MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY MNSSHP

We went to this years Halloween party on 10/1. It was not a sold out party and we had a blast!!

I apologize in advance for my lack of pictures. Due to resort miscommunication we were unable to head back to the room for a break. This meant not only did we not get to change, we did not get to grab the real camera and were only equipped with our dying phones!

Anyways the party.... We started the party of in Adventureland. This is where the Pirate's League is and we had a 6:50 pm appointment there. I will tell you about that in my next blog post. Next to us at around 6:45 they were setting up a trick or treat line. Across the way at Tortuga Tavern they had an area for guests that were in the park to get their bracelets for the party. They have these stationed throughout the park so that you don't need to trek to the main entrance to get your party band and candy bag.

While waiting for Pirate's League we went through the empty trick or treat line three times. Then we ate candy while waiting for our appointment.

I'm going to skip right to when we finished our appointment. The kids looked amazing first of all. It made it very halloweeny! We then headed off to ride some rides. It was probably almost 8 at this point. On our way to Fantasyland we stopped at every trick or treat spot we saw on the way. None of them took more than 5 mins to walk through.

When we got to Fantasyland we realized we were hungry. We stopped at Pinocchio Haus, my mother and I though it was pretty good. The kids... not so much!

So now it's about 8:45 and we are on our way to party lol. We head straight to storybook circus. I think we went on Barnstormer at least 5 times. No wait any of the times and my kids love that mini roller coaster.  My mother and two older children then headed to Dumbo while I fed my one year old. While they were on it the fireworks started. If you only ever see one fireworks show at Disney... this is the one to see! It doesn't even matter where you are in the park when you see it!

One of the best trick or treat trails is in storybook circus. There are also many characters there to get your pictures taken with. (during the party)

So we took the trail all the way to Tomorrowland, from there my daughter went on Space Mountain and me and the little ones went through another trick or treat line. Then we walked through the dance party dancing all the way to buzz lightyear's space ranger spin. It was no wait and we love that ride. Buzz and Stitch were there for pictures.

We then went back to Fantasyland and rode almost everything in less than 45 mins. Prince Charming's Carousel they let you stay on!!

Haunted Mansion 5 min wait. Meet and Greet with Anna and Elsa 10 min wait Peter Pan 15 min wait... now this is at 11 pm but if you can hold out and make it that long you will be happy!!! 

ADVENTURELAND IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Aaahhh Adventureland. One of my favorite places in all of Walt Disney World. Nestled deep in the heart of this land is my childhood favorite Pirates of the Caribbean. But this land has much more to offer.

Let's start with a map of the area.

MAP OF ADVENTURE LAND MAIN STREET AND HUB

ADVENTURELAND LEGEND

ADVENTURELAND AND FRONTIERLAND LEGEND

Ok now let's explore Adventureland together. If your looking at the map or you know your way around we will be entering this journey from the hub. That's the circle at the end of Main Street and in front of the Castle.

The first thing you will run into before crossing the bridge is one of the few smoking sections left. So either stop here for a second to grab a smoke or walk fast to avoid the smell!

Once you cross the bridge you will be in Adventureland! As you enter to your right will be Sunshine Tree Terrace where you can enjoy citrus swirls and other sweet snacks. A little farther still on your right will be bathrooms a hallway to Frontierland. There is also a gift shop here.

To the left just past Sunshine Tree Terrace is one of my favorite non-ride things to do. I like to do it on longer trips, lower crowds, or days I feel more like seeing than riding if you know what I mean, it is the Swiss Family Tree House. It is not a little tree house! It has a lot of stairs and skinny walkways. Another of my favorite times to do it is during the castle show and fireworks. They are very pretty from the tree house.

When you pass the tree house and the bathrooms there will be some more shopping to your right, Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride in front of you, and The Jungle Cruise to your left. 

Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride is like Dumbo. It is a short slow ride where you go up and down and tilt back and forth with a joy stick. You can fit an average of 4 people per carpet. 2 in the front and 2 in the back, however we have seen 3 smaller people in one row.

