Merry Christmas

Here are some DAK decor for the holidays

And from our friend Ian MacGregor



Following

Disney Animal Kingdom News for December 19, 2018: Tasting samplers

Kali River Rapids Refurb: Kali River Rapids is going down for its annual refurbishment. It will closed from January 7 until March 22. The ride typically closes this time of the year for work.

Tasting Sampler: DAK is starting a tasting sampler. You'll get a pre-loaded gift card for $35, but you only need to pay $30. This includes about 40 different kiosks around the park.  You’ll be able to get a few new offerings like Shrimp Curry and Chicken Curry Bowls at Kusafiri Bakery, House-smoked Pastrami Sliders at Smiling Crocodile, Buffalo Chicken Chips at Trilo-Bites, Pulled Pork or Shrimp Mac and Cheese plates at Eight Spoon Cafe, Korean Fiery Beef Sliders and Tuna Bao at Caravan Road. 

Thursday December 20 8 am - 8:00 pm

Friday December 21 8 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday December 22 8 am- 8:00 am  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Sunday December 23 8 am- 10:00 pm

Monday December 24  8 am- 10:00 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday Christmas Day 8 am- 10:00 pm

Wednesday December 28 8 am- 10:00 pm

Disney Animal Kingdom News for November 14, 2018: After Hours

After Hours: Tickets are on sale now for an after hour event in DAK. For a $125 per person, you get three hours in the park. At night. DVC and Annual Pass holders pay only $95. Ice cream. popcorn and non-alcoholic drinks are included. The dates for same are Dec. 4, 12 and 18, 2018; and Jan. 8, 16, 22 and 31, 2019; and Feb. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 26, 2019; and March 5, 20 and 27, 2019; and April 3, 2019. Tree of Life Awakenings and Pandora are open as well as other older attractions. 

Thursday November 15 8 am - 8:00 pm
Friday November 16 8 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday November 17 8 am- 8:00 am  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday November 18 8 am- 9:00 pm
Monday November 19  8 am- 9:00 pm
Tuesday November 20 8 am- 9:00 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Wednesday November 21 8 am- 9:00 pm

Disney Animal Kingdom News for October 24, 2018

New Okapi: Another baby is present at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Mom, Zelda and Dad, Mandazi, were chosen to breed through the SSP. The calf will be offstage for a few months, but keep an eye out at Kidani Village.


New DVC resort: Ordinarily, I wouldn't comment on such a thing, but this nature inspired. Disney said the resort will be "nature inspired." There will be 900 rooms or so. The resort will be located between  the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. There will also be varied room types.



Thursday October 25 9 am - 8:00 pm
Friday October 26 9 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday October 27 9 am- 8:00 am  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday October 28 9 am- 8:00 pm
Monday October 29  9 am- 8:00 pm 
Tuesday October 30 9 am- 8:00 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Wednesday October 31 9 am- 8:00 pm

Disney's Animal Kingdom News for October 4, 2018: Rafiki is back

Save Rafiki: Apparently the story that Rafiki's Planet Watch was closing was fake news. Its going down for an "extensive" refurbishment and will reopen in the Spring (probably Earth Day) of next year. The train will obviously be back then. We shall see what the refurbishment entails. No word from Disney yet.


Drinkwallah: Additional seating is being added to this establishment. It appears an additional structure is going near the water. Its a great place to sit, but in the past there have been only a few tables and seats. Its tremendously themed, so this is a good thing.




Thursday October 4 9 am - 8:00 pm
Friday October 5 9 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday October 6 9 am- 8:00 am  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday October 7 9 am- 8:00 pm
Monday October 8  9 am- 8:00 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday October 9 9 am- 8:00 pm
Wednesday October 10 9 am- 8:00 pm

Animal Kingdom News for September 27, 2018:

Lion King Dance Party: The new Hakuna Matata Time Dance party will be happening on Discovery Island starting in January. It is a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the movie. Timon and Rafiki will be dancing too. It will end in September of 2019.

So Long Planet Watch: According to Cast members, they have been told the attraction, petting zoo and show will be closed permanently on October 21st. This is obviously a stupid cost cutting measure. It is unclear if the space will become empty space or they are planning a replacement. Tune into Radio Harambe soon for an homage to the attraction. Please note Disney has said diddly squat so far on the issue.

Rivers of Light: Disney has really put a hammer down on cast members involved in entertainment. The latest is that the shamans who make the show better, are being cut completely as of September 29th. Really Disney?



Hours: Take a look below at the hours. They are kind of all over the place. So if you're down there, plan accordingly.


