DAY 10: BACK INTO THE THEME PARK SWING (DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM)

Rose early on an unseasonably hot (nudging 30deg) Orlando winter's day to catch the 8am shuttle to the first of the theme parks on our Disney hit list, the Animal Kingdom. It's a mix of a zoo and amusement rides so thankfully it was a bit slower paced than the days at Universal.

Highlight was probably the safari ride in the African section, where these transport trucks took you through a reserve and put you in close proximity to all kinds of animals - lions, rhinos and what Josh thought was a five-legged elephant (just let that one go through to the keeper - Nic asked I take a photo of it anyway...)

We also had an encounter with what some consider a rare and endangered species: The Manly Sea Eagles supporter! A guy and his family from Sydney were standing behind us in one of the queues and noticed my cap - what are the odds???

Anyway, by about 3.30pm we'd seen enough. We did toy with the idea of using our 'hopper' tickets to jump on the monorail and make a start on one of the other parks, but we figured we'd instead save some energy for our return tomorrow (when we visit Disney's Hollywood Studios).

I'm currently writing this by the hotel pool, watching Josh take his umpteenth turn on the waterslide. I don't know how much energy conservation is happening there, but he seems to be enjoying himself.

Til tomorrow Mouseketeers!