15 Days to 15 Years- 2013

Happy 15th Anniversary Disney’s Animal Kingdom!  Today marks the end of our 15 Days to 15 Years adventure; my co-host Beth (Pursuing the Magic and The Magical Blogorail founder) and I are grateful for the15 tales of exotic locales, wild animals and personal treks through this, Walt Disney World’s youngest and most unconventional park.  Beth will conclude the series today with 2013 and some “jamaa”.

Thanks to Melissa from Disney on Wheels for sharing this photo from our meet up!

Over the last 15 years, Disney guests have seen Disney’s Animal Kingdom become a park of excitement, discovery and a place we’ve all created many magical moments. From the attractions to the shows to the character meet and greets, this park I once considered a half day park (what was I thinking?) is now a park that holds some of our most favorite things to do in Walt Disney World.

Our trip this year represented my 8th trip to Disney since Animal Kingdom opened.  On this trip, our children were ages 8, 6 and 5 (quite a change from our first trip with all three of them when they were 3.5, 2 and 10 months!).  But even better, not only did I get to enjoy this park with my family, but I was able to meet up with some of my fellow Disney bloggers and Magical Blogorail members.  I started my Animal Kingdom day, by heading into the parks without my family to finally meet in person, Jenn from Disney Babies Blog, Mary from Capturing Magical Memories and Melissa of Disney on Wheels. I have been talking to these women online for years, and it was amazing to see them in person.  Our meet up included an adventure through Kilimanjaro Safaris, which is one of my most favorite Disney attractions.  But not only was this magical due to the people I was with, but something else happened.  Something I have been waiting for years to happen!

In all our experiences on Kilimanjaro Safaris, there has been just one thing I hadn’t seen yet, but hoped for every trip.  I have never seen the lion!  My photos from each year capture the tip of his ear, or maybe a bit of fur from his mane.  But that all changed this trip.  As we rounded the corner, there he was, head up and looking out over the “safari.”  I was quite excited to say the least.  He was as beautiful as I had imagined!  Apparently, my fellow bloggers had brought a little extra magic with them!  This made my whole trip.

Joey enjoying his first trip to Dinoland

After our safari, I met up with my family.  They had finally made it to the park and were waiting for me in Dinoland, a place we have never taken the time to experience either.  Joey, Hayley and Emily loved Triceratop Spin, which they experienced for the first time this trip.  My dad and Pierre took on Primeval Whirl for the first time as well.  But what my kids loved the most was the Boneyard.  From the xylophone made of bones to the climbing and sliding structure to discovering a loud roar when you step on a dinosaur footprint, I didn’t think we would ever get our kids out of this section of the park.  Again, how did we skip this area for so long?  The smiles on my kids’ faces while just running and playing with the other kids, made me realize here was yet another part of Animal Kingdom I just did not appreciate until I saw it through the children’s eyes.  Sometimes they need time to just play and interact with other kids.

I had to leave early because Hayley overheated. Joey asked Pierre if they could surprise me and have their photo taken together in front of the Tree of Life

A park that was once my least favorite and one I always said I could skip has now become a place that holds some of our “must do” attractions and shows.  Our Walt Disney World trips would not be complete without an African safari, a river raft ride soaking, watching the Festival of the Lion King or catching a glimpse of Divine (and of course, much more).  Even better, every trip, we are still discovering new things this park has to offer.  Over the last 15 years, Disney Animal Kingdom has found a special place in our hearts where we have created many magical memories and where our children have taught us to appreciate something that is such a special place for all of us.  It has been an amazing 15 years, and our family cannot wait to see what this park has in store for the future!

I can’t believe this is the end of our 15 Days to 15 Years series.  I have loved all the memories shared over the last two weeks.  From a family who has a new appreciation of such an amazing park, we want to say thank you to everyone who came together to share their memories and Happy 15th Anniversary, Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Here are my 15 photos for 15 years:

Thank you so much for hosting such a wonderful series, Donna, and for bringing so many of us together to share our Disney memories!

Asante sana to Beth and all of you.  We wish you hakuna matata!!!