Well we are on our way to DISNEY WORLD. I still cannot believe it is really happening. Once we got to the airport we walked right in, thru security and we were done. Er, about an hour and a half left to kill before our flight. LOL. We were hungry, but the concourse didn't offer much....we decided on Smoothies. Yum. It was a good into into Disney, because for 4 smoothies it was $27. Our flight didn't leave until 2:10 and needless to say we were up early, so I told the kids I would pay them a Disney Dollar if they took a nap on the plane. Bad mother, however it did work. We arrived and went to check in for the Disney Magical Express. We figured this would take a while to process, so Todd took the kids to sit down and wait while I got in line to check us in. I walked up, gave our name, she typed on the computer, said "just go over to the red carpet and follow the carpet to bus for your resort". Todd didn't even have a chance to sit down. We followed the red carpet to the bus for Animal Kingdom Lodge, got on and we waited about 10 minutes and then headed out for our home away from home. The kids were so excited, and so were we. Bus trip was smooth and they had drop down DVD players with Disney info playing.
The trip was about 30 minutes. It felt like 2 hours because we were so excited. The bus driver was a hoot and kept us laughing. When we pulled up to the Animal Kingdom Lodge we couldn't wait to get inside. Wow! Wow! Wow! There is no doubt that this is a Deluxe Disney Resort. The lobby is 5 stories high and the decor is fascinating. We wanted to get checked in, see our room and then go exploring. And of course I wanted a Diet Coke. Heh. 
Todd and I were both hoping like crazy that we were going to have Bunk Beds in our room. The thought of 2 queen bed for the 4 of us just left us at a loss. We got room 4378. We had to walk to the end of the u shaped wing. It certainly built the suspense. We opened our door and Woo-Hoo!!! It was MORE than we even hoped. 
Bunk Beds AND an excellent view of the Arusha Savannah. 
We "oooooo'd" and "ahhhhh'd" about our room and our view and then had to get out and about. We toured part of the property, saw oodles of animals, and even walked thru the gift shop. We took the kids to see the heated pool and had dinner at the Mara (quick serve eatery). That's where we picked up our refillable mugs. We ate dinner outside at a table then did some more exploring. We found the kiddie playground, so the kids worked off some pent up energy. It started sprinkling, then got a little heavier, so we headed back. We were looking at some flamingos when the torential downpour hit. We ran and got undercover. Luckily we were able to follow the awning around to the Lobby. We stopped by the indoor firepit. I would have spent lots of time there just staring at the flames. There was a huge outdoor firepit too, but given the rain, we opted to see it a different day. We headed back to the room and lo and behold our luggage was all there. The magic of Disney in action again. We unpacked and got ready for bed. Our first night was not our best because we were all 4 in the same room, and we were all so excited to get to the Magic Kingdom the next day.
Best part of the day:
Todd: bunk beds in the room
Michele: bunk beds in the room
Abbie: Hakuna Matata Playground
Sam: everything
