We chose to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom today. My pass had a picture of Goofy. That probably was not a coincidence!
We had several memories flood back to us as a result of our visit there ten years earlier.
Guests in the queue to enter Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The sign above the entry point.Just after entering the park, we saw Mother Nature. I liked the blurring due to the slow shutter speed in this shot.Mother Nature II.Mother Nature III.A small deer of some sort.A beautiful parrot.An iconic parrot.Some colorful boats.Posing on a dragon sculpture.Bells in the trees.Tyler pulling his weight…People milling about the Tree of Life.
We began our adventure inside the Tree of Life at the presentation of “It’s Tough to be a Bug.” It was just as enjoyable as last time.
The next stop was the Birds of Prey show, something we had not previously seen. It was an outstanding show. The two people on stage interjected some humor as they displayed the skills of several different birds of prey. I must say the bald eagle was impressive.
One of the performers at the bird show.The man was very humorous.One of the performers with a colorful bird.This owl quickly emerged on queue from the area behind the stage.The owl enjoying a morsel of food while on a perch in the audience.The owl receiving another morsel.One of the performers with a vulture.This white-tailed bird flew up into the audience to greet a performer.The white-tailed bird returning to the stage.A beautiful bald eagle. Its size is staggering.The bald eagle has an eye-piercing stare.Directional signs in the park.A large iguana.An ominous warning sign.Some very large fruit bats.A very resting tiger.Another resting tiger.Two deer in the shade of a tree.A red-headed bird.Yet another resting tiger.A very ornate birdhouse.
The next stop was something the kids and I had been looking forward to since our last visit, Expedition Everest. When we were at the park the last time, they were still in the process of building the ride. Only Tyler, Hillary, and I opted to ride it. We had to stand in line for about 45 minutes. Regardless, it was a great ride! In my opinion, it beat the Hulk-coaster hands down.
A view of “Everest.”A boat tied up at the water’s edge.Posing in “Nepal.”A very colorful food truck.Hanging pieces of cloth at the Expedition Everest ride.Our expedition begins…The peak above the trees.Photo memories sign.Yeti cloth.An actual Yeti.
We stopped for lunch in the Africa section of the park. We had some delicious chicken curry that was about as expensive as what we had eaten at Universal Orlando.
After lunch, we went to the safari ride. Unfortunately, it was another 45-minute wait in line until we finally made it to our safari vehicle. However, once we did make it, the ride was terrific. It is enjoyable to ride through the wildlife habitat rather than just looking at the animals over a railing or through some glass.
Waiting in the line for the Safari ride.A large-billed bird.Some hippopotami relaxing in the water.Conversely, some crocodiles relaxing on land.Some giraffes were curious about the passing bus with tourists.A type of cow with some massive horns.A duck resting by the side of a pond.A very large elephant.Some flamingos and other white birds.Several white birds perched on a rock.White rhinoceroses out grazing.A white rhinoceros with zebras in the background.A lone ostrich.An empty tourist safari bus.Returning to the station so another group of tourists may board.Looking down the stream toward Everest.The Tree of Life.
Our last ride of the day was Dinosaur. The four of us remembered it from our previous trip. Once again…45 minutes. It was fun despite the wait. As soon as we were off the ride, three of us decided they wanted to get face paintings.
A panorama of a roller coaster ride.Hillary with her completed face painting.Tyler’s face painting in process while Hillary watches.Brother and sister as handsome and beautiful as ever!Leslie’s face painting in process.She seems happy with the result!A somewhat scary family indeed!A white bird roosting in a tree on the way out of the park.The trees were full of these white birds.A pair of spoonbills.
After our day of walking, we were all beat by the time we got back to the condo.
