Travel & Vacation: Interesting Characters at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Hanging out with Daisy Duck!
We met some fun Disney Characters while at Animal Kingdom. There were a few that we did not get an autograph or picture with because the line was too long or we were headed to a specific activity. We did get a few which was another fun experience while at the park. At Animal Kingdom we met and got pictures as well as autographs from Daisy Duck, Chip & Dale, and Rafiki.
Daisy Duck autographs
Chip & Dale were mischievous and fun. They tried taking a sip of gatorade from Karlie’s camelback hose, using Brina’s hand sanitizer, and other silly actions. These two were probably the girls favorite characters they met because they were so funny and the cast member helping them was very good interacting with them too.
Rafiki getting ready to give Brina a big hug!
Autographs and picture with Rafiki!
Travel & Vacation: Dinoland at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Triceratop Spin
The girls convinced me to go on the Triceratop Spin in the Dinoland section at Animal Kingdom. They know I don’t handle spinning rides well which they thought it was funny. The ride wasn’t too bad and since the wait was less than 8 minutes we did it twice back to back. Dinoland also has other rides, a bone yard, huge jungle gym, carnival games (although some of the carnival games require additional payment), shops, restaurants, Wilderness Explorer stops and more!
We had a blast in Dinoland and explored as much as time would allow before heading to the next section. While we were at Dinoland it did sprinkle a little but not enough to get out the ponchos or get us wet so we journeyed on. It was the only day we had any rain so we were very fortunate.
Checking behind them to make sure I had my seat belt on. Karlie ended up coming back with me before the ride started so she could run the controller!
In the triceratop ride the front seat controls whether your dinosaur goes up and down. The back seat controls whether you are tilting forward or backwards. We had to ride the ride twice so both girls could try each controller.
Having a blast and checking to see if I was getting dizzy yet!
Big dinosaur!
Pausing on the jungle gym for a brief picture. They had fun exploring the jungle gym and I got to sit down for a few minutes while they played. Nice place for the parents to catch a breathier plus the area is fully enclosed so the kids (which helps even more for the younger ones) are more contained.
Exploring together!
Sitting on a dinosaur bone as we talk about where to go next!
Huge dinosaur bridge that led over to the Bone Yard
Hanging out on the bridge!
Digging for dinosaur bones. She found one. Loved that this area didn’t have the little grains of sands, but more like small pebbles. It was much easier to clean off the kids.
Finding another perfect spot to dig!
Travel & Vacation: Kids Wilderness Explorers Program at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Learning about the Wilderness Explorers program!
While at Animal Kingdom the girls participated in their Wilderness Explorers program. It was a great having a chance to stop at the various stations throughout Animal Kingdom, get a sticker, and learn about a variety of educational animal topics. They quickly figured out that they just needed to look out for workers wearing the Wilderness Explorer uniforms (brown, tan, and orange). They wore the orange bags with stickers. In order to get their sticker for that activity they had to participate in an activity and / or listen to a presentation.
It was fun and educational. The only thing that we had problem we had was occasionally with missed a sticker because we couldn’t find the worker. This is a wonderful program especially for kids who can read or enjoy learning about various animal educational items. You can get a Wilderness Explorer book, your first sticker, an explanation, and a Wilderness cheer.
Looking through their Wilderness Explorer books to check where we need to go next.
Learning about a variety of animal sounds!
Standing in front of the Tree of Life looking through their Wilderness Explorer packets!
Travel & Vacation: Welcome to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
A day at Animal Kingdom with these two chickies!
The girls and I went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL recently while Jake was at a conference! They were very excited to check out all the animals in the park. We packed in a full day at Animal Kingdom. We arrived early and were one of the last few to leave at closing. The crazy thing is we still didn’t get to everything we wanted to do, but we definitely did a lot. It was a great day with my girls. Both girls LOVED it, but Animal Kingdom was probably Brina’s favorite place to visit (which isn’t a big surprise for those who know her).