Thursday September 27 9 am - 9:00 pm
Friday September 28 9 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday September 29 9 am- 12:00 am  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday September 30 9 am- 6:00 pm
Monday October 1  9 am- 10:00 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday October 2 9 am- 6:00 pm
Wednesday October 3 9 am- 10:00 pm

Animal Kingdom News for September 19, 2018: New Rhino Experience

New Rhino Tour: A new tour similar to the elephant tour. Its a 60 minute guided tour. You go backstage and may even touch a rhino. Booking the tour starts on September 22, World Rhino Day. It will be $40 with discounts for AP and DVC members. Guests must be 4 years old.

New Food items: I know, food changes are common, but here are some. At breakfast, you can find french toast sticks at Pongu Pongu. I guess the Na'vi are french? Halloween popcorn buckets are available in Harambe. So naturally, the candy store has Halloween cupcakes. The Starbucks now has yogurt parfaits, not a bad breakfast option.

Thursday September 20 9 am - 8:00 pm
Friday September 21 9 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday September 22 9 am- 9:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday September 23 9 am- 8:00 pm
Monday September 24  9 am- 8:00 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday September 25 9 am- 8:00 pm
Wednesday September 26 9 am- 8:00 p

Animal Kingdom Theme Spotlight: Pandora to Harambe

The park does serene well. We all know it. Even when you first walk into the park, the mood is one of quietness (which can be hard to pull off at rope drop). For certain, Pandora is not serene. At least not yet. The place, especially first thing in the morning, is a mad house.

In creating Pandora, the imagineers have given us another example of that peacefulness they are so good at creating with this path that leads from the theater district of Harambe - where the lion king show plays - to Pandora near the gift shop and Sa'tuli Canteen.

In the middle of the day, there is often no one using this area, and it is very pretty walk along the Discovery River.

At certain times, there is even entertainment there. We walked the path around lunch time and found a duo performing creating even more ambiance.

It is places like this that really put the Animal Kingdom ahead of all other parks in my mind. Yes, the attractions are great. The zoological exhibits are top notch. But it is places like this where the park shines.

Animal Kingdom News for August 29, 2018: More babies

New Giraffe: Aella a baby Masai giraffe, was first introduced to the safari. So next time you go, you will be able to see the little one. A video was released by Disney here. Aella was born June 29th.

New Madrill: speaking of babies on the safari, you can see a baby mandrill. Rebecca Phillips is coordinating matches for Mandrill under the Species Survival plan for the largest of baboons. Ms. Phillips is Disney Animal Operations manager. In that role, she also runs the SSP for mandrills.

Thursday August 30 9 am - 8:30 pm
Friday August 31 9 am - 8:30 pm
Saturday September 1 9 am- 8:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday September 2 9 am- 10 pm
Monday September 3  9 am- 9 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday September 4 9 am- 8:30 pm
Wednesday September 5 9 am- 8:30 p

Disney's Animal Kingdom News for August 8, 2018: new dining package

New Dining Package: A new dining package is here for Festival of the Lion King. The package includes a meal at Tiffins and special VIP viewing of the show. The meal includes an appetizer, entree, dessert and drink, which includes beer and wine. Tier 1 package also includes a special safari tour with a personal tour guide. That costs $99 for an adult and only $49 for kids under 12. Tier 2 excludes the safari and is $74 and $29. Between this and Rivers of Light dining package I am left wondering if Tiffins isn't doing all that well. The packages start August 13th.


No more straws: Disney is developing plans to eliminate some plastics that are not biodegradable. By summer 2019, Disney plans to remove all single use plastic straws and plastic stirrers. Disney uses 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually. The hotels and cruise ships are also hoping to eliminate 80% of in room plastics, as well.

Thursday August 9 9 am - 9:30 pm
Friday August 10 9 am - 9:30 pm
Saturday August 11 9 am- 9:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  August 12 9 am- 9:30 pm
Monday August 13  9 am- 8:30 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday August 14 9 am- 9:30 pm
Wednesday August 15 9 am- 9:30 pm

Disney's Animal Kingdom News for July 25, 2018: Food and lounges

New Lounge: Disney has opened a new lounge in Dinoland. Its taking over the garage section of Restaurantosaurus starting at 5 pm. They've added lanterns and secluded the lounge from the rather noisy areas of the place. There is outdoor seating, as well. The menu is quite limited with three non-alcoholic, four alcoholic drinks and 2 small plates, buffalo chicken dip and mixed nuts. Maybe if this place is well received they will expand the menu but for now it seems like a nice place to get out of the heat for a bit.

New option at Tiffins: One of our favorite places is, of course, Tiffins. They have started a new Prix-Fixe option at lunch. You can select an appetizer and entree or an entree and dessert. The apps include the apple walnut salad and falafel. The entrees you can select include the Wagyu Beef Tagine or roasted chicken. Desserts include the chocolate ganache and the guava mousse. The price isn't too bad considering this is a signature restaurant. It is $35 per guest. You can still order off the regular menu, this is just an option, not a replacement. Also, it is from 11 am to 3:30 pm.

