Animal Kingdom/DHS

[mshomeschoolmom]

I have seen where some say AK and DHS can be 1/2 days or can be whole days.
Like on 1/2 day is that considered with EMH times say 9am to 9pm and can be done in 6hrs.?
Why does some say 1/2 and some say whole days or more? and how can we do 1/2 days and still get our enjoyment at these parks?
We are going to DHS the day we arrive at WDW and might be around 2:00pm before we could get to DHS. That day is evening EMH so the park would close at 10:30. We are planning on seeing Fantasmic either at 7:30 or 9. So say we see Fantasmic at 7:30 time and being in line by 6:30 this only gives us 4 1/2 hrs before the show and about 1 1/2 hrs after the show total of 6hrs at DHS. Is it possible we could get all of DHS done in this amount of time?

[GrmGrninGost]

For my family, AK can easily be a 6 hour park. There's just not that much we enjoy there. As far as Disney Studios, we usually spend 1.5 or 2 days there. There are several things there that are on a time schedule. It is impossible to do every thing we like in only one day!

[disneymom15]

I agree, AK is about a six hour stay for us. We've never stayed til closing. With DHS we usually spend at least a full day.

[Pop Centurion]

If we skip the safari's and shows like FOTLK & FNTM we can easily make AK a half day park.

Same with DHS. Most of the shows are what consume most of the time there. Now with TSM lines being so long, you can add that to. We haven't watched Beauty & the Beast or Indiana Jones in years but will this year to get more time in the park.

[joonyer]

Yes, AK can be done in half a day, IF you choose not to see all of the attractions. But the same can be said of the Magic Kingdom; if you only rode the major attractions, say Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, POC and Haunted Mansion, and even Mickey's Philharmagic, you could easily do MK in half a day.
Its just that not many people choose to see all or most of the attractions at AK. And of course there's no after dark parades or fireworks at Ak either to keep people there. It usually closes before dark anyway.

BUT, if you want to enjoy the entire park, and ride some of the major attractions more than once, you can easily spend all of a day there (from 9 to 4 or 5). It is what you make of it. For my family, (me, DW & two boys) we love AK and usually spend one full day there, plus at least a part of another day or two (depending on how long our WDW vacation is) on every trip.

You should definitely try the less visited attractions such as Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Forest Trail, and the Flights of Wonder show, which is really good. Don't miss Festival of the Lion King (best Musical in all of WDW, IMO) and of course there's lots of other attractions. The Jammin' Jungle Parade (usually at 4:00) is really awesome, too.
We have to ride Expedition Everest several times and also Kali River Rapids more than once if the weather is warm. Throw in the Safari and "It's Tough to be a Bug", Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl (one of our favs) and a break for lunch and I'm surprised we can do that in 8 hours! There's other things to do as well. Take your time and take it all in, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'd definitely allot more than half a day for your first visit to both AK and DHS. After you've visited them a few times, you could decide to just hit your favorites, and shorten your day there, but you won't know what those are until you try them.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Although a lot of people say AK and DHS are 1/2 day parks, I believe for us that they each require a full day....however, if you spend 8 hours at DHS you could probably do most of what you wanted to do so you should be fine. I'm guessing the 1/2 day people skip several attractions

[ParkMan]

My family's experience is the same as the previous 2 posters.

We usually spend at least a full day in both.

At AK, we end up with 2 or 3 shows. That alone plus a few rides, lunch, a parade, etc... consumes a full day.

IMHO, AK's Lion King & Nemo shows are the best at WDW. If you like the shows in general, I'd plan time for them.

On top of that, there are the 2 animal walks. We tend to take our time in the various sections and enjoy really soak them in (even with a 3 & 4 year old). We watch a lot of people just walk through, take a quick glance, and keep going. Nothing wrong with that - different people like different things

[Lizzie]

I think with all the shows at both parks you can't do them in half a day. If you want to skip the shows maybe. But it depends on the crowds and timeing.

I usually give a full day for both parks. AK has so much to explore and with the kids DHS has some great kid shows that the other parks don't have.

[ThanxForNoticin]

If you want to actually enjoy the parks, both AK and DHS are full day parks for us. If you take time to enjoy the safari, the trails, the attractions (like Bugs Life, EE, etc), and the shows, sometimes one day isn't enough for AK. Same is true for DHS. Now, if you have just a few things you want to experience, can you do the first part of the day at AK and the second part of the day at DHS? Absolutely, especially if there is EMH at DHS that night. But sometimes you are better enjoying something than you are rushing through one thing to go and rush through something else. Hope you have a great trip.

