The Enchanted Tiki Room: Enchanting your WDW induced stress away [ write off ]
Written: Oct 15 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: THE bizarro attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Highly underrated.
Cons: Takes a sense of calm to appreciate.
The Bottom Line: Probably the simplest and most enjoyable lesser attraction in The World, the Tiki Room is gentle bemusement with a kick. Jaded tourists need not apply.
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| adjensen's Full Review: The Enchanted Tiki Room |
Simplistic innocence takes on many forms across Walt Disney World. For example, who'd have thought that water + log boat + gravity would equal such a great ride as Splash Mountain ? Take a rather mundane roller coaster, enclose it and turn out the lights for the intense Space Mountain . Shoot off some fireworks behind a concrete castle and it takes on a magic of its own.
Even beyond the thrill rides, there is something wonderful about sitting on a bench on Main Street USA with an ice cream and watching families, children in particular, walking awestruck down the avenue. Disney World has become the heart of charm, innocence and simple fun -- the people are nice to a fault, the place is clean, neat and safe, and once you've ponied up the (admittedly high) admission fee, the park is yours.
Within the confines of the Magic Kingdom are shops, thrill rides, food stands and all the modern trappings of an "entertainment experience." What truly sets Disney apart from the other places that offer shops, rides and food is the attention to detail that really comes through in all things, from the garbage cans to the "mundane attractions."
By mundane, I refer to the non-thrill rides and shows. Something like Legend of the Lion King is a big money, big grab show, but there are numerous little attractions that, while they don't capture a great deal of attention, certainly merit your time.
One of the best of these is The Enchanted Tiki Room , which has undergone a recent rehab and is now "Under New Management." Even with the changes, it remains one of the "out in the open hidden attractions" at Disney World as the hordes of tourists march past on their way to The Jungle Cruise .
Pre Show
The Tiki Room has a set performance schedule. Unless you time it just right, you will have to spend a bit of time in the pre-show area. This is a semi circle with several rows that face a lush garden area and a waterfall. There is no seating in this area, although kids will generally gravitate towards sitting on the railing or the floor.
The pre show itself is two birds that introduce what will happen (sort of) in a funny way (sort of.) One of the voices is done by the late Phil Hartman, which is a little disconcerting. The pre show itself takes less than five minutes, at which point, you're allowed in the theatre.
Note that prior to the pre show, the corridors are wide enough to get around people, and those furthest from the entrance will be first into the theatre (and thus, first out when it's over.)
Inside the Hut
Depending on how full the pre show area was, you may be granted some latitude in how close to your neighbours you get. Assuming that you don't get stuffed in, choose an aisle that you want and move across as far as you want. The first row will require a bit of neck craning so beware.
In the original version, four birds (stereotypical German, French, Spanish and English parrots) led the show, which was an odd blend of Polynesian lore and Disney Animatronics gone wild. Picture singing idols, birds and flowers that harmonize with the Tiki gods, all overseen by birds sputtering "Ja Vohl!" "Se, Senor" and similar colloquialisms.
While the Tiki Birds had their fans, over the years it became less and less popular, to the point where nursing mothers found it a convenient place to find a bit of privacy. To their credit, Disney chose to update the show rather than just plowing it under (probably due to its historic importance -- it was one of Walt's original creations.)
Instead, the Tiki Hut was taken over by Iago (evil parrot from Aladdin ) and Zasu (nice myna bird from The Lion King .) Iago has big plans for the joint, but gets his clock cleaned by the "true spirit" of the Tiki Hut. There are a couple of scary bits while Iago is dealt with, as well as an incredible robot in the middle of the room.
I suppose that some people might have some issues with the pagan nature of the whole thing, but it's all very tongue in cheek and all turns out well in the end. The update retains much of the original show while giving it a refreshing face lift that brings in characters children today will be familiar with.
One word of warning: towards the end, Iago starts shouting at you to stand up...make sure you do, or the Disney Cast Member on duty will do so, not too kindly. They're on a schedule and if you won't get your carcass out of the seat on time, you might hold up the next show. It's one of the few times I've seen Cast Members be a bit on the rude side.
The Perfect Audience
If you've spent your day rushing from ride to ride, on one of those Sehlinger induced death marches to see all that you can see, the Tiki Birds is where you need to unwind. My daughter has enjoyed it every time we go, which would be from age 5 to age 10 (last July) and I, ever the wide eyed dope, love it and make it a must see attraction each trip.
Type A personalities will likely find themselves pouring over the park map to find out what's nearby as the show plays on in the background, but everyone else should be able to calm down for a bit and appreciate that your hair doesn't need to be mussed to have a bit of fun.
Conclusion
This is a somewhat loud show, with a bit of darkness, gloom and surprise. It's bizarre in the "that's something you don't see every day" sense, but fun and creative in the final analysis. It remains one of the better places to check out on a hot afternoon, where the air conditioning, pleasant atmosphere and lack of mobs make it a welcome relief.
Sit back, relax, enjoy the show, and remember that simplicity and innocence are what a vacation is supposed to be all about...
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This was written as part of the "Disney ~*~ When You Wish Upon A Star" write off, written to honor ImAmes' daughter Emily Rose, who is fighting a form of cancer in her eye. I wish Emily all the best and will be donating the proceeds of this review to her mom.
Please check out the other wonderful Disney related reviews by these participants:
Aawehr, AEOakley, Ahlstromomy, AinsleyJo, aiosa914, AliventiAsylum, Amyklees, AmyLEnsor, a_r_egerton, ariel10575, AshleyA, bceaglesfan, BearySweet, beecharmer, bops_mom, Candice923, CANS4US, Charlenep, char.mike, cindymairi, CjsMommy, copernicus, crazyglue, cripper, Cusnwalter , DearLadyB, Debbietipton, Donnamr, drlolipop, Dtolick, Ed.Williamson, Ellie41799, Euphscott, Eskimo101, fallyn96, flamepillar, Fostrmom2mny, Gaelkm, Gerper, Gollygumdrops, Granniemose, hjs33, imames, Jag2112, jaydee1993, Jbduckling, Jcrismon, jdhauer, Jennifer_Gibbons, Jeremy1456, jo.com, jro26, Jubrismom , Julie42, kalt, kamel622, karmiausnic, kidhendrix, kiljoi, KimzStuffz, Klueger, KMINER, krashlite2, lauren_m, LEDOMAINE, lorace, Lisa_J, lisaw1215, lizf, Maddi, mariahan, marsha32, MaryTara, Melissasrn, mike.holmes, Minamarie, Missy32, MizSass, mkp51, mom2daniel, Mom2TyZick, mrsditmer, mzemel, Nanct, Neenkena, NEGUSR, Nifer, Nwinston, Opalman, opinionated3, pedantic, Phineaskc, prairiegirl16, rngpie, remnjava, ringorules, roxymarie, ryangamble, sbennick, sblaydes, serc, Shanny21, Shelxland, Shurie, SMITHSWOODSIDE, sumo_rhino, Sunkah, Suzer, SweetCeCe, THOM413, three_ster, tiasmom, tomgray, vania, VBFC, viper1963, wifemommyteach , wifeofvolsfan, Writerip, 2buzy, 29th_Candidate, 77chelle
The reviews can also be accessed through:
http://www.isparkl.com/epinions/write_off_easy_reader.asp?id=1
Thanks for your support and thanks to LisaJ and Opalman for inviting me!
dale
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
adjensen
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Member: a.d. jensen
Location: Grand Forks, ND USA
Reviews written: 143
Trusted by: 111 members
About Me:
Now blogging reviews at http://kandsmil.blogspot.com/
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