BK Site at AK

[OnWithTheShow]

For those of you who want the reminder here is a satellite view of the site for BK at Animal Kingdom. It has been sitting cleared like that since the park opened. I don't know what has happened since then but I assumer they have planted something to prevent errosion. I'll have to check with one of my friends who works over there.

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1105&Y=7841&Z=17&W=0

 

[d-r]

OK,
I played with this a bit to ask another question.

Here is a big gif I made by pasting the panels together. Sorry if there are any uneven seems. It is a pretty big picture, so if you use a new version of explorer you may have to click that little dohicky that comes up in the bottom left corner to get it to be full size (if you have that version that fits the picture to the screen you know what I'm talking about). Anyway -

http://www.msu.edu/~meece/akl/big.gif

Now, please correct what I have wrong. If I have my bearings right, the site where the ak lodge is now is to the southwest. When they made this picture it was just a big cleared out zone.

On the road that the buses take to the ak park, you can see a big retaining pond to the left. There are some really un-show looking back stage sorts of buildings there that you can see from the bus route. I think that one of them must be a water treatment of some sort or something like that. You can see them on this picture north of the road that busses take into the AK. What are those?

Based on this map, it should be fairly easy to make a boat route from the akl to ak. They would have to camoflage those back stage buildings (which you can see from the bus route anyway and are already bad show and should be hidden or moved); you would probably want to camoflage the road that the busses use (the boat to mgm goes under a highway, so the show isn't that bad), and cut across the akl entranceway to be nearer the lodge to enter. Based on this, I think it would only be about 1 km of newly dug canal to make it possible. They have 1/2 the canal already and they have the boats.

What am I missing here? Do I have the location of the lodge wrong (I know that the cleared out part is only the entrance to the lodge and it is set back further; that's why I added in 1/2 km). Is there something about those buildings that can't be moved or hidden? What are they anyway? There is a back stage road that goes through there, but it could go over a bridge (think about the road in front of the contemporary (well, the water is a bridge on this one) or on the way to mgm for example)

DR

 

[larworth]

I don't know what these mysterious building are, but a couple of guesses:

a) The E ticket for BK was going to be so cool that when it got cancelled WDI couldn't bear not to build it. They padded the landscaping budget and built it anyway and disguised it as a WT plant. It is part of a secret club for WDI/CM members that even Pressler doesn't know about. OWTS or SS, come on spill the beans.

b) It was supposed to be a Hard Rock Hotel. They were just about finished completing the guitar shaped icon lagoon when Universal beat them to the punch again.

c) It is the factory where they make and store all the animatronic animals for DAK. You did know that none of the animals on the safari are actually real.


There is also a big cleared area to the northeast. Is this now Asia?

 

[larworth]

Screamscape has this recent rumor:

Its been a long time since any good info came our about this, but a recent rumor going around the park CMs is that Beastly Kingdom may have been put in hold once again due to the park’s low attendance. The next major attraction planned, according to this rumor’s source, would be for Asia instead. Of course we received another rumor this week that the Pochahontas show cast members may have been given some forewarning about the possible closure of the show to make way for some new project

 

[All Aboard]

Here is where logic seems to depart the equation. Let's shelve an idea that would increase attendance because..... attendance at this park is down. The AK detractors all over the DIS boards seem to have a common complaint - "not enough to do." Seems they may be content with the reduced numbers. Dinorama is not going to be a big draw. I think even AK's biggest fans can agree with that. This park needs some headline type news to stimulate it's headcount. Next month AK will have been open 4 years and the only additions made (to a park short on attraction count in the first place) are: Kali, PWhirl & TSpin. That's a disconcerting strategy.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

That is the primary water recycling plant for WDW. It takes rain water and used water and makes it suitable for irrigation purposes (it does not make the water potable). The plant is the reason why WDW can still irrigate even when drought related water restrictions are in place. The waterway seen in the image is used to feed almost all the sprinklers on property. Note next time you take a bus in that the whole thing is surrounded by an electric fence. The fence is not part of AK but for keeping wildlife and people out of the recycled water.

 

[wdhatter]

FYI....that building is NOT part of the main WDW water treatment facility. That area is further north of the Animal Kingdom. The area marked on that pic with the question of "What is this?" (the buildings seen from the Guest busses going to DAK) are all CM facilities for DAK. The Cast Cafeteria is one. Another building is the new Parade building. Another is the maintenance shop for the safari vehicles and the another is for administration for DAK. Also, backstage areas for Festival of the Lion King are visible as well.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Oh I hadnt looked at the image that was marked sorry.

 

[d-r]

Thanks for all the info.

If they opened Beastly Kingdom, then a boat from AKL could get off there, and wouldn't even have to go around the corner and up by those buildings.

DR

 

[wdhatter]

No problem, On With the Show.

A boat is very possible if they wanted to spend the money to extend the pond to the DAK Lodge. It would be a nice addition. However, with the way they don't want to spend money around here, I wouldn't hold my breath. LOL