Wild About Disney

We just returned home from a long weekend at Disney World.  And let me tell you, it was a jungle out there in more ways than one.

I have been itching to give the Wild Animal Kingdom Resort a try.  And now, that I am officially out of nap jail and the monorail is not a must, that is exactly what we did.  The Resort is split into two sections with the safari {with real live African animals} connecting the two.  Our room was in Kidani Village, complete with a full kitchen and living room.  And although, we never actually used the kitchenette, the extra space was a plus.

We arrived on Thursday late afternoon.  It gave us all a chance to get acclimated to our Safari home before we hit the parks on Friday.  We roamed around the hotel, checked out our room and balcony, and made a visit to see all the wild life.

Seriously, Disney never ceases to amaze me...live African animals roaming all over the  hotel grounds!

We ended our travel day with dinner at Sanaa right in the hotel.  The African lemonade concoction and the paint your own dessert went over swimmingly with my littles.

On Friday morning, we were off to the Magic Kingdom.  We've never been too good at getting out the hotel door super early, but as my lkiddos are getting more independent, things are really starting to look up for us.  We made it to the park by 8:00 {which is a record}.

We were in immediate awe of the Halloween decor everywhere we turned.  Another first for us, Disney in October!

We were set to join the VIP tour at 9:00.  {which can I just say was the most amazing experience and money well spent} But, more on that later.  With a few minutes to spare, we were able to get a few character visits in right on Main Street.

As you will notice, Lucy was the star of this trip.  It was pretty much planned around her and all for her.  I regret to say, her bigs have outgrown the magic.  So we all went into the vacation knowing "it was for Lucy".

Before long, we met up for our tour.  We had two guides and about 4 other families with us.  In a two and half hour window, we rode 10 family favorite rides, had a snack at Gaston's Tavern, and managed two bathroom breaks.  The most efficient use of time I have ever experienced at Disney.  I highly recommend this tour to everyone.

We grabbed lunch at Pinnochio's Village and made sure to get a window seat overlooking It's A Small World.  Apparently this is the thing to do!  The kids got the biggest kick out of holding these signs up for the people in the ride line.  You wouldn't believe how many Chicken Dances they had going on.

From there, we did a boy and girl split.  Daddy and Jack went to tackle a few coasters and us girls went Princess visiting.  Maggie was not at all interested, but tagged along.  Lucy, who I mentioned the trip was all about, ate up every single bit!

My favorite experience was the Belle show.  I seriously have a girl crush on sweet Belle.  Lucy played the plate in the show and I was the suit of armor.  Maggie was on camera duty and this is about the extent of what she captured....

From there we Princess hopped.  I promise Maggie was there.  She just had no interest in hugging on strange ladies in costumes.  And this is what I mean about the "magic being gone".  Folks don't wait too long to take your littles to Disney!  Trust me!

Lucy was completely star struck by Elena.  Elena was by far her favorite princess and just about made Lucy's vacation.

We all met back at the our Animal Kingdom room for a short bit of rest before Mickey's Not So Spooky Halloween.  I had high expectations for the evening.  I have been wanting to give this event a try for years.

Lucy donned her Elena costume and we were off to trick or treat at Magic Kingdom.

Upon arrival, we made a much requested stop to see Mickey.  Mickey apparently thought Lucy was the real Elena of Avalor and proposed to her!  Lucy was beyond smitten.

And this is where my high expectations go sour.  Hence the fact, that there are no pictures of the evening.  The kids were exhausted {as was their Daddy}.  We did a little trick or treating, each of us picked a favorite ride, and we tried to watch the "must see" parade {which crashed before it got to us}.

Not the best ending to the best morning.  However, there was always tomorrow...