WDW, Day 1 in Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom

We arrived safe and sound in Orlando, shuttled via Magic Express to our hotel, and after checking in made our way to Animal Kingdom. We had a fun day visiting some awesome animal exhibits, while the guys (Dad, Jacob, James, and Isaac) rode Expedition Everest. Isaac was determined to ride with them, though I was a little nervous since Everest is described this way:

"Take on the treacherous terrain of the towering Forbidden Mountain in this high-altitude, high-speed train adventure. Nail-biting hairpin turns hurl you forward toward the peak and then, just when you think it couldn't get more thrilling - backward! The mountain's full of surprises: Beware the snarling beast who watches over his domain... the Yeti!"

I was so proud Isaac rode and loved it. It was a great start, when my normally timid boy was so brave and eager to do something adventurous. We enjoyed lunch at Flame Tree BBQ in outdoor seating, and were treated to Minnie and Goofy arriving by boat near our little perch. We saw 2 great shows at Animal Kingdom, the Festival of the Lion King, and Finding Nemo: the Musical. Both were well done and really entertaining, plus a relief from the heat! After a full afternoon there, we left and as we were walking to the shuttle stop, we met Mickey and got his autograph.
We had hoped to meet some characters and get their autographs, but not let that pursuit consume us, so it was nice to quickly get the big Mouse's without any searching!

Dinner was at Ohana, a Polynesian themed restaurant, at - you guessed it, the Polynesian Resort. Dinner was grilled over an open flame in a huge pit in the center of the restaurant and served to us family-style, meaning the server delivered shish kebabs, bowls full of salad, veggies, sides, and Bananas Foster a la mode, that we just helped ourselves to. It was nice not having to order from a menu or to make decisions that first evening. There were fun games involving the kids, including coconut racing (scooting it around the restaurant with a broom), the limbo, and more.

After dinner we rode the monorail, and Isaac and Abigail were able to sit up front with the driver, a special treat. We went to the Magic Kingdom and enjoyed the beautiful SpectroMagic Parade and Wishes fireworks show. We also squeezed in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which was a blast!