Lisaj13
09-02-2011, 01:59 PM
Day 1 (August 16) – Animal Kingdom:
The alarm is set for 7:15 but I can’t sleep after 6:30, so I tip-toe around getting ready. Once the alarm goes off I’m rousting the kids to get moving. Last night I bought breakfast items at Captain Cook’s, so today we breakfast in the room as we’re getting ready. I sit on the patio to eat my muffin. The kids have small backpacks and begin what will become our routine. Pack wallets, cameras, sunscreen, water bottles. Before we left home I bought soft plastic water bottles. They take up less space as you drink from them, and you can roll them up when they’re empty. They turn out to be very handy. We’re at the bus stop at 8:10 and it’s already hot and humid. DD1 notices a couple with three kids who are heavily laden. At times like this I definitely don’t miss the feeling of being a pack mule – stroller, diaper bag, snacks, toys, etc.
We’re only at the bus stop for a minute before the bus for Animal Kingdom arrives. There’s a stop at Blizzard Beach and we arrive at Animal Kingdom by 8:50. We see Mickey, Minnie and Pluto perform before the park opens. Mickey has a list of things they should have before they set off on their adventure, and I have to agree with sunscreen being on the top of the list!
As soon as the park opens we head for Expedition Everest, where there is a 10-minute wait, if that. It is awesome. I just love the theming of this ride. The surroundings are beautiful and the view from the top is wonderful. DD1 says “I’d forgotten how much fun roller coasters could be.” And it sure blows away the heat and humidity. The woman behind DD1 prays during the ride. The girls check out the gift shop while I go get fast passes. Next up is Kilimanjaro Safaris. We saw lots of animals, but just the tail of a lion. It was in some shady rocks with just the tail hanging down.
On the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail we are treated to the sights of an 18-month old gorilla playing under the watchful eyes of its mother, and a juvenile napping right in front of us. The cast member says that the mid-morning nap can last from half an hour to two hours. Now that’s a nap!
It’s time to use our fast passes! Expedition Everest is still awesome. On our way through Asia we stop to look at some Siamang apes and end up chatting with a Cast Member about conservation.
Rumbly tummies take precedence over anything else, so we stop at Tamu Tamu for lunch. We sit at a table in back and defend our food from the birds, who are fearless. And this being a splurging vacation, the girls get chocolate milkshakes.
Next up is the Maharajah Jungle Trek, with a quick check of the wait time for Kali River Rapids (45 minutes). The tigers were conserving their energy by lying in the shade, and I can’t say I blame them!
The girls are definitely running low on energy by this time. At home the summer has been cool and rainy (our rain is cold), so the heat and humidity of Florida is sapping our strength. And I resolved that on this vacation I would try and go with the flow, so we start working our way towards the front of the park via air-conditioned shops. That gives us enough of a break that the 20 minute wait for Dinosaur isn’t discouraging, and we ride it. I wanted to see the Lion King, but decide that rested, happy children are more important. We head for the bus across burning concrete, I swear. The bus comes right away (again!) and we enjoy the cool air. DD1 almost falls asleep!
We head back to the Poly via Blizzard Beach and the Contemporary. We walk into the lobby and are given chocolate chip cookies! That’s my idea of a great fringe benefit.
Once we get to our room the kids collapse on their beds and I grab our mugs. At Captain Cook’s I get fixings for breakfast tomorrow and head back to our room. I am a tea drinker generally, but in this heat the pomegranate lemonade really hits the spot.
Once everyone is hydrated hunger hits. Back to Captain Cook’s. After supper I am happy to sit on the patio with my lemonade and read for a bit, as well as observe the lizards. Then DD2 and I go for a walk around the resort. The hammocks on the beach are tempting, but I think I’d melt. Back to our room, showers, and an early night.
I’m quite happy with our first day. Although we missed lots of things (of course) considering the weather I think we did great. It was 93, felt like 98.
The alarm is set for 7:15 but I can’t sleep after 6:30, so I tip-toe around getting ready. Once the alarm goes off I’m rousting the kids to get moving. Last night I bought breakfast items at Captain Cook’s, so today we breakfast in the room as we’re getting ready. I sit on the patio to eat my muffin. The kids have small backpacks and begin what will become our routine. Pack wallets, cameras, sunscreen, water bottles. Before we left home I bought soft plastic water bottles. They take up less space as you drink from them, and you can roll them up when they’re empty. They turn out to be very handy. We’re at the bus stop at 8:10 and it’s already hot and humid. DD1 notices a couple with three kids who are heavily laden. At times like this I definitely don’t miss the feeling of being a pack mule – stroller, diaper bag, snacks, toys, etc.
We’re only at the bus stop for a minute before the bus for Animal Kingdom arrives. There’s a stop at Blizzard Beach and we arrive at Animal Kingdom by 8:50. We see Mickey, Minnie and Pluto perform before the park opens. Mickey has a list of things they should have before they set off on their adventure, and I have to agree with sunscreen being on the top of the list!
As soon as the park opens we head for Expedition Everest, where there is a 10-minute wait, if that. It is awesome. I just love the theming of this ride. The surroundings are beautiful and the view from the top is wonderful. DD1 says “I’d forgotten how much fun roller coasters could be.” And it sure blows away the heat and humidity. The woman behind DD1 prays during the ride. The girls check out the gift shop while I go get fast passes. Next up is Kilimanjaro Safaris. We saw lots of animals, but just the tail of a lion. It was in some shady rocks with just the tail hanging down.
On the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail we are treated to the sights of an 18-month old gorilla playing under the watchful eyes of its mother, and a juvenile napping right in front of us. The cast member says that the mid-morning nap can last from half an hour to two hours. Now that’s a nap!
It’s time to use our fast passes! Expedition Everest is still awesome. On our way through Asia we stop to look at some Siamang apes and end up chatting with a Cast Member about conservation.
Rumbly tummies take precedence over anything else, so we stop at Tamu Tamu for lunch. We sit at a table in back and defend our food from the birds, who are fearless. And this being a splurging vacation, the girls get chocolate milkshakes.
Next up is the Maharajah Jungle Trek, with a quick check of the wait time for Kali River Rapids (45 minutes). The tigers were conserving their energy by lying in the shade, and I can’t say I blame them!
The girls are definitely running low on energy by this time. At home the summer has been cool and rainy (our rain is cold), so the heat and humidity of Florida is sapping our strength. And I resolved that on this vacation I would try and go with the flow, so we start working our way towards the front of the park via air-conditioned shops. That gives us enough of a break that the 20 minute wait for Dinosaur isn’t discouraging, and we ride it. I wanted to see the Lion King, but decide that rested, happy children are more important. We head for the bus across burning concrete, I swear. The bus comes right away (again!) and we enjoy the cool air. DD1 almost falls asleep!
We head back to the Poly via Blizzard Beach and the Contemporary. We walk into the lobby and are given chocolate chip cookies! That’s my idea of a great fringe benefit.
Once we get to our room the kids collapse on their beds and I grab our mugs. At Captain Cook’s I get fixings for breakfast tomorrow and head back to our room. I am a tea drinker generally, but in this heat the pomegranate lemonade really hits the spot.
Once everyone is hydrated hunger hits. Back to Captain Cook’s. After supper I am happy to sit on the patio with my lemonade and read for a bit, as well as observe the lizards. Then DD2 and I go for a walk around the resort. The hammocks on the beach are tempting, but I think I’d melt. Back to our room, showers, and an early night.
I’m quite happy with our first day. Although we missed lots of things (of course) considering the weather I think we did great. It was 93, felt like 98.