Woke up at 5:40 blerf. Bed is too soft and room is too warm. Sigh.
I was still trying to backup photos and GPS tracks, but as soon as the computer is on time just flies out the window. Had cereal for breakfast (Raisin Bran here is pretty crap - tastes like Aldi's fake sultana bran - aka - tastes like cardboard). David had some yoghurt I got him (the "yoghurt" we've had so far this trip has all been crap - not even yoghurt, just sugary goop. So found some Chobani at Publix which was actually real yoghurt). So was still a bit of a mad rush (we managed to get out the door for the 7:00 shuttle bus).
Animal Kingdom entrance
Today we started in Animal Kingdom. We headed straight for Pandora to get on the new Avatar Flight of Passage ride. Seems like everyone in Orlando was doing the same thing. We got to Pandora around 7:38 and the queue was already half way round the park. Although it was all moving steadily. By the time we got to the entrance it said it was a 40 minute wait, but I don't think it was that long. The ride itself is quite fun. There's three rows of sixteen people all facing a huge screen. You wear 3D glasses and sit on a motorbike style seat (aka a Banshee) and you fly around Pandora on it. Good fun.
Hanging rocks in Pandora
Then we did the Na'vi River Journey. They said 30 minute wait but it was shorter than that. You take a slow boat through Pandora caves.
Na'vi River Journey
We did the Dinosaur 4WD car ride next, which was a bit silly and very rough. Meh.
Dinosaur about to be hit by a meteor
Next we did Triceratops Spin, which is like Dumbo but in a dinosaur. Bit of silly fun, and only went on it because no wait.
David on Triceratops Spin
Dinoland
Next we did the Expedition Everest rollercoaster. They were super efficient here at moving people through, and so it was only a couple of minute wait. Busch Gardens could learn a thing or two from this one. It's a great fun roller coaster although not like the thrill rides of Busch Gardens. We did it again straight away because there was no wait.
Then we did the Kali River Rapids. This one you get drenched by a massive waterfall right at the beginning, and not so much on the ride itself.
Had some brunch. I had some little hash browns which were very nice.
Then we watched the Feathered Friends in Flight show, which was very cool.
Bald eagle in the Feathered Friends in Flight show
Toucan in the Feathered Friends in Flight show
Next we took Rafiki's train around to the petting zoo, which was a bit meh.
Goat in the petting zoo
And then took the train back again.
Yeah if only Disney would take their own advice and use less plastics
Rafiki's train
Then we sat down to watch Festival of the Lion King, which was a big stage show with four sides and the action in the middle. The acrobatic monkey dudes were my favourite. They were good.
Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King
I think we might have met up with Hayley at this point? (she'd been having a slow morning doing her own thing)
River and Everest in Animal Kingdom
The Tree of Life
Ram sculpture near the Tree of Life (which has dozens of its own animal sculptures embedded)
We went and saw Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! which was a stage show with puppeteers for the characters which was actually pretty good.
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue.. and Beyond! Show
We did Expedition Everest again, twice, the second time in the front row which was cool.
And It's Tough to be a bug! based on A Bug's Life. I can't remember why, but I know I was distracted or stressed about something and so didn't fully enjoy this one.
At this point we'd done the majority of the "rides" in the park and it was mainly just the animal areas left to see. But since we had a reservation for Animal Kingdom tomorrow, and you can't hop between parks til 14:00, we decided we'd leave the rest of Animal Kingdom til tomorrow.
So we took a Disney bus to Magic Kingdom.
!!
Main entrance to Magic Kingdom
This one is the "Disneyland" of Disney World, and hence felt familiar (on account of having been to Anaheim twice and Hong Kong once). So that was pretty cool.
Town Square Theatre
The train was in the station so we took it around to Frontierland.
Because Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!! One of the rides I could remember from our first visit to Disneyland in 1983 :) The wait wasn't too bad for it either.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
We had a late lunch at Peco Bills. I had a kids burger (that's the good thing about Disney parks - kids meals! That they're happy to sell to adults! And they even come with fruit and juice! Winning!). But I did get upset at the general wastefulness attitude in America, and Hayley's attitude to waste as well, and then she got upset cause I got upset and ended up doing her own thing for the afternoon. Whoops.
After lunch we did the Haunted Mansion, which David and I had last done together forty years ago so that was pretty cool. Wait wasn't too bad for that either.
Liberty Square
Liberty Belle riverboat
Haunted Mansion
A train made a stain of absent-minded Uncle Blaine. Rest in Pieces.
Inside the Haunted Mansion
Happened to see a parade.
Cinderella's Castle
Cinderella's Castle with Disney Partner's statue
Mary Poppins in the parade
Then we hit the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. This is a surprisingly entertaining interactive show. The rendering of the characters on screen in done live and they interact with the audience. In fact David got picked out to star!! Lots of fun.
We took the People Mover next, although it was quite a long wait because they weren't being very efficient at loading people.
Entrance to Tomorrowland
Rides in Tomorrowland
Space Mountain from the PeopleMover
The Astro Orbiter from the PeopleMover
Tron roller coaster from the PeopleMover (this thing was operational but sadly we were a couple of weeks too early for it)
Sunset over Magic Kingdom from the PeopleMover
And straight after we went on Space Mountain. A fun little roller coaster in almost complete darkness, and another favourite from 1983/2000/2016. Because it's very dark it does mean that it's fairly sedate, no big drops or turns or anything.
Astro Orbiter by night
Magic Kingdom by night
By then it was 19:00 and we happened to be in front of the castle to see it lit up. So that was pretty cool.
Cinderella's Castle with Disney Partner's statue by night
Cinderella's Castle at the 7pm lightup
Off Liberty Square we saw the The Hall of Presidents show which was quite well done with animatronic presidents of the USA.
The Great Seal of the United States
All the animatronic presidents of the USA from Washington to Biden
At 20:15 we found a spot off to the side of the castle to watch the fireworks. Not really the right angle to see the fireworks behind the castle, but still a great show (17 minutes long!).
Cinderella's Castle by night
Magic Kingdom fireworks
Magic Kingdom fireworks
Because it was straight after the fireworks it meant there was only a five minute wait to go on It's a Small World, which I really wanted to do, even though David didn't really, but he did it because it was such a short wait.
It's a Small World in Fantasyland by night
It's a Small World
It's a Small World
It's a Small World
Then we grabbed some dinner while we waited for the next bus (there was no way were going to make the 21:30 bus, given that to get to the Transportation and Ticketing Centre where our hotel shuttle goes from, you need to first *get there* from Magic Kingdom, which means fighting the hoards leaving after the fireworks). I was tired and dying and stressed about missing the *next* bus (or getting there and finding it full).
Main entrance to Magic Kingdom by night
Anyway, we got the monorail to the TTC around 22:00 and made the 22:30 hotel bus with no issues. Bed at 23:25, yipe.
Comments