[mickey]

We arrived at Animal Kingdom around 9:10, and head directly to Kilmanjaro Safaris. We grabbed a fast pass and went directly on the ride. The wait was only about 10 minutes, and we were off on our two week safari. I am still trying to figure out why they don’t use the collapsing bridge anymore, but it used to add so much to the ride. Now they just say “That doesn’t sound good, let’s get out of here!” Oh well, it still is a great ride. We grabbed some fruit after the ride for a quick break. We used our fast passes to get back on and got to see the lions a bet better than the first time, though our driver wasn’t nearly as fun. We walked through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail prior to heading to Asia.

We walked right on the Kali River Rapids. We made it through without much wetness, except for Bethan, the 5 year old. She was pretty soaked. We decided it was so much fun, we would do it again. Of course, when I got off, it looked like I had been thrown in a swimming pool. It didn’t have one dry spot on me. Good thing I wore my swim suit and a quick dry shirt. We headed to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the tigers.

We then walked over to DinoLand USA to ride Primeaval Whirl. That is quite a fun ride, but I found one of the sides to be better than the other, but I don’t remember which one, so I guess you will have to try it for yourself. We rode that several times, then headed to Dinosaur. We got everyone to ride it, and most of them were mad at me afterwards, though I think it is a funny ride. Our picture was hilarious, with all the little kids and Karen looking like they were about to be eaten by a dinosaur (oh, wait, there were about to be eaten by a dinosaur!)

We walked over to Tusker House for lunch. For a fast food place, it really is quite good. We then went to Camp Minnie Mickey and saw Goofy, but the line to Mickey and Minnie were way too long. The Festival of the Lion King was just starting,, so we hoped in there. I really like the show, but it just seems like some of the dancers just aren’t enjoying themselves. We then decided it was time to go home, since most of the kids had had enough.

We stopped by Downtown Disney on the way home to shop for a while, and then went back to the Villas to swim. I have a feeling we may not be swimming in Stormalong Bay any more. We got in trouble twice with the lifeguards. Once, Bethan went out to the big boat two swim (even though it is a kids pool) and then Emmeline decided she could swim by herself in the whirlpool. The lifeguard pulled her out quickly. Apparently she was calling my name, but I didn’t care.

We grabbed a pizza at Spoodles for the kids, and then headed out for our night out. We walked over to EPCOT and grabbed a treat in the Pattiserire in France, and then went in to watch Impressions of France. We then tried to get into the new China movie, but it was closed for a private function, so we just shopped ourselves around the World Showcase. We found a nice spot in Great Britain just past the fish shop, which was open. It is often closed for private functions, but we got lucky. The view from there is very good, and you aren’t blocked by the islands at all. I like the improvements they have made to the shows, it is very good now. We then walked over to the Boardwalk for our PS at Flying Fish. Once again it was fantastic, though I didn’t have room for dessert, which is a shame. My wife had the Salmon, which was great, and I had the steak, which was fantastic. Ok, I know it is a fish restaurant, but I had heard so many good things about the steak, that I had to try it. I wasn’t disappointed at all, probably the best steak I have ever had.

That was it for a long day. The weather has been fantastic, low 80’s all week after the cool start. Should stay the same way the rest of the week.

Oh, and the crowds have been more than managable. With the exception of the Magic Kingdom on Monday, we haven't seen waits for longer than 10 to 15 minutes for any ride, and many of them have no waits at all. I understand the week between 3/13 and 20 will be quite crowded.