Pretty bird….was the first comment I heard from the girls as we entered the park.
A pair of beautiful birds perched on the branch.
Having a blast!
A Wallaby eating its morning treat. At first we thought it was a kangaroo until further investigation. Must be in the same family though because there are similarities.
Karlie and Brina in front of a gorgeous waterfall in Animal Kingdom.
Starting to get more crowded. The tree in back is the “Tree of Life” and has over 300 animal figured carved into it. Very fascinating to see up close.
Hanging out in line. They were troopers even in the longer lines. We took the time to get something to eat and drink whenever we spent a decent amount of time standing in lines. Thankfully, it wasn’t the busiest season so at Animal Kingdom the longest line we waited in was the Kilimanjaro Safari for an hour in the Africa section which was well worth the wait (I will be sharing more about that safari in a later post).
Big black fish swimming right beside us.
Going through the waterfall as we head into the Tree of Life for the “It’s Tough Being a Bug” Show!
Bug Eyes!!! They are ready for the show! Such a great show and one of their favorites for the day. Wish we had time to do it again!
Africa was one of their favorite places to visit while in Animal Kingdom. It had great music, the Kilimanjaro Safari tour, Lion King, and more fun activities to do.
Musical entertainment shortly after entering the gates into the Africa section. They had people playing on and off all day. Fun upbeat music.
Karlie trying out her musical talent!
Brina going all out!
Swinging around on their jungle gym!
Another one taking a rest!
Rodrigues Fruit Bats hanging around at Animal Kingdom. Wonder what they eat….if you guessed fruit you are correct. All the ones in the section we visited were male. Did you know that their bat wings are made out of similar material that our eyelids are made out of? They were fascinating to watch!
Beautiful tiger lounging peaceful and keeping a watchful eye on the visitors.
This tiger was literally on the other side of the glass from us. It’s fur looked so soft, not sure it would have been a good idea to pet the big cat though!
Deer enjoying a rest in the shade.
Love the colors on this feathered friend.
Mesmerized by all the activity above them!
So much fun. They were on the go and soaking all the cool animal sights in throughout the day.
Mount Everest at Animal Kingdom. The mountain is the host for the Expedition Everest roller coaster. We all agreed that it was probably a little more than we wanted to do, but it was super cool to watch!
They had a blast! Waiting for the bus to take us back to the resort. Thankful for an chance to spend the day with the kids at Animal Kingdom and all the fun memories as well as activities we did that day!
Travel & Vacation: Downtown Disney (Orlando, FL)
Walt Disney World – Where Dreams Come True! We made it!
Recently our family had the opportunity to go to Orlando, FL. Jake had a work conference and the girls and I tagged along. He spent the majority of the week working, but was able to join us at the end for some fun family time together. We got up at 3 am on Monday morning and made the drive to Orlando. The kids slept the first few hours and entertained themselves the remaining distance with books, games, a movie, and more. Thankful for kids who travel well. They love going on road trips.
We made good time on our way down to Florida so we decided to stop for a little bit and stretch our legs at Downtown Disney. We still had a some time before we could check into our hotel and Jake heading off to the conference. It was a beautiful sunny day and Downtown Disney wasn’t too busy. There was some construction going on at Downtown Disney and from what we hear it will soon no longer be called Downtown Disney, but rather Disney Springs.
Mickey Mouse! Made out of greenery!
The Lego store Downtown Disney had some amazing lego displays. This dragon breathing fire on the knight was in front of their store. It was massive!
Jake and the girls standing next to another lego display!
This dragon was actually partly in the water! Very neat!
Snow White and the 7 dwarfs working around the mine.
Outside of the T-REX Restaurant
Inside the T-Rex Restaurant and gift shop!
This was a ride you could go on in Downtown Disney. It looked like fun, but we were not there long enough to investigate it further.
Hotel with a flower Mickey Mouse across the water from Downtown Disney.
