Animal Kingdom

Day #4 at Animal Kingdom was probably our best day at Disney World.  It would have been a close tie with Magic Kingdom on Day #2.

Animal Kingdom was meant for my boys.  Animals... dirt... mud... tons of activities that attracted their attention.  

After two very busy days at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studies, the boys were exhausted.  They slept amazing on night three.  We all woke up around 7am.  We were refreshed and ready to head out and see all Animal Kingdom had to offer.  

Still sleepy on a chilly morning

We arrived at the park that morning around opening time.  That put us in perfect condition to get our fast pass to Kilimanjaro Safaris.  It was tempting to not get the fast pass and just go on the ride right when we got there.  The wait was only 10 minutes.  I had really done my homework and knew there were so many things at Animal Kingdom we would love. I insisted we get the pass and come back.  

With our pass in had for later than morning, we strolled straight to DinoLand.  Morris and Thomas both love dinosaurs and I knew DinoLand would be all the rage with them.  The main ride in DinoLand, Dinosaur, says that you must be 40 inches tall.  I wasn't worried about it, because Morris had already rode rides at Magic Kingdom that were 40 inche rides.  I had been talking up Dinosaur and how the ride might be a little scary, but he could handle it.

Little did I know, when we walked up to enter the ride, the lady measuring the children was bitter.  I mean who works at Disney and is bitter.  She refused to let Morris ride.  He was crushed, completely devastated. -   Morris in so many ways is like me.  He loves an adrenalin rush.  Jared not so much.  Morris and I believe the fast, darker, and scarier, the better.  I love to feel my stomach turn. - Morris and I walked away with our heads hung low.  I am not sure I had ever seen Morris so upset.  

We met up with Jared and Thomas on the TriceraTop Spin, just like Dumbo, but with triceratops.  We all rode the ride as a family.  Jared and the boys played some carnival like games.  We just walked around DinoLand trying to figure out what to do.  A decision was made.  I was going back to ride Dinosaur by myself and see if Morris could handle it.  Yes, it was scary, but I knew it was nothing that would bother Morris.  Although Morris has a vivid imagination, he distinguishes fantasy versus reality with no problem. 

 

Jared was armed with new information and ready to take on the bitter lady.  Morris and Jared walked up to the Dinosaur ride.  The man let them enter without any questions.  Jared thought he was home free, until the lady spotted them and quickly pulled Morris out of line.  She told Jared that he did not meet the height minimum.  I am typically the feisty one, but Jared let his temper rear it's ugly head.  He calmly, politely, and sternly told the lady that Morris had already been riding 40 inch rides at Magic Kingdom.  She would need to explain to a 4 year old how he was 40 inches yesterday and not today.  Especially since the other man had just cleared Morris to ride the ride, was she really willing to tell him no.  Needless to say, Morris and Jared rode Dinosaur together.  MORRIS LOVED IT!  He still proclaims it to be his favorite ride at Disney.

  

The rest of our morning was great.  We spent time looking at everything around Animal Kingdom riding rides that were for the entire family.  It was finally time for our fast pass at Kilimanjaro Safaris.  We walked up only to find the ride shut down!  The sweet lady taking tickets assured us it would be up and running later that morning.  We headed off to a quick lunch and couldn't wait to try again.  

Success... after lunch Kilimanjaro was back up and running.  Oh how my boys loved the Safari ride!  It made me look forward to all the wonderful outdoor adventures in our families future.  Morris sat with me and Thomas with Jared.  Because both boys love animals, they pointed out everything we say.  I think the people around us were stunned when Morris shouted out kudu.  Not us, that's just our normal life... kudu, water buffalo, Morris loves him some animals.  The boys would have taken rides on the safari all day if we would have let them.  Going through the mud, spotting animals, being so close that we could have touched some of the animals... that was my four and two year old's dream. 

  

To say Animal Kingdom was a success, just touches on the surface.  We loved it and can't wait to go back.

Rides we enjoyed at Animal Kingdom:

Dinosaur (Amy, Amy/Morris, Jared/Morris - yes we rode it 3 times) - Expedition Everest (Amy/Jared) - Kilimanjaro Safari (all) - Primeval Whirl (Amy) - TriceraTop Spin (all - we all rode this 3 times) - Lion King Show (all) - DinoLand Games (all)

Lunch:

Pizzafari - I had originally planned lunch at Flame Tree BBQ.  All the reviews recommend their delicious food.  Not to worry, Morris and Thomas protested and wouldn't eat there.  I decided we just weren't fussing about food while at Disney.  They wanted pizza.  Jared and I went with the flow.  Pizzafari was surprisingly delicious!

After a perfect day at Animal Kingdom, we topped the evening off at Magic Kingdom.  Magic Kingdom is so close and easy from the Floridian it was just too easy not to go there each night.  We had dinner reservations at 6:45 for Tony's Town Square Restaurant.  The reviews varied about the restaurant, but there was one thing that was consistent.  If you get just the right time and just the right table, you can see the Electric Parade perfectly.  I had just the right reservation time, but the table was something I couldn't control until we arrived.  I requested a window table so we could watch the parade.  The lady told me she couldn't make any promises.  After waiting five minutes, we got the perfect table.  The boys were able to watch the Electric Parade while eating dinner.  We finished dinner just in time to walk outside for the fireworks.  Kudos to me and all my planning! - FYI - The salad at Tony's was fabulous.  The best part of our meal!  - For my memory - Thomas had a breakdown at dinner.  Yet again, an epic breakdown out of my child that never has breakdowns.  I blame it all one exhaustion!

Animal Kingdom topped off with Magic Kingdom proved to be a perfect combination!