WDW Day 3: Animal Kingdom

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On Wednesday (our third day in Orlando), we spent that day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I particularly excited about this day because Animal Kingdom was not built when I went to Disney World at age eleven, and it was the one park that I couldn't wait to visit! The day we were here happened to be an extra magic hour day and the park was extremely crowded. I tried to change days the week before we left for Orlando, but I would have to give up our character breakfast at this park. Things were pretty calm until noon, but after lunch time the crowds were terrible. It was also very hot this day, and because the streets and areas of Animal Kingdom are a little more narrow and closed in, this made me a little bit stuffy and uncomfortable at times. I'd LOVE to come back to this park next time on a less crowded day. 

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After entering the park, THIS is what you see! The Tree of Life is at the center of the park, surrounded by Dinoland, Asia, Africa, and Camp Minnie-Mickey. The different sections of the park make a big circle around the Tree of Life. 

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The first thing we saw when entering Animal Kingdom, and of course, Reid wanted to climb on it! 

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The Tree of Life is just gorgeous! There are different animals carved into the trunk/bark and you could stand and look at it forever!

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After admiring the Tree of Life for a bit, we headed to "Africa" to the Tusker House restaurant. This was our character breakfast and our only reservation for the day. LilliAnn wasn't in a very good mood this morning! 

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Like the Disney Junior breakfast, all of the characters came around to each table and at one point the kids got to shake maracas and do a Congo line with Mickey and the gang. Reid was so excited to see Mickey! 

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And LilliAnn magically got into a good mood when she saw Daisy Duck! She said, "Oh Daisy, you are so coot (cute)!"

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After breakfast, I followed my itinerary and we went straight to Dinoland. This worked out perfectly because no one was here yet. The kids got to ride the TriceraTop Spin ride twice without a wait (this is similar to the Dumbo ride). I wanted the kids to ride DINOSAUR, but LilliAnn wasn't tall enough so we skipped this one. I heard that Primeval Whirl is another fun ride in Dinoland, but you have to be 48" for this one. 

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Another really neat attraction in Dinoland is The Boneyard. This is a dinosaur/prehistoric themed playground that is similar to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground at Hollywood Studios. There is only one way in and out that is guarded by a Disney cast member, so you feel pretty safe just letting your kids run free. Reid loved climbing on all of the ropes and exploring all the secret passages, while LilliAnn preferred the toddler slide area. Jeb and I found a spot near the entrance/exit and took a little break while the kids played. 

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The decor/building design at Animal Kingdom is fantastic! The colors are bold and bright, and the scenery is so realistic to the continent that that area represents. 

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After leaving Dinoland, we made our way to Africa to get Fast Passes for the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. This is the most popular ride at Animal Kingdom and you definitely want to use Fast Passes for this. 

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Playing on the Bongos in "Africa"

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African dancers and musicians would perform in the middle of the streets. It was so neat to watch! Unfortunately, in all of the craziness I forgot to charge my camera the night before and my battery went dead. I was SO upset, but luckily I had my Disney Photo Pass Plus card. I would have liked to have taken more pictures at Animal Kingdom! 

Tip: Remember to charge your camera EVERY night (and make sure you have extra memory cards)! I should have made myself a note, because I got my charger out of my bag, plugged it in, and then forgot to put my battery in it! 

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While waiting for our Kilimanjaro Safari Fast Pass time, we did the Pagani Forest Exploration Trail. This wildlife trail is on the must-see list and was very relaxing and enjoyable! Animal Kingdom is essentially an ultimate zoo. It has two exploration trails where you can view animals, but then has rides and shows as well. There is also a petting zoo area called the Affection Section, but we decided to skip this since the reviews stated that it had the same animals as a regular petting zoo (goats, sheep, pigs) and that your time would be better spent elsewhere. 

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LilliAnn LOVED getting the bird guide and trying to spot all of the different birds. This made my heart happy because my Great Grandmother, Lillian McKenzie, loved birds too! 

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There was a place to look at all kinds of exotic fish, and there was even a little educational center where you could see all different types of unique species. 

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Having a model moment...

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We finished the trail and it was time for the Kilimanjaro Safari! If you go to Animal Kingdom, this is a MUST-SEE for sure! 

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LilliAnn was intrigued. She stayed like this the entire ride!

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Hungry, hungry, HIPPO!

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We drove so close to the animals! I truly felt as if I was on a real African safari! 

