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As far as Ben is concerned, today was an unqualified success. He bounced out of bed, took his morning bath, and was ready to go out on a new adventure. The bus ride to the Animal Kingdom was uneventful, and we arrived in short order. It really is a fabulous park. It doesn't feel like a theme park at all, but it doesn't quite feel like a zoo either. It's hard to describe. The park is filled with interesting little nooks and paths to wander down, and everywhere you look there are different animals and plants to see. We headed over to Africa first and went on the safari, which was very well done. Ben had a good time riding along and looking out at the scenery, and he was definitely watching the different animals out on the plains. Aside from the safari we also took a stroll through the preserve and saw things ranging from apes to meerkats. The entire feel was very calm and inviting, and Ben was clearly enjoying himself.
After a quick lunch we moved on to Asia where we saw several tigers ("Shere Khan!" exclaimed Ben), and a variety of other animals. We wisely chose to skip the Kali River Rapids. Since we got to the park well after noon and the park closes at 5, we were running short on time. We spent the last hour or so over in Dinoland U.S.A., which Ben absolutely loved. Sara took him on the Triceratop Spin, which is pretty much just like the Dumbo ride at Fantasyland only with big, friendly green triceratops to ride in. I was a little unsure how Ben would respond, but he loved it. I even managed to get at least one decent picture of them going by. Time was running out and both Sara and I wanted to go on Dinosaur, but we also knew that Ben would be traumatized if we tried to take him on it. Fortunately they let us do a kid swap, so I rode it first and then as soon as I got off Sara walked on while I sat with Ben. Great ride, but very dark and loud with big scary dinosaurs leaping out at you to eat you. Definitely my kind of thing.
By the time we finished that the park was closing, so we went back to the hotel and grabbed some dinner at the dining hall. After that we went out to Downtown Disney. There were several places I wanted to go, but everytime I tried to go off on my own Ben would panic looking for me. I got pretty damn cranky when I had followed Sara around like a pack mule through all the boring crappy homey kind of stores, and if I tried to set foot in a store that was interested in Sara immediately moved on to someplace else. She was continually just walking off to wherever the hell she wanted to go without ever looking back and just assuming I would follow, but if I ever went my own way she would radio me right away. I finally gave up and went back to the car and took a nap for an hour, because I swear to God I will slit my wrists if I have to look at one more nice ceramic figure or themed t-shirt. I am seriously considering going back there on my own tomorrow night so I can spend some real time in the movie memorabilia store and the Art of Disney store. I would also like to at least look at the inside of the Virgin Megastore, just to see how it compares to San Francisco and Vancouver. We'll see.
After a quick lunch we moved on to Asia where we saw several tigers ("Shere Khan!" exclaimed Ben), and a variety of other animals. We wisely chose to skip the Kali River Rapids. Since we got to the park well after noon and the park closes at 5, we were running short on time. We spent the last hour or so over in Dinoland U.S.A., which Ben absolutely loved. Sara took him on the Triceratop Spin, which is pretty much just like the Dumbo ride at Fantasyland only with big, friendly green triceratops to ride in. I was a little unsure how Ben would respond, but he loved it. I even managed to get at least one decent picture of them going by. Time was running out and both Sara and I wanted to go on Dinosaur, but we also knew that Ben would be traumatized if we tried to take him on it. Fortunately they let us do a kid swap, so I rode it first and then as soon as I got off Sara walked on while I sat with Ben. Great ride, but very dark and loud with big scary dinosaurs leaping out at you to eat you. Definitely my kind of thing.
By the time we finished that the park was closing, so we went back to the hotel and grabbed some dinner at the dining hall. After that we went out to Downtown Disney. There were several places I wanted to go, but everytime I tried to go off on my own Ben would panic looking for me. I got pretty damn cranky when I had followed Sara around like a pack mule through all the boring crappy homey kind of stores, and if I tried to set foot in a store that was interested in Sara immediately moved on to someplace else. She was continually just walking off to wherever the hell she wanted to go without ever looking back and just assuming I would follow, but if I ever went my own way she would radio me right away. I finally gave up and went back to the car and took a nap for an hour, because I swear to God I will slit my wrists if I have to look at one more nice ceramic figure or themed t-shirt. I am seriously considering going back there on my own tomorrow night so I can spend some real time in the movie memorabilia store and the Art of Disney store. I would also like to at least look at the inside of the Virgin Megastore, just to see how it compares to San Francisco and Vancouver. We'll see.