Birt Family Focus

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Rafiki's Planet Watch and Camp Mini Mickey -- 06/13/03

Today we will take a trip through Rafiki's Planet Watch and Camp Mini Mickey.

Rafiki's Planet Watch was originally called Conservation Station. Recently, the area was updated a bit and the name changed. The theme is still conservation and you will learn a great deal on a short visit. You get there by an open air train called the Wildlife Express. It is oriented for a side view on the way, with 2 rows of seats and room for 1 wheelchair per car. No turning of the head this and that way is required to see everything there is to see on the trip. You will have a walk of about 5-7 minutes when you get off the train, and only collapsible strollers are allowed on board so keep this in mind when bringing littles along.

There is a sort of back stage area where you see how the animals in the park are fed and cared for. An Animal-cam lets you have a peek at actual goings on. The Affection Section is a little petting zoo area where you can touch goats, sheep, and other small domestic animals.

The actual Conservation Station is a large buidling with exhibits on animal training, feeding, medicine, and conservation. Expect to spend about an hour here to experience all there is to offer. One of my favorite exhibits is the Sounds of the Rainforest area. It is set up to look like the tree trunks in a forest. You go inside the tree, sit down, and don earphones. The tree goes dark, and you listen to the sounds. For me, it is very soothing and magical. YMMV Be sure to use the bathrooms- you will learn all there is to know about poop.

Camp Minni-Mickey is an adirondack style area just over a babbling brook from Discovery Island. Look closely at the banks of that brook- you will see some pretty famous characters trying to catch some pretty wiley fish.

This is the place where you will get to meet and greet with the most characters, so don't forget your autograph books, folks! This is also where you will see the best show in the park- The Lion King. I can't say enough about this Broadway quality show. It is great, 28 minutes long, and there are NO bad seats. GO Go GO!

There is one other attraction here, Pochahantas and her Forest Friends. This is an interactive animal show with live animals hosted by Pochohantas and geared toward small children, but take it from this big kid, adults will like it, too. Grandma Willow is here and talks-my favorite part. This show is 12 minutes long and presented throughout the day Tuesday through Saturday. Pokey and Grannie take a break on Sunday and Monday.

There aren't any restaurants in Camp Minni-Mickey, but there is a place to get some of those great Disney Chocolate Chip Cookies and sodas/juice/ and water. You can even get ice cream there. It makes a perfect end to a visit to this area of the park.

Well, I'm taking my big cookie and my ice cream cone and head back to the house. Now that I've written about this place, I feel the need to cuddle my engangered Chinchillas, and fill my bird feeders for the wild green parrots that frequent my back yard. Yes- it's definitely going to be an animal conservation day at the Birt's house today!

Sla`inte~