Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<It's really interesting to me that many people here have met the lad and have the same reaction as you - he ain't so bad. Perhaps that fateful meeting will occur some day.>> I think he probably is a really nice guy in person (for a Floridian). He just enjoys playing a jerk on the Internet. ;-)
Originally Posted By kpwdwfan >>You know what I just thought? Since MK has the train going around it. I think its just natural for some of us to expect or consider the same thing at the other parks. I really see nothing wrong with adding a mode of transportation to move people around some of these HUGE parks.>> Wouldn't a train around DAK work well. It certainly fits in with the theming and I believe would a great addition to that park. I realize DAK already has a train but it has a lot to be desired in my opinion. I don't know about anyone else but I haven't been on that train in years. I rode it once and have no desire to do it again. The Walt Disney World Railroad is a great attraction and is a must do everytime we visit.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<It's really interesting to me that many people here have met the lad and have the same reaction as you - he ain't so bad. Perhaps that fateful meeting will occur some day.>> His bark is much, much, much worse than his bite. But if he attempts to bite me again, I'm calling the Mouse Police ;-)
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Wouldn't a train around DAK work well. << It certainly would, and I would love it. I'm wondering though if they would worry about the chuffing of the steam engine and the whistles and their affect on the ambience of the animals. Perhaps some form of silent train, but still at the perimeter of the park. (elevated monorails at other zoos are silent, but they also criss-cross interior areas of the park. I wouldn't want that to happen to DAK. At least not anywhere near Kilimanjaro Safaris)
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom How about riding camels at DAK? or Elephants? Now that would be a show stopper.
Originally Posted By brotherdave Busch Gardens in Tampa has had a steam train chugging around and through the animal enclosures for decades. (Not to mention monstrous roller coasters roaring nearby!) I don't think the noise of a train like the Wildlife Express is any worse than the loud Kilimanjaro Safari jeeps traversing their course through the 'African' savanah! Rerouting the train to make it more of a transportation system (like the Magic Kingdom's) is a far better use of it than just transporting guests back and forth from Conservation Station, er, Rafiki's Planet Watch (I HATE that name). Connect it with other areas like Asia and Dinoland, plus, put through or near animal enclosures so that we have something to at least see on the ride. Busch's train ride is vastly superior to DAK's for this very reason alone, not to mention how it helps transport people around the park!
Originally Posted By kpwdwfan I'm with you Brotherdave, a train around DAK and the Safari would be a great addition to the park. The Wildlife excpress is a waste of time in my opninion. Poor design but I'm sure it came down to money as usual.
Originally Posted By CMM1 I believe the overall design of DAK simply does not lend itself very well to a train transportation system. There is no convenient point where guests coming into the park could board a train - since the only route into the park is via the Oasis, the station would have to be somewhere near where you cross onto Discovery Island and that area is very much crowded already. It seems like one thing they could do would be to use the larger boats and do a taxi service between the boat dock just to the right of the bridge from the Oasis to Discovery Island and the Asia area of the park - its a big lake, the views of the EE ride would be great and you could do the return trip from Asia counterclockwise past the Dragon effect. But you have to have a good number of boats for that service to be effective - otherwise its just a long wait for a short ride.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn I'd still like to see ADA-friendly Sky Buckets at DAK. It could be themed like Tarzan. Each pylon could be uniquely themed like jungle trees. The cables are "vines", where the buckets "swing" from tree to tree. It could even swing over the baboons and other animal areas (with specially-designed electric-shock points to shock kids who spit).
