I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: November 2, 2014] Animal Kingdom

This past week we went on a Florida vacation.  We have never gone during the NJEA Teacher’s Convention (when the kids have literally one half day of school during the week).  And while I missed out on a few things locally that I would have liked to have done, the trip was super fun.

We did four days in Walt Disney World and two days at Universal Studios.

We had to decide what order to do the parks in.  And we decided that Animal Kingdom would be a good place to start–not too intense and lots to see.

With that in mind, we also knew that we wanted to go on Dinosaur first because there are always super long lines at that ride.  As it turned out, we all got up really early (it was the weekend of the time change) and we got to the park as it opened.  We got over to Dinosaur and there was only a 5 minute wait.  And then we got to ride it again because the line was short again.

Dinosaur
We loved this and it was a great ride to start with.  Fast but not too fast, with great moments where dinosaurs come out at you.  The kids were scared (and C. (9) kept his eyes closed most of the first time) a little, but thrilled enough to want to ride it again.  (He kept his eyes open on turn two).  T. (7) loves every thrill ride in the world and she loved this one too.

Primeval Whirl
We love this ride–a twisting tea cup that runs on a roller coaster.  Not the most thrilling roller coaster but the addition of the the spinning is really exciting.

It’s Tough to be a Bug
This is a “4D” ride, in which the 3D part is what you know, but the 4 part is that things fly at you–water, heat, and the seat is full of things that make you “feel” what is happening.  When we last went to Disney several years ago, C. was terrified of this show and he and I had to leave while T. loved it.  Both kids loved it this time (except for the stink bug).

Flights of Wonder
This is a wonderful “live” show with birds.  The message has gotten even more environmental since the last time we went, but the show was amazing, and the birds are so cool.

Kilimanjaro Safaris
We have been on this ride before and we wondered what the kids would think when the “dramatic shift” occurs.  But as it turns out, they have changed the ride and removed that plot twist.  If you don’t know the twist I won’t reveal it, but if you do know it, it’s not there anymore.  I asked one of the attendants, and he said that the extra part added a lot of time to the ride, so they decided to take it out to reduce the lines.  And fair enough.  Although the dramatic part is fun, it is a more unnatural aspect to the show, and taking it out keeps the natural part at the forefront.

Pangani Forest Exploration Trail/Maharaja Jungle Trek
There are two walking trails in Animal Kingdom in which you walk through the park and see animals in their “natural” habitats.  It was fun.  Perhaps the most interesting animal thing though was the monkey exhibit in which the monkeys were actively playing with each other–swinging on ropes and chasing each other.

Expedition Everest
We weren’t sure if the kids would like this.  But T. insisted that she go on the ride.  We had Fast passed this ride, but first S’s went on it solo and raved about it.  She felt T. could handle it so I took two Fast Passes and went on it with T.  And we both loved it.  So S’s took our two other Fast Passes and went on it with T., and they both loved it again.  (C. refused to go on).  And then, before leaving, I had to ride it once more on a single person ride.  It is a very thrilling ride.  And C. mildly regrets not going on it.

We had a great first day, with wonderful rides and some great shows too.

Do also check out S’s post for more information and pictures!