Hitting Hollywood Studios at rope drop worked out so well, in that we hit several rides before any lines or crowds built up, that we decided to do the same thing on Sunday with Animal Kingdom.
First, a little background on our past experience with Animal Kingdom. We visited this park just once before, about 3 years ago for only a few hours. We were very disappointed and happy that we were able to hop over to another park. Im not sure why, but we really didnt do much other than ride the River Rapids, go on the train and walk around a bit. That was in March 2007.
I was intrigued about visiting again though, especially due to some comments BDR made about the park after his recent visit. Rog and others indicated how beautiful the park is and how they had gained an appreciation for it. So I was determined to get there early and give it our all. Worst thing that could happen would be we would hop again.
We arrived just a few minutes before the 9am rope drop. They do a really cool rope drop here, with Mickey and the usual characters, including Minnie up in the Tree of Life. TCD posted pics of this a while back
..I dont have any to share as we had the camera packed away in preparation for our sprint to Expedition Everest! Remember, if you want lots of great descriptive photos, read a TCD trip report. You aint gettin them here!
So after rope drop, DW, DD9 and DD3 wandered over to the safari ride to check things out, while DD13, DD12 and me bolted for that big white mountain. Along with everyone else. Even with the mad rush of humanity, we arrived there with just a 5 minute wait. And we really enjoyed this ride! Im the geeky type that likes to read all the displays in the queue and get immersed into the experience, and I think Disney did a nice job setting this one up. The whole lost expedition thing where the rescuers discovered their camera with ominous photos of the Yeti reminded me of Blair Witch
very spooky. This was fun.
We were able to get 6 fastpasses afterward for later in the day. We ran over to meet up with the rest of the family, and all of us rode the safari ride together. That was great! Only, after the ride we were talking about our guide. I said yeah, she was great!. Then DW and the daughters said that was a man. Huh??
I swear I was convinced this was a woman in her 50s. They swear it was a guy in his 20s. Poor guy. But he/she did a nice job!
Next up, the River Rapids ride. This is one of the only pics I have of the park. I was so pathetic on this trip about taking pictures. Thank goodness DW took some. Here I am with DD3
who LOVED it!
After lunch, we used those EE fastpasses, while DW and DD3 played at the Dinosaur dig site:
We then left AK. My verdict? I am now firmly in the "Pro-AK" camp! It truly is a beautiful park, and we enjoyed the rides and attractions.
We then headed back to the Fort to check out the pool. I had last been at the Fort in late March when the pool was under construction, and watched the progress each day on the slide. So Id been excited to try it out. And I love it! I think they did a very nice job. The slide is nice and fast, and the kid splash area is great too.
In the evening, we went back to Hollywood Studios. I wanted to see Fantasmic and then check out the Osborne Lights.
Ok, I hope I dont offend anyone here. I understand everyone has different perspectives on things. Even within my family we disagree on the following. But personally, I think Fantasmic was HORRIBLE. My older daughters liked it, but DW, DD3 and I absolutely hated it. It was pretty scary for my little one. Both DW and I think that the production of it was cheap by Disney standards. I was really looking forward to it, and left feeling almost angry. The show is so dark, it scared the heck out of DD3, and it just seemed weird. I mean, they spent a whole segment on John Smith?? I understand the connection to Disney with Pocahontas
but of all the great stories Disney has told and the villains they have created over the years, this segment seemed really misplaced to me. Oh well, enough on that. Time to check out the Osborne Lights.
This was our first time seeing the lights. WOW! So beautiful, and it was nice hearing Christmas tunes and watching it snow. Very festive.
And a good way to end our day.
Next up
.Back to the Magic Kingdom, including that story about Snow White