Animal Kingdom - Epcot Fireworks

Off to Animal Kingdom this morning.

We went through the gates and bag check and headed toward the Safari. You can go aways and then have to wait for the rope drop for the park to open. Mickey and Minnie entertained us while we waited.

Dave did some last minute strategizing for fast passes he
would head off to get as soon as the rope dropped.

When it dropped, Dave headed off and we wandered to the Safari. When we got there, Dave already had tickets and we decided to go wait in the short line now and use the fast pass later.

Here comes our Kilimanjaro Safari vehicle...

We started out first thing with a rhino :-)

On to the hippo pool...

very big crocks...

Masai cattle....

first of several giraffes walking by a termite mound...

Wildebeests....

elephants...

flamingos....

cheetah...that made Ryan happy!!

lions...

Great horns on these Addax!

All this great wildlife and we were able to help catch the poacher as well! Great ride! We headed next door to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where we saw more great things!

This was one BIG gorilla!

and his family - the Mom is holding the baby.

The baby is right in the middle next to the rope.


Then into the wonderful aviary...

where the Taveta Golden Weaver birds were working on their nests.

and a quick stop at the meerkats.

It was time for our fast pass for the safari by now so we headed in and did round two and saw several things we hadn't seen before....

this kudu...

cute little gazelles...

a better shot of the wildebeests...

love that baobab tree and those elephants...

and here comes the rhino...

and finally the ostrich. It was another great safari ride
and we once again managed to catch the poacher!

One more stop before we go to lunch! We headed for the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. As we approached it we saw all the enclosures and cages they keep the animals in at night. Then there was a nice trail with cotton-top tamarins and some interactive games the boys could play.

They had a card and could get it stamped at each station they completed.

Then inside the Conservation Station with exhibits and an in-depth look at the care the animals receive through veterinary attention, nutrition and research programs. Very interesting.

And we couldn't miss the Affection Section petting yard.

This goat had the most well tended fur on the planet!

Then back on the train to Africa and out the date to the bus to the

Kidani Villas and lunch at Sanaa. It was a wonderful place and outside the windows we saw this...

and this...

Wonderful view!

Colin and Ryan enjoyed the view while we were waiting for our food--
which was all excellent! Great choice Dave!!!

After a little wandering around the Savannah's boardwalks, we headed back for the bus and returned to Animal Kingdom and headed to Asia. Our fast pass for the Kali River Rapids was good. It was one fun whitewater rafting ride down the turbulent waters of the Chakranadi River! We all piled on and several of us ended up fairly well soaked on the ride, but it was so hot that it felt GREAT! Time to head to the parade.

This was one fun parade with all sorts of zany animal characters wandering the street!

A very fun happening!!! Also, very hot!

What better place to cool off than

Finding Nemo....the Musical. It was indoor and a very
good show with large puppets and live performers.

After the show, Grandma and Grandpa headed up to the Expedition Everest roller coaster with our fast passes in hand! It was fun wandering through the area. It was reminder of our great time in Nepal! And the ride was superb! Just what a roller coaster should be...not to be missed!! We wandered back down and met everyone at DinoLand. They were playing in The Boneyard, a maze built around dinosaur fossils. Jill and Dave took off to Everest to use their fast passes (twice!) and we watched the boys. They had a ball in the Boneyard!

Lots of running and exercise here!

When Mom and Dad came back, we parted ways for a little while for Grandma and Grandpa to hit a couple of adult rides and the Bairds to pick up snacks and then to meet at Camp Minnie-Mickey.

These cute characters greeted us at the theater area.

We had tickets to The Lion King! It had turned into a wonderful evening....much cooler. We joined the hundreds for the magnificent performance by the Lion King troupe. A real highlight of our trip! However, no pictures.

We got out at just about twilight and headed for the car and raced to Epcot to catch the fireworks there. Our timing was good. Dave went to get Mexican food to go at the Mexico area of World Showcase. We ate as we waited for the show to begin.


It was well worth the rapid trip here! Unfortunately, the videos won't download to the blog, but the show was wonderful! Nice way to end our formal Disney World stay! What a marvelous adventure. Thanks to Dave and Jill for including us in this fun time!! After the show we finished dinner and waited for the crowd to dispurse, and then headed home after a very long and wonderful day! More tomorrow!!!

Hollywood Studios

It's off to Hollywood Studios today.

We got there just after it opened and Dave tore off for the fast passes. The place was packed! As we walked by some of the major attractions the fast pass times were already hours away. But, it didn't slow us down!

Off for a visit with Buzz Lightyear and Woody. The line was long, but there were all sorts of interesting distractions along the way!

Finally our turn!

Then off to Disney Junior - Live on Stage. It was a very fun interactive show. Seating was on the floor.

Act I was preparations for Minnie's Birthday. There was a little moral lesson in each one of the acts....nicely done!

Next up was Bob the Builder and Friends

Baby Einstein's turn next.

The bubbles were a great hit!!

Captain Hook and Smee were the final act. Fun show!

Our fast pass time for The Magic of Disney Animation was on. There is a wonderful interactive space to do things and then you can actually have a lesson from one of the animators. There were only three spots left to draw, but the rest of us got to watch. While we were waiting for the lesson we went for a visit with Pooh.

It was the shortest line all day!

Three sweet guys!

Time for class - front and center for Dave and Ryan, Colin got a desk.

The instructor was great! She started with the very basic circles and lines and then moved on from there. Alot of the technique was familiar to Colin from his art classes. The results speak for themselves!

Ryan's Piglet!

Colin's Piglet

Dave's Piglet.

Superior job on those Piglets guys!

Time for a lunch break! It's been a very busy morning. We borrowed a table at the local burger/chicken place and had a quick lunch we had packed. Then off to a medium line at Star Tours - a visit to Star Wars places.

R2D2 was there!
C3PO too!
Quite a ride!!

Then off to a VERY LONG line at the Toy Story Midway Mania!
There was lots of entertainment along the way!

Mr. Potato Head was entertaining!
Next car is ours!!

Some last minute instructions from Mom....GREAT ride!

After all that waiting in line and sitting on rides it was time to let loose at the
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground! Great place to let off a little steam!

This place really is big!!

While the boys were running around Grandma and Grandpa slipped off to ride the Rock 'n' Roll Coaster....not as good as we thought it would be...but still fun! When we returned, Jill and Dave went.

Great tunnels - that you can see in and dark ones!
There goes Colin...
and Ryan next!

Colin

Ryan...
and Mom---where did she come from? Thought she was riding the roller coaster!!

After some great exercise we headed back to the restaurant for an ice cream break!

Ryan really knows how to enjoy ice cream!!
And now has a great new clean up tool!

After a great day at Hollywood Studios, we headed back to Epcot to see if we could get into Figment this time. We were successful. After that we headed for the jumping waters. The boys had a GREAT time there!!

That one missed him..needs more challenge!

Avoided that one...

Ah, why bother....
it's hot out here!

We wandered back to the World Showcase to get the stamps for the countries we missed. Jill was smart enough to bring their paddles! Colin was pretty dry by the time we got there.

England Done...

France....

Morocco too.

We wandered back to the car and then home. Jill and Dave headed out for a date night with dinner at the Cooking Place at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The rest of us had cars mac and cheese and chicken and fell into bed! It was a very full and fun day!