WDW Daily News

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!

Heres how it goes: I am talking with an acquaintance and the conversation turns to Walt Disney World (which it almost always does with me). I then casually mention that I have traveled to WDW solo on a few occasions and love it! Now a very strange look comes over my conversational partner’s face; eyebrows pull together, her eyes shift around uncomfortably, and she slowly begins back away. Ok…. maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I have received some not-so-warm-and-fuzzy responses when I share that I have traveled to Walt Disney World without my family in the past and plan to continue to do so in the future. It seems to be difficult for non-Disney fanatics to understand why a grown woman, one with children no less, would want to go the Most Magical Place On Earth by herself. Even though many might find my love of traveling the World solo a little on the nutty side, I think that the plusses far outweigh the minuses for this type of WDW vacationing.

The most overriding reason that I love traveling to Walt Disney World solo is that I get to do WHATEVER I WANT. If I want to wake up before the sun to be the first to arrive at a park, so be it. If I want to stay at the Magic Kingdom until 2 AM then turn around and be there for rope drop the next morning, there are no cranky kids to stop me! So what if by the end of my trip I am catatonic?? There have been times when I can’t even remember how I got back to my resort at night because of sheer exhaustion, but I surely don’t care. Do I want to hit all 4 parks in one day? Yes, indeed, I do, and there is nothing but my own sore feet to stop me. How about spending a day in a park without riding ANY attractions? This would be heresy to my children! I, however, have had some of my most memorable Disney moments doing just this. I have met a variety of interesting people sitting on a curb for an hour waiting for a parade, which is something my family just would not do. Photographing Walt Disney World is a true passion of mine, and without my family along I can snap away to my heart’s content. When I take my 2,000th picture of Cinderella Castle or stop to take a photo of a street grate on Main Street, U.S.A. There is no one there to groan and fall to the ground in protest. Without my family, I find that I can either go,go,go or slow down to a snail’s pace without any complaints from the peanut gallery.

Cost is another great positive to traveling the World solo. Think of how much cheaper it is with only 1 ticket (which for me is an annual pass), 1 airfare, and single meals each day. Since I am definitely the biggest Disney fan in my family, traveling solo has allowed me to get in more trips per year for the same amount of money as 1 larger family trip. I have been able to indulge in some amazing tours because I only had to pay for myself and “peeking behind the curtain” in this way is always the highlight of my trips! Dining is also easier with only 1 mouth to worry about. I can eat when I want and skip meals at will- no way my family would tolerate that! If I want to have a nutella and fruit waffle sandwich at 11:00 PM as my dinner, so be it. I have eaten table service as a solo traveler, but prefer to just stick with counter service. This way I get back to enjoying the parks and keep the food costs lower, and since I am a frequent visitor, I do not feel that I am missing out on anything.

Traveling solo to WDW can also save you precious time. When you are touring the parks by yourself, it is significantly easier to sneak between strollers and ECVs without being struck. It is far less obvious when you shimmy through the crowd to be near the exit door before loading onto the Haunted Mansion. Don’t forget those single rider lines! They are a fantastic way to minimize waits in each of the parks. Being solo in the World can definitely reduce wait times and make navigating large crowds easier.

Don’t get me wrong- I adore traveling with my family to Walt Disney World. Hearing my daughters’ squeals of excitement on a thrill ride or seeing pure joy in their eyes as they watch the sky come to life during Wishes is priceless. WDW is truly a family place. It just so happens that life doesn’t always make it possible for us all to get to WDW together as often as I would like. I feel blessed that I have been able to experience my favorite destination in the world both with and without my family. I was a touch nervous on my first solo trip, but the butterflies melted away as soon as I walked under that train station. Although I miss my family when they are not with me, I have definitely found great joy in traveling the World solo.

Have you ever considered a solo trip? Give it a try! It is a unique change of pace for any avid Disney fan. I am certain you will find great joy in experiencing Walt Disney World in a whole new way.