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It was amazing to watch the animals in such a natural environment.

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There were several of these funny looking things around and we learned that they were made my termites!

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One of my favorite pictures! 

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The giraffes were my favorite! 

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Doesn't this look just like Africa? 

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How awesome is this special type of tree? 

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picture perfect

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I mean seriously! Is this not just gorgeous?!

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After the AMAZING safari ride, we headed into Asia. Reid really wanted to ride the new roller coaster, Expedition Everest, but he was too short and was very disappointed. Jeb took him to ride the Kali River Rapids, which are also in Asia and a must-do. He really liked the rapids, and I'm so glad we got a Fast Pass because the wait was over two hours long! While we were waiting on our Fast Pass time for the rapids, we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This trail was similar to the trail in Africa, but had animals from Asia and Asian style buildings/decor. 

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My little bird watcher!

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I loved these Asian bird houses that were scattered throughout the trail. They were so ornate and very unique! 

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We grabbed a snack and then got into the line to see Pocahontas. I checked the time to see when she was coming, so I was one of the first ones in line. We only had to wait about 20 minutes. 

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The characters and princesses ALWAYS stay in character. I loved listening to Pocahontas talk to all of the little girls about where she got her necklace and where she lived. This girl was the PERFECT Pocahontas! 

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Photo op in front of Expedition Everest 

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Love these two little munchkins!

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After Pocahontas, we spent the afternoon going to a couple of shows. We went to Finding Nemo - The Musical first and it was seriously AMAZING - definitely a must-see on my list! I would go back and see it again in a second! I think it was the best show that we saw in all of the Disney parks. We had to wait about 30 minutes to get into this show, but it was definitely worth the wait! Next, we went to the Discovery Island area and did the It's Tough to Be a Bug 3D show. Some reviews stated that this show was a little scary for young children, but both of my children loved it! You wear 3D glasses and you experience different effects as you watch a show about different kids of bugs. It would also be a must-see on my list. 

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By this time it was almost 3 o'clock, which is when Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade starts. I had read that the best place to watch the parade in Animal Kingdom was in Africa, so this is where we went to get a good spot on the parade route. We got a few snacks at a nearby stand and sat down to watch the parade. 

Tip: DO NOT miss this parade! It is wonderful and your kids will really enjoy seeing the characters. Because the streets are more narrow in Animal Kingdom, the kids get to be really close to the parade and the characters. (And this is another reason why I was so sad that my camera went dead! However, I did take some good parade pics on my phone.)

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It was about 4 o'clock, the kids were hot and exhausted, we had finished almost everything on my itinerary, so we decided to see one more show and call it a day. The Festival of the Lion King is in Camp Minnie-Mickey, so we made our way to that side of the park. The next show didn't start until 5:45, so at this point we had about an hour before the show started. There are character meet and greet areas right outside of the Lion King waiting area, which worked out perfectly! Jeb waited in line for the Lion King show, and I took the kids to get some autographs! 

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We got to see the Jungle Book characters, and LilliAnn LOVED this monkey!

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And Minnie Mouse was there! We didn't see Minnie at breakfast and this was our very first time to see her, so LilliAnn was very excited! 

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After watching the Lion King show, we couldn't leave the park without a Simba. LilliAnn fell asleep during the show, so when we went shopping after the show, Reid picked her out a baby Minnie Mouse and he got a Simba. Reid has never had a "lovie" or anything he was attached to, but he has slept with Simba every single night since he got it. 

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One last photo op at the Tree of Life before heading back to the resort!

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And look who we found as we were leaving the park! Stich was trying to come back to the hotel with us!!

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If it wasn't so crowed and was a little bit cooler, Animal Kingdom would have been just as (or more) enjoyable than Hollywood Studios. My itinerary didn't work quite as well here, since the park was more crowded, but we managed to complete everything on my must-see list and still have a wonderful day! I think next time in this park will be much better because we will be more familiar with the lay-out. I think it is a little harder to navigate through this park than the other parks, and it seems to take a bit more time to get from one place to the next (especially when crowded) - possibly because of the narrow streets and smaller spaces. My tips for this park are to arrive when the gates open, go to Dinoland first, use fast passes at every ride possible, DO NOT miss Finding Nemo - The Musical, Kilimanjaro Safari, or the parade, and go on a day that is NOT an extra magic hour day. Now I can't wait to go back!