Walt Disney World Vacation 2023 - Day 2
We’re back with day two of my birthday visit to Walt Disney World (WDW) this past April! This time, we began our day at Animal Kingdom Park (AKP). If you need a refresher, read day 1 here!
Animal Kingdom Park
The proximity to AKP from our hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) is beautiful; only a short bus ride away. Plus, because we stayed at a Disney hotel, we were able to enter the parks 30 minutes before the general public! I knew those 30 minutes would fly by fast, so I made an executive decision for my parents and I to ride the attraction Dinosaur first.
Searching for our Dino!
We didn’t rush to Pandora: World of Avatar like everyone else because I knew the Flight of Passage ride, which features display screens with 3D glasses, may be too intense and make us motion sick. I remember being really scared when I first rode it and had to take several deep breaths and look around the room to remind myself that it was just large room with a giant projector screen.
Okay, but Dinosaur?? you’re asking, eyebrow raised in confusion.
Good question! I remember Dinosaur being very scary from my first visit a couple of years ago (I just didn’t remember how scary), but nothing my parents and I couldn’t handle. The ride has the exact same track as Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland as well (minus one turn), so I knew it would be a similar ride system. Just a different theme.
The “Dinosaur” sign appears to be foreshadowing something in this particular angle…
Plus, Indiana Jones Adventure is my favorite ride. How could I not enjoy Dinosaur? (Famous last words…)
O M G.
That ride is WAY more intense and scary than I remember! Why is it PITCH dark?? I get that we’ve traveled back in time when there are no street lights or building lights, but surely we could have traveled back before the sun set?! And that dino that lunges toward you at the end???
Goodbye and goodnight.
I felt like it was all about to end right then and there.
When we got off the ride, my parents and I were completely silent, all of us a bit shaken. (I think they were a little mad at me for picking this as our first ride of the day.)
At least we got a nice photo to look back on:
Sorry for not paying for this PhotoPass photo, lol. A screenshot works fine.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
After our short trip back in time, we decided to check out live, non-extinct animals on Kilimanjaro Safaris. This ride was so neat, seeing all the animals resting peacefully in their habitats. I love how close we got to them, and the insightful facts our safari guide shared with us.
This was a safe, wholesome follow-up ride after the scary, dark Dinosaur ride.
Pandora: The World of Avatar (and Kermit!)
Following our safari tour around Africa and Asia, we headed to Pandora: World of Avatar. I forgot how small this area is lol, but it was incredible seeing the floating rocks, flora detail, and level of immersion found there. This area is truly an amazing feat in Imagineering.
We walked inside the store to window shop, and I saw a Cast Member (CM) spot me and look like they wanted to talk to me. They finally approached me and said they liked my Kermit plushie (that I’ve been holding this entire time). They also pointed out a small detail in the shop: KTF-50955. This translated to Kermit the Frog, 05/09/1955, aka Kermie’s birthday! Taurus king!
I was so excited to learn about this small detail. Kermit fits right in at Pandora! I snapped a photo:
Na’vi River Journey
Unsure of what to do next, we decided to wait in the queue for Na’vi River Journey. It was posted at a 40-minute wait time, but surely it couldn’t be that long of a wait, right? LOL, wrong.
It felt like eternity. In actuality, the wait was probably an hour and a half… maybe even two hours? (Perhaps we should have planned better…). The ride was nice, so detailed and immersive, but kind of short. Please extend it a bit, Disney!
Hotels are for Naps
Once our river journey concluded, we headed to the hotel for our midday nap. Sometimes napping is the most highly anticipated part of the day.
View of the savanna from the hotel hallway!
Due to the rules at the time, we weren’t allowed to park hop to the next park until 2 pm, so we thought it was best to rest at the hotel instead of walking around and tiring ourselves out until that time.
A nap and a meal were all we needed to continue with our day. Out next stop was, you guessed it, Epcot again!
Epcot Once Again
We initially made plans to eat at a nice restaurant in Magic Kingdom, but cancelled our plans and opted for comfort food (which saved our wallets as well!). We enjoyed some delicious tacos at the Mexico pavilion and explored the pyramid again (does it have a name? lol). There are a lot of cool stuff in there, and my family loved seeing our culture represented at a Disney park.
Also, we hung out inside the pyramid to wait out a potential thunderstorm brewing…
Gran Fiesta Tour at the Pyramid
We rode the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros! So cute! And it was a walk-on! I especially liked riding right next to the pyramid itself. More pyramids and other Mexican landmarks on the ride, please! This is an urgent request, Mr. Iger.
Rain + Thunder⚡️
Okay, so our original plan was to head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) after dinner. It was not a huge priority to visit this park because I knew our trip was short; some sacrifices had to be made. But! We planned to go that very evening. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
I could have handled a little rain, no problem, but OMG. There was thunder! There was lightning! The sky turned so dark, a large deep grey enveloping the entire sky. And all I had was a small umbrella for protection…
We opted to take the bus back to the hotel and turn in early instead.
Shout-out to my dad for capturing this shot of a lightning strike outside Epcot!
I was a little disappointed, but I knew this was for the best. Going to bed early, however, meant that we could rest up more and be even more prepared for our third and final day tomorrow!
Tomorrow, the date of my birth, the big day, we begin our day at the one, the only,
We’ve got some unfinished business there.
Until next time, friendaroos!
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