See animal kingdom as fast as possible!!??

[TFrauts]

Exactly the same as my Epcot & MGM questions!
Hi there!! We will be at Disney for the first week of August! I really only want to spend 1 day at each of the parks! If we have extra time, we will definitey go a second day, but my question is, can anyone give me a 'rough itinerary' for doing Animal Kingdom in a day! I am mainly concerned with being able to get on all the rides, without the crazy line-ups....and taking full advantage of fast passes! We can always go back another day after one of the other parks, and do the shopping etc!! I would really like to be able to do the rides in one day!! Is this possible?? Does anyone have any tips about where to start the day, etc?? THanks sooo much!!

[SpecJoe Magic]

If you get there at opening, experiencing every attraction at Animal Kingdom is possible because it doesn't have many attractions. I'll give you a rough plan of action that's one way to do it, but it's certainly not the only way to go about it. Make sure you get a times guide at the entrance to the park.

You can start off doing this two ways. As soon as the park opens, you can either:

1. Go immediately to Kilamanjaro Safaris to get a Fastpass and then go to the standby line at Expedition Everest.

2. Go immediately to Expedition Everest to get a Fastpass and then go to the standby line at Kilamanjaro Safaris.

Always be mindful of the time so that you can use your Fastpass for either Kilamanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest (depending on where you got the Fastpass) when it becomes available for use.

After making one of those choices, check the show times for Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo- The Musical and Flights of Wonder. Those three shows should be your next priorities because they only operate at certain times of the day. At any point during the day when you feel like the timing is right, watch any of those shows (my favorite of the 3 is Festival of the Lion King followed by Finding Nemo and Flights of Wonder). Keep in mind when the last showtime of each show is so that you don't miss them, and also remember that you must arrive about 30-45 minutes before showtime to give yourself a good chance of getting a seat. Next, you have two options:

1. Go to Asia to visit Kali River Rapids

2. Go to Dinoland U.S.A. to visit Dinosaur and the Dino-Rama area.

Whichever one you choose, do the other immediately afterwards unless it's time to go to one of the shows in which case you should see the show or shows first and then go to your 2nd choice that you picked from the two options above. After that, visit the Pangani Falls Exploration Trail and the Majarajah Jungle Trek (in no particular order). Finally, make a stop at It's Tough to Be a Bug and then leave the park.

Following that plan, you won't have done or seen every single thing at Animal Kingdom, but you will have experienced the major attractions. If you have time, you might want to check out Rafiki's Planet Watch, but I personally think it's a waste of time. There are several street shows at various times throughout the day that you may want to see if you have time to watch them (the acrobats near Tusker House in Africa are particularly entertaining). There is also Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. Of course, you'll need to allow time for eating. Don't forget to use Fastpass when you can, but keep in mind that Kilamanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest are the two attractions where you'll most likely need it (the exception being when you visit one or the other first thing in the morning because the lines won't have had time to lengthen much). The key is to get there just before park opening to allow yourself plenty of time.

[WDWfanatic742]

I'd say get Fastpasses for Expedition Everest and then go to Kilamanjaro Safaris. We got there at opening on Sunday and Expedition Everest had an hour wait for it stand by with fastpasses as late as 11am already I believe.

[TFrauts]

would I save any extra time by going to animal kingdom during morning EMH?? Or does it fill up just as fast??

[DizneyRox]

Seeing AK as fast as possible is the wrong way to experience this park IMHO. We spend 4-5 days there sometimes just enjoying the sights, one day we went on Kilimanjaro Safari's 7 times.

Seeing everything in one day would be tough. Festival of the Lion King, Flights of Wonder and Nemo the Musical will take up a considerable chunk of time. Then you've got EE and KS which will eat even more time, not to mention the train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch. You still haven't seen Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, or even stopped to smell the roses.

Flying through and you will probably not appreciate the park and come away with a bad feeling about it. You might be better off spending a second day at Epcot.

[krorx]

I agree. Seeing everything in one day is going to set a hefty pace. It's a huge park with a lot of walking. We found going EMH only meant most everyone was at that particular park that day. Sometimes it's better to go to one of the parks that is not opening early.

[mrsgaribaldi]

Seeing AK as fast as possible is the wrong way to experience this park IMHO. We spend 4-5 days there sometimes just enjoying the sights, one day we went on Kilimanjaro Safari's 7 times.

Seeing everything in one day would be tough. Festival of the Lion King, Flights of Wonder and Nemo the Musical will take up a considerable chunk of time. Then you've got EE and KS which will eat even more time, not to mention the train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch. You still haven't seen Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, or even stopped to smell the roses.

Flying through and you will probably not appreciate the park and come away with a bad feeling about it. You might be better off spending a second day at Epcot.

This is so true. We like to just stroll around and enjoy the whole feel and look of the AK.

[DisneyFreak23]

I don't know about you, but personally, after the main attractions, i think my time is better spent in MK. We like to rush in, go on Safari, then a few other attractions, then we leave to go to MK. BUT since this will be the first time i will ride EE, i might spend forever in AK lol!

[PirateLover]

I hate strolling around AK because no matter what time of the year I go by midday it is crowded and HUMID. UGH I can't wait to get back to my room after a morning/afternoon at that park. I've given it a try 4 or 5 times now, going into it with a positive mindset, and I just am never happy coming out of there. I guess the gods are conspiring against me because I really do love animals and nature and I love zoos so you think I would enjoy this 10x better (since its nahtazu but so much more!) but alas it is not the case.

