Disney Transportation: Yay or Nay

After just returning from a Disney World trip, I always marvel at the ways in which Disney transportation can operate so smoothly.  Thousands of people park their cars and arrive at their destinations without too much trouble.  People take this marvelous occurrence for granted because they are so used to the efficiency of the ways in which the theme parks are operated.  With this in mind, I want to reflect on the best ways to travel throughout Walt Disney World.  One can define the term best in many ways; for example, best could mean most relaxing, quickest, or most convenient.  These are just a few definitions of what best could mean to different guests.  For the purposes of this article, I will delve into what my husband and I deem is best for our needs.

            When we visit WDW, we always drive, so we always have a car.  I know this is not the case for everyone, so if you fly, you must rely on Disney transportation or rent a car, which can be expensive.  For us, having a car is essential for transportation around Disney property.  We used to take the Disney buses from our hotel in order to arrive at the parks, but this process became quite onerous.  On one stay, we waited over an hour for a bus from the Boardwalk to the Animal Kingdom.  It was freezing outside, and we had missed the morning extra magic hour as a result of our wait.  After several other experiences like this, we decided that we would start driving to the parks.  Now, I know our experience does not mirror everyone’s Disney bus experience, but for us, we were done with the buses. 

           

            At first, I was worried that driving the car around Disney property would take away some of the magic because the buses were always just a sign that we had arrived at Disney World.  However, this initial fear dissipated after driving from our resort to the Magic Kingdom.  We could leave the Pop Century, be assured a seat and air conditioning, and we could arrive at the Magic Kingdom 10-15 minutes later.  We would not have to stand or find somewhere to throw our belongings on the floor.  Best of all, we would not have to lose valuable time in the morning waiting for a bus to come to us so that we might get on amidst the other guests who were waiting to board.  We are early risers, and we like to get to the parks for rope drop, and we like to be in control of our schedule.  The buses did not make this possible for us. 

            With regard to the cost of parking at the various parks, this is not an issue for us because we always stay on Disney property.  As a resort guest, you are given a piece of paper to display in your car window that entitles you to free parking anywhere on Disney property.  In addition, we are annual passholders, which also entitles us to free parking on property.  The whole parking process is like some sort of grand ballet of cars and parking attendants.  The ease of this process never ceases to amaze me.   Disney knows how to move around large groups of people, and if you follow the attendants’ directions, you will have no trouble parking your car safely and quickly.

            As for other non-bus Disney transportation, we willingly take watercraft and the monorail to arrive at various destinations.  I love to take a leisurely boat ride from the Polynesian Resort to the Magic Kingdom or from the Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom.  We also enjoy riding the monorail to Epcot or to visit different resorts.  The boats and the monorail are reliable and quick, so there is usually not too much of a wait.  The boats are a little slower than the monorail, but this is quite a relaxing form of transportation if you are in the mood to take it easy for a little while.  However, if we want to visit a resort that is not connected to the monorail or to the watercraft, we will drive to that resort.  For example, we ate at Jiko on our last trip, which is a wonderful restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Had we taken Disney transportation, we would have to take a bus to one of the theme parks and then take another bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  This round trip would have taken at least an hour of our time.  The drive from the Pop Century to the Animal Kingdom Lodge was at most, ten minutes.  This short drive was much more appealing to us. 

            Not only does driving allow us to save time, it also allows us to keep items in the car that we do not feel like carrying with us all day.  We always leave an ice chest in the car that is stocked with ice-cold water so that we can refresh ourselves in between visits to different parks when we return to the car.  We also leave an extra pair of shoes and socks in the car in case of a sudden Florida rainstorm.  Leaving these items in the car has proven very useful on many occasions, and we have learned these tricks and tips through much trial and error and many trips.  So, next time you are in WDW, give driving to the parks a try, and see if it makes your day a little less hectic!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Kwaherini Little Red and Warden Wilson Matua!

 Kilimanjaro Safari is the anchor attraction for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  This twenty minute safari trip through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve is one of the hallmarks of the Animal Kingdom because it does what the park is meant to do: put animals center stage.  These animals are real; they are living, breathing examples of different species from parts of Africa.  This safari was an opening day attraction in 1998 when the Animal Kingdom first started welcoming guests, and the ride is never the same, which definitely increases re-ride ability.  

Sorry Big Red!

As of the past few weeks, the safari has been changing yet again.  The Little Red Audio-Animatronic has been removed from the ride’s finale in preparation for a new animal habitat.  Zebras will in the not too distant future be making their home in Little Red’s former home.  Now, truly to understand the evolution of this ride, one must re-visit its past. 

The safari did not always have the same storyline that it most recently possessed. In the very beginning, this ride actually featured a more prominent anti-poaching message to its riders.  Warden Wilson Matua and his research assistant, Ms. Jobson, had much more pronounced roles in this version of the safari as well.  Wilson and Ms. Jobson were on a plane flying over the Reserve, and they would often talk to you via the castmember’s radio device as you journeyed in your safari vehicle.  As you continued your exploration and viewing of various animals, Wilson would get increasingly more concerned about poaching on the Reserve.  As ready and willing members of the Safari team, you, the riders, were encouraged to help Wilson hunt down the poachers.  In the initial cast previews and test/adjust time period for the ride, a giant carcass of a slaughtered Big Red (the mother elephant) could be viewed in the tall grass near a busted gate into the Reserve.  Big Red was missing her tusks, and this could be attributed to poaching.  This figure was soon removed due to the many complaints received at guest relations.

After rushing through the broken gate, you truck moved quite roughly as you encountered the uneven terrain and the small geysers in the area.  You were even chased by a jeep that fired shots at your safari vehicle.  In the end, Little Red was saved, and a castmember standing next to Little Red informed you that all was well.

Over the years, this storyline has been continually tweaked in order to make the Little Red story change and eventually evaporate all together from the plot of the ride.  Most recently, Little Red played a part in the story, but it was an exceedingly small part, which involved her placement at the end of the ride and a quick pass from the safari vehicle through the poachers’ camp.  The castmember at the end of the ride near Little Red’s escape vehicle is now also absent.

During a short trip to WDW last weekend, we discovered that Little Red had been totally removed from the ride.  Now, there is much construction going on in this space to ready it for the zebras that will soon make their home here.  From my point of view, the loss of the Little Red storyline does not make me sad at all.  I was enjoying the safari so much last time, that I didn’t even realize that we hadn’t heard the nervous and concerned voice of Wilson Matua over the radio.  Our amiable driver, Rich, reminded us all about Wilson and told us that Wilson had retired from his work on the Reserve.  All in all, I don’t think that Little Red will be missed too much, but it is always interesting to look back at what was and what will be on our favorite Disney attractions. 

Very soon, we will be making a lengthy week-long trip to the World, and we are going to experience the Wild Africa Trek, so we will get to see the Reserve on a very intimate level.  I can’t wait to let you know how awesome it is!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!