Because we all continue to go to bed at a ridiculously early hour, we once again enjoyed a few hours together in our hotel room in the early morning. We left around 8:20 for Animal Kingdom, and knew right away it was going to be deserted. Today was the only day that we were really supposed to have rain, but it was supposed to be significant. Oh well, we thought. So we get wet. At least the temps are "reasonable" (60?). It would turn out that the only rain we got was a drizzle for about 10 minutes (a la Florida summers, minus the heat) and so instead we had a dry, empty park to ourselves!
I had learned before coming that "The Adventure Begins", the opening show for this park, had been moved to the front of the park from it's former location at the Tree of Life. What I hadn't heard, however, and still don't know how official, was that the farther-forward opening show would not then just allow people to mosey up to the ropes for rope drop, but would truly open the park. We were wandering all around the entire park by 8:40, on a day with a clearly posted opening time of 9:00. Works for me!
Zach went to get fastpasses for Expedition Everest, while the girls and I visited with some birds and waited for Grandma and Grandpa. (Might I add, for posterity's sake, that Emmersyn freaking LOVED the flamingos. As in, was devastated to leave them and asked about them all morning.)
When Zach rejoined us, we decided to check out the character greeting trails to say hello (again) to Pooh and Friends, since the line was uncharacteristically short and we didn't want to get too deep into the park before meeting up with Mike and Shelly. For several minutes we were the only people visiting with Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. When we got a phone call that the rest of our party was through the gates, the girls threw a fit in protest of getting back in the stroller. Pooh came over from the opposite end of the greeting trails to try and cheer them up, but to no avail.
After we all caught up to one another, we were finally off to Kilimanjaro Safaris. I was optimistic for a good safari since the air was cool and crisp, but even then I had no idea how great it would turn out! Despite a posted wait of 25 minutes, we were in our vehicle embarking on our trip in less than 5 minutes. We saw SO many animals, easily the most we had seen on one trip before... including three white rhinos that came up to check us out in close proximity (brushing against our vehicle) and an ostrich that knew he owned the road!
We rushed (sort of) to Festival of the Lion King, because this one is non-negotiable for our family. Having gotten a later start on the Safari, we were actually not on time to the show... but they let us in a side/back door anyway since the theater was so empty. We missed just one or two opening lines and enjoyed fantastic views for the rest of the show. Emmersyn danced her little heart out, Hartley sang along, and both made animal noises enough for all of us.
The show ended just a few minutes before lunch, so we visited with Thumper and Ms. Bunny and enjoyed the songs of Gi-tar Dan, then we headed over to Flame Tree Barbecue just as they were opening. Lunch was yummy as always (and overrun with birds as always), and then the girls went down for a nap while the big kids rode Everest. Love the Rider Swap/Fastpass combo and utilized it as always, but might I point out that the standby line - in the middle of the day - was 5 minutes. All day. I'm serious, entire park to ourselves.
While the girls continued napping, we checked out the Pangani Forest Exploration trails, Dinosaur and Dinoland USA, etc.
Around 2 we were heading out of the park and had perfect timing once again to spend several super-special minutes with a few of our favorite characters! Goofy, Minnie and Baloo hung out with the girls for several minutes each, and I'm pretty sure Emmersyn would have left with Goofy had I not stopped them!
Even Hartley adored the big ol' loveable Baloo!
Despite leaving several minutes later, stopping for a good 10+ minutes with characters, walking back through the lot, dealing with the stroller, etc we still arrived just before the bus that would deliver Shelly and Mike to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Never again will we be without a car, I'm just too big a fan of my time at WDW and was thoroughly aware of the difference the entire trip! :)
Our whole group was together pretty quickly once inside the gates of Hollywood Studios, so we grabbed an updated Times Guide and found out we were just in time for Playhouse Disney Live on Stage. We got there just as everyone was entering and found our seats, and Hartley and Emmersyn just melted my heart (as usual) as they interacted with some of their favorite friends, singing and dancing uninhibitedly - as only toddlers can do. So sweet.
Because I caught the bug last trip, I simply had to do the Animation Academy again. Next time, I'm doing it all day one day, over and over again. I'm serious! Mike, Shelly, Zach, Emmersyn and Hartley went to meet sorcerer Mickey and play inside the Animation Studio while I learned how to draw Stitch. I opted for the antennaed experiment 626 incarnation, because I still think he's just too cute.
When class let out, we hit the Great Move Ride (on our "Grandparents Must See" list) and the girls enjoyed a churro. The biggest thing on the just-mentioned list, however, was the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. It was delayed and slightly modified due to the intense winds we had been having all day, but it was still a good show, and we hadn't seen it in a while. The delays made for a bit of a mad dash to dinner, but we are glad it worked out. Thankfully with lower crowds, the restaurants weren't quite as strict on the entire party being there at once, so I was able to run ahead and check us in without any difficulty while the rest of the group followed.
Dinner was at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. The food was just mediocre and the girls were INSANELY crabby, nearly rivaling meltdowns of previous trips (though really the first this time around so not too much room to complain. There are a few benefits to their rapidly growing up, I suppose). It wasn't my favorite night, but I'm still quite pleased with the restaurant choice with regards to themeing, our particular party, and the balance with other meals on the trip. And after all, cheesecake with caramel corn, caramel and M&Ms on top is good enough to end any meal on a pleasant note, right?
We had planned for this to be an early night (hence no afternoon break), so after dinner it was back to the hotel. We were in by about 7:30 (thanks mostly to Emmersyn, who pointed out (with great enthusiasm) when she saw we were nearing our Botel), and enjoyed some down time and some Boom Booms before turning in for the night. The crowds and weather had made for a spectacular day in two parks that so often get a bad rap. Time to sleep though, for tomorrow morning it would be time for the stuff Walt Disney World dreams are made of when you're a young princess or her traveling companions!
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