Earlier this evening, we celebrated the start of the holiday season on the Disney Parks Blog with a stream of “A Frozen Holiday Wish” castle lighting live from Magic Kingdom Park.
The nightly show, “A Frozen Holiday Wish,” stars the royal sisters Anna and Elsa, and their friends Olaf and Kristoff. In this must-see show, Queen Elsa uses her magical powers to present a gift to everyone in the kingdom by transforming Cinderella Castle into a shimmering ice palace for the holiday season. As you can see, this must-see show will give you chills!
Its not too late to book your trip to see Walt Disney World at the Holidays!
Yesterday was World Okapi Day, and I believe there’s no better way to celebrate this magnificent animal than announcing the birth of one more!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is celebrating the birth of a rare okapi, who was born on Oct. 1 to mom Zelda. Weighing in at 54 pounds, the calf was up and mobile within the first hour of his birth. He has been nursing and bonding with his mom. The pair will remain in a backstage habitat for the next few months before joining the animals on the savanna.
The calf’s parents – mom Zelda and dad Mandazi – were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding of threatened and endangered species.
When I visited the okapi care team recently, keeper Kim Thomson expressed how excited she was to care for a new calf and how it changes the dynamics of her team’s routine.
“We will spend a lot of time conducting observations on mom and calf making sure the calf is bonding well with mom, nursing well and basically hitting all of the milestones we would expect of a growing okapi,” Kim said.
Okapis are an endangered species found in rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Known as the ghosts of the forest, okapis are shy, reclusive and rarely encountered in the wild. In fact, they weren’t even discovered until 1901. There are an estimated 20,000 okapi in the world, and their population continues to decline due to poaching and habitat loss from commercial logging and mining.
Through the Disney Conservation Fund and our involvement in the AZA’s Species Survival Plan, I’m proud to say Disney has been at the forefront of okapi conservation for many years. We have a long-standing relationship with the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, the AZA recently recognized Disney’s Animal Kingdom for its contributions to the Okapi Conservation Project.
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One Week! In one week, I will board a plane and head to Orlando and attend Disney’s Toy Story Land Media Event! I will get to be there BEFORE it opens to the public. Excited is an understatement!
I will check out the new Slinky Dog Coaster as well as the Alien Swirling Saucers. If the saucers are anything like Maters Junkyard Jamboree in Disneyland, then its sure to be a blast and great for families!
I am honored to be invited to this prestigious event! I will be staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort! I will be checking out Disney’s Incredible Summer Events! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for LIVE videos and lots of photos of the event!
I love Mondays. They are Magic! I know that I am not in the norm with that one. But my house is quiet on Mondays. Everyone goes back to school or work and I am home, alone, in the quiet.
I work from home so having a house full of people is loud and chaotic and doesn’t afford me the time to get much done. I have 3 kids, 4 if you count my husband, 3 cats and a dog. Plus the numerous other people that come and go from my home. I have a teenager, so friends and the boyfriend are always in and out.
Mondays mean routine returns. I can think straight. Working from home is both a blessing and a curse. I am flexible and can work from anywhere. Working from anywhere means sometimes I am working poolside at a hotel or beachside on an island or even from the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Working from home affords me the luxury of being able to travel to so many places.
But today its like the calm before the storm. I am home, alone, in the quiet, drinking uninterrupted coffee. I know that in just a few short days, my husband will be jumping on a plane and leaving me home with 3 kids. A few days after that I take the kids and jump on a plane. Ideally, and in a perfect world, we meet up and reunite our family in Florida for a long weekend. But something always goes…..well just goes different!
I have one week to pack, prepare for a 5K, catch up on work, and check into the Polynesian in Florida for the runDisney Darkside race. So plenty of time! And that is the Magic of Mondays and coffee!
I love Mondays. They are Magic! I know that I am not in the norm with that one. But my house is quiet on Mondays. Everyone goes back to school or work and I am home, alone, in the quiet.
The Delightful Traveler 