This morning we wake up at 7am. It looks like a sunny and hot day ahead. Not sure if it's a good thing. We meet up with Amy and go down to the food court at our resort for a quick snack to get us going, and then go out to the bus stop and wait for our ride to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

We decide to start off with the main attraction, at least to our minds, the safari. We join a line and soon board a bus through what looks like an African jungle with our driver giving quips and comments on what we are seeing or what we might see ahead. Amazing, is how we would describe the ride. A good amount of animals in native habitat. No animatronics here. Real live animals, on free range. Some areas, like the lion area, carefully hide the large gap between the buses and the lions, but it's hidden pretty well unless you really look for it. We took as many pictures as we could, but the ride we jerky and bumpy, so I don't know how many will turn out. We had a fast pass for the safari for a later time, and decide that we will definitely use it and go again later.

Next we have a fast pass for the Lion King show, but we're early. The cast members tell us that the show has just started and can join it if we like, so we do. It's some animatronics from the movie along with live singers and acrobats and characters dressed up. Pretty good overall.

Since we didn't get a breakfast this morning, just a snack, Stacey is hungry, so we go to find her some chips to settle her stomach, and go back for our fast pass time for the safari. It was still amazing. Maybe better the second time since I personally liked our driver better the second time.

Amy and I head out to go on Dinosaur, the ride, while Stacey goes off wandering and shopping. She's not a ride person. I'd describe Dinosaur as an Indiana Jones type ride, with dinosaurs. There is no Indiana Jones here like at Disneyland, so I guess this is their answer to it.

We have a plan to meet for lunch at the Rainforest Café at 1:15, but there's no time for Amy and I to do any other rides, so we head for some shad near the restaurant to wait. I text Stacey, and she's having some issues at a store with her Magic Band. A magic band is a bracelet you are given as your room key and park entrance ticket. It's tied to your credit card as well, so you can use it to pay for purchases too, so you can almost go in the parks without carrying cash. I join Stacey to try to work it out. No luck. It turns out, it was a faulty terminal. The sales lady gave Stacey a 10% discount for her trouble.

We're all hungry now, so it's back to the Rainforest Café to meet Amy. We call and wave and almost have to stand in front of her for her to notice us. She's overheated and with the crowds, you just get used to people being around and zone out. We give our name and reservation and wait for the call while looking around at the Rainforest Store. Food time! The café is expensive, but the deluxe dining plan comes through again, and covers an appy, entrée, dessert and refillable drinks. It's a lot of food and it's good. We came in famished and roll out stuffed. I don't know how I'm going to be able to eat at our dinner reservations at the all you can eat and drink Hoop-Dee-Do Revue.

We leave the Animal Kingdom around 3pm and hop a bus for the Magic Kingdom and try to find Amy a hat. After much searching….we have no luck. So, it's time for the Ariel ride again. Next, Amy wants to do the new 7 Dwarves Mine Ride. It looks too scary for Stacey, so she heads off to Monsters Inc and the Stitch ride/show. The standby wait time is 60-70 minutes, but Amy doesn't mind, so she and I wait. The lineup snakes around a themed area outside before heading undercover of a hut roof, before moving inside and into the mine itself. We are just about to get undercover when it starts to sprinkle rain. Ruh-roh! We just get undercover when it opens up and we see people getting drenched. We start to worry about how wet we might get if it keeps up like this when we get our turn on the ride. Not to worry. We soon here an announcement stating that if the rain gets worse, they'll close the ride with no warning. Doh! It slows down though, and we get on with only a light mist falling. For half the ride. Then it starts heavier again. We got a little wet but not too bad. Ride was good. Very smooth and cute with the dwarves in the mine.

After the ride, we meet up with Stacey and move over to Adventureland for one last Dole Whip twist cup and float, and leave the Magic Kingdom before the Halloween party starts in the park. Instead of going to the bus stop, we go to one of the docks and get on a boat going to the Fort Wilderness Campsites, and wait for the Hoop Dee-Do Revue.

The Hoop-Dee Do is a live music and comedy type show….a la Barkerville. It's all you can eat and drink. Fried chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, corn, beans, salad and cornbread. Drinks can include alcohol as well, wine, beer, or sangria. I didn't eat much, since I was still full from lunch. The show is entertaining. After the show lets out, about 4 or 5 buses are waiting outside near the theatre to take people back to their hotels around the area. They aren't direct buses, and it takes about 4 or 5 stops before we get back to Pop Century resort, and it's about 11:30pm when we get in the room. We're all tired and have sore feet, so it's good to be off them.

DisneyWorld is massive. One could easily spend a day or two in one park and not see it all. It seems crowded for this time of year, with lots of kids, but we later find out that several states out east here have a shortened summer break and add a fall break in around this time of year, so that would explain the amount of kids we see around. It's definitely a lot of walking here too, and you really feel the heat. It might be better in the winter or spring, before it gets too hot and muggy. Everything is maintained pretty well, though and the parks are clean and well themed. Lots of attention to details and things to see and explore. It is pricey though.

When we get back to the room, we find a note left for us from the hotel. Our luggage will be picked up to be taken to the cruise ship tomorrow at 8am. Ugh. We were hoping to go to bed and sleep a bit, thinking that we'd have time in the morning to pack up. Not so. I finish packing around 2 am and Stacey around 3 am. And we have to be up and ready and toiletries packed by 8am so it's gonna be a long day tomorrow. Someone is bound to be grumpy.

Amy's bus to the airport leaves between 10 and 10:30am, so we will meet up at 9am for breakfast and goodbyes.

WYWH

Kim =) and Stacey :)