A Trip to Animal Kingdom

We have been in Florida for a week and it feels as comfortable as if we have been here for years. I have built enough ankle strength to be able to jog around the neighborhood every day. I am doing a daily 5K and taking it slow (13mm) so I don't injure the ankle. Also, it is very difficult to breath while running in the heat and humidity. The sun is so intense that it makes me feel like an ant under a magnify glass. But this was the dream and I am living it.

The villa we stayed at last year had cockroaches. We complained and the property management company said "This is Florida. You need to get used to bugs." This year, we made the villa produce evidence that they regularly pay for professional extermination. And we thought all was good. Until today when we were invaded by ants all over the house! In ten minutes we killed 70 ants and they kept coming! I called the management company and complained but by the end of the day we have had no response.

On Mondays and Fridays I work half days with the understanding that when I get out if work we will go to a park. My family hasn't completely caught onto this idea. Today, I got out of work at noon (keep in mind that work is in a home office) and the family wasn't ready to leave until after 3!

We headed to Animal Kingdom and arrived in just minutes. The Animal Kingdom is the hottest of all the parks because the dense trees block any breeze. Each year the trees get more and more dense and the park gets hotter and hotter.

I remember when the park opened we could see the waterfalls outside Rainforest Cafe - not today! It is overgrown with trees. I have a memory of Animal Kingdom having a boat ride around the river. It was like a serious version of the jungle cruise. No one believes me, but I remember it.


We only have a handful of favorite rides and we were able to do them all in about four hours. We even got to see the new Lion King Theater (which looks a lot like the old theater except in a new locations).


A great aspect of a long stay (including living at Disney)is the freedom to go to Disney for a few hours in the evening. There isn't any need to do full day marathon trips to the park. A few comfortable hours is perfect. Animal Kingdom closes early so we left and ate dinner off property.