On the right is another store followed by a character meet and greet. Usually I see Jasmine here but there's a slim chance of other characters. After that is another walkway that goes through to Frontierland. Aloha Isle is across from the character spot. This is where you can get the famous Dole Whip.

On the left is The Jungle Cruise and a photo spot. The photo spot is just a nice place for people to take pictures. The Jungle Cruise is a slow moving ride through the "Jungle". They fill up a boat with about 20-30 people. (That is a guesstimate) Then you go slowly down the river with a quirky tour guide. It is a fun adventure, for adults the jokes are funny for kids it seems like it's really a jungle cruise!

Across from the Jungle Cruise and behind Aladdin's Magic Carpets is The Enchanted Tiki Room. This was an original to the park in 1971 so it's worth checking out once in your life. I loved it as a kid my kids not so much! They are animatronic or robot birds that sing songs to you.

COMING SOON TO A BLOG NEAR YOU

Hey everyone!!

Sorry for the recent lull in posts I have been tending to my children while summer has left them with no school!!

Now that school has started hopefully I will be able to bring you some news and reviews of all my travels and Disney of course!!

You can expect a few things coming:

Random reviews of Tennessee as we traveled there this summer.

Reviews of this years MNSSHP (Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party)

The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (I am so excited about this one)

1900 Park Fare Breakfast

Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom Baby's First Hair Cut

Pirates League is tentative as my kids are unsure of their level of interest

A Re-Review of BOG Breakfast

Kingdom Stroller Rental

Epcot's Food and Wine Festival (not an all inclusive review just a few stops I try we only have a half day there!)



A little farther down the road I will review:

MVMCP Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

The Sleigh Ride at Fort Wilderness

Garden Wing at the Contemporary Resort

Animal Kingdom's New Eats

Turkey Run in Daytona Beach


Don't forget you can always ask me to check something specific for you!

BE OUR GUEST BREAKFAST IS HERE TO STAY!!!

Yay I really enjoyed my breakfast at Be Our Guest. They have officially announced that it is here to stay!!

I have reservations for October and December already.  Check out my review ;-)

BE OUR GUEST (BOG) BREAKFAST IN DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM

BEAST'S CASTLE HOME OF BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT

Hey everyone!! I can not believe I forgot to write a review at one of my new favorite breakfast spots!!!

So on May 7, 2015 I tried this wonderfully done quick service breakfast at Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom. Let me preface this with the fact that my lunch review of the same restaurant was less that stellar.

I went into breakfast excited but very doubtful based on my lunch experience. Much to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast! It felt like a completely different atmosphere even though it was located in the same building as lunch.

The process for getting in was the same but one year later (I did lunch in May 2014) much more refined. I'm still not sure if that is because they just got better at it or if it's due to the fact that breakfast is early in the day so not only are there less people in the morning they also haven't been up long enough to get hot and crabby.

When you get inside, like lunch, you are moved to two lines: pro-orders and non pre-orders. This time the pre-order line moved faster. I'm not promising that will always happen because my lunch experience was the opposite. Another reason I think the line moves faster for breakfast , again this is just speculation, is because people are eager to get out and get on rides. At lunch they are eager to sit in the a/c and take a break so turn over is probably slower.

The menu is one of the main complaints about this breakfast. Not the food itself but the price. It is a flat rate of $19.99 for adults and $11.99 for children. Drinks are included unless you want one in a souvenir mug! If you are on the Disney Dining Plan than this is one of the best Quick Service breakfast meals you can get, if not the best!

