Happy Monday…err…Thursday. But Monday on vacation time. This day was FUN-filled and will have multiple parts because we went to a few locations and had an absolute blast. First stop? Animal Kingdom.
Our day started bright and early, catching the resort bus to Animal Kingdom. The boys were raring to go and we actually snagged a seat this time!
We have arrived! The day’s weather was beautiful and the grounds were gorgeous.
Most noticeably, the Tree of Life took my breath away – beautiful, gorgeous and the center site, it was definitely photo-worthy and somewhere we wanted to explore a little closer!
Expedition Everest was one of our fast passes, but after the boys caught glimpse of this hill, this was a BIG no from them. We people watched for a bit, then moved on.
Our next venture was through the Maharajah Jungle Trek through Asia.
The boys LOVED using the maps and bird descriptor to locate the birds throughout the Royal Forest. We had a fun time as they swooped around us, although they did get VERY close, so be forewarned! This was definitely one of the highlights of our day.
Beautifully crafted birdhouses and green scenery.
A beautiful up-close tiger that Jack declared was a bit too close for comfort…
We then spent a bit of time just being a bit silly…
And monkeying around..
And drumming for a while…
And playing in water. Of course.
The grounds were BEAUTIFUL and definitely some of the best scenery of the parks. I was impressed at how natural things were and how much it appeared to mimic the respective countries and geography.
A trip to Africa had us meet this fine fellow and his crew – belting out some African tunes!
And enjoy this delicious Mickey treat (it’s literally a little whole in the wall in Africa. You order at a desk and go up to a window to retrieve. Note: The Iced Coffee counts as a snack and it’s AMAZING).
We headed over to the Kilimanjaro Safari and this was THE HIGHLIGHT of our day. I’m planning to devote an entire post to this because we loved this attraction that much.
Time for lunch at Tusker House Restaurant for a character lunch. We met Goofy, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Daisy Duck. Jack was taking it all in, but Charlie had a blast! The food was served buffet-style and offered some decent selections, I recommend the Chicken Curry and hummus with pita bread – YUM!
We rounded out our day at It’s Tough to be a Bug! show where we went under the Tree of Life. Charlie was terrified as we descended into the trunk and the dark lights quickly revealed this might not be his favorite. I won’t spoil the surprise, but Jack, Jim and myself LOVED it, Charlie was not a fan. I highly recommend at least giving it a chance – if your child is scared of loud noises or bright sounds, proceed with caution.
We chose to make this an earlier day – the boys were getting tired and the sun called to us to play in the pools at the resort (more on that later). We also had dinner reservations in Downtown Disney and wanted to make sure we were back in time for that. We could have EASILY spent the entire day at Animal Kingdom contrary to some reviews. I can’t wait to come back and explore more, especially when the boys are feeling a bit more adventurous!
Favorites:
Charlie – Safari!
Jack – It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Daddy – It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Mommy – Tie between Safari and that Mickey Mouse Cinnamon Roll!
We love Animal Kingdom, too! I agree that it can easily be a full day. The safari is my favorite and Tusker House is so fun. We got to see The Festival of the Lion King when we went in Jan. and it was awesome.