Princess in the Animal Kingdom

We met with Grandma and Grandpa to have breakfast this morning. We went to IHOP, one of Marina’s favorites. Once we’d eaten, we waited for the shuttle to take us to Animal Kingdom. Marina dressed as Princess Tiana today. All day, she was greeted as a princess. Some of the cast members even expressed surprise, such as “Your Highness, we didn’t know you would be here today!”

We headed right for the Kilmanjaro Safari in Africa. The line wasn’t long and we all loved it. We got a good look at ostriches today as well as elephants, hippos, wildebeests and giraffes.

We looked around Africa for a short while before heading over to Asia. I’m not sure how, but her grandparents talked Marina into trying the Expedition Everest roller coaster. It was quite a thrilling ride. Marina’s reaction was the same as the Kali River Rapids, “I hated it!”

We went to Dinoland USA and rode the Triceratop Spin (sort of like Dumbo) and Dinosaur (which both Marina and I didn’t like, but Grandma and Grandpa loved it!). We stopped for lunch, watched Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade, then saw the 3D show, ”It’s Tough To Be A Bug!” I thought it might be a bit too much for Marina, but she loved it! It started to rain, so we quickly ducked into Finding Nemo – the Musical. It was as good as we remembered it.

Once that show was over, we walked across the park to Camp Minnie-Mickey. We saw the Festival of the Lion King, which was fun. Then we met a whole bunch of characters as the park closed. We saw Mickey, Minnie and Daisy Duck in their safari gear as well as Terk from Tarzan.


At that point, the Animal Kingdom was closed for the day. Marina and I went over to the Magic kingdom to see Princess Tiana. We had dinner in Liberty Square before getting into line. She was pretty popular that evening, but we enjoyed talking with the attendant and Photo Pass photographer while we waited. The photographer even pulled her aside and took a few pictures, including a “magic shot” of her kissing a frog!

Marina and I were tired, so we headed out. But not before taking a moment to see the princesses at the Main Street Theater. We saw Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella before going back to the hotel.

Pocahontas at the Parks

We slept in again today. Three nights of fireworks will make one tired! Today’s first stop was the Animal Kingdom. It was a very hot day. Marina was dressed as Pocahontas, but she wanted a hat. So we picked up one as we entered the park. She also bought herself some binoculars. She certainly looked ready to see some animals. Our first stop was the Kilmanjaro Safari. This year they let Marina sit next to the window. She was happy about that. We got a good look at quite a few animals including hippos, elephants and giraffes. It was as good as we remembered from last year. The train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch was near Africa, so we went ahead and took it. We met with Pocahontas and Jiminy Cricket while we were there.

We were both hungry, so we stopped at the Yak and Yeti and had honey chicken for lunch. We had a hard time finding a place to sit, but a nice newlywed couple from Georgia offered to let us share their table. The food was really good and perked us both up. We headed deeper into Asia and went to the Kali River Rapids ride. It looked like river ride at our local amusement park but, as it turns out, you get much wetter on the Kali River Rapids. Marina was not pleased about how soaked she was. When we talked about the ride, she said, “I hated it!” Then we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek where we saw a tiger playing in a fountain. She kept roaring. The guide said she was calling to her sisters to come play. We also saw bats, birds and snakes on the Trek.

We decided to Park Hop today and went over to Hollywood Studios. We found out that the unscheduled character visits still happen at the same time, so we were at the right place to see that. Marina got to meet Stitch, Goofy and the Queen of Hearts. But the best part was, Pocahontas and Meeko were there. So Marina had her picture taken with her again. It was fun for all of them.

We went over to the Streets of America to meet Phineas and Ferb. She loves that show and they are new to Hollywood Studios. It was a long wait, but we were entertained by songs from the show while we waited. Lightning McQueen and Mater were just around the corner, so we stopped to see them as well.

After dinner, we watched The Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Then we went to the stadium to watch Fantasmic. We missed this show last year – it was canceled due to technical difficulties. This year it was delayed by weather, but it finally started. It was an amazing show. Marina loved it – especially since it featured Pocahontas. She definitely wore the right costume today.

Disney World - Day Two

Today's plan was to see the Animal Kingdom. We were fortunate that Marina's grandparents were able to drive up from the Miami area to join us today. Marina hadn't see them in two years, so they made the day extra special.

Marina wore her Pocahontas costume today. People called her "Princess" and "Pocahontas" all day long. She loved telling everyone it was just a costume and she wasn't the real Pocahontas.

We started off in Africa with some breakfast. There weren't many places to sit, but Marina found a spot for herself and Grandma.

The safari had a short wait, so we went on that first. Marina was disappointed she wasn't allowed to sit near the window, but she really liked looking at the animals. She got especially excited to see the giraffes and the baby elephant. We went on a jungle trek after that. Grandma and grandpa got a chance to tell her about the animals they know about.

We were all really hot, so we took the Wilderness Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch which was air conditioned. There we go a chance to meet Pocahontas. Marina was excited about that. The cast member with Pocahontas acted confused that there were two Pocahontases. Marina did her best to explain it. We also met Rafiki (who played hide and seek with Marina) and Jiminy Cricket.


We had lunch and then went to Camp Mickie-Minnie to see The Festival of the Lion King. It was a wonderful show of music from the movie and acrobatics. We all enjoyed it.

By then, Marina was wanting to ride some rides. So, we headed to Dinoland USA. We all tried out the TriceraSpin. It was much like the Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom. She loved it. We also rode the Dinosaur ride. It was much more intense than I had expected. Marina didn't like it at all. There weren't many more rides, but Marina got her face painted and she was happy with that.

We went to see Finding Nemo - the Musical. It was a great show that we all loved. The puppets were very clever and the effects impressive. Once the show was over, Marina's grandparents decided to go back to the hotel. Marina wanted to stay a little while longer. As we were eating dinner it started to rain. We ducked into a store until it lightened up. Then we went back to Camp Mickie-Minnie. The line to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse was not long, so we got to see them in their safari gear. There was no line for Goofy and Donald Duck, so we stopped to see them as well.

The park was getting ready to close, so we left. Marina wanted to go swimming when we got to the hotel. She's loved having a pool at the hotel.