Suz36
08-22-2010, 09:43 PM
Everyone had to endure my corny-ness today. For Christmas, I got everyone matching tshirts - DM and DF were Lady and the Tramp, DB and fam were Toy Story characters, and we were Lion King characters, and our family name and the date were on the back. We got lots of nice comments throughout the day. We were headed to the Animal Kingdom, and had pre-opening breakfast reservations at Tusker House. I love, love, love having these early morning park restaurant ADRs, being in the park with very few people, seeing the place wake up - it's so magical! We try to do this at least once a trip. Breakfast was wonderful, the characters were fun, and DH got his face time with Donald (his fave!) As we were wrapping up, I saw the masses begin to file in, so I herded my little group quickly along, and we made our way to the safari. We had some great close encounters with wildebeast, rhinos, ostrich, Ankole cattle, and the young giraffes. We had a good view of the female lion, but not so great of DD's favorite, Simba - this would change later in the week. We also saw the cheetah quite well - don't think we've ever gotten lucky with that one before. Unfortunately, our safari was cut short by a few weeks, so while the rest of the gang explored the Pangani Forest trail, I ran to get EE FPs. Next up was Festival of the Lion King (DDs favorite!), and wouldn't you know it, DNi got picked to be in the parade at the end! On our way to Asia, we visited with DeVine and Flik, then on to our 1st ever encounter with the Yeti! DD decided not to ride and sat out with DM, but DS seemed to enjoy it. I loved it! We ate lunch at Flame Tree (yum!) and discovered a very nice, quiet area way back near the river. :secret: As it was now pretty hot, it was the perfect time for a splash down the Kali River Rapids. My DM and I were the lucky ones to get drenched! Next we explored the Maharajah Jungle trek, and by now, DD had mustered up the courage for EE, so the 4 of us rode again, and she liked it! I'm so excited that they are finally getting a taste for the thrill rides!!! We took a little step backward when she bailed at the last minute on Primieval Whirl - baby steps I guess! DS liked it - me, not so much. As I get older, the motion sickness (that I never used to have!) seems to get worse and worse! Our final thing for the day was Finding Nemo - wonderful as always! We made our way to the bus stops, and hopped on one bound for Fort Wilderness, as we had reservations for the Hoop-de-Doo. We had a little time to explore - got our squishy pennies (we're big collectors!), did some shopping, and saw the lawnmower tree. We really enjoyed this evening. The food was great, and the show was hilarious! My dad is the type who hardly cracks a smile, and he laughed throughout the entire show! We all loved Claire de Lune, and DS was chosen to ask her to do her state song faster. As we made our way out, I was very impressed with the way they had buses for each resort - we were home in no time! What a great way to cap off another wonderful day in WDW!