Adult BOG menu choices are as follows:

An Assortment of Cured Meats and Cheese
Cured Meats and Cheese with Millet Bread
Cured Meats no Cheese
Bacon Egg Sandwich
Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich No Cheese
Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich on Millet Bread
Croque Madame
Croque Madame on Millet Bread
Eggs Florentine
Eggs Florentine Millet Bread No Cheese
Scrambled Egg White
Vegetable Quiche
Croissant Doughnut
Waffles

Child BOG menu choices are:

Crepes de Cogsworth
Philippe's Toasty Oats
Warm Oatmeal with Soy Milk
Fifi's French Toast
Scrambled Eggs de Maurice
Chip's Kellogg's Cereal
Cereal Soy Fruit
Waffles

This is the menu on the app as of today June 18, 2015. The BOG breakfast test has just been extended to Oct. 3, 2015.

This menu is already larger than it was when I went last month but most of the additions are just variations of the same thing like with or without cheese and breads.

Every breakfast comes with an assortment of danishes and other pastries. It was delicious! Not only was it delicious it was to much, so much so that we boxed it up and brought it to eat throughout the day!

Pastry Assortment at Be Our Guest Breakfast

I ordered what was then the only Open-Faced Sandwich option. Now it is available without the bread and/or the cheese. It was delicious! A little hard to figure out how to eat but once I did I was glad I ordered it. Due to the strength of the bread I suggest cutting it with a fork and knife. I attempted just a fork and I also attempted to pick it up and bite it! The best option was definitely the fork and knife lol.

OPEN-FACED SANDWICH AT BE OUR GUEST BREAKFAST

My son had Scrambled Eggs de Maurice. He not only ate almost all of it he declared that "this bacon is amazing!" Below is a picture of his meal. He got to it before I did so some eggs were eaten before this picture was taken.

Scrambled Eggs de Maurice child's menu item at Be Our Guest Breakfast

Both of our meals came with a fruit bowl. There was so much that we also packed a little of this in our to-go box also.

All in all it was a great meal. The food came quickly and the staff was very helpful. We did not get out as quickly as I had hoped but that was due to our enjoying our breakfast so much that we took our time and lingered a bit! 

Here's the room we ate in. It had just opened up when we arrived at 8:30 am

If you are on the fence I say go for it!

DISNEY'S MAGICAL EXPRESS

Disney and free are not things that usually go together, but sometimes they hit the nail on the head with this free service!!!

Disney's Magical Express, or ME as we will call it from here on out, is a bus service that will take you from the Orlando (MCO) Airport to your Disney Resort free of charge. Remember the key here is Disney Resort, if you are not staying on Disney property this service is not available for you!! Despite what people say about the cost of staying on Disney's property there are definitely large perks to doing so.

So back to my review of ME. I have only taken it once I have also talked to many people about their experiences with this service, the conclusion: Great Service.

After you exit your plane and head to the terminal there will be signs that direct you to ME. Apparently, it is a well known section of the airport!

When you arrive you will scan your magic band at the first station. All onsite guests get these mailed to their house. If you live out of the country or planned a last minute trip you will pick them up at the front desk of your resort. In this case you will have to stop in the same place but instead give them all your information and wait while they look you up.

They will then send you to the next station where again you scan your Magic Band (or not as explained above) and they will tell you which line to wait in.

After lining up you will be assigned a bus. These are not school buses!! They are chartered type buses with tv's and comfy chairs. While not as comfy as a bed they are still better than those plane seats!!

We were in line for a bus for less than 5 minutes. There were at least 4 ME buses waiting outside. When we got on our bus there were maybe 4 - 6 other families already on it and there was plenty of seating available. One more family boarded after us and then we were off. I'm not sure how long the bus waits for people but my personal wait time on the bus was less than 10 minutes.

As we pulled out the bus driver went over the resorts we were stopping at to make sure everyone was on the correct bus. He than told us the order in which we would be getting off the bus.

The ride from the airport to our first stop was about 20 minutes or so. We were the third out of 4 stops so that took another 15 minutes. All in all from the time we got off the plane to the time we got to our resort it took about an hour. Keep in mind we arrived to the airport at 8ish in the AM. Not a very busy time. If you arrive during peek times I'm sure your wait will be longer.

Don't forget this is a free service!!! Perks are great when you stay onsite like free parking at the theme parks free personalized magic bands 30 extra days to make fastpass reservations... I could go on but I won't that's another blog entry!

