WDW Daily News

Let’s face it, Walt Disney World is big, crowded, and contains lots of things designed to interest your kids. It’s the perfect recipe for someone to get distracted, and in just a few minutes you realize you are one kid short! First let me reassure you that kids do get lost at Walt Disney World frequently, many times a day in fact. But thankfully no child has ever gone missing from a Disney Park. But just in case you do temporarily misplace a child while at Disney, I have a few suggestions for you both before and during your vacation.

First, I recommend prepping your kids on what to do should they become separated from you. If you have a local Disney Store, take them to the store and introduce them to a Cast Member that works there. Be sure to point out their signature name tag. Make sure your kids know that all Cast Members at Disney wear a name tag of this same size and style, and if they get lost that they should find a Cast Member and ask for help.

I also recommend labeling your kids in a discreet but useful manner. While your child may be able to recite your cell phone number to his Kindergarten teacher, under the fear and pressure of being lost, it might be more difficult for them to remember or communicate that information. Cast Members are prohibited from looking inside or removing your child’s clothing, so don’t plan on writing the info inside the back of their shirt for example.

There are several good options out there to put the necessary info on your child. My current favorite is to use a “Road ID”. Since I am a runner, I wear one of these handy bracelets when I run. It contains my name, year of birth, two emergency numbers and my allergy information. It is basically a rubber bracelet with a metal tag that you personalize with the needed info. My children now also have these bracelets, and they are available in sizes from toddler to adult. Not only are they great for Disney, but also when you send your child on a field trip or to summer camp. I also like that they are small enough that a stranger could not read the info from a distance.

Another popular option is Safety Tat. This is a temporary tattoo (kids love these things) that you again personalize with your phone number. They last on average 1 to 3 days. In the past we have also made personalized necklaces or our kids, similar to military dog tags. We called them their “safety tags” and the boys wore them every day along with their pin lanyards. I have always felt more comfortable knowing that the kids would not have to remember my phone number if frightened.

If you do realize you have lost your child, do not panic. Take a deep breath and look around, as they are most likely in the area. If you do not see them right away, find a Cast Member and ask for help. They will immediately alert other Cast Members in the area to look for your child.

I do have personal experience with this. On our most recent trip, while I was ogling the beautiful Pandora beads at Uptown Jewelers my husband received a phone call. He looked at me and asked, “Where’s Conor?” We suddenly realized we had lost one of our 4 children! Just a few minutes before there had been a child’s balloon that floated to the ceiling in the Tomorrowland Terrace and my 7 year old thought he’d like to watch how they got it down. Meanwhile, the rest of us headed down Main Street, USA. Thankfully, my son had used his knowledge to find a nearby Cast Member and showed them his Road ID! Within minutes we were reunited, and the Cast Member was very complimentary of my son’s ID bracelet. I was super proud of my son for doing what he had been taught, and he didn’t even seem to mind that we had lost him! So go prepared, don’t panic and ask for help, and you’re sure to have a happy ending!

Epcot boasts amazing food, breathtaking attractions, and an incredible fireworks show, but did you know that the park also offers entertainment from all over the world? In fact, almost all of the eleven pavilions in the World Showcase present at least one form of entertainment respective of each country. From music to juggling to acrobatic stunts, you never know what you’re going to come across next while strolling around the World Showcase.

In Mexico, the sweet sounds of violins, guitars, trumpets can be heard throughout the pavilion from Mariachi Cobre, a traditional 12-piece mariachi band. Some songs are instrumental, while others are sung in Spanish. This band is truly a pleasure to listen to, and their music will make you want to get up on your feet and dance.

Over in China, you will be astounded by the talents of the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats. The feats this group accomplishes are absolutely breathtaking. Each performance includes flag-twirling, daring flips in the air, juggling, and more and lasts around twenty minutes. If you want to get a good view of the performers, I would recommend showing up around ten minutes before the scheduled start time since viewing space tends to fill up fast, especially during busier months.

Italy features two forms of entertainment: Sergio the Mime and Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro. Sergio, like most mimes, doesn’t speak, but he is able to communicate and excite the audience with his whistle, which can be heard from a few pavilions away. With the help of some younger audience members, he catches soccer balls in a net from various distances and juggles up to five balls at once. No matter what kind of mood you’re in, Sergio’s silly antics will put a smile on anyone’s face. While you’re in Italy, you can also enjoy watching Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro, a newer group of Italian flag throwers. Accompanied by live trumpet music, this group will dazzle you with their ability to juggle and throw flags in the air. My favorite part of the performance was a solo by the lead performer in which he juggled a flag entirely with his feet. At the end of the show, there’s also an opportunity to take a picture with the group and chat with them, which was a nice touch.

