Beyond that we didn't have a real plan. Every once in a while we knew to get Fast Passes for certain 'had-to-do rides', but for the most part, we just did what we wanted when we wanted. We actually missed a few things because of this...but, eh. We had fun anyway!
We did start off with getting our Photo Pass card. We prepurchased the Photo Pass CD, which makes it cheaper (if you buy it before you go). Then anytime...ANYtime we saw a Photo Pass Photographer, we stopped and had our picture taken. So worth it! But you gotta do it! THey will also take pics with your camera, but they do some cool 'magic shots' every so often that are pretty cool. And can get better pics than on your camera. Yes...even on MY camera. That's not the camera they are used to and for instance, my camera does not have a flash... so anyway. Moral of the story - pre purchasing Photo Pass CD - good idea!
The first thing we did at Animal Kingdom is the safari...which was super fun last time. This time, it was cool, but they took out an element that made it FUN, which we were kinda bummed about. But it was still cool to see the animals. And in fact, while we were driving through, the lion was roaring like crazy. THAT was cool - even the driver agreed.
We also went to see Its a Bug's Life 4D show, It's Tough to Be a Bug. I thought Brenna would LOVE this with her affection of bugs and all. It was cute and fun, but the girls weren't impressed. Mainly b/c they didn't like to 'feel roaches run under their feet'. In general they're not big fans of 3D movies even so 4D is a real stretch.
Also, another tip if you're headed to Disney is to download the DisneyWorld app on your phone. Between the app and the map/guide you can find different characters different places. The app is cool though cuz you can get wait times and other info. Definitely a great find! And free wifi is available throughout every park. ;)
So, we found Mickey and Minnie. My only regret is that on this particular day we weren't prepared to see Mickey and Minnie together - and especially all decked out in Christmas gear. I would've loved to have the girls looking more Christmas-y for this photo. But, oh well. In fact, I was shocked that at Magic Kingdom, particularly, there wasn't as many Christmas characters as there was at Animal Kingdom actually! I had planned Christmas outfits, but didn't worry about it too much at Animal Kingdom. Should have I guess... Oh well.
Anyway, how cute would've this been for a Christmas card? Mickey and Minnie are RARELY together in the same picture/place. Loved it.
Speaking of clothes.... I had looked up weather forecasts ahead of time. Highs in the low 70's, lows in the 50's. So I thought it would be appropriate to have us in pants, long sleeve Tshirts (not heavy) and then take along jackets for the night when it maybe got chillier. HA! We were sweating. It was so miserable hot. I mean, maybe not for the people wearing shorts and tank tops - but...ugh. Highs were in the upper 80's, lows were in the 70s. Serious. So we were way overdressed. But, I did watch the forecast! I did my job. I should've known better than to not believe them. :P
Anyway, at Animal Kingdom we also stopped and saw Pooh and Friends (who are also at Magic Kingdom, but the wait is lot less here)...
We went over to DinoLand and rode some rides. This was a kid favorite....
This next pic is maybe one of my favorite Disney pictures. It shows the girls plotting. I love it. They were plotting to make the dino go up and down fast or whatever b/c I was riding w them. Anyway, I just love them plotting and giggling. Makes me smile. :)
We also saw Santa Goofy (I'm telling ya - everyone at Animal Kingdom was decked out for the holidays!)...
I also didn't take as many pictures this time. I mean, don't get me wrong. I took a LOT of pictures...but I have learned to limit myself. Really. I did. So I don't have pictures of every. single. thing. we did. Just the highlights.
While we were in DinoLand, the girls rode a few other rides, but we also ate lunch at the Restarauntasaurus. Or something like that. Good food! We remember from last time. The most choices. Another tip - we brought along 2 phone chargers so any time we ate at a restaraunt, we tried to sit by a plug and spend time charging our phones. Otherwise, they'd be dead by the afternoon as much as we were using them (both for taking photos and using the Disney app and whatever else).
We saw the Festival of the Lion King show. Awesome! A must-see. Definitely a high light for all of us.
The guys on stilts continuously amazed me throughout Disney parks. Running around, dancing around...it was crazy!
Brooke actually video'd the whole thing, but its either on Brad's phone (which I don't have) or her camera (which I have yet to go through yet) so maybe I'll share the video at a later time if it's good.
Leaving the Lion King, found the Lion King tree. The decorations were EVERYwhere and were FABulous!
We saw more characters - Chip and Dale. They were so funny. Its pretty cool to me that characters that don't talk can still be funny. :)
Yea...that's another tip I have that we've carried over from all our Disney trips. Take a picture frame matte and get that signed instead of a silly autograph book! What do you do with an autograph book anyway when you get home? But the pic frame matte...put a picture in it from Disney, frame it and voila! Always get compliments on this idea we use.
Do you know who is Chip and who is Dale? Very proud to say that *I* know! :)
Pocahontas...
Baloo and King Louie from Jungle Book...
And, an ice cream break while we waited for the parade to start....
Then the parade! Always fun! This was the Christmas theme parade - Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade
From there we hustled over to see Finding Nemo, the musical. Again...awesome! A must do. The talent is amazing!!!
Then, a few more rides, a few more treats, and next thing you know the park is closing. One final picture in front of the Tree of Life before we go! And another in front of the HUGE Christmas tree at the entrance as well. And we said good-bye to Animal Kingdom.
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