Day Three was our shortest day in the parks. We were all dragging a little after the two long Disney days and early mornings prior to this. Despite our tiredness, however, we all thoroughly enjoyed Animal Kingdom.
The vegetation and landscaping were quite impressive.
The first ride we went on, Avatar, was such a hit! We all loved the feeling of soaring through the 3D Avatar world on a winged banshee. Adley was just barely tall enough for the ride and suprisingly loved it as much as the rest of us. We liked this ride so much that we ended up using Mom's handicap pass (which she had because of the scooter she was riding around the park) several times throughout the day so each family member could ride Avatar a second time.
The Kilimanjaro safari ride was also a memorable experience. As we bumped along in the open-air safari truck watching for animals, it truly seemed as though we were on the African savannah.
We saw so many animals-- hippos, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, rhinos, elephants, crocodiles, cheetahs, and more. So cool!
Our family was split up for much of the day, as different groups returned to the Avatar ride, and as Adley wasn't quite tall enough for the larger roller coasters. Some of our family toured the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail to see two different species of gorillas.
The majority of our family also tried out the Mt Everest and Dinosaur rides. Mt Everest was especially well-loved!
Grammy and Papa stayed behind with Adley and me to ride the Na'vi River Journey (interesting, but not worth the very long wait). Then all of us reassembled to watch the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" show. One of the last things we saw was the Tree of Life. This 145-foot tall sculpture of a baobab tree can be seen from almost anywhere around the park. We walked a trail around the tree's base to get a close-up view of the 300+ animals that are carved into the tree's trunk and branches. What an amazing sight!
Our family favorites from the day were:
Mt Everest for Jason, Jaden and Cody
Avatar for Amy and Adley
Some family group photos:
Even though we had more of the park to see, when an afternoon rain shower hit hard, we elected to take our tired bunch home. It ended up being a good decision, as the kids had a chance to enjoy the resort pool that evening once the showers blew away. Animal Kingdom is definitely a park I'd love to revisit someday to catch some of the rides and exhibits that we missed. What a fantastic place!
