Animal Kingdom

Day 2 we headed to Animal Kingdom. The day was overcast and a little cool. It looked like rain, but luckily it held off. 

Animal Kingdom was much more laid back than Magic Kingdom. Not as crowded and overall a very pleasant experience. 

The tree of life in the park is amazing! So much detail! You could look at it all day and still find something new. 

We started our day meeting Pocahantas. 

We then had a fast pass for the dinosaur ride and headed over to it. It was really one of the few rides everyone could ride. I had no idea it would be so scary. Even though the description said: Take off on a scary, prehistoric tour aboard a rip-roaring Time Rover to save a dinosaur from extinction. Both Lauren and Dallas were crying by the end. Kristen said her favorite part was when they said, "Mission Accomplished!" So, we started day two off in tears too. Who knew Disney could be so scary!

Since we were already in Dinoland U.S.A, the kids rode the flying dinosaur ride, TriceraTop Spin. Dallas really wanted to ride the Primeval Whirl, but he was too short. It was a ride that spun around. They also had The Boneyard, which was a playground type area designed to look like a dinosaur dig site. This area became a favorite. One we went back to and let them play. They all loved this area. They also had a big box that you could dig for dinosaur bones in. 

One of my favorite things about this day was the Kilimanjaro safari ride. We had the funniest driver/guide. We got to see some unusual animals.

Like the Bongo. Both male and female Bongo's have horns. The are also the largest African forest antelope. 

The Kudu reminded me of a deer with stripes.

I can't remember what this was called, but their horns are hollow. 

We also saw some zebras. One of my favorite animals. I loved Melman in Madagascar. 

And this guy (or gal) followed us for a little bit on our journey doing her business, which made the kids laugh hysterically. 

Here are some not so pink flamingos. 

If you look off in the distance you can see a baby elephant. 

Here was a congregation of crocodiles, or alligators. I know we were told, but I can't remember....and they look the same...sooooo....it's one or the other. 

Here is a rhino just chillin. Probably wondering why there are so many vehicles driving past interrupting the peacefulness of the African habitat. 

And, if you look very closely, you can see some hippos in the water. 

This is a Baobab tree. It looked a lot like an upside down tree and something in a haunted forest. 

We also saw some gorillas. 

Paul hates shows. I love shows. This was one of the very few shows we saw. It had real people and puppets. Sounds lame, but it was really good.

Animal Kingdom had different continents you could travel through, like Africa and Asia. The shops and restaurants were designed to look like things from those places. They also had live entertainment that would be from that culture. It was very neat walking through. Just like you were there. 

Here are some other random pictures taken from the park.

We ended our day with some ice cream in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Lauren had chocolate and ice cream all over her.

One of my very favorite things from Animal Kingdom was the water and light show they put on at night. Pictures do not do it justice. It was phenomenal!