After suffering through the record high temps (15 degrees hotter than expected and 94-96% humidity. you know, in case I hadn't mentioned that yet), we knew that our day at Animal Kingdom would be pretty skeletal in nature. We'd hit the most important things (if we could), and otherwise would realize we just couldn't spend too much time there - the park is just too hot!
We got there at 8:50 and watched "The Adventure Begins" (opening sequence), ordered our Picnic in the Park for lunch, grabbed fastpasses for Expedition Everest, and all met back up to hit a few things together before heat exhaustion set in. We started with It's Tough to be a Bug inside the Tree of Life, because my mom didn't get to fully experience it the last time she was there :) Hartley and Emmersyn were a little scared during a few moments, but were very brave and really enjoyed other parts of the show. Zach, Addy and I rode Primeval Whirl, then Addy & Zach rode Dinosaur while the girls napped in The Cave. They continued to sleep while we took turns riding Everest (with fastpasses).
The last thing on the agenda for the morning before picking up lunch was Kilimanjaro Safaris. The girls enjoyed it again, but it was even too hot for most of the animals, despite Disney's efforts to keep them comfortable. We saw fewer than we had seen on any other trip, but still enough to make it an enjoyable experience!
We picked up our picnic (which was a GREAT deal, by the way!), found a spot to eat by Tamu Tamu refreshments and ate until we were full - with leftovers for the road! We headed back to the busses to cool off at the hotel. The intention was to come back to AK for the Festival of the Lion King (a must see!), but by the time we rode the busses back (and would have to utilize them again to return), it wasn't really going to work. We'd have had to turn around almost immediately, and we were all just too exhausted. Instead, we enjoyed hanging out in the air-conditioned room for a while. The girls were super cute (when aren't they, though, really?) reading the "Under 5" pamphlet. They pointed out familiar characters, blasted off with rocket (without any guidance), etc.
A little before 3, we headed to the Contemporary to explore a bit and allow the girls to nap in their stroller. This whole ordeal was a bit unorthodox, but it was working - so we stuck with it. While Emmersyn and Hartley slept, mom, Addy & I checked out the Contemporary view of the Magic Kingdom. (I'm so excited that we're calling this place "home" in Feb/March!)
We shopped a little until the girls woke up, then we just hung out and played while waiting for our Chef Mickey's table.
Dinner was a blast (and why, at least until the girls get "too big", it is a must-do for us every trip!). Emmersyn and Hartley enjoyed the characters, though - as with every other character meal we've ever done - the food still trumped their visits after saying a quick hello! Enjoy a few minutes of our dinner - complete with napkin twirling and kisses for Minnie! :)
A long bus ride (over an hour!) later, and we were back to the hotel. It was Amy & Addy's last night, so we made it a priority to swim before the girls (mine) went to bed. They LOVED the water this time around, and even learned to jump off the edge and go under without crying! Emmersyn enjoyed that part a lot, and would start "counting" ("1, 2, 3... jump") when she wanted to do it again. So sweet! :)
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