Ibis | 365atDisney

Today is beautiful! There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s a bit chilly today, but the breeze is soft. It is 63 degrees and the sun is so bright! I think we will head for Animal Kingdom on this perfect day. As we get to the entrance for parking, I am surprised that there are 3 cars in each of the lines. We get through the parking entrance and notice that the parking lots are full.

As we get around the long driveway, we see that they are parking in an area that has not been used on any of the days that we’ve come these past few months. Soon, I realize that all of the parking is almost full! We park and walk to the entrance. We get our bags checked, scan our MagicBands, and enter into the main gates. Tonight Animal Kingdom is open until 8:00 P.M.

We go around the Oasis where there are many animals that you can watch. It is so cool to see the unusual birds and animals. It is beautifully green as you walk up the walkway. We walk across the bridge to Discovery Island, and that is when we notice the amazing amount of people who are here today.

One of our quests today is to see the new additions to the Tree of Life! We heard that they had finished the new carvings and I can hardly wait to get to see them! As we approach the area in front of the Tree of Life, it is bustling with people taking turns getting pictures in the midst of these new “roots.” They are fabulous! The detail in the deer and its antlers are so wonderful. There are several animals, including an elephant, a buffalo, and even a Komodo dragon! It is amazing and the detail is fabulous.

We tried to get some Fastpass+ before we came, but now that we are here, I can see why the attractions we were interested in didn’t have any availability today. It is the busiest I have seen Animal Kingdom! We checked wait times, and they are all very busy,

The next stop for us is coffee at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company. The line is very long, but it will be worth the wait. We order the Cupid’s Kiss, an espresso drink with milk, chocolate, caramel, and coconut, topped with whipped cream. It was amazing! Oh, Happy Valentine’s Day!

After we get our coffees, we walk over to Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, where we find a nice bench to sit on and drink coffee as we watch the roller coaster speed by.

We had not talked to very many people today. It seems that everyone has been busy and focused. But then, a young mom and her little one sat near us. The little one was having a meltdown since she was too little to ride Expedition Everest. I said, “Hi, I love your sweater!” and the little one got quiet as she munched on her Mickey Ice Cream Bar. Soon, she was happily talking, telling us all about her dad and brother riding Expedition Everest. She was so cute! We soon said our goodbyes and she was smiling.

We went around past Finding Nemo the Musical. A little ways down the path, you can find DinoLand USA. It is a fun place for kid’s rides, but we will stay to the right and continue around.

There are still so many people everywhere we go. I am just amazed. We are choosing to search for pins to see if there are some we want to trade. Soon, we find that we can go back toward the Oasis and search for pins near the entrance. So, we turn that way and make it to the front of Animal Kingdom.

As we are leaving, it seems that there are almost as many people coming into the park as there are leaving. It is busy, but so much fun. We figure out that it is perfect timing for us to go home since the sun is going down and the wind is kicking up. It is getting chilly really fast! Goodnight, Animal Kingdom, it has been a good afternoon!

The sun is shining and the day is warm! I think we will head for Epcot! Neil Patrick Harris is at the Christmas Candlelight Processional and that would be amazing to see!

As we arrive and park, we are at the far end of the row, away from the tram. That means that it is almost as close to walk to the front entrance as it is to walk to the tram. These rows are very, very long, but if you are here for the first time, the tram is a great way to make it to the front entrance.

We get to bag check and the security guards are really nice as we go through the line. Twinkie overheard the security guard say that people were lining up to see Neil Patrick Harris at 1:30 today, even though the first Candlelight Processional doesn’t start until 5:00. Apparently, the line was so long, it wrapped from the American Adventure, through Italy, and all the way down into Germany! Wow!

We scan our MagicBands and I laugh with the cast member as she welcomes me. I am laughing because at this very moment there are so many places open to scan my MagicBand! I love these moments!

As we enter, we are talk about wanting to see the Candlelight Processional, especially with Neal Patrick Harris. So, we need to see if there are reservations left for one of the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages. We want to make sure we get to see the Candlelight Processional, and it sounds like this will be the best way to get good seats. Neal Patrick Harris is amazing and we’ve enjoyed watching him throughout his career, even back to Doogie Howser, M.D.!

As we talk to the cast member in Guest Relations, her trainer says that she’s worked at the Candlelight Processional, and she really loved hearing him. He was her favorite! We are so excited, and they begin the search to see if we are able to find a lunch or dinner open. As we explain the restaurant and time we want, they both are so surprised that they have a reservation open. We smile really big and are thankful that there is one available. They completed the reservation, and again reemphasized how surprised they were that there was one still available. We smile and laugh with them and know that it will be an amazing night!

We grab a drink at Starbucks and head for Canada! Oh, Tooti sees a mom that is taking her daughter’s picture and asks, “Would you like me to take a picture of you both?” She was elated, and thanked us several times. We were so glad to get to help!

We are doing a lot of pin trading today. The kids are off and finding cast members to see which pins they have. I love pin trading; we find pins that I have never seen. We find a few and decide to see if we can find the bunny rabbits that live in the gardens in Canada. We see the beautiful gardens and it is so peaceful, but the rabbits must be hiding in the flowers. We continue around, cross the rope bridge, and climb the stairs. It is beautiful, and the waterfall is amazing.

We stop at the Northwest Mercantile shop to see the new items. Twinkie points out the raccoon hat with its plushie head and tail still attached. Then, she finds a little round critter with a Canadian Mountie hat on. They also carry Moose Spit, Bear Breath, Beaver Butt, Sasquatch Sweat, Ferret Farts, and these are soaps by Goat Mountain Soap Company! We do have to chuckle about these. Check out their lip balms! We love those names too!

As we are leaving and walking down the stairs, we can hear the new Christmas music coming from the Mill Stage. Oh, look! It’s the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs playing Christmas music! How fun!

We are going to back track and see if we can do some more pin trading on the way back to the entrance. We do stop at Pin Central to see the new Christmas Pins. We trade a couple of pins with the cast members and we are off. As we get close to Guest Relations, we stop and enjoy watching little kids dancing with the cast member, she has a bubble gun. Then, we notice that there is a remote controlled yellow car running in huge circles! I noticed that there were stickers attached to the top, with a little note that says, “Take one!” It is the funniest, coolest thing! A little dude walked up and got a sticker. I want one! We all got a sticker and the car took off. I hollered back at two little brothers, “Hey, do y’all want to get a sticker?” They looked up at their dad and he said, “Sure!” They were hopping and happy when they got them as they headed toward the front gate!