Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [85]
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Map Location 11
To learn more about how Disney cares for animals in the park, this attraction will answer many of your questions.
Helpful Hint
Rafiki’s Planet Watch requires time and effort for the round-trip. Save it for after the major attractions.
You board a nifty train called the Wildlife Express for a five-minute ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Along the way, you’ll see where the animals sleep at night—a cool peek behind the scenes that older kids appreciate. You disembark at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, a station in the farthest-flung section of the park. There you’ll find exhibits on the subjects of conservation and animal endangerment. Kids especially enjoy touring the veterinary labs where newborns and sick animals get a lot of attention and the Affection Station, where they can pat and touch the friendly goats, llamas, and sheep.
In DinoLand
Dinosaur
Map Location 3
You’re strapped into “high-speed” motion vehicles and sent back in time to the Cretaceous period to save the gentle, plant-eating iguanodon from extinction.
Helpful Hint
A character greeting area is to the right just before you cross the bridge into DinoLand. A sign tells you which characters you’ll find waiting.
It’s a noble mission, but it ain’t easy. Along the way, Disney throws everything it has at you: asteroids, meteors, incoming pterodactyls, and ticked-off people-eating dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are extremely lifelike and in some cases, extremely close. The jeeps bounce around like mad, so Dinosaur can be a bit rough—but it’s also a powerfully fun ride.
The Scare Factor
Dinosaur combines atmospheric scariness with a wild-moving vehicle. The height requirement is 40 inches, which means that plenty of preschoolers qualify to board; nonetheless, based on the realism of the dinosaurs, we say wait until kids are at least 7 to ride, and even then consider whether they’re brave enough to handle very big, very loud dinosaurs jumping out at them while the car takes steep drops. “As much as our young son (age 7) loves dinosaurs, this ride proved to be too much for him,” wrote a mom of two. “We are planning another trip to Disney this year, and he still reminds us that he is not going on the dinosaur ride again. The size and closeness of the effects just proved to be too much.”
Finding Nemo—The Musical (In Theater in the Wild)
Map Location 6
Based on the animated film, Finding Nemo, this kid-pleasing musical combines performances by puppets, dancers, and acrobats, all choreographed to envelop you in Nemo’s big blue world. The puppets, created by the same team who brought The Lion King to Broadway, are especially amazing and the special effects are dazzling.
The story will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the movie—Nemo and his father, Marlin, go on separate journeys that ultimately teach them how to understand each other. The catchy pop music and the multigenerational humor are designed to appeal to all age groups. Finding Nemo is a great attraction for the whole family, and the ending may cause you to shed a tear. Arrive at the theater 20 minutes ahead of showtime, 30–45 during the on-season to guarantee good seats.
Helpful Hint
Finding Nemo is a good example of why closer isn’t always better. If you sit too close to the stage you’ll miss some of the action, which takes place on the catwalk behind the section that is closest to the stage. The best viewing is the center section, about two-thirds of the way back.
The Boneyard
Map Location 2
A great attraction for kids 7 and under, the Boneyard is a playground designed to simulate an archaeological dig site. Kids can dig for “fossils,” excavate “bones,” and play on bridges and slides. The playground is visually witty—where else can you find slides made from prehistoric animal skeletons?—and has fun surprises, such as a