Awaken Summer Preview Event, Day 2 – part 2

Once we finished a spin on Toy Story Mania, after Rock N Roller Coaster, my colleagues and I decided to head back to our rooms to rest a bit before our evening activities. Animal Kingdom Lodge is so relaxing it’s hard to tear yourself away from your balcony when you are staying in a savanna view room…

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Mike and the kids spent the day in Animal Kingdom theme park experiencing the safari, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and Primeval Whirl before grabbing a late lunch at the Rainforest Cafe before heading to Epcot for a few more rides and Illuminations.

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Before heading to our transportation to Animal Kingdom, quite a few of us met at Victoria Falls Lounge for a quick drink.

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Animal Kingdom at night feels completely different. As the sun was setting, it became simply beautiful…

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We decided to eat first…

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Then it was time to ride Kilamanjaro Safari at night WITH the Animal Operations Director of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. He shared details with us as we rode- Priceless.




We exited the safari and noticed a familiar face in the crowd- Disney legend Joe Rohde, his formal title is Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative. Disney geeks, like myself, know him as the lead designer and imagineer for Animal Kingdom, including Rivers of Light, Expedition Everest, plus Avatar land, the new Fantasyland and Aulani. He also designed Pleasure Island’s Adventure’s Club- the ONE club I wanted to spend my 21st birthday in, and I did. LOVED it there and I miss it so much. My colleagues and I had no shame going up to him, introducing ourselves and asking for pictures.

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We then had some cotton candy, caramel cups, Mickey bars and Mickey ice cream sandwiches for dessert along with some musical entertainment- then a quick and awesome ride on Expedition Everest at night.

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From there we were led into the theater for a preview of Rivers of Light…

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As we exited the park, The Tree of Life awakened…


If you didn’t already LOVE Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park- you will once you visit it at night. It is just stunning, and completely different at night. The sounds, sights, smells- an amazing experience I won’t soon forget.

This entry was posted in Awaken Summer 2016, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Animal Kingdom Park, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Awaken Summer Preview Event, Day 2 – part 2

  1. Pingback: DisneyMania- A Trip Report, the planning shakeup! | What's Up With The Mouse?

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