The Hamiltons: Day 3: Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom

Day 3 started out with a trip to Animal Kingdom.
We almost didn't visit this park, and boy are we glad we did.
It was a highlight for us all.

See the "tree of life" below, it is so massive you can spot it from the parking lot
as well as most areas of the park.
It has etchings of many of the animals we saw that day carved into the wood.

This is the sight that greets you after the main entrance.

First up was The Festival of the Lion King show.
It was about to start when we arrived, but we gave it a shot
and raced to the entrance.
We took our seats just as the lights went off -
no wait whatsoever and a perfect view, nice!
A gal we went to high school with highly recommended the show to us.
Her husband, one of the performers, has been in it for years,
and she assured me that it would enjoyed by our whole family.
I totally agree.
Lexi loves the Lion King movie, and Ryleigh loves animals in general,
so the girls were intrigued by the live performance.
The show's about 20-25 minutes (just long enough)
and it features men dressed up as monkeys performing all sorts of tumbling
and ring tricks - similar to Cirque de Solei.
The main scenes are acted out by men and women in costumes,
and the most popular songs are a highlight of the skit.
There were flying animals, huge life-size, fake animals on exhibit,
even a spectacular fire-breathing/juggling man.
It was pretty fantastic.

From there, we headed over to the wildlife safari.
We boarded jeeps, similar to those used in Africa,
and a tour guide brought us up close and personal with so many species of animals.

Hippos

Alligators

Giraffes - this baby was just reaching up for a snack

Forget what these were, but you also see a baby giraffe nibbling on the left

An elephant family

A flock of flamingos

Lexi was intrigued to learn that they are born gray,

but turn more and more pink from the shrimp that constitutes their diet

Rhino

A male and female lion relaxing mid-day
We learned they sleep up to 20 hours per day
and use the nighttime hours to stalk their prey

A little drum playing with the street musicians

At this point, Ryleigh was long overdue for a nap.
She hadn't napped anywhere but the stroller for days,
so I decided to take her back to the hotel.
Lexi and Vic stayed on for a fantastic lunch at Tusker House.
Our travel agent suggested this was a great place to interact with some characters,
and also one of the better meals in all of Disney.
Vic came home and said he agreed 100%.
Below, they met up with Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy decked out in their safari gear.
They all signed a special birthday card for our girl
(who had been wearing her very own birthday pin most of the trip by this point).
Talk about the happiness a simple little "Happy Birthday Alexis" pin can bring.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, who passed her wished her a happy day.
Characters, princesses, hotel staff, park employees, Disney bus drivers
(who had all the passengers sing to her) and families on vacation like us.
It was a pretty rockin' way to mark her 5th birthday…
which hadn't even officially arrived yet.

Another big surprise was in store for the evening.
We headed over to the Magic Kingdom - crossing our fingers that the rain would stop -
and began our night at "The Very Merry Christmas Party".
First, we had to take a few official photos in front of Cinderella's Castle.
I cannot believe everyone was looking and smiling at the same time.
The park had brought out all the bells and whistles
and was decorated so adorably for the Christmas holiday.
Strolling around, seeing the decorations and hearing quartets and loudspeakers playing
Christmas carols, you couldn't help but get in the holiday spirit.

Because there was a lit drizzle, and because this Christmas party required a special ticket,
many of the park guests were leaving as we arrived.
Ride lines were at a minimum, so we decided to visit a few before the celebration got underway.
First up was the Mad Tea Party teacups, which have been around for ages.
All four of us were able to fit inside, and everyone enjoyed it.

Next up was the Dumbo ride where you sit inside an elephant and fly up into the air.
Ry rode with her daddy and I sat with Lexi for this one.

From the air, you had a great view of the castle and the other amusements.

We got off the ride and a great treat awaited us…Elizabeth
(my best friend from college and Ryleigh's Godmother)
and her son Graham (my Godson).
Lexi and Graham had met the previous summer,
and she was so thrilled to be at Disneyworld at the same time as him!
Vic took the older two on one of the race track rides
while Elizabeth, Ryleigh and I went to grab a table for dinner.
We went to a cute diner-type place just around the corner.
Turns out, there was a Goofy/Pluto dance party going on.
The kids had a blast singing and clapping along,
then joining the characters down on the dance floor for some fist-pumping,
high-fiving, head banging and congo lining!
It was like a mini-concert for the kiddos,
and such an unexpected surprise.
The restaurant handed out hot cocoa and chocolate chips cookies
as we were leaving.
And…the rain had stopped!

At that point, it was nearly time for the parade to begin.
We didn't think Ryleigh would make it for another hour,
and rather than push it, she and Vic headed back to the hotel.
Lexi and I stayed on and scoped out some seats right on the sidewalk to take in the show.
Cinderella's castle was lit up with what seemed like a million Christmas lights.
This was the result: