Aniaml Kingdom may not be as stimulating as Magic Kingdom but it's so good for the soul. You will find serenity in the nature that is all around you.
If you've always dreamed of going on a safari you will be amazed with the Kilimajaro Safari. I knew that this experience was going to be at the top of my dad's wishlist so I was sure to get a FP for it. If for some reason you are unable to get a FP, I do think the ride/experience is worth the wait. The animals were extremely alert, and they felt very close. The natural habitat built for them was top notch, with loads of space for them to roam without any fences. It's truly a breathtaking sight to see.
The day was a slower paced, which was really good for all of us. The kids had lots of freedom to roam without thick crowds and were so happy to encounter so many unique animals. They received a little booklet to guide their learning about the different species and natural habitats throughout the park.
FUN FACT! Did you know that flamingo's turn pink because they eat so many shrimp?!? Over time their white feathers turn pink. Yep! You learn something new everyday.
If you are a thrill seeker then you have to head over to Mount Everestte and experience the Yetti rollercoaster. It goes forwards, backwards, sideways, and through darkness. I would say that this was probably my favorite thrill ride but poor little Anya was traumatized by it. Check out her face and body language in the picture. Priceless!
Finally we got to meet a few of the classic characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. It was hugs for the young and the old from Mickey and Minnie .
Without a doubt this was our favorite day of our Florida trip.
Why you ask?
Well we have two super Harry Potter fans, Anya and myself, and the rest of the family unanimously felt that it exceeded their expectations. Its hard to know what to really expect but we were in awe from start to finish. This was our longest day, we arrived just after 8 a.m. and we stayed until 7:30 p.m. Our main goal was to do everything Harry Potter related in both of the parks and then if we saw anything else it would be bonus.
We started at Universal Studios and headed straight for Diagon Alley with a few photo stops along the way.
Family shot with the Magic Knight Bus.
"Mama, what's this?"
We were in luck to get our picture taken just as the fierce dragon was breathing fire from the top of Gringotts. The lady said that people wait and wait and wait hoping to get that photo.
LUCKY US X 1 000 000.
First stop was Ollivanders as Anya had been saving her allowance for a year and a half to buy a special wand. We were the first in line for the"wand choosing" ceremony and GUESS WHAT?!? Both of the girls were the "chosen" ones. Deep down I had hoped one would be chosen, realistically I knew chances would be slim, but to have BOTH girls chosen overwhelmed me with appreciation. I actually had tears of pure joy in my eyes and a few might have ran down my cheeks.
LUCK struck again as were went to pay for the wands, and one of the ladies we had chatted with in the line came up to Logan and told him she worked for the park and wanted to use her 40% discount on our girls wands! We were so floored by the generosity.
Rooms full of wands!
The wands work all over the two parks making different things move or do things.
The rides were great in both parks. Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, are both 3-D rides and totally appropriate for 5+ year old. Flight of Hippogriff is a kids roller coaster that isn't scary, though Anya worked herself up but that was pretty standard for her. The Hogwarts Express train is a really quick ride, nothing special but I am glad we paid for the park-to-park passes anyway. If you are a roller coaster junkie, then hit up the Dragon Challenge roller coaster in Hogsmeade and you will not be disappointed; it will leave you unsteady on your feet and your tummy a little queasy.
Anya is not thrilled to be going on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Forest ride.
Ready for the Flight of the Hippogriff ride.
Anya is equally excited as you can tell.
A trip to the Wizarding World wouldn't be complete without Butter Beer, a visit to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, and an extensive pit stop at Honeydukes.
Hagrid's home behind Hogwarts.
Leaky Cauldron
Butter Beer is Gluten Free!!!!
Once we completed our time in the Harry Potter portion of the parks, around 3 p.m, we wandered around Adventure Island hitting up other favorites such as Jurassic Park, which my dad loved so much that we did it twice. He was soaked but not as soaked as when we went on the river rapids ride (getting wet is far down on my dads list of favorite things). Logan, my parents, and Halie also did the KONG ride, but Anya would have none of it so we just hung out.
The heat was pretty unbearable, +35C, so the kids sized every opportunity to play in the water throughout the day.
Hollywood studios was definitely the least exciting of the
four Disney parks but I would still recommend taking the time to visit. It’s a shorter day so you can go back to your
hotel in the afternoon and chill; which is exactly what we did.
The two main rides that we wanted to hit were The Tower of
Terror and The Rock n’ Roll Rollercoaster (Aerosmith ride). The kids didn’t want to go on the roller
coaster so Logan and I, being the rock star parents that we are, left them in
front of the ride to sit and wait while heading to wait in the line-up. It was only a 20 minute wait and we figured
they would be okay, and we were right. I
am so glad that we choose to do it. It
was an fun experience for us to share and since we are both roller coaster
junkies the ride did not disappoint. As
you wait in line you can bop along to your favorite Aerosmith hits. The rollercoaster is exhilarating and takes you on an adventure
through darkness, upside-down, right-side up, and it's goes at a super high speed. Later on
in the day we were able to talk Halie into doing her very first up-side
down rollercoaster with me, The Rock n’ Roll Rollercoaster. Unfortunately our picture didn’t make
it onto our photopass but thankfully we took pictures on our phone to help us remember the experience.
Next we headed to the Tower of Terror, a classic and a must do ride in our opinion. Halie had been on it in Disneyland but we had to talk Anya into it. Funny thing, Halie started getting worked up while in line and crying, and Anya stepped up with a brave face and encouraging words. After the ride was completed Halie wanted to go again and Anya wanted the ice cream she was promised. HAHA.
Other cool things to check out at the park were The Great
Movie Ride and the live performance of Beauty and the Beast was phenomenal.
Returning to our hotel mid-afternoon was an awesome way to
get some downtime by the pool and get a good night’s sleep before going to the
much anticipated Universal Studios to the hit the Wizarding World of Harry
Potter.
