Animal Kingdom

Our second day was spent at Animal Kingdom, the fourth and newest park at Disney World. It’s only got a half dozen rides and a half dozen shows, but it’s easy to spend a whole day there by checking out the animal exhibits. In the center of the park is the Tree of Life, surrounded by Discovery Island. Several themed lands surround it - Dinoland USA, Asia, Africa, and Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Dinoland has three rides, plus some animal attractions, a play area, and some games. The kids enjoyed the spinning coaster in the Dino-Rama area, which is themed to a roadside carnival. There's also a Dumbo-like spinner, and a jeep ride like Indiana Jones, where you go back in time to see Dinosaurs. There used to be a Tarzan musical show, but it closed a few months before.

We went on every ride, including the new roller coaster, Expedition: Everest, located in Asia. It has a great queue and is a lot of fun, although Susan didn't like the part where it goes backwards, and said she'd never ride it again. Asia also has a raft ride and a bird show.

One ride we always do is Kilimanjaro Safari in the Africa section. It’s very good - a long ride on a truck like vehicle with lots of African animals to see. Animal Kingdom definitely needs more family style rides like it. We also enjoyed taking the train to Conservation Station. It’s a beautiful park, with really great theming, but does get quite humid in the heat.