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!!!