Passes were provided by Disney to facilitate this post.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Let me tell you a secret. Come closer. I’m sad to say that this was only my second visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the past 10 years. I know. It makes me want to cry – the fact I hadn’t been in so long. I mean, seriously, I live here. You would think I’d go at least once a year if not more often, but life gets in the way and I wanted to wait until the kids could enjoy it and remember their visit. Now, I know we’ll be going back sooner rather than later. The day was so much fun and the kids were able to see the animals in the Safari ride and at the Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
This, right here, was the start of our fun adventure. I hadn’t told the kids we were even going to Animal Kingdom until the night before so by the time this picture was taken, they had already been awake for 5 or 6 hours. 😉
While we may not have experienced everything that Animal Kingdom has to offer, we did experience the things that the kids wanted to see and do. Just seeing their smiling faces at the end of the day (or even now, when they think about it) makes everything worth it. I love it when my kids are happy.
What were their favorite things? The Safari was number one on their list.
The kids were excited to sit on the open-air safari vehicle and I’ll tell you right now that our guide gave us the best experience. Taban was her name and I snapped this quick pic when I stopped to thank her after the safari ended.
Once we got in the vehicle, with the kids to the outside and my husband and I in the center, it was time to find some animals. There were tons of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as we drove through the terrain. From the Okapis to the Hippos and the Zebras to the White Rhino, there were so many breathtaking moments. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Safari.
The kids got to see every animal on their checklist and wanted to go back on the safari again. It really was a lot of fun and exciting. I can see how each safari ride would be a little different as the animals have a way of doing as they wish, when they want. Definitely a must do when you visit Animal Kingdom.
The second favorite attraction for the day was Rafiki’s Planet Watch. My daughter got to pet a tortoise and my son learned about elephant poop. He even picked it up! Of course, the poop was preserved in plastic and he didn’t technically get his hands dirty. Just don’t think about it too much. All the cast members were so helpful and knowledgeable.
Meredith taught the kids about elephants and there were other cast members who taught them about tarantulas. Ew. I stayed away from that one!
Learning about elephants from Meredith. She’s awesome. #animalkingdom #ZootopiaEvent #Disney
A photo posted by Sherry (@famluvstuff) on
There was so much to see and learn about in Rafiki’s that the kids were spellbound by all the fun and facts.
Then, they even got to stand next to the stars of Zootopia (which they loved, by the way). 😉
Oh, I can’t forget the petting zoo! They had so much fun watching (and petting!) the goats and sheep. It was hard to pull them away to do anything else. They probably could have stayed there all day.
Check out some of our other favorite pictures from this exciting day.
There is so much to do and see, that I suggest you buy more than a one-day ticket because I don’t think you can see it all in one day. Especially if you have little ones and it is so worth it to experience all Animal Kingdom has to offer. I cannot wait to go back and experience more of it myself.
Coming soon will be my journey to The Magic Kingdom and our night at Disney’s Art of Animation. We stayed at the Wheel Well Motel (if you get the CARS reference). So many great memories in one super weekend.
For more about Animal Kingdom and the other Disney Parks visit their website.
