5/12 A Cold, Rainy Day in Animal Kingdom
As we were anticipating our sons’ visit, the weather forecasts were saying we were going to be in a period of rain for their entire visit. Fortunately, as often happens, the forecast changed and we were faced really with only one day of rain. It just so happened to be on our Animal Kingdom day.
We checked out of the Portofino Bay hotel and made our way to Animal Kingdom. I had purchased LLMP and LLSP for FoP so that we wouldn’t feel the need to be there for the 7:30 early entry rope drop, especially since we were driving over from Universal.
We entered the park a little before 9:00 dressed in raincoats and wearing Tevas. We headed straight to Asia to ride Expedition Everest, DS-28’s favorite ride. There was a 10 minute posted wait and we only waited 5. It was only lightly raining so it wasn’t too bad. Since the line was still short we immediately got back in line and rode a second time. From there we headed to Satu’li Canteen for breakfast. To no one’s surprise DH and I once again ordered the Tropical Pandoran Forest Fruits.
Delicious as always!
Luckily for you, the reader, our sons actually ordered something different so you can see something other than the yogurt dish. DS-26 ordered the Cinnamon French Toast: with Blueberry Cream Cheese, Passion Fruit Anglaise, and Sausage
He enjoyed this dish. He said the French toast and sausage were pretty standard but the blueberry cream cheese was very tasty. He wished there were more of it.
DS-28 ordered the Slow-roasted Pork Shoulder Potato Hash with Chorizo Sausage and Charred Onion Sauce
He loved this dish. At the end of our trip he mentioned it was one of the best things he ate all week. His only criticism was that he wished there was more of everything.
Once again we were impressed with breakfast at Satu’li Canteen and gave it an A.
After our breakfast, it was a little drizzly out but we had a LL for the Safari. What a great safari this ended up being! The best part was watching the elephants bathing in a large pool of water right next to our safari vehicle.
We got to sit on the savannah for quite a long time enjoying the giraffes due to some zebras that didn’t want to move out of the road. Eventually a cast member had to come out in a truck and bribed them with treats to get out of the way.
The lionesses were hunting from way up high.
After a very long time on the safari, we headed next to the Feathered Friends in Flight show. The Cast Members mentioned that due to the rain there would be a modified show. It was definitely modified. They brought out one of the parrots who sang “how much is that doggie in the window” and that was it.
Even though we had already ridden Expedition Everest, we still had a
Lightning Lane to use on it so we headed there after the Feathered Friends. This time it was raining a little harder and it hurt a bit as the rain pelted our faces but it was still very fun.
We took a walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek and found this squatter in the bird section.
It was good weather for a toad.
DS-28 and I both thought since we were already very wet that it was a good day to ride Kali River Rapids. Good news! It was a walk on. DH and DS-26 decided to sit this one out. We had fun but it’s nowhere near as fun as the water rides at Universal. Disney needs to improve this ride.
We walked next through Gorilla Falls, but like the Maharajah Jungle Trek we didn’t see too many animals as they were taking shelter from the rain.
To take a break from the rain, we rode the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and stayed on for the return trip.
I had purchased LLSP for Flight of Passage for all but DH so we headed to Pandora to ride that next. It was really raining hard while we were on the ride so DH hung out in the Gift Shop. The only problem was that the A/C was blasting. DH was already very wet and then got very cold in the gift shop. We had LLMP for the Navi River Journey so we rode that next. I was eager to point out the hidden Mickey in the shawl of the Shaman of Songs. Unfortunately she was in B mode. We’ve never had that happen before.
After we got off the ride, it was time for a treat. Our sons and I wanted to try the Night Blossom from Pongu Pongu but poor DH was so cold he said he definitely didn’t want a frozen drink. I suggested he buy a hot cocoa at Satu’li Canteen. So, we purchased our Night Blossoms while he went in search of hot cocoa.
We all really enjoyed the Night Blossom but I definitely prefer the Berry Freeze from the Warung Outpost. DH was very happy with his hot cocoa, mostly because after holding it in his hands and drinking it he could finally feel his fingers again. He wished he had bought a hot cocoa sooner.
We watched the Finding Nemo show next and, since I had gotten a LLMP for it, we were able to sit in the front section. It’s definitely a better view from there. Our sons hadn’t seen the show before and they thought it was cute but not something they would need to see every time.
We used our final LLMP for the day to ride Dinosaur for probably the last time. The previous time we rode it, it was very rough but this time it didn’t seem to be quite as jerky. We enjoyed it.
We walked through Asia one more time and took our fourth ride on Expedition Everest, with only a ten minute wait. So fun!
As we made our way towards the exit of the park we spent some time walking through the Tree of Life Garden. Despite the rain we really enjoyed our day at Animal Kingdom. It was definitely the lowest crowds we have ever experienced at AK and we were able to do and see everything.
We headed out of the park to go to the Poly for our family favorite must do meal at ‘Ohana. Since we hadn’t eaten lunch we were very ready for our meal!
Up next the skies clear as we enjoy the Polynesian Resort.
HP. The rides and theming of those lands are so amazing!
️ I remember ordering Lefou’s brew from Gaston’s in an effort to somehow relive something along the lines of Butter beer, but it fell short. Next time, I’ll forget the brew and order the cinnamon roll. 