Thursday July 26 9 am - 10:30 pm

Friday July 27 9 am - 10:30 pm

Saturday July 38 9 am- 10:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Sunday  July 29  am- 10 pm

Monday July 30  9 am- 10 pm   Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday July 31 9 am- 10 pm

Wednesday August 1 9 am- 10 pm

Disney Animal Kingdom News for July 18, 2018: More food news

New dessert party: Seems like all the other night time events had dessert parties and now Rivers of Light joins that lineup. Assuming you want to pay the price, you will show up an hour early to Asia viewing terrace near Expedition Everest. Like all other dessert parties, you get desserts and specialty drinks including alcoholic beverages followed by a special area to view the show. The price is $79 for adults and $47 for kids. It begins on August 11 and will be available on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Enjoy.

Pizzafari Family Style: the very mediocre pizza place on Discovery Island is adding a family style dinner. Two rooms will be made available for a family style meal instead of seating for the counter service. It starts on July 31 and you will be able to make an ADR. You select once there, 2 appetizers, three entrees and a dessert served family style. Its only available for dinner (5-8pm). Soft drinks are available and you can buy alcoholic drinks. The price is relatively reasonable, at $19.99 for adults and $11.99 for kids. As an aside, the place recently added a shrimp flatbread and cannoli cake.

Thursday July19 9 am - 10:30 pm
Friday July 20 9 am - 10 pm
Saturday July 21 9 am- 10  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  July 22  am- 10:30 pm
Monday July 23  9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday July 24 9 am- 10:30 pm
Wednesday July 25 9 am- 10:30 pm 

Jungle Trek Statues

There are a lot of fun details in the trek. This statue is located near the end of the aviary. Anandapur and even Discovery Island have a lot of these types of theming elements. 

The aviary was once the grand ballroom of the palace and this statue I suppose decorated the grounds. Now it sits covered with moss. 

Episode 138 of Radio Harambe - Zoo or Nahtazu?

Despite what they may have wanted to you to think, Disney's Animal Kingdom has always been a zoo. In this episode Dave and Safari Mike traces the zoological history of DAK. Asante Sana and enjoy the show!

Disney Animal Kingdom News for June 20, 2018: Glamping

Who is gonna glamp?: Disney is having a contest unlike any other. Glamping (glamorous camping) in Avatarland. You will be able to camp under the "floating" mountains in Pandora. The contest ends on June 21 at midnight. So hurry up an enroll at disney.com/dcamp.

Zebras on display: Youka and Zalika are the two recently born Grevy's Zebras at Gorilla Falls. Well, they are now on exhibit. So go over and check out these cuties.

Photo courtesy of Disney

Thursday June 7 9 am - 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Friday June 8 9 am - 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Saturday June 9 9 am- 10:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  June 10 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Monday June 11  9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Tuesday June 12 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Wednesday June 13 9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Disney Animal Kingdom News for June 7, 2018: Winged Encounters finally on the time guide

New Stroller Parking Testing: Disney is testing a new stroller parking system. When showing up at a specific show or a ride, guests will receive a colored tag that corresponds to a an area where the stroller is parked. As this is a test, only a few rides like Kilimanjaro Safari, the Wildlife Express, and Kali River Rapids are involved. The only shows participating are Lion King, Tough to be a Bug, Rivers of Light, and Nemo.

Jambo Pool: The Uzima Springs Pool and bar will be closing for a lengthy refurb. It will be closed from September 4th until December 4th. During this three month period, a shuttle bus will transport unhappy guests to the Kidani pool.

Winged Encounters: Those of you who listen to our show know we complain (especially Dave) that the amazing Winged Encounters is not on the times guide. Well, finally Disney has rectified the situation. According to the guide, the show takes place at 9;45, 10;45, 11:45, 1:45, 2:45, and 3:45. Make sure you check it out.



Pluto at Dinoland: Not on the guide is the fact that Pluto can now be found wandering the Boneyard. As part of Donald's new dance party, Pluto has been consistently seen meeting guests in the playground. At this time, we are not sure if this is just a summer addition or not. Stay Tuned.



Park Hours for this week are...

Thursday June 7 9 am - 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Friday June 8 9 am - 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Saturday June 9 9 am- 10:30  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  June 10 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Monday June 11  9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday June 12 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Wednesday June 13 9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Episode 136 of Radio Harambe - Top Five Places at DAK

Recently Joe Rohde shared his Top 5 places at Disney's Animal Kingdom, so of course Dave and Safari Mike couldn't resist the temptation of offering their own top five lists as well. And after, we read off some of our listeners favorite places too. Asante Sana and enjoy the show!