TRAM AT MCO ORLANDO INTL AIRPORT

BLURRY SIGN WITH INFORMATION IT SAYS MAGICAL EXPRESS LEVEL 1

SORCERER MICKEY AT MCO ORLANDO INTL AIRPORT

MY SON WITH SORCERER MICKEY

DISNEY'S MAGICAL EXPRESS CHECK IN AREA

BLURRY PIC OF RESORTS THAT MAGICAL EXPRESS SERVICES

CHECK IN FOR THOSE WITHOUT MAGIC BANDS??? 

INSIDE DISNEY'S MAGICAL EXPRESS BUS

  

ALL STAR MUSIC RESORT

All Star Music Lobby

I want to start by saying All Star Music was better than I expected!!

I wasn't expecting much due to all the people that say Pop Century is so much better than the All Star Resorts. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed my 3 day stay here. First a few more pics then a little more details.

All Star Music Lobby Hallway

Front of All Star Music

Broadway Section All Star Music

Jazz Section All Star Music

Main Pool Calypso Section All Star Music

Okay, I want to start by letting everyone know that All Star Music is a Value Resort. This means it is one of the 5 cheapest resorts on Disney property. During slow times this means under $100 a night. Which is a pretty good price considering all the Disney perks that come along with it. We went in early may and with a Florida Resident discount it was $81 a night $92 after all taxes and fees. There is always some discount to be had.

Some perks of staying onsite are no parking fees at the parks, bus service from the airport to your hotel, free magic bands for your entire party, an extra 30 days to make fastpass choices, and extra magic hours or emh. Those are just the big ones!!

So All Star Music is one of three All Star Resorts that opened in the early 90's. While it shows some signs of it's age it has been refurbished. This is the only All Star Resort with family suites. The only other Value Resort with suites in the newly built Art of Animation Resort and those are more expensive.

It is a standard "motel like" room. The value rooms are motel like due to their size. The bathrooms are smallish but well kept and clean like a hotel. The beds are double beds and there is a fridge but no microwave. There is a microwave and toasters available in the food court but we shall save that for another blog post. Below are pictures of a standard room.

All Star Music Standard Room View from Door

All Star Music Standard Room TV an Dressor

All Star Music Bathroom Shower 

All Star Music Sink and Changing Area

All Star Music Standard Room Border

All Star Music Standard Room View from Changing Area

All Star Music Standard Room View from bed

Next we will go over the different sections of the Hotel including pools, food and shopping!

APPLE STROLLER RENTALS IN ORLANDO FLORIDA

While researching stroller rental companies I came across Apple Stroller and Scooter Rental. The following is my personal opinion and experience. My rating is a 2 out of 5 starts. The price was right but you definitely get what you pay for!!

Here is a picture of my Apple Stroller. Well, half the stroller as my son sleeps in it. It is a city mini. So the same kind that most other companies offer. The weight is rated from 0-50lbs and from ages 0 months -5 years. This works for both my boys. The one pictured is 7 months and 25 lbs while my 4 year old who is 40 lbs also used it and fit just fine. I paid $26.50 for 3 days of use. From Wednesday at 8 am through Friday at 8 pm. It came with nothing insurance and nothing more. No rain cover, no cup holders, no parents caddy.

Well here we go with the actual review. When I first picked up the stroller from bell services it was closed. The bell services lady at All Star Music was very helpful and opened it for me since it was just me and my two small children. She had a little trouble opening it and figuring it out. As did I later, but we will get to that.

It came with a piece of paper that said freshly laundered in Dreft. I could tell it smelled fresh but it did not look fresh. It was actually quite dirty and stained for something that was "freshly laundered". In their defense children are messy and stains will happen and they were half the price of the rest of the rental companies.

The handle part where you hold on to that is supposed to be soft and padded, was gone. They had wrapped the tape used for tennis rackets where the padding used to be and it was coming off already. Other than that it seemed to function fine.