Look out for that alligator! It actually comes out closer to you and opens it’s mouth much to the fascination of the kids.
The girls always love the fish tanks inside the Rainforest Cafe. They also have a neat gift shop just watch out for the python (I have learned to look out for this creature from a past encounter)!
On the outside of the Rainforest Cafe is a volume. The volcano erupted as we were walking by. Very cool to watch. The random explosions probably lasted about 5 minutes. The kids loved it!
Learning more about this pretty white bird.
Frozen! Thankfully, it was a warm sunny day for us!
Karlie and Brina near the Disney Christmas shop!
Having fun in Downtown Disney!
Three shirts with familiar faces on them!
Had to sit on the bench next to Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet!
Once Upon A Toy was a neat shop. The girls brought their spending money and looked around this store a couple times during the week we were there. The Disney items are really neat, but for their budget were a little pricey. They ended up coming home with most of their money because they wanted to shop around for better prices instead of spending it all in one place. Glad to see them choosing to wait on some items.
Walking through Downtown Disney with Daddy!
Laughter is Timeless…
Disney On Ice: Princesses and Heroes
One of the girls big surprise Christmas gifts were tickets to “Disney on Ice Princesses and Heroes”! We made this crossword puzzle to share the surprise with them. It took them a couple minutes to make the connection, but they were very excited and couldn’t wait to go on this adventure!
Karlie doing her Disney on Ice Word Search
Brina doing her Disney on Ice Word Search
We made it to Disney on Ice! So excited! We got their a little early to find our seats (we got great seats were a perfect view)!
Tinker Bell, Mickey, and Minnie Mouse
It was beautiful watching all the characters skate.
Bell and gang on the ice!
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
Aladdin
Seven dwarfs
The fire was super cool!
Cinderella coming onto the ice in her carriage
So much fun!
Watching all the characters on the ice
The girls were literally on the edge of their seats during the show. They had a blast! It was a lot of fun and wonderful watching them get so excited too. Thankful for a fun evening with my family!
Travel & Vacation: Nighttime Fun at Walt Disney World
Still going strong!
The girls were still going strong after a full day at Disney! We had just watched the Electrical Parade & Firework Show and the girls still wanted to do some more. So we decided to keep on going and we ended up staying until midnight when the park closed! They had a blast, but crashed immediately after they got into the van. For more posts about our Disney adventure you can go to Walt Disney World or Rides & Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade or Walt Disney World (part 2) or Disney’s Electrical Parade & Firework Show posts.
Karlie riding the train, it was a quieter ride after going on Space Mountain
Brina going for another ride on the train
Someone’s having fun!
Pull harder!
Hanging out in Eeyore’s house
One more ride on the carousel, this time at night!
Travel & Vacation: Disney’s Electrical Parade & Firework Show
Disney’s Electrical Parade
Another one of the highlights at Disney was their electrical light parade and the firework show. The girls LOVED it (so neat)! I can see why so many people stay for this event! Thankful for a chance to spend the day at Disney with family and friends. For more posts about our Disney adventure you can go to Walt Disney World or Rides & Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade or Walt Disney World (part 2) posts.
Watching the Disney’s Electrical Parade, super cool!
Fireworks at Disney
Amazing fireworks over the castle
Beautiful fireworks
The castle changed colors throughout the firework show
Watching fireworks at Disney
The firework show at Disney is awesome!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL – Part 2)
Enjoying a funny show at Disney
We had a blast taking the girls to Walt Disney World for the first time. Thankful for a great time with both family and friends. There were a lot of fun rides and shows as well as a walk through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house which we finished reading to the girls awhile ago. You can read more about our trip in the Walt Disney World or Rides & Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade posts.
Getting a lift to the next activity
Riding the big carousel
Karlie checking everything out and loving it!
Exploring the Swiss Family Robinson tree house
All the kids checking out the cool items in the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.
Daddy & Karlie in a Honeypot
Awesome family behind us in their honeypot!
Having fun at Disney
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
