Kidani Medicare trip

[AnnaS]

Have a great time Jean. Can't wait to hear all about your Wild Africa Trek tour today. How much was it this time of year? Any discounts?

[bobbiwoz]

What great photos! Thanks for posting them, and I love reading your report!

Bobbi

[granmanh603]

thanks so much for reporting....Yeah for you, I hope you have a super trip

[dianeschlicht]

Hope you are having a great time on the TREK today! We loved it.

Don't forget to take advantage of the nightly offerings in the Kidani library. There is always a presentation by one of the exchange personel from different parts of Africa. It is usually around an hour long and is poorly attended, so you get lots of personal attention and can ask lots of questions. We enjoy them so much, we have been known to go over to Kidani and take them in even when we aren't staying there! FYI, they also have a "drum circle" before the presentation that is rather loud and more for the younger set.

[lugnut33]

Nice photos, thanks for posting. They are getting me excited for our June trip to Kidani.

[rascalmom]

Great photos - I'm glad to see they still have the paddleboat at the end of Fantasmic. We didn't get to go see that show on our last trip, but I had heard that it might be gone. Maybe it was just out for repairs or something.

Enjoy your Trek!

[mouseaider]

I'm loving your trip report..... keep it coming!

We too loved Kidani when we stayed there in January..... and even though we own a BWV, I can see us staying there again.

[jekjones1558]

Wild Trek! *The weather was very cloudy, which turned out to be a great thing because it is more humid today. Also the animals seemed pretty active.
I checked in near Dawa Bar at AK and signed waivers. I was taken to a special area to stow my purse in a free locker and to get weighed and outfitted.*





The scale has no numbers and even I did not know what it said, but it helps the guide fit you with the correct gear.*
We were provided with sunscreen, bug repellent, POG to drink and a stainless steel water bottle (ours to keep).*




We practiced walking on a small rope bridge, just to get the idea what a larger, higher version would be like. The planks were spaced far enough apart that I am not surprised by the age restriction.*


Our guides, Mandy and Paul, took us on the first part of the Pangani Trail before proceeding to the "Trek" areas.*



Our vests had carabiners to attach to straps on ground mounted posts so that we could lean over without fear of falling.*



I took lots of photos of feeding the hippo. Here is one of them.*


Mandy showed us a hippo skull.*


The next few shots are of the rope bridge experience. It was actually 2 separate bridges.*






Here is what awaited us below:

[jekjones1558]

The next part of the tour was in a vehicle which stopped for photos and education.*


About 2 hours into the 3 hour tour we stopped for lunch and a bathroom break. The lunch was very filling, the bathroom was modern (woohoo) and the photo ops were great.*





We were given frosty towels to cool off (and keep) and there were binoculars for us to use.



I took so many photos of animals. Here are a few, in no particular order:













At the end of the tour we were given souvenir pins. Guides do not accept tips. This was my best Disney tour yet! *Thanks to you DISers who recommended it.*

[bobbiwoz]

Wow! Wonderful!!!

[Kidanifan08]

I am really enjoying your TR. The wild trek looks great! I can't wait until my son (6yo) is old enough to do some of those exciting tours. Thanks for the pics of the Kidani studio. We are staying in a Kidani studio for the first time in December. I'm glad that you are getting a chance to experience our "home". We really love the quiet Kidani lobby and serene views of the savanna.

[jekjones1558]

I had planned to spend some time at Epcot this evening and then watch Illuminations. But it started to rain and the rain stayed around so I decided that it was a good night to try out Sanaa and get to bed earlier than the last 2 nights. I have an early Segway tour in the morning.
Below are pictures of my dinner--a salad sampler and a lamb/ beef short rib combo. It was way too much food, even though I am a big eater. *I guess I thought that each item would be a smaller amount, since they were combos. Everything was just delicious. I like Sanaa so much better than the majority of Disney carbon copy restaurants. *



I am also posting a few photos of the many, many beautiful artifacts, the lobby and Sanaa. AKV owners can be so proud of this gorgeous resort.








I called tech support twice today but am still getting lousy wifi. Sometimes I can upload photos in the lobby but it is hopeless in my room. Sometimes i cannot even get a connection. *I guess I will just have to use cell coverage on my iPad, but boy does this LTE service eat up the data FAST!

Sent from my iPad

[dianeschlicht]

Jean, are you on the right side of the lobby or the left side as you are facing the Sunset savanna? Some of you pictures indicate you might be in an area similar to where we were in December. I recognize the giraffe feeding station and the ankole cattle. We had great wifi in December though. No issues at all.

I have to agree with you about Sanaa. It's our favorite restaurant in all of Disney. Now let's hope they don't make them standardize the fare there like they did at some of the other signatures.

Have you had a chance to see any of the cultural exchange talks in the library yet? I'm wondering if Elspeth is still there. We heard her first presentation in December and heard her again in March, and she had gotten so much better at it! I think she goes back to South Africa in June.

Also, I have to tell you I do NOT think I could do what you are doing. I have no desire to travel alone. I would never dine alone. Way to go girl!

[jekjones1558]

Originally Posted by dianeschlicht

Jean, are you on the right side of the lobby or the left side as you are facing the Sunset savanna? Some of you pictures indicate you might be in an area similar to where we were in December. I recognize the giraffe feeding station and the ankole cattle. We had great wifi in December though. No issues at all.

I have to agree with you about Sanaa. It's our favorite restaurant in all of Disney. Now let's hope they don't make them standardize the fare there like they did at some of the other signatures.

Have you had a chance to see any of the cultural exchange talks in the library yet? I'm wondering if Elspeth is still there. We heard her first presentation in December and heard her again in March, and she had gotten so much better at it! I think she goes back to South Africa in June.

Also, I have to tell you I do NOT think I could do what you are doing. I have no desire to travel alone. I would never dine alone. Way to go girl!

I am on the right side, the Timon elevator side. My room is the first one so close to lobby and my balcony is open on the lobby side for great animal viewing.
I listened to Heide talk about South Africa last night and learned a lot. Thanks for the tip about the drums. Boy are they loud!

[jekjones1558]

I have been looking forward to a Segway tour for years. DH and I had one scheduled but had to cancel when his health became an issue. So I thought this solo trip was a perfect chance. I decided on the Fort Wilderness one rather than the Epcot one because the Segways have the big tires and I have never spent much time around FW. I drove to the check-in area and parked, then took an internal bus to the Meadows area. I signed waivers and watched a short video, then a safety instructor gave me my helmet and a verbal lesson in how to operate the Segway.*




We were then led outside to the Segways in a practice area.


In case anyone is reading who is nervous about trying this, I understand. I have been hopelessly clumsy my whole life. My BFF threatens to bring a shower curtain when we go out to eat because I seem to always dump my water or worse. *Some of the folks on our tour had ridden Segways before so I was REALLY intimidated. But the instructor was patient and reassuring and I ended up doing just as well as the others in the group. Still can't believe that!
Our tour stopped at several places around FW and our guide gave us Disney trivia all along the route via ear pieces. We went by Discovery Island and over to Wilderness Lodge. Here are a few of the many photos I took along the way, some WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE SEGWAY WITH THE OTHER HAND!








And just for you VWL owners:



Another fun tour for me. Now I have NO schedule for the rest of the day nor for tomorrow!

Sent from my iPad