Animal Kingdom

Wayne and I both liked Animal Kingdom the best of the 3 parks we went to within Disney World. The slideshow shows the safari ride first and then other photos we took at Animal Kingdom.

*SAFARI- As we were walking toward the Kilimanjaro Safari I was telling our kids that my mom always dreamed of going on an African Safari. Her dream was inspired by Out of Africa...she loved that movie! I told the kids that maybe grandma would come on this safari with us.
We boarded our jeep and headed off. Our guide was amazing. There's supposed to be some sort of back story/adventure, but in my opinion it takes away from simply enjoying the animal sightings and the information our guide was able to share. We had tons of questions and he had answers. He brushed off the back story and made our safari more about the animals. For mid-day, we were pleasantly surprised with the number of animals that were out for us to observe. The ostrich walked right up to the jeep. About midway through the safari, I had a familiar feeling that nearly brought tears to my eyes. I knew my mom was right there with us enjoying this safari with our family and 5 of her grandkids. I quietly enjoyed that experience. The safari was definitely a highlight, if not the best part of our visit to Animal Kingdom.

*DINOLAND- We spent a good deal of time at Dinoland USA. "Dinosaur" was Thomas' favorite ride there. I'll admit I was scared! In one photo I'm huddled with Grace behind Thomas and Wayne. Christina was on the other side of me screaming her lungs out. I think Grace and I were the only ones who didn't see half of the ride:)

*EVEREST EXPEDITION- We rode Everest and were nervous we wouldn't get on the ride because it was starting to rain. When we came out of the mountain at the beginning of the ride it was POURING rain. We got drenched throughout the ride and will laugh about that experience forever.

*KALI RIVER RAPIDS- We rode the Kali River Rapids and Grace loved getting wet. That was pretty much her goal for the parks...get as wet as possible. I was watching the littlest kids while the rest of the group rode the rapids again. When they got off the ride they said that since it was near closing they were able to ride it 3 times in a row. Grace's mission was truly accomplished...she was soaked!

*THE LION KING- We all enjoyed the Lion King show...a must see!