After our super exciting morning at the Magic Kingdom we jumped on the monorail and got off at the next stop (our hotel!) to get some warmer clothes. Being that this was my first trip to Walt Disney World, I don’t really know what it is like to stay at other places, but staying at a hotel that the monorail goes to was soooo worth it. Getting around Walt Disney World really takes some time. Buses take a while to come pick you up, the bus rides themselves take 15 to 20 minutes or more depending on where you are going, it is just very time consuming. So I was really happy when I realized how convenient our hotel really was.
Next stop was Epcot.
We started off at Test Track (loved it) and then went on Mission Space. I didn't mind the ride but Jared hated it. After he told me that all that ride is is a box you get in that spins you in circles unbelieveably fast I felt a little sick to my stomache. Then we went on the Land ride, that was very informative.
We had dinner reservations at San Angel Inn in Mexico. I loved the Mexico Pavilion, it looked exactly like what a little Mexican village would look.
We walked around the market place, contemplated buying a sombrero
, and checked in with the reservation desk for at San Angel. They told us 10 minute wait. Then Jared saw the Three Caballeros ride. The Three Caballeros ride is a boat ride that runs right next to the San Angel Inn restaurant. It’s a 7-8 minute ride that features video and animation of the Three Caballeros movie. Jared wanted to get on the ride. He liked Panchito as a kid. He argued that they told us 10 minutes, the ride is 7 minutes, we will make it in time. No way honey, did you see the line for the restaurant? I had to make these reservations 3 months ago and were still eating at 4:00 pm. He was not very happy and kept talking about all the lucky people that were passing by the restaurant on their boats. Disney really does bring out the kid in EVERYONE!
We were finally seated and I ordered the Puntas de Filete en Salsa Guajillo. It was beef tenderloin tips sautéed with fresh onions and chile sauce, with tortillas, black beans, and cheese. Jared had the Mahi-Mahi a la Veracruzana which was the mahi-mahi served over white rice, prepared with capers, olives, bell peppers, Spanish onions, and tomatoes, seasoned with white wine and spices. In all honesty, it wasn’t the best meal I had there. Actually, it was kind of disappointing. Back home we have real authentic Mexican food and I really didn’t feel it there. It was good but didn’t taste much like Mexican food. Food is food though.
Then we boarded a bus to Animal Kingdom. I was really excited about Animal Kingdom. We got to the park and took a picture by the huge tree.
Each tree at Walt Disney World was decorated significantly different. The Tree at Epcot had bells, ornaments, and flags from all of the different countries around the world. The tree at Wilderness Lodge had tee-pees, canoes, deer antlers. The tree at the Grand Floridian had ornaments, bird cages, angels, bird houses and stars. The trees were all huge! They had to be over 40 feet. The tree at Animal Kingdom was my favorite.
Unfortunately by the time we got there it was starting to get dark which meant that the Kilimanjaro Safari was closing. Luckily, they had the extra magic hours which meant that we could stay at Animal Kingdom until 9:00pm. There was almost no one at Animal Kingdom by 6:00 pm. We went on Expedition Everest three times without waiting. By far, my FAVORITE ride of the entire trip. It was awesome! Then we went on Dinosaur, another good one. It reminds me of the Indiana Jones ride at
Disneyland. We ran to the entrance of the Festival of the Lion King but we were 10 minutes late. They wouldn’t let us in
So we went and indulged at Pizzafari with our quick service points and ordered some pizza slices. Then we walked all around the park taking in the sights. One minute your in Africa and the next your crossing a bridge into India. Animal Kingdom was a great time, even without the animals.