Daddy-Son Day Pt2 - 2024/02/20

Continuing with Part 2 of our Daddy-Son day with me and Ian spending the whole day together! 

Already this morning we were able to pet a porcupine and see all sorts of other animals. Now it's time to go on our own safari ride! Right beside Wild Florida where we met all those animals is the Wild Florida Safari where we get to take our own Kilimanjaro Safari type tour through different animals.  

It's something like 3.5 miles of road through here, and the speed limit is 5 mph. This could take us a little while, couldn't it. 

Since we're going so slow, I figured Ian could come up front with me. He's got his safari guide to try to identify all the animals we might see today. 

Smile buddy! 

Will we ever forgive the Wildebeests for killing Mufasa? I'm not so sure. 

Thank you Jacob for loaning us your truck today. T is driving Alli around in Beast. We've got Thor. 

Climbing out the sunroof to get a better view. 

There are only a few rules on the safari. No getting out of your car. No petting any animals. No feeding any animals. 

And if you see the ostriches or emus, probably a good idea to roll up those windows. 

Ian - Roll them up! Roll them up! 

A quick tap on the glass with her beak, just to convince herself the window was closed, and she was off to the next car. 

I gave Ian the camera so he could get all the photos he wanted. 

Ian - Back up so I can get the baby! 

Luckily it's not too busy here today, so we didn't feel rushed to get around the loop. 

Bison! 

Just hanging out beside the road. Not concerned about us in the least. 

He looks like a fluffy boy. So tempted to pet the fluffy cows. 

These are the same type of Ankole Cattle we see at the Animal Kingdom. Those horns are huge! 

Nice Ian. 

What else do you see buddy? 

Camels! 

Roll up the window? They do spit. This guy seemed interested in us, but we didn't linger. 

A few big water buffalo. 

Next up are the zebra! 

Ian getting some closeup photos. 

I don't think we need any of those views Ian. 

At the end of the tour is a small parking lot. From here, you can take a short walk to feed giraffe! 

$5 gets you 3 leaves of lettuce. 

We're so high up, but Leroy is 16' tall! Just the right height to grab a snack. 

Look this way!

Maybe he's hiding lettuce leaves in his shirt...

Time to think about dinner, and there's one place that is high up on Ian's list. Blaze Pizza! 

It's a little bit of a drive, but we played 20 questions in the car as we headed to Disney Springs. 

Yum!

Ian's requests was "as many pepperonis as I can have". 

Ready for a tasty dinner! 

Yum! 

This last part of the night was my request. We got our jackets on and headed to the Magic Kingdom. Even at 10 years old, I love that any time we're walking together, he still wants to reach up and hold my hand. 

Gotta get on the monorail to get there though. I asked if we'd be able to see the section where the Pilot sits. After confirming on the radio, they said yes! 

Ian got a quick briefing about what buttons do what. 

He even learned where the monorail horn was!

Tanner - Do you want to press it? 

Ian - I don't want to annoy people. 

Tanner - It's okay, you can still press it. 

Awesome Ian!

Joe - Did you guys hear the monorail horn?!? That was him! 

When our ride was over, we grabbed a quick photo with Pilot/Captain Tanner! Thank you! 

Gotta get some buttery popcorn at the Magic Kingdom. 

So what was my special request? To hang out together and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. We started lining up a little after 7pm. 

At 7:20 or so, they asked everyone to stand up and squeeze together. We shuffled our way more to the front of the castle. 

As 8pm rolled around, I picked him up and put him on my hip, just like I used to do when he was little. 

We sang along to the songs we loved. We cheered for our favorite character. 

I'm sure it was the smoke from the fireworks or something, but my eyes were getting a little misty. I love this boy. 

We hung out in that area for a few minutes while the crowds abated. When they opened the walkway through the castle, we were the first people through it (from the hub). 

The lines are starting to pick back up again, so we just decided to walk around the parks. 

50 minutes after the fireworks ended, we got in line for the resort monorail. 

Ian's favorite color! Gold! 

There's just one more thing we have to do! Shaved Ice at Bahama Bucks on the way home! 

Yes, you can order for us Ian. 

Thanks Ian! 

Ian - I pet a porcupine today, but I stabbed myself with the umbrella...

Well, today was an amazing day. Lots of fun memories of doing things together!