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Post by mossie on Dec 23, 2013 10:42:55 GMT
This thread has been an eye opener for me, I'd always thought the whole concept rather tacky. My wife was taken to the one in California about 30 years ago and I have a photo of her with one of the main characters.
But this is a whole new setup, I thought the zoo looked very well done and the whole place looks well organised, thanks again for sharing your visit with us.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2013 13:13:15 GMT
Disney puts incredible effort in trying to make things not look tacky... most of the time. Back when Disneyland Paris was being built, the employment ads in the newspapers were fascinating: "artificial leaf artist" is one that has remained in my memory. The ad went into considerable description of the importance of things looking lifelike in the Swiss Family treehouse or in the semi obscurity of the bayou style entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2013 16:35:15 GMT
Agree, much more classy than I expected. Great photos, htmb. The Gorilla looks almost not real, so perfectly captured.
What a great way to spend vacation time with your family, I bet the kids had a ball.
I've been meaning to take my youngest boy there, but always seem to get side-tracked. Hopefully it will happen next year.
Not the type of place I would personally choose to spend time in, but for children, who still believe magic, just wonderful.
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Post by htmb on Dec 23, 2013 18:24:11 GMT
I hadn't realized those were real gorillas! I thought the models were well done. I wish I'd taken video of the gorillas. They were fascinating. I imagine they try any way they can to escape. I noticed security cameras hidden behind some vegetation aimed at the ravine between us and them. All the animals in the Animal Kingdom park are real, minus the Disney characters, of course.
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Post by mossie on Dec 23, 2013 19:56:17 GMT
Now you've gone and spoilt the whole illusion
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 23, 2013 21:18:49 GMT
There, there, Mossie. Pay no attention to that woman behind this thread. She's already been warned by the police in her community because of the HavaHart® traps she put out for the Easter Bunny.
Htmb, yay ~~ you added more pics since my last comment. Truly, I don't think anyone has ever done a more balanced, more complete, or more enjoyable report on Disneyworld than you've shared with us here.
And now I'll ask you to perform another public service. Many people reading this will be people who might eventually be tempted or coerced into a Disneyworld visit. As a representative adult, can you tell us, using any scale you wish, how much you enjoyed the experience?
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Post by htmb on Dec 23, 2013 21:26:48 GMT
Did my son coerce you into asking this question, Bixa?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2013 22:19:32 GMT
In terms of Paris, I think I may have accompanied at least half a dozen people -- for whatever reason -- to Disneyland Paris when they thought they would despise it. And even though plenty of people say "one visit is enough" I have not yet encountered anybody who was not impressed and/or surprised by the quality once they finally saw it for themselves.
What spoils certain visits are the crowds, but the same thing can be said about the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 23, 2013 23:00:06 GMT
Did my son coerce you into asking this question, Bixa? Not at all! It's a serious question, as I think many people reading this thread will wonder the same thing. As you see, Kerouac addresses the issue of whether or not adults would suffer through the experience or wind up enjoying it. I know I've done some stuff just because a child wanted to -- stuff that I dreaded, then sincerely had fun doing.
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Post by htmb on Dec 23, 2013 23:03:23 GMT
Yes, I would agree with all of your statement, Kerouac. The waiting in lines did me in, but there are ways to work around that via "Fast Pass" and a "line time" cell phone app. Both are free. I would also have to say the heat and humidity from May through October are pretty tough and I wouldn't wish to take a trip to Disney Orlando during those times.
The easiest time I ever had at the parks was one January many years ago when I was there for a three day convention. We stayed at a Disney hotel and had full access to the parks during operating hours. Because the weather was so lousy - cold, dreary, and wet - it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2013 19:00:15 GMT
I'm not a Disney person either. Aside from that, I will echo what others have said. Great photos and report HTMB. I will be passing through Orlando this p.m. to get a connecting flight back to NOLA. No time for a side trip, which is fine by me. Again, great report. Thanks!!
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Post by lugg on Dec 27, 2013 18:47:38 GMT
Superb report Htmb, your photos are truly outstanding.
I have visited with my children twice although it was a considerable time ago now, some things do not seem to have changed, although Animal kingdom did not exist at the time I visited. I really enjoyed it, particularly the first time as we went en masse as a family and we have some very fond memories particularly poignant as not long after both my parents died. Would I go back ... ? most definitely.... if I have grand children
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Post by htmb on Dec 29, 2013 12:24:06 GMT
Thank you all for your very kind comments. My thoughts going through the parks continued to be "no one does it like Disney." Everything seemed to be clean, safe, well-run, and organized. There were hoards of staff everywhere and all were helpful. The negatives were the crowds (to be expected this time of year) and the expense. Food tasted decent enough, but was not cheap, and the cost for one day in a park was 95 USD. Parking per day was 15 USD. Another negative for me was the traffic getting there.
I read in our local paper yesterday that Orlando will be building a rail system similar to Washington, DC, though smaller, to help move people around the area. It could take years before it's in place, but I consider anything of this sort to be a big plus.
Would I return? Given certain conditions - cool enough weather, right type of companions who were just dying to go, less crowded time of year - yes, I would, but not anytime soon.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2013 21:39:02 GMT
Wow, $95 now? That is getting pretty pricy, although the full price of Disneyland Paris is not too different. Luckily there are still plenty of discounts and anybody with the least bit of intelligence gets the tickets for local residents (about which there is absolutely no verification) and which cost at least 30% less.
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Post by htmb on Dec 29, 2013 21:56:16 GMT
But the local resident passes have black-out dates, especially in late December, so we Floridians had to pay full price.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2013 21:59:54 GMT
True, there are blackout dates here as well. But I haven't been there in so long that I only see the posters for the promotions and don't pay attention to the limitations.
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