Saturday, February 14, 2009

Disney- Day 6, Animal Kingdom

Boy did that front blow through! It was cold and rainy. Luckily, Kevin and I both had jeans packed. We had to buy some sweatpants for Beth. She hates jeans, so I didn't pack them. After all, the weather forecast never mentioned cold front. Note for future travel- take both warm and cold weather clothes and pack panchos (despite reliving many a band practice in them).

The last park, Animal Kingdom. Kevin and I decided to buy panchos for ourselves as soon as we got there. I'm so glad we did since the rain just kept coming. Plus, they provided a bit of warmth from the nasty cold rain. Beth still didn't want to wear hers, but us having them too made it a little better.

I wanted to make sure we saw the Nemo stage show (the first thing we did) and the Lion King stage show (the last thing we did). Both great choices and especially nice to be dry and warm inside. Nemo was great! All the characters and songs! It was amazing to see the people use these huge puppet things for characters. I just can't get into words what it was like. Definitely my favorite show of the trip.
Lion King was great! With Disney, it's not just a show, it's a full on production. I've got to get this movie- Beth hasn't seen it yet. I think that would have helped it make more sense for her. All the other shows we saw are movies she's watched. Still, she enjoyed herself. Our section was the lions, and she roared with the best of them. At one point, volunteers were picked from the audience, and she asked why she didn't get picked. Not like she would have gone! Geez!


Animal Kingdom is like a zoo on Disney magic steroids. The animal habitats are works of art in themselves, so that each area looks just like that continent. Gorgeous! One of the walk through areas in Asia had beautiful tigers, though they were napping. For the animal area and then the bird area, there were "field guides" to learn info and help identify the birds. Beth thought it was great to be in charge of this information!
There are cast members all over the park, happy to give information about the animals, if you just stop long enough to listen. It's worth it, especially for Beth, who just soaks up information and asks as many questions as someone is willing to answer. If you walk around long enough, you'll find all kinds of places with animals to see and learn about. We really enjoyed our stop in Africa for lunch. YUM!


We rode a train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station. They have this great area set up where we listened to sounds of the rain forest in the dark- that didn't go over well. There was a vet area where we actually saw them finishing up some testing procedures on one of the animals in the park. While waiting for Pocahantas (the last specifically requested person Beth wanted to meet), Beth colored and got to listen to a couple animal presentations. Fun stuff, even though it is educational. Kevin found a way to keep himself occupied while waiting- looking for ways to make funny pictures. Only, with a 4 year old, it doesn't quite work out as planned.


The Kilimanjaro Safari ride was amazing! We got to see so many African animals in a created environment where they were free to roam. Kevin was a bit worried that there wasn't anything between us and the animals, but I saw the carefully disguised fences :). I was really wishing I'd packed by big zoom lens for this day!
We stopped to watch the parade. We'd settled in to wait for a while, then everyone got in our way. It took a few tries, but finally a family scooched over so Beth could see. Great costumes and rides celebrating all the animals. However, when characters neared, Beth turned to hide. Maybe next trip....

This park closes early in the day, which was fine with us. We had our last Disney dinner at the resort restaurant, finished up the shopping in the resort gift shop and packed up to head home the next day. When we got to the room, instead of an animal surprise, Beth's dolls were busy playing a game of tic-tac-toe. Beth thought that was the best yet!

Saturday- Time to go home.
We were sad to leave Disney. But, I was ready to see Jacob. Besides, all the laundry we'd created through the week- one whole packed giant suitcase worth- I needed to wash!
Last Disney photo op at the airport! Then, we had some McDonalds before boarding the plane. That was weird, a whole week without McD, and I didn't miss it until I saw the sign. Gee, we eat there too much!
And, yes, we're already trying to figure out when we'll go again. Originally we said when Jacob turns 4, but we don't think we can wait that long.
PS- Mom, this took an hour to type and add pics. No more whining from you!

1 comment :

Angie said...

I have so much enjoyed reliving Disney through your blog. It was so fun to see all your fun pictures, especially the ones where Beth is sooo happy and when she was hugging her daddy. Too cute! Thanks for sharing over the last few days.