April 2012: Animal Kingdom

We closed our Disney week with what was my first (Adam's second) trip to Animal Kingdom. Since Adam had previously spent only a half day at this park, there was much to discover together. Here is our cute little family in front of the park. The two stroller system was quite marvelous. Our trusty Graco on the left has been around since Spencer was born. Many times during the week (and on other family adventures) it bore two children, sometimes both riding in the seat, other times a child perched atop the handlebar. It's a great, sturdy stroller and pushes easily despite our exceeding whatever load limits exist. The other one folds compactly but still holds a boatload of stuff below (unlike the traditional umbrella stroller). We were so happy to have these two strollers amongst our luggage; so were the kiddos and all those who stowed bags in the shade of the strollers' umbrellas while we were on various rides. 

Our first ride of the day was the Safari. We had heard that the animals are liveliest in the morning. The lion was perched in regal stature atop what Uncle Dan informed us is an air-conditioned rock. I think I would hang out there all day too, if I were the lion. The giraffes crossed in front of and round about our vehicle - closest I've ever been to such a large animal, and it was nothing short of majestic. 

The Tree of Life.

I loved these Tibetan prayer flags that were strung near the park's Mt. Everest. It made for such a pretty scene. This was my favorite area in the park.

Here are Emma, Uncle Dan, and Papa waiting to get on the Everest Expedition. Little did we know this would become Emma's hands down FAVORITE roller coaster. If memory serves, I believe she rode this one 4 times. 

Another group of Everest adventurers. From L to R: Trina, Sarah, Grammy, Celeste. 

The boys going for a Primeval Whirl.

Towards the end of the day, we discovered the dinosaur playground. My kids could have spent ALL day there.

In fact, once we let them into the play area, they passed the remainder of the evening there. Papa watched our cute little munchkins dig for dinosaur bones while Adam and I went on one last Dinosaur ride, which he had missed out on earlier the day. After that, we snuck in one last ride (or two) on Everest. It was a great way to close out a fantastic week. 

Kilimanjaro Safari - A great way to start our day. The animals were on the move, and the line was minimal. Even though it is a theme park ride, it had an authentic feel since the animals were moving freely along the road our jeep was using. 

Wildlife Express Train - A bit of a mistake. I'm not sure where we thought this was taking us, but we ended up dead-ending at the Conservation Station.

Conservation Station - After we spent a few minutes exploring the exhibits here and petting the bunnies and snakes, we were back to the main attractions. 

Expedition Everest - Hands down FAVORITE coaster. Love going backwards. 

Finding Nemo Musical - BEST show we saw. We had phenomenal seats, too. The puppeteer/actors were very engaging, had amazing voices, and the staging of the show was so clever. 

Kali River Rapids - Uncle Dan has a pretty awesome video of what went down on this ride. I was getting more fast passes to Everest with John for company while the majority of our group rode this. When we met back up and I was to take a turn, I was sure to wear my poncho since Sarah and Celeste were soaked!

Dinosaur - Sort of terrifying. There is one point where the T. Rex looks like it is going to eat the riders, and of course that is when they snap the photo that you look for as you exit the ride. I had picture proof of my motherly instincts since in the photo I have pushed Spencer's head down into the jeep and am covering him with my body. Nobody messes with this mama's cubs!

Festival of the Lion King - A fun, colorful show. This movie had some of the best music of any Disney film, and I never tire of hearing it.

It's Tough to be a Bug (3D) - This one TERRIFIED Emma. Note to self: put young daughters on laps before scary grasshoppers come out and bugs try to run under your seats. Apparently my sister Michelle had a similar response when the fam went many years ago.

Primeval Whirl - This was a fun mix between a carnival ride and a roller coaster. It was twisty and fun. At the end of the day, some of our group rode this time and time again.

Triceratop Spin - Adam took John and Emma on this ride (similar to Dumbo) while the rest of us were on the Primeval Whirl.

The Boneyard - The kids closed out the day digging for dinosaur bones in pebbly sand and running up and down the attached playground to explore all of the slides and passageways. This was a GREAT place for kids. 

And that, friends, brings us to the close of the Disney recap. 

It's been a fun walk down memory lane.