[indytraveler]

I'm one of the 1/2 day people at AK. Just because we know what we want to see and do the EMH in the am to help get us going. DHS is a full day park. Tried to do it in 1/2 day but with show times for the Indiana Jones, Lights, Motor Action, shows we tend to miss a few things from time to time. So just plan your day ahead and make a list of the things you want to do and see when you get there. With AK closing early it could be a way to rest at night from the late closings at the other parks.

[linedropper]

I believe Ak is a full day if not more, If you have young kids. Kids love it there, Even the Pocahontas show. Just depends if you do everything, We heard flights of Wonder was not good before we went the first time. We went and loved it! And always return. There is alot to do , especially if you take the time.


Steve

[Mickey91]

About every 4 or 5 years AK will take a whole day. That is when I decide to see the shows and ride evrything that I like. Usually, it takes about 5 hours. We don't really care much for it. The boys like EE and KRR and KS. Us girls like FOTLK, KRR and sometimes Rafikis Planet Watch. Doesn't take too long.

DHS used to take a full day and then part of another with the different shows and stuff.

Now that Fantasmic! will go to two shows a week and "4 for a dollar" is leaving, there won't be much left. The DKs are too old for playhouse stuff. That leaves RRC, TOT for the boys and Muppets and GMR for the family and just a couple others. Even the parade is different. Probably not a whole day.

[Rhetoric2000]

There is no real specific time in which you can and can't "do" a park. And recommendations vary in line with the length of you stay: for instance you may have two days mapped out for MK but I would argue you can do EVERYTHING in MK in a single, albiet tiring, full day; though this would hardly be ideal.

DHS has a lot to offer if you want to savour the whole park- watch the shows, wander through the unique atmospheres, take the backlot tour, eat at the Brown Derby. On the other hand if all you want is to ride TOT, RNRC and Star Tours then you can be done in a couple of hours.

I usually spend a day more at AK than anywhere else, usually 2 and a half.

However that doesn't mean to shout down anybody who claims it's a half day park - as has already been said on here ANYWHERE is a half day park if you only do the things you want and the things you want take half a day. When I was betwen 15 and 18 I would consider MK a two-hours-and-get-out park for instance

But unless you are a hard-nosed rides-only person, I would be wary of only planning half a day for either Studios or AK in advance.

[sophie peach]

if you dont do the shows you can do both parks in 1/2 days

[SAnderson70769]

For my family, AK is almost always just about a 4-5hour trip. Sometimes we split it up into 2 mornings around 4-5 hours each. We get there right at opening and do what we want and are usually ready to go by noon or 1. The only reason we go back a second day is usually to catch the shows and spend more time looking around - waiting between some of the show times can sometimes extend your time at AK a little. The pathways are smaller than any other park so it always has a more crowded feel to us which is why we don't stay there all day long. Also, I've read that because of all the vegetation, it makes it seem more humid and hot there than other parks at times.

As for DHS, we usually make this a full day at minimum or sometimes more. We ride TOT and RRC several times, which can take a few hours in itself. However, if your time is limited I think you could easily do a lot of the park in the 4 1/2 hours before you wait for Fantasmic depending on the crowd level.

Just go with it and adapt your plans as necessary - maybe you'll have time to go back for another couple of hours one morning if you dont get it all done!

[Mousemates]

While its natazu, the amount of time you spend in the animal kingdom will likely depend on how much you enjoy the "zoo aspects" of the park. If you aren't all that interested in wildlife, then you can do the park in much less than a full day. However, if you are not into doing the parks "commando style" and like to linger a bit and take things at a slower pace (and see both the shows and the animals) a full day can easily be spent there.

[Imagineer1981]

I think it depends on your family. If you love animals and want to see everything and ride everything, AK is easily all day park. Same for DHS...just what you make of it

[tjstrike]

All the parks are 1 1/2 to 2 days for a 1st timer. Like everybody else said, after the 1st few trips you'll start skipping the shows and then they will turn into 1/2 day parks.

[badkitty]

I would definitely allow at least one day for each park for first-timers. If you can only spare 1/2 day, I would utilize the EMH (mornings if you are early risers). It will give you a jump on the crowds and you can knock out a few of the "must-see" rides.

[mrsgaribaldi]

Don't miss Finding Nemo the Musical, it's awesome