Living the Disney Life: Just the Perfect Blendship (1/11/07)
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Living the Disney Life
Just the Perfect Blendship
January 11, 2007
I've been looking forward to this day. A couple of friends from California are visiting Animal Kingdom for the first time and it's always fun to be there when Disney fans experience a new Disney park. As they walked to the Oasis where we were waiting for them there was a third face I didn't quite recognize. Upon closer inspection I realized it was Maynard, a well-known Cast Member from Disneyland. I'd seen Maynard for years going back to my early Disneyland days when he'd work Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Festival of Fools guest control and many others. I'd talked to him a few times, but never spent any time with him, so experiencing Animal Kingdom with him (who'd never been before) and our other two California friends was quite a treat.
While there we made what I thought were pretty good rounds for first timers. They'd already ridden Everest before we arrived so we first headed to the Safari. The line was long so we got FastPass and did the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail to watch the gorillas. Then we went to Rafiki's Planet Watch which, I think, is an underappreciated area of the park. It doesn't help that you have to take a train ride to get there. But once there it's really a very interesting place. Twice I've seen a medical procedure taking place. The Cast Members there are very knowledgeable and eager to share. Affection Section, the petting zoo, is so cute. There's a guitar player that plays animal guessing games with the kids. The talking recycling bin. The laughs in the restroom. It's really a well-done and easily overlooked area of the park.
Upon our return we had a very bumpy ride on Kilimanjaro Safari's with a great guide. She had a way of being funny without making light of the attraction. Then we watched the parade and got to the Theater in the Wild just in time for my favorite show, Finding Nemo - The Musical. Our friends from California stayed for Extra Magic Hours. We headed out with Maynard and dropped him off at Disney-MGM Studios.
Maynard at WDW
It still never ceases to amaze me how Disney can bring people together. I met my wife, Rebekah, at Disneyland. We have numerous friends, including all our close friends, that we wouldn't know at all if it weren't for the Disney parks. These friends from California we've known for almost 10 years all because of the mouse. And through Disney and chance we've now made a new friend in Maynard. To paraphrase - Disney been very, very good to me ... as epitomized by this great Disney day!
Discuss It
-- Doobie Moseley
-- Posted January 16, 2007