Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom Pictures

   We got an early start on the day for Animal Kingdom. We ended up getting into the park shortly after it opened. We would have been there earlier, but the GPS sent us off towards another part of Orlando. We ended up having to use my phone to get us back to WDW property and we just followed the signs from there. On a good note though, we found a Wawa while we were wondering and saw some nice parts of Orlando.
   After getting past the gate and getting our pictures at the Christmas tree (something we did at every part except the magic kingdom), we headed over to the Safari. I like it much better without the "find the poachers" section. It was also much better for Ari's back since to there is no linger a really bumpy, high speed chase. She also loves zebras so she liked the addition of the zebra section to the ride. Now the whole thing is much more of a relaxing trip through the various areas of the reserve. I got a lot of good pictures (including one of Lily falling asleep).
   Next up we did the Pangani Forest Trail. I love the trails here at the park and unfortunately we only got to do this one, especially since the other trail (Maharajah Jungle Trek) is my favorite. I love all the detail and the way all of the animal areas are set up. We got through this area fairly easily and headed over to the train that takes you to Rafiki's Planet Watch. They let Ari stay in her stroller and just put her into one of the handicap spots. That was much easier on her back. Also, they just let Lily stay in her stroller as well, which worked out since she was asleep. She missed this whole section of the park. She would have loved the petting zoo area but she really didn't miss out on much. There's weren't many animals available and many of the ones there were in roped off areas with signs saying they were on break. I guess the animals there have a strong union. We didn't stay over here long and we really could have skipped it. I had only ever been over there once before and wasn't impressed. I figured at least it would be a good area for the kids, but it really didn't hold Ari's interest and we were out of there fairly quickly. The train ride was really the best part.
   We then headed over to Flame Tree BBQ. Amanda and I split a rib and chicken platter. It was plenty of food and the ribs were excellent. We sat all the was at the bottom of a little trail off to the left side of the building. This area was almost empty of people and had a roof over the tables. Also, it was right on the waterfront and had a beautiful view of Everest, which is where the shots I have were taken from. Ari entertained herself chasing away all of the birds in the area while we took a break and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.
   Next up was Legend of the Lion King, which is my Mom's favorite thing to do here. It was great as always and pretty much the same as all the other times I've seen it. Still, its a great show so that's fine. That was followed up by some character meet and greets. Mickey, Chip & Dale and Donald, all of which were dressed up for the Christmas although Donald only slightly so. I have more pictures on the way that were taken by the Disney photographers so for now I only have pictures of us with Donald.
   Next we made our way over to get a spot for the Jingle Jammin' Jungle Parade, which is a their normal parade with some Christmas decorations. Not a bad parade overall, but one I could definitely skip next time.
   I had grabbed Fast Passes for Everest, but they were for way too late as we needed to head out to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Instead, Amanda and I ran over to Dinosaur and rode that as the wait was under 10 minutes. I have the ride photo from that (included with our picture package - PhotoPass+) and I'll post that when it comes in with the rest of the PhotoPass+ pictures. We left after a way too short day although the part wasn't open for a whole lot longer anyway. I really think I could do two days at this park and really get a lot out of it. One day just isn't quite enough. I still wanted to get to Everest, Finding Nemo the Musical, Flights of Wonder, Kali River Rapids, the Jungle Trek and try out some other places to eat such as Yak and Yeti but that didn't happen this time around. Overall though this was a wonderful day at the Animal Kingdom.