Boma

Dining Area



Carrie's first trip to the Buffet



Carrie's second trip to the Buffet



Hummus Plate



Different Salads



Desserts (including Zebra Dome)

Tusker House

Vegetable Sandwich with Grapes



Turkey Wrap with Corn Chowder and Cheesecake

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Porkchop)

Without really intending to, it just so happened that we ended up at the Animal Kingdom even earlier than before. We got to the AK bus stop and just seconds later a bus pulled up. The guy waited about thirty seconds, then went ahead and whisked us away. There was only one other family on the bus. The driver was talkative and we learned that his all-time favorite TV show was "Dallas" and that his hero was J.R. from "Dallas". He admitted to watching the show every single day after he gets done driving buses.

I've been enjoying getting to the parks before they open, but I hate all the rushing that is involved in getting to your desired ride after the rope drops. People get all crazy and start running with strollers and dragging their kids behind on leashes. Traveling in a party of just two adults certainly makes things easier, but I wish there was a way we could avoid the mess altogether. But then I guess I wouldn't get to see the early-morning park opening shows.



We got over to Asia as quickly as our non-running speed-walking legs would take us and got a fastpass for Expedition Everest. The mountain was still under construction when I was last there and it was exciting to finally see it on the AK skyline. It made for some really beautiful pictures and the blood-curdling screams emanating from the mountain got you excited for the ride.

I was a little nervous at first, but ended up having a blast on Expedition Everest. We went on it twice and thought about going a third time before we left but were worried about making our dinner at Boma.

I think that Animal Kingdom was my favorite park of this trip (so far). Maybe it's just because it's still so new to me or maybe it's just the relaxed pace of the park, but I really like it a lot.





Finding Nemo wasn't as super-great as I'd hoped. It was still great, just not super-great. I still think that Festival of the Lion King is more entertaining, but I mostly just like the little guys dancing around dressed like animals. Those guys really seem to enjoy their job.

Earlier on in our day at Animal Kingdom, we rode Kali River Rapids. When I went with my brother last time, we wore ponchos but barely got wet. This time, I skipped the poncho but was wishing that I'd had it. Within the first thirty seconds of the ride I was completely soaked, and I continued to get splashed throughout the rest of the ride. I think I was in the worst spot on the raft! Here's a picture of me afterward:



Animal Kingdom closed at 6pm and we went straight over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 6:30pm ADR at Boma. We explored the hotel a bit before going down to eat. It was neat to see giraffes milling about outside the rooms, but it really seemed wrong somehow. I just think that giraffes in a safari ride are one thing...



But having them penned in near a hotel is just strange.



In order to get back to our hotel after dinner, we had to hop a bus to one of the other parks and then switch to a bus to POP. The Epcot bus came first and when we got on we made a last minute decision to stay at Epcot for the Illuminations show.



We positioned ourselves strategically near Mexico and the bridge that goes back over by Test Track. We had a good view of the fireworks and right before the grand finale, we slowly backed out onto the bridge and got ready to scramble back out to the buses ahead of the crowd. I'm glad that we stayed for the show, since we missed it the other night, but I was also very glad to get back to the hotel.

Today was great, but tonight turned out to be pretty "crappy"... and I say that quite literally. I won't go into the details but let's just say that the Disney Dining Plan has messed up my fragile digestive system a little bit. My body isn't used to three meals a day, let alone three giant bad-for-you meals a day. *sigh*

Now that I'm all cleaned out and ready to go, I can ride Tower of Terror in the morning without having to worry about soiling myself. I hear that one really scares the crap out of you! Har Har Har...

[Thunderous laughter]

No, Thank you.... Thank you, really! You're too kind.
I'll see you tomorrow at Disney-MGM Studios!

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Carrie)

Like the other mornings here, the only time for resting is while standing by a park's turnstiles, waiting to get in. We beat our other arrival times by stepping off the bus at Animal Kingdom at around 7:55.



For a little bit, things weren't looking so hot. The park staff were trying to be tricky by just having 2 sets of turnstiles open at the beginning. Around 8:30, they started opening others. So, this was the first day for us to NOT be first in line. To top it off, we were behind 2 very annoying families who were traveling together. And, AND, they were also following the Unofficial Guide's itinerary! Argh!!

We got away from them during the rush to the rope near the Tree of Life. However, I ran into the dads at the Expedition Everest fastpass distribution center, and then we couldn't shake them in Dinoland (where we rode the Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur, both of which I enjoyed).

We finally lost them somewhere in Asia, where we rode the Kali River Rapids before Everest. While walking to the rapids, Porkchop mentioned how she forgot to suggest taking our ponchos today. But, since she didn't really get wet the first time she rode a couple of years ago, she wasn't worried. Ha!! I'll let her tell her own story, but I will say I was quite soggy after the ride. Murrr!

Expedition Everest was great fun, and we ended up riding it twice.



We also did the following:

• Saw the Flights of Wonder show. Great birds!



• Watched It's Tough to be a Bug! Disney loves sensory-filled, 3-D things.


• Rode the Kilimanjaro Safari and walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. On the safari ride, we saw a baby giraffe, a baby rhino, and a baby elephant.



• Watched Festival of the Lion King. Since I don't like the movie, I was surprised to enjoy the show. Give me music and acrobats, and I'm set!


• Watched Finding Nemo: The Musical. I liked the premise and design of the show (actors with giant puppets), but the filling of the theater made me tired, and I found myself bored during the show.


• Traded pins. I traded with 2 cast members, picking up a Magical Express Bus pin and an Animal Kingdom pin.

Overall, I liked Animal Kingdom the best because there's so much vegetation and shade is plentiful. Also, since there's not as much to do, the pace is more relaxed.

The park closed at 6:00, and we made it to the Animal Kingdom Lodge before 6:15. The AKL is nice!

Boma was pretty good, but I wasn't super-impressed by its attempt at any sort of authenticity. I liked the ginger carrot soup the best, and I don't know if that's really "African" (especially since it was loaded with cream and more of a sweet bisque). The papaya, grapefruit, and avocado salad was tasty, as was the hearts of palm and lentil salad.

After Boma, we headed to (surprise!) Epcot for Illuminations. We contemplated going to Magic Kingdom, but the 10:00 fireworks show seemed SO LATE. We were happy with our choice of Epcot. In addition to Illuminations, we picked up a quick Test Track ride by taking the single rider line.



Tomorrow is MGM, and Porkchop can't wait to ride the Tower of terror!