That first day we took it to the Magic Kingdom and thankfully the couple behind me knew how to close it because I sure didn't and it didn't come with instructions. You simply pull up on a handle located where your child sits and it magically closes all by itself with one hand and very little effort.

It worked great all day. Due to the tennis wrap on a metal bar I started to get a blister on my hand. I just started holding it differently and that went away.

When it was time to leave for the night, thankfully we left during the fireworks. When I grabbed my strollers handle to collapse it the handle snapped off!!! I fought with it for a few minutes while the bus driver watched me try to figure it out with a sleepy 4 year old and 7 month old in my hand. I finally said "do you think you could give me a hand here"? He tried but could not figure it out either.

They put it on the bus open!!! Thankfully there was a really nice group of Brazilian teenagers that helped me out and got my stroller off the bus. I called Apple the entire bus ride home, I tried 3 different numbers! None of them worked. One said this number is not a working number, another said this mailbox is full.

I went to the concierge desk after getting off the bus and checked to see if they had a number I could call. No suck luck. They had the same number that said this mailbox is full.

At this point I'm pissed I have an 8:05 am reservation inside the Magic Kingdom and I know there is no way they will answer in time to get me another stroller. Thankfully I'm pretty handy. I woke up early in the morning and fixed it myself while the baby slept.

I would have called for a replacement but now I knew how to fix and I was leaving the next day so I stuck it out. It never did break again. I guess I should work for the stroller company as a quality control manager lol. I will be calling them today and letting them know about my disappointment with the cleanliness, functionality, and ability to get a hold of them!!

I would not recommend Apple Strollers to anyone. Just my experience and opinion. 

THE MAGIC KINGDOM AT THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

MAIN STREET IN DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM

Aaahhh the Magic Kingdom, the first park most people go to when they arrive in Disney World. To some it is the only park and they have no idea there are parks beyond this one at Disney World!

This blog is about the Magic Kingdom. I will be dividing it into sections because let's be honest there is just so much to see and do here! I also plan to add to this throughout the year as I myself take a closer look into the MK.

While I have been there over 10 times I know that I always find something new. Throw in the fact that Disney has been steadily changing things for the last few years and I will always have something I need to go back for.

From the moment I walk on to Main Street I feel a sense of happiness. It doesn't matter if it is packed or empty Main Street is always special. So I will dedicate one blog just to Main Street. Included in this section will be the main hub which is what they are currently expanding to ease foot traffic in the area. Also, Cinderella's Castle as it is the focal point as soon as your on Main Street USA.

The other areas we will look into together are the different lands of the Magic Kingdom. They are:

ADVENTURELAND
FRONTIERLAND
LIBERTY SQUARE
FANTASY LAND
TOMORROWLAND

MAP OF MAGIC KINGDOM 2015 NEW FANTASYLAND

LEGEND FROM 2015 MAP OF MK

Hope you enjoy reading about this fabulous park as much as I love telling you about it! Don't forget these sections will be updated throughout the year. I got annual passes for the sole purpose of informing the public about my opinions of Walt Disney World lol. And now on with the show....

DINOLAND USA

Another land in Disney's Animal Kingdom is Dinoland USA. Our family loves this land. It has something for everyone.

DINOSAUR IN DINOLAND USA ANIMAL KINGDOM

There is a wide variety of things to do in this land. It is the first land on the right when you are on Discovery Island. It is also across the bridge from Asia. (Just to the right of it) It actually has a great deal to do despite some questionable reviews I have read.

There is a ride tucked away in the back right corner of Dinoland. It is called Dinosaur and it is one great ride. It is a dark ride and can absolutely be considered scary by small children. My mother, myself, and my daughter all enjoy it thoroughly. My four year old son hides the whole time and the rest of the boys seem to feel like once per trip is enough. If there is no line my daughter and I are happy to go on it at least 3 times in a row!

