Animal Kingdom

Thursday was our day to visit the Animal Kingdom. Having been built since the last time we went to Disney, this park was new to all of us. It was uncrowded and there were tons of characters available for pictures and autographs. We met Baloo, Thumper & Miss Bunny, Turk, King Louis, and Meeko. Tessa and Baloo especially cracked us up, she sang "Bear Necessities" to him and he danced for her. We rode the roller coaster Expedition Everest and saw the Finding Nemo show. We also went on the Kilamanjaro Safari which was great, very up close and personal with the wild animals. Disney hides the fences so well that it really doesn't feel like a zoo at all. I was thrilled to see that Pocahontas was still greeting guests here. Just like probably half of the people here on the East Coast, I can trace my ancestry to this Indian Princess. Tessa was excited to see her too, it kind of looks like she is saying "How!" But best of all was Camp Minnie-Mickey. Based on reviews in my guidebook, I was inclined to skip this section of the park. I am so glad I didn't! We saw all the characters with practically no lines. Tessa just doesn't know how lucky she is to hop from Mickey to Minnie to Donald to Goofy on a whim.

We ate an early dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and watched the animals roam free on the hotel grounds. Back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, tomorrow is another big day.