We were out the door after a good, smooth morning (great nights of sleep will
start you out right!), and were at the Studios gate at 7:50 for Extra Magic
Hours. After the traditional sugar-loaded breakfast (Butterfinger Cupcake) and
the now-traditional run-in with obnoxious CMs regarding character meet and
greets, we just headed over to Star Tours 2.0 so I could finally ride! Zach and
the kids saw Muppetvision while I was at Star Tours and everyone loved both.
Next we said hello to Lightning McQueen and Mater and Jake, followed by the
Disney Junior Live show.
Afterward, we said hello to Sorcerer Mickey and went to the Animation Academy.
Oh, how I miss when this gem was hidden! The girls wanted to come, too, so
they did - for the first time of many. It would become one of their favorite
attractions, as predicted, but not
as I had predicted. If you recall, an
animator takes you step by step and teaches you how to draw your favorite
characters. I assumed theirs might be 4-year-old versions, but that they would
enjoy following along. Instead, they wanted to draw Mickey - and so they did,
while the rest of us drew Dale. Only, Hartley (especially) got very distracted by
the instructions from what she was doing and drew a sort of Mickey-Dale
hybrid...
But they had fun. :)
We met back up with Zach and Ryder, who had just
woken up from a nap, and headed for Toy Story Mania. Unfortunately, only Hartley
and Daddy got to ride because Emmersyn was in timeout, but we all survived. Barely
;) Lunch was the girls' choice (not a lot we love at the Studios), so we went
right around the corner to Pizza Planet.
After leaving the studios and
running to the hotel to grab a few things, we were on to our next stop - Animal
Kingdom! Our first "must do" (which we must do every trip) was the Festival of
the Lion King. The girls have always been engrossed in this show - and who
isn't?! - but they get more and more interested in it each time. When they grow
up, Hartley wants to live her mama's dream and be "the girl bird"... and Emmersyn
wants to be the first girl Tumble Monkey! :)
We went to our parade spot
next (yes, we have a spot for each and every parade), but discovered some
changes and had a bit of a rough go. First it poured, again (and despite a 0%
chance of rain forecasted), as was becoming the norm for this trip. Also, the
parade went a totally different route unexpectedly, so we had to wait nearly an
hour longer than we planned. I swear, I had better get back to actually
planning if we aren't going to go as frequently. Sheesh!
After the parade eventually went by, the girls only intermittently paying
attention because we were all soaked to the bone, we went to Pangani Forest
trail to hide under some tree cover. Of course, the animals were also avoiding
the rain, so that was pretty lame. I remember hiding a few more places during
the worst of the downpour, but it hardly mattered - we were soaking wet, and
still had dinner reservations to make.
Overall, despite our physical
discomfort, dinner was great. Tusker House is always a favorite, and they even
let us take the stroller in so Ryder (who wasn't yet sitting well) wouldn't have
to be held while we were trying to manage everyone at a buffet.
Our walk out of the park was serene again, as I always try to book that
particular reservation for the end of the day so we are walking out of the park
well after closing. Back at the hotel relatively early, we dried out a bit, the
girls got to color and play, and it was eventually time for
bed.
Goodnight!
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