Disney Day 5 - Animal Kingdom

We tried to get as much as possible packed on Wednesday night when we got back from Epcot because we were checking out of our hotel Thursday morning before we went to the park.  We still ended up running late Thursday morning, though, because I wasn't feeling well and kept needing to lie down on the bed while we were all getting ready.  And then the process of checking our bags (Disney will check your bags for you so you don't have to deal with it at the airport) and storing our carry ons with bell services took longer than we anticipated.

We rushed over to the Animal Kingdom bus queue and waited for our bus when all of our bags were taken care of.  Finally the bus was loaded and we were off!  And then the bus driver missed a turn and somehow it ended up taking more than double the time to get there.  Our bus driver on the way back to the hotel that afternoon also got lost and drove in circles, so it was a comical travel day.

When we finally arrived at Animal Kingdom, the park had already been open for about 45 minutes, so it was more crowded than we were used to upon entering because we were so late.  This also messed up our itinerary so we had to make some changes to the original plan.  And if you know me well, you know I can be really rigid about certain things, but after a moment of gathering myself, I think I did a pretty good job of being flexible:)

First we fought through the crowds walking back to Africa to get a fast pass for Kilimanjaro Safaris.  Then we headed all the way to the other side of the park to Dinoland USA to ride TriceraTop Spin.  We were able to walk on this ride with no wait!

TriceraTop Spin is like Dumbo and Magic Carpets of Aladdin. We had become really skilled at controlling the up/down and rocking movements of our dinosaurs by this day...all of those rides have that same function where the rider can control how high and low you go and whether you want to rock back and forth.

Then we walked over to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see Festival of the Lion King.  This was such a good show!  The singers and acrobats are really talented...I definitely got chills during the finale.  Charlotte had so much fun dancing in her seat...even during the slow songs where she'd move her arms up and down really slowly to the rhythm like she was doing a lyrical dance.  You know those moments where you watch your child doing something and you just love them so much you get giddy?  Definitely one of those moments.  I tried to get video of her, but it was so dark in there that it didn't turn out. 

The four of us attempted a self portrait before the show started, but weren't very successful...

Because of the way we were seated, Hunter was the one that had to push the button, and he kept cutting himself out!

Then we headed over to Flame Tree Barbecue for an early lunch.  This was the best quick service meal we had.  And if you have the dining plan, it's the best value.  James and I both got ribs and barbecue chicken that were really good.  Fun Animal Kingdom fact:  they don't have lids for the drinks and the straws are made of paper to protect the animals.

After lunch we headed all the way back to Africa to use our fast pass for Kilimanjaro Safaris.  (We did a TON of walking back and forth at this park...a good way to burn all of those calories we'd consumed the last couple of days!)  After a short wait, we boarded our safari vehicle...

The ride is pretty bumpy, so be sure to hold on to your seat (and any little ones!) when you go.  It was an interesting adventure...We got to see lots of animals and learned lots of fun facts, like the giraffe eats for up to 18 hours per day, but only sleepfs for 5-30 MINUTES.  I could never be a giraffe...

And when a wildebeest is born, it is on it's feet within 5 minutes, and if it can't keep up with the pack after 30 minutes of birth, it will be left behind...

Harsh.

We saw lots of elephants...

Even baby ones!...

And flamingos...

And even babier baby elephants...

Rhinos...

And lazy cheetahs...

All four of us definitely loved the safari, and it made me realize I'd never want to go on a real safari because it just seems way too dangerous.  Not that I'd ever have the urge to do that anyway...y'all know how I feel about sleeping outside...and touching animals.

After our safari, we trekked back over to Dinoland USA to see Finding Nemo - The Musical.  I thought it was really entertaining, but I think it was a little too long for the kids.  It's 40 minutes, and Hunter was asking if it was over after about 5 minutes...the heat was starting to get to him.  And probably the 5 days of racing around different theme parks didn't help either.

After the show we walked over to The Boneyard to play.  I can't remember why, but Hunter was upset about something, so after we were done talking it out, we walked up to the attendant to go inside and she said, "It looks like someone's having a rough day, I think you could use a surprise."  Then she pulled this out and handed it to him...

It really cheered him up, so he ran in and tackled the slides.  This play area was similar to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playset from our first day at Hollywood Studios, and after a while started giving me anxiety that we'd lose one of our children again.  So we didn't stay long, but instead headed out to find some characters.

Almost immediately we saw Flik and his handler walking toward his meet and greet area, so we followed after him and got in line.  Hunter wasn't in the mood for characters, so Charlotte went up to meet Flik by herself.  The handler and photopass photographer thought Charlotte was so cute.  We all laughed at her, because she posed herself beside him as he was signing her autograph book and then slowly inched toward him...

She finally made her way all the way over to him so we could get the picture...

Then we headed over to the Camp Minnie-Mickey Greeting Trails for more character meets at Charlotte's request.  Hunter was not thrilled about this idea, so we got him a drink so he could relax in the stroller while he waited.  First Char requested Minnie...

It was getting close to time to head back to our hotel to board the Magical Express, but Charlotte was desperate to meet one more character...she definitely threw a 2 year old fit.  And I did exactly the opposite of what you are supposed to do and gave in.  I told her one more character, and she picked Goofy...

After Goofy, she begged for another character, and when I said no, the screaming started once more.  Of course she did.  She's just doing what I'd taught her to do.  This time I stuck to my word and told her we had to leave. 

So we headed to the bus to go back to Pop Century, and after a short detour, we were waiting out front for our ride to the airport.  It seemed like we had just been in that same spot getting off the bus.  It was so sad to be on the other end of it.

Animal Kingdom was our least favorite park.  It just didn't feel the same as the other parks.  I know this is totally cheesy, but it just didn't seem magical...it didn't seem like Disney.  We've decided the next time we go to Disney World, we'll skip Animal Kingdom and have a rest day or spend more time at another park.

We are definitely glad that we went once though, and we did enjoy parts of it.  Our favorites of the day were...

James - Festival of the Lion King

Carole - Festival of the Lion King

Hunter - Kilimanjaro Safari

Charlotte - TriceraTop Spin

We had such a fun time in Disney World that I'm going to have to force myself not to start planning another trip right away.  Luckily Hunter's birthday is soon, so I have something to distract me for now!  But I'm sure on March 18th, I'll pull out the RISD school calendar for next school year so we can pick a date to go back:)