BEING SILL ON THE DINOSAUR RIDE

  On the way to the Dinosaur Ride there are a few little places to eat to the right but it's pretty standard nothing special American food. If your looking to be food adventurous this is not the land to do it in! Although we end up stopping here a lot because it is so convenient.

This land has a wonderfully huge playground called the Boneyard. It has many slides, stairs, tunnels, and even a dig site. Dino;and USA will be the places smaller children get their kicks in!

 BONEYARD ANIMAL KINGDOM

PLAYGROUND BONEYARD ANIMAL KINGDOM

ANIMAL KINGDOM BONEYARD

LITTLE SLIDES AT THE BONEYARD

BIG SLIDE AT THE BONEYARD IN ANIMAL KINGDOM

ENTRANCE TO THE BONEYARD

To the right of the Boneyard is the carnival looking area. There are two rides in here, a handful of  carnival games, and a character meet and greet. It is a very fun area. If you do all there is to do here it could take you an hour or more. We tend to switch up what we do here. Sometimes we do the carnival games and sometimes we don't because they cost extra money... just like a real carnival!

We do like Prime Evil Whirl. This ride has one of the taller height restrictions of the park at 48". You actually have to be taller to ride this than Mt Everest! Crazy right?! Anyway it is a twisty turny ride so if you don't like the tea cups than this probably isn't your cup of tea lol.

Another ride in this area is for everyone. It is like to old version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant only with baby triceratops! I actually used to like this one better than Dumbo because the line was always shorter but now that Dumbo has that great play area and has had major upgrades this is no longer the case.

Another great show is in this area called DinoLand USA, it's Finding Nemo. This show is in a large theater that has bleachers for seating. Their are actually backs on the rows of seats in this show! That is a major plus but, I wouldn't go as far as saying they are comfortable! It is a nice reprieve on hot days though.

So all in all Dinoland USA is a happening place. Don't skip it if you have children and don't skip it if your one of those people who loves rides. Dinosaur and Prime Evil Whirl should both be done at least once!

BOG BREAKFAST IT'S OFFICIAL

UPDATE: BOG BREAKFAST IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ADR UNTIL OCTOBER 3, 2015!!!

THE ROSE AT BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT

BE OUR GUEST IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM

KNIGHT AT BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT

NEWS FLASH!!! BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT IS OFFICIALLY GOING TO START TESTING BREAKFAST TIME AT THE POPULAR CASTLE RESTAURANT!


So due to the success of the recent lunch changes... Be Our Guest Restaurant will be testing out Breakfast in this lovely castle!

From March 20 - June 18, 2015 and from 8 am -10 am you will be able to dine for breakfast! I'm excited can you tell. Reservations will open on March 17, 2015 so be ready!

It will be a French inspired menu including favorites like the cronut, french toast, crepes, eggs Florentine and so much more!

Get ready to get your ressie if you are heading to the wonderful Walt Disney Worlds's Magic Kingdom from March 20 - June 18!!  

ASIA SECTION OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

MT EVEREST ANIMAL KINGDOM

Asia is home to one of the best "thrill" rides in Disney World. I put thrill in quotation marks because I feel like Disney's version of thrill rides is still tamer than other theme parks but still very enjoyable and able to serve a wider range of people.

Anyway on to my review an walk through of Asia.

Asia is nestled in between Africa and Dinoland USA. Depending on where you are coming from changes what you see first. We are going to start as if we are coming from the Africa section of the park.

The first thing you come to would be a show called Flights of Wonder. This is a very good show about birds. We have only done it once because there really is a lot to do in this park. So we try to do a different show every time. Along with one of the two treks. In Asia is the other trek it's called the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This is another good one. I absolutely recommend both of these but remember this park is not open until ten at night so you really need to use your time wisely here.

WALKING THROUGH ASIA

After you pass Flights of Wonder there are two ways you can go. One will take you to Discovery Island (not where you want to go) and the other will take you to both Kali River Rapids and The Maharajah Jungle Trek (that's where you want to go). The trek is awesome and even has tigers. This trek features animals from Asia. That is what makes the two treks different, they both feature animals from the country they represent.

