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Review: Wild Africa Trek at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Nicole Thibault
On our recent trip to Walt Disney World, our family went on Animal Kingdom's Wild Africa Trek. This 3-hour tour is described as offering "Guests the perfect opportunity to explore the Safi River Valley and discover animals of nearly every variety in an uninhibited, natural environment."
My husband and I went on the Wild Africa Trek a few years ago, and wanted to experience it with our kids. We had two issues to overcome before we could schedule this experience: 1) Our youngest had to be 8 years old and 48 inches, and he had a birthday two weeks before our trip, and 2) Our oldest son has Autism and we had to make sure his anxiety would not impede him from completing the Trek.
We scheduled our Wild Africa Trek for 8 a.m., so that we would have cooler morning temperatures, and have a better chance of seeing animals before they hide out from the hot sun.
Our family on Animal Kingdom's Wild Africa Trek
You must arrive 30 minutes early to check in with the Wild Africa Trek staff. Our Trek had 11 participants and two Tour Guides. Once the group arrived, we enjoyed a quiet walk through the Animal Kingdom, before the Park opened, to the Kilimanjaro Safari entrance. Here, were were weighed and fitted with safety gear, sound equipment, name tags and water bottles.
Most guests were fitted with an earpiece, so that they can hear the Tour Guides throughout the Trek. My youngest son has Sensory Processing Disorder, and does not like to have things inside his ear. The Tour Guides were able to fit his audio equipment with headphones instead, making his experience much easier for him.
Our first stop on the Trek was to the Hippo Pond. Here, our safety harnesses were attached to a metal structure that keeps us from falling off the edge of the cliff. We were able to walk to the edge and look down on the Hippos without fear of falling in.
An Animal Specialist came to talk to us about Hippos, answer any questions we had, and feed them romaine lettuce.
Our next adventure on the Wild Africa Trek was crossing the suspension bridges over the crocodile ponds.
With the safety harnesses attached to a line above, guests can cross the suspensions bridges in complete safety. Even our youngest son was able to cross the bridge independently!
Our oldest son has Autism, and we were concerned that his anxiety would get the better of him, and he would not be able to cross the bridge. We prepped him before our trip, and we watched many YouTube videos about the Wild Africa Trek beforehand, so he would know what to expect. We spoke with the Tour Guides ahead of time, and we had a contingency plan in place, just in case he got scared at the bridge and couldn't cross. But, I'm happy to say, he crossed without a problem. All of our pre-planning worked, and when I asked him if he was ready, he said, "Yeah, I got it, Mom."
As you can see, there is a safety harness attached to a line above you, and a safety net below the bridge, so you can't fall through. Some of the bridge slats are missing, for dramatic effect.
The suspension bridges go over the Crocodile ponds.
We saw so many cool animals!
Once you complete the suspension bridges, it's time for a snack! Guests are taken to a covered patio on the Savannah for a bite to eat.
As morning safari guests, we enjoyed tiffins with snacks like air-dried beef and prosciutto, smoked salmon roulade with dill, fig cake with boursin cheese, brie cheese and apricot, berry yogurt and dried cranberries, and fresh fruit marinated in mint and ginger.
Because of my son's Autism, he has a very limited food repertoire. He won't even try foods that are different from the foods he knows. I was able to speak with a Cast Member working with the Special Diets department and ask for alternative foods in his tiffin. All foods had to be cold, as they keep the tiffins chilled until the little savannah picnic. I was able to get him cold chicken tenders, a few pieces of cornbread, apple slices, grapes and chocolate chip cookies.
After snack time, we were able to explore the savannah patio and the animals surrounding it. Guests were able to borrow the binoculars to see the animals up close.
Our favorite was the big cats, who made an appearance!
Despite having a few challenges with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder, we were able to thoroughly enjoyed our Wild Africa Trek. it was the highlight of our Walt Disney World trip!
Review: Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen Restaurant
Nicole Thibault
On our recent family trip to Walt Disney World, I gave the new Jungle navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen restaurant a try, and what a wonderful surprise it was! It now ranks #1 on my Magic Kingdom restaurant list.
Located in Adventureland, across from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, this one-credit table-service restaurant is themed after the Jungle Cruise attraction. All of the artifacts that adorn the walls are reminiscent of 1800's jungle explorers.
The Skipper Canteen is not available for reservations in advance; you can only make same-day reservations. On the morning of our Magic Kingdom day, I woke up at 6 a.m. and logged into the My Disney Experience app. I was able to select from several reservations and chose an 11:30 a.m. early-lunch reservation.
We are a family of five, two adults and three children, ages 11, 9, and 8. Our oldest son has Autism and has a limited food repertoire, so that sometimes presents a few challenges when it comes to our food selections.
My husband and I tried the Punch Line Punch with tropical fruit juices and mango purée. I loved the punch, but did not care for the savory spiced-rim; I used the straw, and would order the drink again, but without the rim ginger-salt.
Two of the boys chose to try the Exotic Coca-Cola® - Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand. One loved it, one didn't prefer the watermelon flavor.
The two youngest boys chose the Smiley's Little 'Croc' of Chicken Noodle Soup with fresh Seasonal Fruit. This soup reminded me of Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and served with either beef or chicken. This crock of soup had a slightly-flavored broth for little people's palates, and the pieces of chicken were large cuts of roasted chicken.
My son, who has Autism, will eat very little on the menu, but he will eat steak. He ordered the Dr. Falls' Signature Grilled Steak, which is a strip loin asado-marinated in sofrito and served with Yuca Planks, Avocado, and House-made Chimichurri. We asked for everything to be served on separate plates, and the server was more than happy to help with that request. His steak was cooked to perfection, and he ate the whole thing happily. My son would not try anything else, but I tried the Yuca Planks, which looked like large-cut french fries; they were delicious, but a different consistency to fries. I also tried the Avocado and Chimichurri, which were amazing, and I ate those garnishes as a side dish!
My husband and I both tried the Sustainable Fish served over Chinese Broccoli, Carrots, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Red Bell Peppers in a fragrant Lemon Grass Broth. The fish was cooked to perfection, and flaked with the touch of my fork. The broth was very flavorful and complimented the fish and vegetables perfectly.
For dessert, the little boys tried the Volcano!, a Gooey Chocolate Cake with Caramel Lava and exploding Chocolate Rocks. They were very excited when this arrived at the table!
My oldest son tried Bertha's "Banh Bong Lan" Cake with Mango-Lime Sorbet
Vanilla Chiffon Cake soaked with Lemon Grass-Ginger Syrup. He loved the sorbet, the curly chocolate, and the little meringue drops. He had a few bites of the cake, and then my husband and I finished off the last few bites.
I tried the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream. This was the second-best dessert I've ever had at a Walt Disney World resort (behind a chocolate/cherry dessert that is no longer offered at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge). Light, tangy, citrusy - it was amazing! Highly recommended!
My husband tried the Sugar-crusted Congee Pudding Caramelized Custard with Millet, Almonds, Apricot, Dates, and Honey-Almond Tuile. He describes this as an "adult dessert," not cloying sweet, with hints of savory notes.
While everything we tried on the menu was top-notch, the star of the lunch was the bread and fenugreek dip. The bread was seasoned with coriander, and the warm honey dip tasted like AMAZING. I wanted to ask if we could take some home in a to-go container, but didn't know how to carry it all day without spilling honey all over the inside of my bag.
Many guests associate Magic Kingdom with standard Park fare: burgers, fries, sandwiches, pizza, pasta. It's so refreshing to see the Magic Kingdom offer a choice for people who are looking to try new and exciting flavors.