Our first full day at Disney was spent at Animal Kingdom. Did I mention our last visit to Disney World was mid-June and Animal Kingdom was possibly the most humid day this Alabama girl has ever experienced? And we live in what feels like 100% humidity on a regular basis. All of that to say, I didn’t have fantastic memories from AK on our last trip. This time, we started our trip at this particular park and I was determined to remedy my feelings regarding Animal Kingdom.
The weather was fantastic. Upper 70’s-low 80’s, a completely different day, indeed. We started our morning at Tusker House for breakfast, one of our favorite character dining experiences. Last time, we had lunch at Tusker House, but I must say, I prefer the breakfast. It’s a great place to start and the Jungle Juice they bring you to begin with is a must. Jud also had his first taste of Mickey waffles and the start of his quest to consume all of the bananas in Disney World.
We had a little time before our scheduled Fast Pass rides, so we headed over to Dinoland and had a little fun while Jud napped in the stroller. We quickly learned that BK wasn’t going to pass up any ride, she wanted to ride the roller coaster in Dinoland, but wasn’t quite tall enough, so we settled for a different ride and I promised her this was probably much more fun.
We met up with the group for The Festival of the Lion King. We somehow missed this last trip and I’m not sure how. It was hands-down, my favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom. Maybe even the best show we saw during our entire trip. Jud slept most of the time, but woke up during the show in awe of the singing and dancing.
We caught Fast Passes for a few of our other favorites, including the Safari, Kali River Rapids, and Everest. BK was tall enough for everything our group did, with the exception of Everest. She and my mom found ice cream while we rode Everest. This was the first roller coaster we’ve ridden by ourselves in years and it was super fun to hang out, even if it was just waiting in line and riding a 90 second ride.
Oh, and did I mention we were soaked after Kali River Rapids? Maybe soaked is an understatement, actually. We grabbed a late lunch at Yak and Yeti (an excellent choice for a quick service meal), and hit a few more high points at the Kingdom, including It’s Tough to be a Bug, and Rafiki’s Train.
And did I mention I found this cup of goodness in Africa? Three cheers for Dole Whips!
We headed back to the room to hang out by the pool and planned to watch a movie on the big screen, but we were all pretty tired. We ultimately decided on a little swimming and a movie and pizza in the room.
We’re planning our trip for November now so this is perfect! Can’t wait to see the rest of the trip!
Animal Kingdom was my daddy’s last project at Disney so it holds a special place in my heart. Small trivia…my parents’ initials and anniversary date are carved into the Tree of Life ; )
I’m glad you had a great day…we live here and I think people who come between Memorial Day and Halloween are so brave. It truly is so humid and hot and I hate hearing about families trying to brave the parks in the summer months. I can’t wait to see the rest of your recaps!
Fun Fun Fun!! I can’t wait to take our kids to Disney! We are going to plan a trip in the next couple of years, and I can’t wait! And why does Jud look so BIG in these pictures?!
This just makes my tummy tickle with excitement!! I can not wait to take our kids to Disney in a couple of years!
This makes my heart so happy any brings back so many fun memories. I, however, didn’t know you could get Dole Whip in Africa! I will definitely have to remember that for next time. What a fun, fun day! I agree Tusker House breakfast can’t be beat. It’s a great character dining experience, and the food is yummy too.
LOVING these posts! I’d like to hear about the crowds/wait time for attractions, as well as your resort. We’ve been during summer months only, but have a trip set for this November, so curious to read about your perceptions. Thanks!
Hey Gretchen! We stayed in a family suite at the Art of Animation. It was a great room. Previously, we had only been the first week in June (twice) each time very crowded and very hot. We tried May to get better weather and crowds and feel like we succeeded on both fronts. However, next time we’re looking at February. And we would LOVE to go in November!! I think the cooler, the better, and the crowds are supposed to be great outside of summer/holidays/spring break season. Let me know how it is in November, we’ve heard great things with the exception of Thanksgiving week.
It looks like y’all had a lot of fun at AK! We always eat Tusker House for breakfast! It’s our Top 3 fav. for places to eat Breakfast! & love the Dole Whip! I had NO IDEA you could get one of these in AK- I just wrote that down in our Disney Vacay Stuff. We travel a lot to Disney & I am a certified Disney Addict, but that I did not know! The kids are getting so big and look like they had a wonderful time!
I had posted a comment yesterday but for some reason it was deleted-I’m just curious about which resort you chose and if you thought that the crowds were heavy this time of year.
Thanks for the insight!
Hey Gretchen! We stayed in a family suite at the Art of Animation. It was a great room. Previously, we had only been the first week in June (twice) each time very crowded and very hot. We tried May to get better weather and crowds and feel like we succeeded on both fronts. However, next time we’re looking at February. And we would LOVE to go in November!! I think the cooler, the better, and the crowds are supposed to be great outside of summer/holidays/spring break season. Let me know how it is in November, we’ve heard great things with the exception of Thanksgiving week.
Isn’t the festival of the lion king amazing? Probably my fave show at the parks! I love the pic of Jud looking up at Mickey from breakfast though.