I recommend the Kali River Rapids to anyone who doesn't mind getting drenched! Realistically speaking there is a very good chance you will be soaked and should have brought a change of clothes. There are lockers by the entrance to the ride that are free for the first hour. This is for all the brave souls who know they will be soaked. Most people think you will only get a few splashes... you are wrong! The minority of people will get a few splashes the rest will have a least one side of them that is completely wet! So beware. I love this ride my husband will not get on. literally I mean he refuses and that is completely understandable.

After the rapids is half of my family's favorite ride.....

STUCK ON EXPEDITION EVEREST

Expedition Everest!!!!! I love this ride! Everyone in my family who is tall enough to ride loves this ride! We go on it at least 3 times every trip. Once with a fastpass, once with a rider swap, and at least once in the single rider line! We literally love this ride. Yes that is a picture of the ride not moving.... Why you ask? Because Murphy's Law follows my husband around. He and my dear daughter on stuck inside this Mountain as I am taking this picture. I had a feeling they were stuck so I snapped a pic and sure enough 30 mins later they are texting me from inside the Mountain with all the lights on! Still it is our favorite ride of this park!

That is it for rides in this section but don't forget they have food here too! I haven't tried all of it nor do I have reviews done for this section yet but I will say this. The Yak and Yeti quick service has delicious fried rice and egg rolls.

On to Dinoland we go!

AFRICA SECTION OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

AFRICA SECTION TUSKER HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND

Right after the bridge to the left on Discovery Island are two of my favorite things... Tusker House and the new building that houses Festival of The Lion King. Both are on my list of favorites. Keep in mind to do both in one day is a good 2 hours of your day gone! You can check out my food reviews for Tusker House and I will tell you a little about FOTHLK now.

Festival of the Lion King is a live action show. It is composed of mostly singing, dancing, and acrobatics. It is loud and you will be sitting in a tight space. The theater is an octagon type shape with four sides for seating and the other four are an exit and entrances for both people and the show. It is about a half hour long and hot in the room I think due to all the people sitting so close together. It is worth it and should be done at least once by anyone who likes any of the above mentioned things.

IN BETWEEN FOTLK AND TUSKER HOUSE

RANDOM AFRICA SELFIE ME AND MELO

Another of everyone's favorites is located here in the Africa section. The Safari Ride. This is a great adventure through many different terrains that lets you view all types of animals in their fake natural habitats lol. It really is very well done. I highly recommend this ride. I recommend going at dawn or dusk during the hotter months and in the middle of the day for the cooler ones. I will admit that although some animals like the crocodiles always seem to be in the same place the rest you never know where or if you will see them. Here are a couple of pics from a two different trips because like I said it's different every time.

GIRAFFE SAFARI RIDE FEB 2015

RHINOS SAFARI RIDE SEPT 2013

Another great thing for younger than teen sized kids and all aged animal or science lovers is Rafiki's Planet Watch. After you get off the Safari to your left or if you skip the Safari it's on your right, there is a train that you can ride to conservation station. This is a petting zoo type are that also houses a veterinary center and science exhibit. My kids love this section. We don't do it every time because they will easily spend 2-3 hours here. So we only stop in on long trips where we get to do AK twice! Here are some pics of that.

PETTING ZOO ANIMAL KINGDOM

RAFIKI'S PLANET WATCH

BRUSHING THE SHEEP

There is one other big thing in Africa. That is the Wild Africa Trek. Here you will see an amazing array of birds, some animals from the safari, and my favorite the silver back gorillas. There is of course more than that but those are my top three. My son would probably say the house with all the bugs was his favorite! This is another do it yourself thing and it can go as quick as 20 mins or as long as 2 hours depending on how much time you want to spend on each part of the trek!

Here a few last pictures from Africa and remember you could literally spend an easy 6 hours just in Africa!

OSTRICH ON SAFARI RIDE

BIRTHDAY GIRL DANCE

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

On to Asia we go!