Miranda and Matthew's Place: Disney Vacation - Day 5, Safari, Swimming and more.

Disney Day Two:

On day two of our Disney vacation we awoke at the crack of, well, 10 AM. We made it to the resort restaurant just before they ended breakfast. Matthew and Miranda started the day with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and a Mickey waffle. Today’s big plan is to visit the animal kingdom. Knowing that the animals like to sleep in the day, we were up at the crack of 10 AM so we could catch them before their afternoon nap. The last thing I wanted was another non-adventure like we had at the Merritt Island wildlife sanctuary.

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom, inserted our security key and finger print scan at the gate and headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safari. Our diligence had paid off; almost all the animals were up and active. We saw alligators, dear like things with horns, antelope, giraffes of different types, elephants, rhinoceroses, all kinds of birds and even a sleeping lion. Occasionally, we would even catch a glimmer of humanoid like creatures in a safari vehicle in the far off distance. We obviously were not alone on this adventure.

By now the heat was really starting to drain us. We had to convince Matthew that he would enjoy the wildlife express train, a 1.2 mile ride on which he could rest. Our train stopped at a conservation station island where we took some pictures, found refuse in the air-conditioning and were entertained by Matthew and friends in the Congo Bongo band. By now Miranda had joined in the “it’s too hot” chorus, so we headed back to mainland on the train and walked to the park exit, stopping for ice cream next to the big old tree. Then it was on the bus and back to the resort to spend the afternoon in the pool.

While mom relaxed poolside watching the kids swim, I took the opportunity to cruise around the waterways on the Disney ferryboat, which docked just behind the pool. The waterways connect a number of Disney resorts to the Downtown Disney area. I enjoyed a peaceful ride up to the larger Port Orleans Riverside resort and then back down past the Port Orleans French Quarter where we were staying, past a number of small jungle houses and finally down around a bend in the river to Downtown Disney. The ride back was just as relaxing and gave me an idea of what to do for dinner. When I got back, the kids changed out of their swimwear and we hopped aboard the ferryboat to Port Orleans Riverside for dinner at the Boatwrights’s Dining Hall. After dinner, Matthew and I stopped in the bar area to enjoy the entertainment. Within no time Matthew found himself at home on stage as part of the act.

For most, a day filled with a Safari adventure, swimming, dining and entertainment may have been enough, but we were just getting started. Tonight, the Magic Kingdom remains open till two AM for resort guests. We washed our hands, boarded the bus and arrived at the Magic Kingdom gates in time to swipe our cards, scan our fingers, and make it to Cinderella’s Castle for fireworks at ten PM.

The magic of the Magic Kingdom really comes to life after dark. The lights are spectacular, the air is cooler and the lines are quite reasonable. When the fireworks ended and most folks were making their way out of the park, we started swimming upstream like salmon to our first attraction, the Haunted Mansion. As we moved along the winding path towards the entrance, we touched and poked at each display most people just walk passed. Miranda and Matthew became excited as organs started playing, books moved in and out, and instrument of the orchestra began to play when touched. I also made a number of comments to Matthew concerning the gravesites we were passing and how it was rumored these were of kids who were scared to death in years past while visiting the Haunted Mansion.

From the mansion we wandered back to Main Street to catch the midnight version of Disney’s Electrical Parade, which is extra magical after dark. Following the parade, we made a visit to our old friend Brer Rabbit at Splash Mountain and then stopped by to see old Tex Ritter and the Country Band Jamboree perform one of my favorites, “Blood on the saddle”. Big Al sure can sing that one. The night ended with a lazy ride through it’s a small world and as Matt put it, “ were only doing this for you mom”, which he follow up with – “This ride is JUNK”, in typical Matt fashion.

We stopped at a gift shop or two as we walked towards the park exit and boarded the bus just before two AM. As the bus pulled out of the depot, the parents quietly looked around at each other with a smile as one by one, the kids drifted off to sleep. We arrived back at our resort at 2:35 AM and hit the sack.