Disney Trip 2014: Day 1

Jambo!  On Friday, Jan. 17, Tom, Whitley and I flew down to Orlando to spend our third annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in Disney World!  This year, we arrived rather late at our resort (once again we stayed at Port Orleans: The French Quarter), and went right to bed instead of heading to a park.  But we were up and at 'em the next morning to be at Animal Kingdom when it opened at 8:00.  We headed straight to Whitley's favorite- The Primeval Whirl in Dinoland U.S.A.  There was hardly anyone there at that time, so we rode the ride twice without having to get off and re-board.  In fact, we were able to experience most of the rides we wanted to by lunch, leaving the afternoon to wander around, watch some shows, meet some characters, and use the fast passes loaded on our "Magic Bands."  (Disney always seems to be trying something new, and this trip it was the wrist bands.  Our account was linked to them, so we used them to enter the parks, purchase meals and Disney gear, and save photos.)  We left Animal Kingdom around 4:30 to take a shuttle over to the Polynesian resort for our first sit-down meal- 'Ohana.  Here are some pictures to tell the story!

It was a chilly morning.

Taking a family spin on a Triceratops. 

This ride, Dinosaur, is pretty scary, but Whitley just curled up between Tom and me, covered her eyes, and didn't mind a bit.  She is a trooper!

Tom and Whitley take another turn on the Primeval Whirl.

Walking around the Tree of Life. 

Headed out on the Safari!

First characters of the trip- Pluto and Goofy.  Whitley had never met Pluto before!

Finding a warm spot for lunch from Flame-Tree Barbecue.  The ribs came highly recommended and were quite good!  I also tried the chicken.

A water view.

My girl and I.

Meeting Minnie!  She made a gesture like shooting an arrow and touched Whitley's curls.  A lady working there translated, "Oh, she does look like Merida!"  Even the silent characters say it.  :)

Big smiles!

We had some extra time so we watched a bird show.  It was interesting!  A hawk flew into the crowd right beside us.

Getting another look at that hawk afterwards.

King Louie and Baloo from The Jungle Book were fun.  They danced with Whitley.

On our way out.  Excellent first day!

We were the first to be seated at 'Ohana and got "the best view in the house" according to our waitress.  It was a nice table!

The meal included warm pineapple bread, salad with a fruit vinaigrette, lo mein and veggies, and then all sorts of meat and shrimp served from skewers.  All you could eat, of course!