just opened reservations. It’s the same adventure we told you about in July but now we can share more details.

 

Wild Africa Trek will be a three-hour, expert-led adventure offering up-close-and-personal experiences with wildlife species that make their home in Pangani Forest as well as other areas of the park’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve. As part of the adventure, you’ll clip onto a lifeline and step to the edge of a cliff to get amazingly close to the hippos and crocs. Here are a few highlights for curious explorers:

 

  • Trekking with experienced guides through areas of Harambe Wildlife Reserve that aren’t explored during regular Disney’s Animal Kingdom experiences.
  • Navigating through fern and vine forests on a bushwalk.
  • Clipping into a harness attached to a safety line, crossing a rope bridge over the Safi River and cliff-hanging at the edge of gullies that are home to hippos and crocodiles.
  • Experiencing the thrill of “over-landing” in customized open-air vehicles following the edge of a wide-open savanna.
  • Unwinding from an unforgettable adventure at a private safari camp for wildlife viewing. At this station elevated above the savanna, guests will savor sample tastes of Africa.

Harambe Wildlife Reserve will be offered several times daily at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Groups will be kept small, consisting of no more than 12 trekkers per safari.

 

Reservations for Wild Africa Trek can be arranged by calling 407-WDW-TOUR (939-8687). Pricing for this unique adventure will vary seasonally. Guests who reserve a booking from Jan. 16-Feb. 26, 2011, may take advantage of an introductory offer starting at $129. Park admission is required for participants.

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The bridge and ropes portion sound very interesting.

 

The one odd thing is that people are reporting that you're not allowed to bring your own camera or video camera on the tour. You'd think on an amazing upclose expensive animal encounter people will want to take their own pictures. Hopefully once it gets going they'll figure that one out.

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It's probably because they don't want guests losing their cameras on the tour and ask to go back to look for it, they also might know where they lost it but it's in a really bad spot (crocodile pits, hippo pit, fell off of bridge or cliff and probably destroyed). It might even be hazardous to the animals for they might find it and eat it. I dunno, maybe they might soon try this, then call it safe for people to bring their own cameras.

Other than the camera policy, I like this idea. It seems nice to forget you're in Florida for a while.

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This sounds truly amazing! The wife and I are huge Zoo freaks and our favorite park at WDW was Animal Kingdom. When they add this attraction then we are going to book our flights and hotel (Animal Kingdom Lodge of course) and check this thing out. I agree with everyone else that hopefully they will let you bring your camera on the tour or even if they don't, hopefully they will have a professional photographer take photos of you and your family and not charge you an arm and a leg for it. We went on a zip-line tour in Mexico and we weren't aloud to take our cameras but they had guys taking our photos but then in the end they wanted over $100 for the photos. Maybe the "upcharge" price will be for the photos they take of you.

 

Either way...I'm excited for this!

 

Jimmy "Loves the Animal Kingdom" Bo

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It is a shame that they have not given a date yet as I am going to Orlando from the 3rd of December for 2 weeks so if this was open I would probably do it.

 

Just read about the camera rule though and that does put me off, I would want pictures of the animals close up etc and for my memory of the trip. $74 a person is not cheap either.

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  • 4 months later...

Another Disney CM recently suffered a major injury due to an accident on the Primeval Whirl (from the Orlando Sentinel, March 13).

 

A worker at Disney's Animal Kingdom suffered a head injury that required him to be airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center this afternoon.

 

The accident occurred at the Primeval Whirl ride in the DinoLand U.S.A. section, said Bo Jones, assistant chief of Reedy Creek Emergency Services.

 

Jones said his department responded to the accident scene and then called for the Air Care Team at ORMC to fly the injured man downtown. The man, who was not identified, was reportedly in critical condition.

 

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, Jones said.

 

The Primeval Whirl — described as a mild roller coaster by Disney — is closed for maintenance, he added, so no Disney guests were in the area at the time of the accident.

 

Disney spokesman Zoraya Suarez said tonight that "right now our concern is for our cast member." She added that Disney staff was at the hospital with the man's family.

 

Suarez said the accident was under review but that she had no immediate information about what had happened.

 

In 2008, federal investigators charged Disney with five safety violations and fined the company more than $21,000 for a fatal accident at the Primeval Whirl ride a year earlier.

 

In that November 2007 accident, ride attendant Karen Price, 63, was working on an elevated rider-loading platform when she was struck by a ride vehicle and knocked to the ground. She hit her head and died five days later.

 

After that accident, the company renovated the rider-loading platform so that sensors could shut down the ride if someone entered a particular area.

 

Link to story.

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-worker-dies-20110314,0,5316565.story

 

A Disney worker injured Sunday while repairing the Primeval Whirl roller coaster died early today, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

 

The unidentified worker suffered head injuries Sunday while working on ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom and was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, according to the sheriff's office.

 

No details have been released about the accident, which was not witnessed by guests at the theme park.

 

A news conference to release details of what happened is expected later today.

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^I'm not really sure why this would rate an "eye roll." Most likely, Disney would be slammed they had not spent some time at the hospital with the victim's family.

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^I'm not really sure why this would rate an "eye roll." Most likely, Disney would be slammed they had not spent some time at the hospital with the victim's family.

 

Had this been a relative or friend of mine, I don't think I would want Disney spending time with anyone when their intentions are obviously self serving. I don't think they would be criticized for leaving them be either. Clearly the family doesn't have an issue with it, so it's a moot point.

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^It's a fine line. If someone from Disney hadn't been there, then Disney could've been labeled as "uncaring" or "callous." But, yes, it would depend on what the family wants.

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It appears they did not make it.

 

LINK REMOVED

 

Sad to hear.

 

ADMIN EDIT: Not only has that link been posted already on this very same thread, but you are not allowed to post any external links yet. Per the Terms of Service you agreed upon when registering with the site, you are not allowed to post any links until you have at least 50 legitimate posts on the forum. Please be sure to read over those terms again to be sure that your future posts aren't in violation, and be sure to read through the threads you post on to make sure that you aren't duplicating information that has already been shared.

Edited by jedimaster1227
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  • 6 months later...

Original Announcement

 

We have great news to share today. At a press conference happening right now at Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs just announced a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the fantasy world of AVATAR to life at Disney Parks. And it’ll all begin at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

 

 

James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants on the project and will work side-by-side with our Walt Disney Imagineers as we dream up experiences that will take our guests deep into worlds of AVATAR like never before. There are also two sequels to the record setting first film in the works, which will offer more fascinating stories, characters and locations to explore in the AVATAR universe. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort is planned as the site of the first AVATAR-themed land with construction expected to begin by 2013.

 

We believe Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great fit for this project because it was created to give guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in new ways. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.

 

The design phase on the Disney’s Animal Kingdom project has just begun so stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more details.

 

Got questions about the announcement? If so, Tom Staggs will be answering them in a special Q&A blog post later today. Just submit your name, city where you’re from and your question to questionsfortom@disney.com and then check the Disney Parks Blog later to see some of the answers.

 

Disney's Announcement

 

Updates:

Disney Q&A on Project

Edited by Airtime&Gravity
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