Disney Day 1 (part 1)

Day One at Disney started early....with a beautiful sunrise that I attempted to capture from our balcony.  It's a little foggy-looking because it was so muggy outside that the lens kept fogging up. This grassy area is known at the Animal Kingdom Lodge as "the savannah".  It is where you could sometimes see wild animals (anything from giraffes to zebras to long-horned cattle to things we couldn't recognize) graze and roam.

 

 

 

Next we boarded the bus and headed to the Magic Kingdom.  The kids love riding on buses because they don't have to buckle up or be strapped into a carseat. 

 

Early in the day, we rode the classic two-person cars on the Disney Speedway.  I was lucky enough to be driven by Emily.  This is before we got started.

 



 And this is while she is driving.  She is tall enough to use the steering wheel and press the gas pedal, but that seemed to scare her.  We kept stopping...and starting....and stopping....and starting....The look on her face is one of sheer concentration.  Please note the um, interesting, wheel technique she has going on here.  Hands at 7 and 3.  And just think folks, only 7 more years until she can drive a real car.



 

 

Of course, Andrew got a thrill ride too, at the hands of "go faster" Master Ethan.  His driving technique involved turning the wheel from left to right and back again as fast as possible the entire time. Sorry the picture is blurry....but I remind you, I was being driven by Emily.

 

 

 

Next we headed over to the almost completely overhauled Fantasy Land.  Over the last two or three years, Disney has almost totally remodeled Fantasy Land and added some really nice things.

 

Above is a look at part of the Beast's castle from "Beauty and The Beast".

 

 

 The picture above is part of the new Little Mermaid ride.

 

 



One of the nicest improvements Disney has made (at least from a parent's perspective) is the addition of fun things to do/look at while waiting in the rat maze (I mean lines).  This was a little play area for the kids in the Winnie the Pooh ride.

 

 

More of the play area.  It definitely helps little ones (and even some impatient adults) stay busy while waiting.

 

And finally, the kids got to meet their first characters of the trip.  We had no idea how Ethan would react to large costumed characters as his only other experience has been an unpleasant one with the admittedly creepy Chuck E. Cheese.  (I get weirded out by the huge rat too!)  But Tigger and Pooh seemed like the perfect first characters for a little one to meet....and he did just fine. 

 

More to come!