The minute we arrived at our resort, we headed out to our first day at Animal Kingdom. It was after lunch, but from talking with other people I figured we only needed 1/2 day there.

We were excited to learn that the park was still decorated for Christmas! There was a huge animal-themed Christmas tree at the entrance!

We headed straight to meet Mickey & Minnie with our FastPass to Mickey & Minnie’s trading post. We were very fortunate throughout the entire trip to have low crowds. The longest we waited for anything all week was 15 minutes.

So the moment came when they were able to meet the REAL Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I was probably smiling more than they were!

Next we headed to The Festival of The Lion King. On the way there, the girls fell asleep (they had never napped since they woke up early that morning). After a quick power nap, they were ready for the show!

Seth and I took a few scenic routes while the girls napped so we could see some of the animals at the park.

WOW! What an amazing show. I could not stop staring at everything going on around us…Kennedy and Jules’ eyes were so big.

As the show was going on, we were totally surprised when one of the characters came get Kennedy & Jules by the hand to go on the stage! I don’t think my finger stopped clicking the camera the entire time. They got to follow the cast around the stage and dance and sing.

On our way out from the Lion King, the girls stopped to play some drums!

Next we headed to the 3D show It’s a Bugs Life! Both girls were not huge fans of any of the 3D attractions. They were troopers and sat through the whole thing, but it was not their favorite.

That night, we had dinner at Rainforest Café. I just love the ambiance in that place. Every single inch of the restaurant is rainforest themed. The girls enjoyed when it would thunder and “rain” every so often.

For desert we split the Volcano Chocolate Cake (complete with a sparkler on top). Jules was in Heaven.

When we got back to our room that night, Daddy made the girls a tent. Then, he enjoyed his favorite beverage ;) We had a wonderful first day in the most magical place in the world!