Oh for the “Good Old
Days”. Remember the song and book
“That was then…this is now?”
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is
evolving into a vastly different theme park. In order to accomplish the new expanding
retail areas and the formulas that have worked so well for Disney parks in the
past, shops that we have loved are evolving and going through a metamorphosis.
Discovery
Island at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the “HUB” to connect the themed
areas of the AK Park together. It is was
home to four shops;
1.
Beastly
Bazaar
2.
Creature
Comforts
3.
Disney
Outfitters
4.
Island
Mercantile
Put on you time capsule vest
and travel back to “That Was Then…This Is Now.”
Let's travel back to a themed
shopping safari through Disney’s Animal Kingdom and explore a "Wild
Animal Encounter" at the Discovery Island Shops. No it's not an E-Ticked ride, but come along
and enjoy an adventure in itself.
If you look closely in the
merchandise stores you will discover wonderful characters, subtle themes, wood
carvings, sculptures, photos and flying creatures. There are six themes including: animals that
work, animals that have spots, animals that have stripes, animals that fly, water
animals or animal that travel in herds.
2012 Beastly
Bazaar
Beastly Bazaar (Closed and now a "Meet and Greet" indoor location.
A new meet and greet location
is expected to opened in June of 2013. The new meet and greet location is home to
Mickey and Minnie. The new location will is called "Adventurers
Outpost" and it replaces the former Beastly Bazaar shop.
And while many changes
have been made to the inside of the building, the exterior has been largely
left untouched.
The theme was is "Water
animals". But not just
fish, also included are amphibians and birds that make water their home or
feeding ground.
Photo HERE:-
Disney Beastly Bazaar water
animals
For this reason, I have decided
to share some photos of the Beastly Bazaar that I have taken over the past 2
years, so that, when you visit, you will be able to compare the look of the
store with the appearance of the new meet-and-greet.
Remember these little details
from the old Beastly Bazaar? The theme
here is water animals.
But not just fish, also included are amphibians and
birds that make water their home or feeding ground.
Creature Comforts
Taking the space of the
former Creature Comforts gift shop, the space has been completely transformed
into a Starbucks location, offering the full range of coffees, Starbucks
pastries, and Disney specialty cupcakes.
Put on you time capsule vest
and travel back 2013 to “That Was Then…This Is Now.”
“Creature Comforts is located on the northwest side of Discovery Island, before you cross the bridge into Africa. The lamppost by the entrance carries
out a theme of stripes and the outside of the building is highly decorated with
unusual patterns.
Walk in the door and you will
notice how the decor is bright and vivid...Do you have spots before your eyes? Take a look at the overhead light fixture.
Notice anything?
Creature Comforts is themed around animals
with spots and stripes, such as zebras and tigers, ladybugs and giraffes.
As Disney fans, many of us
purchase a few antenna toppers to place on our cars or trucks. BUT Creature Comforts ups this to the next
level. The interior
of Creature Comforts is equally as vivid as its neighbor shops…
The theme continues with
pleasant vibrant colors and stylized animal designs.
LOOK at the AMAZING merchandise toppers!
The decor is reminiscent
of the animal floats in "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade".
It specializes in gifts for younger children,
clothing, stuffed plush animals and toys, and other similar items.
Creature Comforts is the
place to stop for toys, and if you have small children you may be looking here
for a while.
Along with selling a range of
plush animals and other gifts, Creature
Comforts is currently also serving as a MyMagic+ service center for assisting
guests with FastPass+.
Plush baby animal characters
are popular, as are rubber creepy crawlies. Creature Comforts is located next
to the Baby Care Center and the First Aid station. If you're looking for
either of these, you'll find them easier by searching for Creature Comforts,
then looking down a corridor to the right of the front of the building.
NOTE: Creature Comforts, a themed store located inside
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, is scheduled to go down for an extensive
refurbishment in January of 2015.
January 2016: Creature Comforts
Starbucks location has opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom, which now gives the coffee company presence in all four Walt Disney World theme parks.
The Animal Kingdom store is on the west side of the park, bearing left as guests approach the iconic Tree of Life. The building formerly housed a store called Creature Comforts, although that name remains on the structure alongside a Starbucks sign. The new store is just before the bridge that leads to the Africa section of the theme park.
TY to WDWFanzone for the permission to use photos below
BEFORE
AFTER
NEXT POST:
3.
Disney
Outfitters
4.
Island
Mercantile