Over in The American Adventure, you can find my favorite entertainment in the World Showcase- the Voices of Liberty. This group of a cappella singers clad in traditional 1800s clothing could actually be mistaken for a choir of angels as they sing Americana songs like “Oh Susanna” and “America the Beautiful” and sometimes popular Disney music such as “Let it Go.” Each performance lasts 15 minutes and is usually before the showing of The American Adventure featuring Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. The Voices of Liberty always bring a tear to my eye, and it’s a must-do to watch them on every trip.

In the France pavilion, you can hold your breath in anticipation as two waiters perform balancing stunts as Serveur Amusant. With the aid of chairs and some oversized champagne bottles, one-half of the duo ends up balancing on the top of five chairs stacked on top of each other. As the name suggests, there is also some humor thrown in to keep the act light-hearted and entertaining, but I wouldn’t blame you if you ended up biting your nails as the stack of chairs gets higher and higher.

Next, in the United Kingdom, you can hear covers of songs originally sung by British artists like the Beatles, Billy Idol, and the Police performed by a band called British Revolution. The four-piece band features a lead singer, drummer, and two guitarists and easily gets the crowd singing along. At the end of the performance, there’s a chance to get signatures and pictures from the band, who are friendly and fun to talk to.

Kilimanjaro Safari is the anchor attraction for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This twenty minute safari trip through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve is one of the hallmarks of the Animal Kingdom because it does what the park is meant to do: put animals center stage. These animals are real; they are living, breathing examples of different species from parts of Africa. This safari was an opening day attraction in 1998 when the Animal Kingdom first started welcoming guests, and the ride is never the same, which definitely increases re-ride ability.
In the past few years, the safari has seen many changes. The Little Red Audio-Animatronic was removed from the ride’s finale in preparation for a new animal habitat. It is always interesting to learn about how attractions change over the years. Walt never wanted his parks to be unchanging; he believed that he could keep adding to them in order to keep them fresh for new visitors. Now, truly to understand the evolution of this particular ride, one must re-visit its past.

The safari did not always have the same storyline that it most recently possesses. In the very beginning, this ride actually featured a more prominent anti-poaching message to its riders. Warden Wilson Matua and his research assistant, Ms. Jobson, had much more pronounced roles in this version of the safari as well. Wilson and Ms. Jobson were on a plane flying over the Reserve, and they would often talk to you via the castmember’s radio device as you journeyed in your safari vehicle. As you continued your exploration and viewing of various animals, Wilson would get increasingly more concerned about poaching on the Reserve. As ready and willing members of the Safari team, you, the riders, were encouraged to help Wilson hunt down the poachers. In the initial cast previews and test/adjust time period for the ride, a giant carcass of a slaughtered Big Red (the mother elephant) could be viewed in the tall grass near a busted gate into the Reserve. Big Red was missing her tusks, and this could be attributed to poaching. This figure was soon removed due to the many complaints received at guest relations.

After rushing through the broken gate, your truck moved quite roughly as you encountered the uneven terrain and the small geysers in the area. You were even chased by a jeep that fired shots at your safari vehicle. In the end, Little Red was saved, and a cast member standing next to Little Red informed you that all was well.

Over the years, this storyline has been continually tweaked in order to make the Little Red story change and eventually evaporate all together from the plot of the ride. Most recently, Little Red played a part in the story, but it was an exceedingly small part, which involved her placement at the end of the ride and a quick pass from the safari vehicle through the poachers’ camp. The cast member at the end of the ride near Little Red’s escape vehicle is now also absent.

In the past few years, Little Red has been totally removed from the ride. It has been interesting to see how this attraction has changed so much over the years. The message of conservation is still evident and so is the anti-poaching message; however I miss the excitement of racing through the finale of the ride in order to nab those poachers. I also miss the Little Red animatronic as well as the presence of everyone’s favorite Warden Matua.

In the upcoming years, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will continue to grow and change with the addition of Pandora. I can’t wait to see how this area of the park is enhanced and how it adds to the overall message of the Animal Kingdom. I am nervous to see how the public receives these new characters because of all of the controversy on the addition of Avatar. In the end, I am adopting a “wait and see” attitude because I know that WDI will do their best to create a truly immersive land that will add much needed attractions to Animal Kingdom. Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!