I learned last week that Animal Kingdom would be losing a few key character meet-n-greets in December--namely, Jiminy Cricket and Pocahontas, who can currently be found at Rafiki's Planet Watch. (Sad, because this is really the only place where these two characters can currently be experienced in a meet-n-greet setting.) What I didn't know at the time (and still don't know, as it is merely a rumor at this point) is that the entire area including the Conservation Station, Affection Section, Habitat Habit!, and the Wildlife Express Train may be closing as early as January to make room for the new Avatar Land.
It was originally thought that Camp Minnie-Mickey would be the casualty to the much-anticipated, film-inspired land of the Nav'i--with the relocation of The Festival of the Lion Kingto another area in the Park--but moving the characters out of Rafiki's Planet Watch is a good indication that Disney has other plans. While I'm not a huge fan of the attractions that may fall victim to the expansion, I do think they have merit but have been under-utilized. The learning potential of the Conservation Station appeals to me as a homeschooling mom, but on our visits we have not seen much in the way of Cast Member/animal interaction. I would love to see Disney give guests a more intimate look into what they actually do at AK. Instead, the CS exhibits have become rather static, without much CM interaction or views of actual animal care. (I'm not asking them to perform surgery on a giraffe in the viewing area, but it would have been cool to see them giving a turtle an exam...you get the idea.)
So, what do you think? Would you rather see Disney close Camp Minnie-Mickey (assuming they relocate The Festival of the Lion King) or Rafiki's Planet Watch?
Although we did not visit Camp Minnie-Mickey on our last trip I hope to on our next so I would be sad to see that area go, especially since I've read it's one of the better meet n' greets at WDW.
ReplyDeleteI have little interest in Rafiki's or anything it that area mostly due to the many poor reviews I've read about the attractions there. However I would love to see more interactive learning areas at all of the parks, so long as - like you suggested - they're actually kept up and are interesting and, well, interactive :)
All that said, I'm not a fan of Avatar and I'm still trying to figure how Avatar relates to Disney and how it is a fit for AK. Hollywood Studios? Maybe. But AK should be about nature and animals and remain the least commercial of all the parks.
Wow. Apparently I had a lot to say about this ;)
Tracy, I don't disagree with you on Avatar...not a big fan myself. I think Animal Kingdom is a stretch, as far as fit. However, I do see how it meets a "felt need" in Animal Kingdom, as it would add a nighttime element to a park that basically goes to sleep at 6 p.m. But I too would much prefer to see some sort of nocturnal (real) animal exhibit to fill this need.
ReplyDeleteWe first went to conservation station shortly after AK first opened. We weren't impressed with the train ride but the petting zoo was okay and my son got to meet Pocahontas. We never bothered going again until last September so my two youngest boys could see the attraction. Believe it or not, they were performing surgery on a bird when we arrived! We all admitted that was pretty cool. The rest didn't really impress my boys much. All that said, I like the movie Avatar but don't honestly see how that theme fits in with Disney AT ALL. Ugh. This change is not good news imo.
ReplyDelete[...] week we learned that Animal Kingdom would be losing its meet-n-greet opportunities with Jiminy Cricket and Pocahontas at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. In addition, [...]
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