It's been a very interesting week to be in Orlando. What with IAAPA's Attractions Expo currently being loaded into the Orange County Convention Center.
Photo by Jim Hill
Out in the parking lot, all manner of sample amusement park rides are still being assembled.
Photo by Jim Hill
While inside the convention center itself, banners are being hung …
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… and exhibits & displays are being assembled on the show floor.
Photo by Jim Hill
As the OCCC gets ready for the tens of thousands of themed entertainment professionals who — starting on Tuesday morning — will begin pouring down these escalators …
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… walking over the miles of red carpet that have been laid down all over this cavernous convention center.
Photo by Jim Hill
And speaking of red … Yesterday, I made a special trip over to Disney's Animal Kingdom Park to pay my respects to Big Red and Little Red.
Photo by Jim Hill
For those of you who don't know: DAK's Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition has undergone a bit of a freshening-up / facelift over the the past few months. And while this faux safari still gets you ridiculously close to some very real animals like giraffes …
Photo by Jim Hill
… white rhinos …
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… and lions.
Photo by Jim Hill
What's no longer part of this attraction's narrative is that the-poachers-have-taken-Little-Red storyline. And where there was once that not-exactly-satisfying vignette of a live game warden with a machine gun rescuing an Audio Animatronic baby elephant from some pretend poachers, there are now … Zebras!
Photo by Jim Hill
Based by the audible reaction on yesterday's safari vehicle (All of these WDW visitors first said "Awww!" in unison and then scrambled for their cameras), I would say that Kilimanjaro Safari's new finale is a hit.
Photo by Jim Hill
Though — that said — I have to say that I felt sorry for the Guests on the safari vehicle right behind us. Given that — the moment that 4:30 p.m. arrived — this entire herd of plains zebras got up and headed for this enclosure's back gate. Where dinner was waiting for them in a backstage barn.
Photo by Jim Hill
This is why I always kind of feel sorry for those Disney World visitors who take those last few Kilimanjaro Safaris of the day. They climb aboard those vehicles, thinking that they're going to get these great sunset shots of DAK's majestic menagerie. But what they get instead is a collection of photographs that then show a bunch of animal butts headed for the back door.
Photo by Jim Hill
And speaking of things that me feel sad / sorry for other people … As I was driving down I-4 headed to Walt Disney World, I noticed that they were in the process of tearing down Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.
Photo by Jim Hill
This was one of those off-property attractions that I always meant to get around to visiting. I kept hearing from friends that Dixie Stampede was a well themed, fun, high quality mix of food and entertainment. More importantly, that the nightly pig race was not to be missed. So I kept telling myself that the next time I was in Orlando, I had to get over to this 1,086-seat dinner theatre and finally check this attraction out for myself.
Photo by Jim Hill
But then in January 2008 with little or no warning, Dixie Stampede closed its doors. And while there were rumors for a while that WDW officials were eyeballing the place, possibly as a home for a High School Musical-themed dinner theatre / pep rally experience … In the end, the 13 acre site that the Dolly Parton place occupied was far too valuable. At least as far as the folks who managed the Orlando Premium Outlets mall were concerned. They needed additional parking & retail space. So out came the backhoes and down went Dixie Stampede.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which brings me to my final observation for today's story. You want to know how you know that you're dealing with a real Orlando local? When their driving directions include phrases like "It's right across the street from where the Mercado used to be?" Or "Do you remember where the entrance road to Splendid China was? The restaurant that I was telling you about in the plaza right past that."
Which makes me think: How long is it going to be before Orlando locals start describing Lake Buena Vista's Premium Outlets mall as that shopping center which is located right next to where Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede used to be?
So did any of you folks actually get to the Orlando version of Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede during the five-years-or-that this dinner theatre was open? If so, what was the show like? Was it really worth going off-property to see as part of a WDW vacation?
Your thoughts?