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Up and at it before 6:00 am
for a quick shower and planning session at breakfast. Good chance
to type my notes from the previous day too! When everyone was
on deck we grabbed a table and enjoyed ham and eggs, coffee and
juice, and all the extra trimmings. Hearty start to the day.
Part of the reason we chose BVS was the breakfast offering as
we find (or especially I do) that an early start and some nourishment
make the day go much more smoothly!!!
Sunday was our first day as
a group at Disney... With the Animal Kingdom as the go to theme park.
Thought we'd get the furthest (by distance) out of the way as
early as possible. Actually, we watched the fancy ass DVD that
Disney sends out and the kids preferred this park to Magic Kingdom.
Kind of surprised me! Anyway, my plan was to hit the most difficult
(or busiest/popular) attractions in the park first, hopefully
ahead of the throngs.
Thus our first stop was...
Kilimanjaro Safari. The safari was way cool and we basically
walked in and sat on the jeep. Great tour, with most animals
on the move and in full view. Like the reviews said, we got there
early and beat the crowds to see animals that were out before
the midday heat. We saw rhinos, giraffe, elephants and any number
of animal that call the Serengeti home. Great ride... which dovetails
into the Pangini Forest exhibit. We had some amazing views
of both adolescent and silver back gorillas. They put on a real
show. Both these attractions are part of the Africa exhibit.
From Africa, we headed towards
the Asia exhibits, and quickly jumped aboard a ring raft and
the Kali Falls ride. A neat concept where you tour down
a river through a rain forest. Needless to say, we were all wet
by rides end, but a great way to start things. The next stop
of interest was Expedition Everest, a pretty nasty little
piece of roller coaster-like technology woven through a man made
mountain and offered with the folklore of the Yeti. Eileen and
I sat this one out... Best left for the kiddies! Frigging scary
looking descent which "tapped" me out without hesitation.
We looped back here in the pm for one last go 'round.
After this ride we continued
through to the Finding Nemo Show, located in a full scale
theatre and performers, lighting and sound that was second to
none. An innovative presentation of the Nemo story that the kids
(and adults) enjoyed so much. Quite a facility with production
value that quite frankly threw us for a loop. From there... Dinosaurland
with one real stop at Dinosaur, a ride through prehistoric
times on a futuristic ship. I'd give it a B- if it were an exam...
But it didn't choose me, I chose it!
I'd read that the It's a
Bug's Life show was well worth the time spent. With funky
3D glasses we watched the interactive show. Lots of tech involved
in many of the day's rides. Good show! From there we moved across
the park for a showing of the Festival of the Lion King.
This was our second show of the day... But quite different from
the Nemo show. Where Nemo was of the Broadway musical ilk, the
Lion King was more circus style with acrobats, elaborate costumes
and great music/sets. Lots of audience participation for those
that wished to sing and swing. Excellent show that we all enjoyed.
At this point we went back
to the Africa section for the Rafiki Conservation Watch...
Including a train ride and a tour of the conservation area. Then
we doubled back for another kick at the Expedition Everest.
Janie and the kids rolled around the mountain again while Eileen
and I roamed the Asia area. When the gang came to rest we watched
the last of the Animal Kingdom version of the "Santa Claus"
Parade with all manner of contraption wandering through the streets
to celebrate the holidays. After a final "grub-up"
we set out for home.
The evening saw Eileen and
Janie out doing some shopping while the kids and I ran the TV,
snacked on total junk food and did a wee bit of planning for
Monday. Big first full day on the ground in Orlando! |
