The tyre tracks along the safari route have actually been moulded into concrete (No nasty mud here). The acacia trees that give the landscape the Serengeti look are actually artfully-pruned Florida oaks. And the bridge that really does wobble when you cross it - well, it is manipulated by hidden hydraulics. And frankly, I could have done without the staged poacher escapade along the way that is meant to divert anyone for whom real animals are not enough.

But you will be hard-pressed to claim that it does not weave its fantasies well. And in this safari, as in most of the rest of what lies inside the Animal Kingdom, Disney has excelled itself.After lining up once more (a visit to any Disney park, I quickly realised, is not unlike skiing; it involves serial queueing and is more physically exhausting than any day spent in the office) you will be invited aboard a 30-seat, open-side safari bus for your ride into the "savannah". Disney's guiding philosophy, in its films and its theme parks, is story-telling. The tale here is journey through an East African game park, complete with savannah grasslands, rickety bridges and, of course, wild and exotic animal life.You may not care for what Disney does - the hokiness of it all is inescapable. On your way you will pass through Harambe Village, a collection of Zanzibar-style edifices that gives a convincing impression of a Tanzanian port town. (Assuming you can divert your eyes away from your fellow tourists in their rarely sartorial shorts.) Even the nails in the joists have been painted to evoke rust and Zulu craftsmen from South Africa were imported to make an authentic job of the thatch on the roofs.The safari, however, is what Animal Kingdom is principally about. Altogether more convincing - and not just from a climatic point of view - is Animal Kingdom.

Opened to a deafening fanfare last month, it is the fourth of the theme parks inside Disney World, which already offers the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM Universal Studios. Queue for an hour under the Florida sun just to get in and making the mental leap from Orlando to Africa will hardly be a strain. But just in case your imagination is faulty, once inside you might hasten first to the Kilimanjaro Safari. BY FAR the dottiest of the attractions at Walt Disney World is Blizzard Beach. A glorified water playground outside its main theme parks, it features a man-made mountain covered with white stuff traced with giant slides and flumes. You are asked to accept that this part of central Florida has just suffered a freak snowstorm; the giant pool at the slope's base, complete with wave effects, is the resulting snow-melt. If you are planning to do some wet rides, come equipped with a small towel and change of clothing..

This is a good ride to do in the morning as it will acquaint you with the layout and help you get your bearings. It's also a chance to rest weary legs later in the day.Wet rides are great fun on hot days but they are often more soaking than splash rides. If you're touring with under-fives, it's also worth hiring a stroller but as these usually don't come with any sort of locking device, try to set yours apart by tying a brightly-coloured ribbon or piece of clothing round it.In the seething crowds of a theme park it's easy to become parted from friends and children. Make sure you arrange a rendezvous at the start of the day and attach some sort of identification tag on the kids.Many parks have a monorail or train ride around the perimeter of the park. Or slow down the pace of the day by enjoying a leisurely picnic - many of the parks are actually set in beautifully landscaped grounds.Don't load yourself down with too much to carry as you're going to be on your feet for most of the day.