I would definitely utilize morning EMH or at least get there at park opening and knock out the big rides (Everest, Safari, Kali if you so choose, and maybe Dinasoar! although lines haven't been too bad for that one lately) see some of the animals trails and then maybe try catch FoTLK but in my opinion the new Nemo show is not good enough to wait in that long line and Rafiki's Planet Watch is a waste of time. The train is crowded and boring and where does it take you to? A petting zoo, A meet and greet with Rafiki, and a few semi-interesting but definitely skippable exhibits
If you get there in the morning, you can definitely get AK done fast, unless you have to wait around for show times.

[wedway76]

It is true that in order to enjoy any Disney Park you need to take your time, but if you just don’t have the time, and you definitely want to visit Animal Kingdom, here is what I would do.

I agree with SpecJoeMagic, I would FastPass Expedition and go right to Kilimanjaro Safaris and ride standby. I would go back and use my EE FastPass.

Then I would ride DINOSAUR and then hit Primeval Whirl. The only show I would see is It's Tough to be a Bug.

Lastly, if you don’t mind getting wet, ride Kali River Rapids.

By this time it will be about noon, and I would go to the Magic Kingdom.

Personally, if my vacation were short, I would skip Animal Kingdom altogether. I LIKE AK, but I really don’t need to go there on every trip.

[Khfan13]

Well, later this month, were going to Disney from the 28th through the 1st. The first evening were doing Epcot for out EMH and Magic Kingdom the next day. On the 30th I plan on doing AK in the morning and the Studios in the afternoon. Is the half day for both parks a good idea?

[ThanxForNoticin]

Just a general comment, since you are looking for the best way to do the most at each of the parks. If you are not careful, you'll concentrate so much on quantity at the parks that you could end up not enjoying yourself very much. After 4 or 5 days of flying around the parks, you might end up needing a vacation!! You've gotten some good posts to your questions here. I would listen to many of them, and then make sure you take time to enjoy yourself. Have a great trip.

[Disney4]

Seeing AK as fast as possible is the wrong way to experience this park IMHO. We spend 4-5 days there sometimes just enjoying the sights, one day we went on Kilimanjaro Safari's 7 times.

Seeing everything in one day would be tough. Festival of the Lion King, Flights of Wonder and Nemo the Musical will take up a considerable chunk of time. Then you've got EE and KS which will eat even more time, not to mention the train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch. You still haven't seen Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids, or even stopped to smell the roses.

Flying through and you will probably not appreciate the park and come away with a bad feeling about it. You might be better off spending a second day at Epcot.

Very true.

I think the reason why this park gets knocked around so much as being underrated is because many people just rush to the rides and don't take in the pak sites as a whole.

Hey, I was guilty of this the first couple times I went. I never saw the Lady of the Forest, or other sites because I was too busy hoofing it from Dino Land to the safari and back.

Take your time and plan on some "Wandering" time. You will enjoy the park more and get way more out of it!

[KAJUNKING]

Well, later this month, were going to Disney from the 28th through the 1st. The first evening were doing Epcot for out EMH and Magic Kingdom the next day. On the 30th I plan on doing AK in the morning and the Studios in the afternoon. Is the half day for both parks a good idea?

i would pick one or the other and spend the whole day, if not your going to kinda run through each park and not really enjoy either one

[septembergirl]

Take your time and plan on some "Wandering" time. You will enjoy the park more and get way more out of it!

This is true with any of the parks, IMHO.

[Tink-N-Me]

I agree that rushing through the parks is not the way to enjoy your vacation. Each park holds some many surprises that aren't main attractions. One of mine and my husband's fondest memories is when a performer stepped out of the bushes at Animal Kingdom into the walkway in front of us. She was a beautiful woman painted green in an elaborate "stilted" costume. She did what I would describe as a beautiful dance on stilts and then stepped back into the bushes. Had she not stepped out when she did we would have never known she was there because she blended so well with the tree and plants along the walkway. We have great pictures of this. I wish I knew how to insert them into this reply. But in answer to your question, I don't know the details of your travel party, but if possible you may want to utilize any single riders lines that are available. On our last trip we got to Animal Kingdom soon after its opening and went immediately to Everest to get fast passes. All the fast passes were gone for the day. The standby line was about 1 1/2 hours. Luckily someone walked by and said they had to leave the park and offered my family their fast passes. God is so good!

[SignguyTom]

One thing to keep in mind is that AK closes a lot earlier than the other parks. I think it closed around 5 or 6pm last May. That really leaves plenty of time to grab a bite and enter a different park once AK is closed. Plan on open-close. So take your time and catch the big stuff and ENJOY YOURSELF in between. You'll never get that day of your life back so make the most of it!

Although the attractions are awesome, for me, the best part of AK is taking in the scenery. It is stunning!

[DisneyFreak23]

Luckily someone walked by and said they had to leave the park and offered my family their fast passes. God is so good!

That happened to my family in EPCOT for Test Track

[CaptSmee]

i would pick one or the other and spend the whole day, if not your going to kinda run through each park and not really enjoy either one

I wouldn't rush through both parks. I would pick one and stick with it for the day and enjoy it. Both parks have lots of excellent offerings to enjoy!

[larandtra]

The easiest park to do in a day or less. Just get there at opening and AK is easy to do because of limited attractions. If you can use EMH it makes it even easier.
But without it, again concentrate on main things and what appeals to your group/family. Then come back to what does not appeal. Use FP wisely and dont be afraid to do some walking to get to and from things in order to avoid lines.