Disney's Animal Kingdom News for May 30, 2018: Na'vi Video

Constructing a Shaman: The Disney Parks Blog released a time lapse video of constructing the Na'vi shaman. The video can be seen here. It's a interesting look at how such a complicated machine is created.



New Guide Maps: A new guide book has been released by Disney. The new features Dug and Russel from the new stage show, Up! A Great Bird Adventure. It also includes the new Donald Duck party at Dinoland.


Up Fast Pass Plus: The new stage show that replaced Flights of Wonder has one thing its predecessor did not. The option to be a Fast Pass Plus attraction. As a stage show, I don't see the need for it but it is an option if you want to ensure getting a seat.



Park Hours for this week are...

Thursday May 31 9 am - 10 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Friday June 1 9 am - 10 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Saturday June 2 9 am- 10  pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  June 3 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Monday June 4  9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday June 5 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Wednesday June 6 9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Episode 134 of Radio Harambe - Disney News Update

Dave and Safari Mike have a lot of news to catch up with from Disney's Animal kingdom and the rest of Walt Disney World. They discuss new baby zebras, booze at the Magic Kingdom, and this year's new TEA report regarding attendance at theme parks.


If you have any questions or comments about the show, please email us at jamboeveryone@gmail.com. Asante Sana and enjoy the show!

Disney's Animal Kingdom News for May 9, 2018: More babies

Grevy's Zebra additions: As we mentioned on our most recent episode of Radio Harambe, 2 Grevy's Zebra foals have been born. The first was born on April 26th to Laylee and the second was born May 1 to Zuri. They are still bonding with their moms backstage but hopefully will be out on exhibit soon. This is just another addition of some important births to endangered species recently at the park including the tiger cubs, Augustus the hippo, and, of course, the adorable Stella the elephant. This species of zebra is quite endangered with probably less than 2500 living in the wild. They are also part of a Species Survival Plan, so these births are important to the survival of the species.

photo courtesy of Disney 

Grant Recipients: Earth Day, which of course recently passed, also saw the announcement of grants given by the Disney Conservation Fund to various projects around the world. Some of projects announced include protecting the Tasmanian devil in its historical range, a nest guarding program for the highly endangered California Condor, and helping to protect sea grass in the Florida Keys, a vital part of that ecosystem. For more details check out this blog post.

California Condor at the San Diego Zoo 

Wilderness Explorer's in Dinoland: One of my favorite recent additions to the park has been the Wilderness Explorer's game. As I am sure you know, there are stations located throughout the park where you earn badges to put in your book. Well, the one over at Dinoland, which was near the ice cream stand is moving with the upcoming addition of the Donald Duck party. The station will now be located near the queue of Dinosaur instead.



Park Hours for this week are...
Thursday May 10 9 am - 10 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Friday May 11 9 am - 10 pm
Saturday May 12 9 am- 9 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  May 13 9 am- 10:30 pm
Monday May 14  9 am- 10 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday May 15 9 am- 10 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Wednesday May 16 9 am- 9 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Episode 133 of Radio Harambe - The Best of Extinct DAK

In an effort to try and keep the spirit of Disney's Animal Kingdom's 20th birthday going, Dave and Safari Mike take a look back at some of the attractions you may have missed at the park over the last 20 years. The guys rank the best extinct attractions from the history of DAK and talk about each one of them. Asante Sana and enjoy the show!

Disney Animal Kingdom News for April 25, 2018: Additional extra magic

Extra Magic Hours: Disney has added a ton of extra magic hours for the park. Beginning this coming weekend, virtually every day will have a morning extra magic hour. This lasts from April 29th until June 30th. The attractions included are the Avatar rides, Dinosaur, Triceratops Spin, Everest and on some days, the safari. At this time, this lasts until right about the time Toy Story Land opens, we will see what happens then with regards to crowds.

Park Hours for this week are...
Thursday April 26 9 am - 9:30 pm
Friday April 27 9 am - 9:30 pm
Saturday April 28 9 am- 10:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Sunday  April 29 9 am- 10:30 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning
Monday April 30  9 am- 9:30 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Tuesday May 1 9 am- 10 pm Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Wednesday May 2 9 am- 10 pm  Extra Magic Hour in the morning

Animal Kingdom’s 20th Anniversary

In celebration of the park’s 20th birthday, I am posting some pictures from the parks first year.

The Tree of Life looks the same but there were some different animals in the gardens surrounding it. 

In front of Countdown to Extinction, there was no iguanadon. 

And where DinoRama sits today there was Dinosaur Jubilee, a small natural history museum manned by interns from the Dino Institute.

The Safari had many of the same animals but the landscape itself looked very different.

Here wildebeest and tommies graze in a much different looking place. 

And Gorilla Falls had warthogs and these gerenuk. 

Happy Anniversary to the world’s best theme park.