We headed to the park and grabbed Fast Passes for Exbidition Everest. This was a must do ride this time around, only when the time came for the ride, Casey chickened out! I didn’t mind, as roller coasters really aren’t my favorite – I was happy to keep my feet safely on the ground.
We did the Dinosaur ride for the first time – it was quite scary! I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids, or children who are easily spooked. Lots of shaking around too, my neck was feeling the effect for days afterwards. We grabbed more Fast Passes for the Safari ride and then headed to Tusker House after for our Donald’s Safari Breakfast reservation. This is an African themed buffet with mostly standard fare, plus some unique Afican-flavored breakfast items thrown in. Donald Duck greeted us outside, and we had our photo taken. The photo was available to purchase for $29.95 – a bit steep, but they included a coupon for $10 off a future character-breakfast photo. Since we knew we were going to want to buy another picture later in the week, it was a good value.Mickey, Daisy & Goofy were all inside dressed in Safari gear. Our reservation was for 10:30 – towards the end of their breakfast seating. The characters visited our table, and then came back around spending extra time with people who were finishing their breakfast. It was a wonderful experience – especially when Casey got to dance around the room with Daisy – I cried!
Later we got on the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is a favorite ride every trip – the views of the animals are amazing, and the guide is playful and fun while you are driving. I highly recommend this attraction, but make sure to always get a FastPass! We then took the train down to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This area of the park is secluded from other sections, and takes you through the section of the park where they house the animals at night. It is a great look at the inside working of the animal side of this park. We met with a veteranian and animal trainer who gave us interesting tips and facts about the animals featured here. We also got to meet Jiminy Cricket down here – I had never seen him before – great treat!
We took time out of the very hot afternoon to ride the Kali River Rapids. This ride warns “You will get wet, you may get soaked.” We got SOAKED! We dressed Casey in her bathing suit – next time I am doing the same thing; it took hours for my capris to dry :)
We stopped to watch Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle parade on our way out of the park. This was an interesting parade as the focus was more on the intricate designs in the “floats”—mostly people walking with elaborate animal costumes—than on the entertainment value. We really enjoyed it, but then we had to rush to get to our dinner reservation at the nearby Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The Lodge is a stunning property set on the savannah section of the Animal Kingdom theme park. From right outside the hotel you can view animals grazing in their natural habitats. It is a definite must-stay for me in the future, but it is a hotel to be enjoyed; not a hotel to simply lay your head down after a busy day at the parks. Perhaps when we get an adults-only trip planned sometime soon we will take in this fabulous resort!We headed back to our hotel and indulged in some wine & cheese in our room. We always order groceries to be delivered in advance, and sometimes you just want to relax and feel like you are at home. All-in-all a busy day, and tomorrow…shopping!
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