Too ambitious at AK?

[lawboysam]

We decided kind of late that we wanted to do breakfast at Tusker House, so I've been keeping an eye out for a pre-park breakfast. Finally snagged one, but it's at 8:35. So here's our tentative plan:

Breakfast at Tusker House (8:35)
Safari
Expedition Everest (Fastpass 9:30-10:30)
Finding Nemo (11AM)

Is that at all possible? We're planning on showing up early and trying to get in early... We're there 9/15, which according to EasyWDW should be a Level 1 day, and AK is the second most recommended park.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I personally think it will be pretty tight, but doable if the safari goes smoothly. For us, we usually plan for around an hour or so for a TS, which would get us out of breakfast around 9:30-9:45. I wouldn't think the line for safari would be more than 15 minutes that close to opening, but the animals are unpredictable and you never know if you will have to take an unscheduled stop, if you know what I mean. And it is a bit of a distance from the Safari to EE.

Can you get an EE FP+ for just after the Nemo show?

 

[sharonabe]

Agreed. Even if you walk straight through to a safari vehicle with no wait, you are probably going to miss that FP+ window at EE. You're options:

Eat really fast and be out of TH by 9:15
Skip Safari altogether
Skip EE
Do EE first and then Safari, but then you're doing A LOT of walking back and forth if you still do Nemo at 11:00.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

There is also the possibility of a wait for a table. We are rarely seated at the time of our ADR but wait minutes or so. I suggest doing the safari after Nemo. It is more walking but when we do the safari at opening the giraffes and other animals are not out yet.

 

[Fizban]

We decided kind of late that we wanted to do breakfast at Tusker House, so I've been keeping an eye out for a pre-park breakfast. Finally snagged one, but it's at 8:35. So here's our tentative plan:

Breakfast at Tusker House (8:35)
Safari
Expedition Everest (Fastpass 9:30-10:30)
Finding Nemo (11AM)

Is that at all possible? We're planning on showing up early and trying to get in early... We're there 9/15, which according to EasyWDW should be a Level 1 day, and AK is the second most recommended park.

I honestly think you wont be able to keep that timeline. If you didnt have the safari between breakfast and EE i think you would be ok.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think you'll be fine. Pre-park open ADRs all get mashed up together. They don't make you step aside as an 8:35 ADR while they seat the 8:10 ADRs. Just be there early so you are at the front of the early entry crowd. You should be seated right away and can be done and waiting for the Safari when the rope drops. Since it's right next to the Safari, you'll be on it within minutes of park open.

 

[LittleDreamer]

I was at AK on a Sunday August 23rd I think. Got there around 9:20ish parked in peacock. Went to Everest first still only had a 10 min wait. Next did safari, then light breakfast, then Festival of the Lion King. Next meandered over to Dino area and ended up catching Nemo. After that we did some shopping and Flame Tree was out of the park by 1.

I think your plans really depends on how the breakfast goes. I wouldn't rush breakfast just to get onto the Safari. The expected ride time for the safari is 20-30 mins, animals cooperating. So add that on to the wait time when you finish eating and make the call.

 

[Magpie]

Erm... the wait you'll have for the Safari can be really variable. We once got out of breakfast at 9:15, and went straight to the Safari expecting the line to still be short. What we didn't take into account was a massive number of FP returns coming in ahead of us. What we expected to be a 15 minute standby wait (as posted when we entered the line!) ballooned to 40 minutes. A very hot, unhappy, line-inching-forward forty minutes while the FP folks streamed ahead. Then about 20ish happy minutes looking at animals. Personally, I'd move that Everest FP to the afternoon, after Nemo. Everest is a quick ride and pretty close to Nemo, so you could hop right on after the show and still be eating lunch at a decent time.

Plus, you might even get *two* rides on Everest if you happen to get lucky and the line for the Safari turns out to be short. If that happened, I'd wander by Everest on my way over to Nemo and check how long the standby looks. If it's short, hop in. If it's long, continue over to Dinoland and take a spin on Primeval Whirl before your Nemo show instead.

That's what I'd do, anyway.

 

[nat8199]

I think you'll be fine. Pre-park open ADRs all get mashed up together. They don't make you step aside as an 8:35 ADR while they seat the 8:10 ADRs. Just be there early so you are at the front of the early entry crowd. You should be seated right away and can be done and waiting for the Safari when the rope drops. Since it's right next to the Safari, you'll be on it within minutes of park open.

This is what I was going to say. I would just get there as soon as they start letting people into AK (7:45?) and go and check in. You name will be added to list and you should be seated quickly.

 

[mom2rtk]

Erm... the wait you'll have for the Safari can be really variable. We once got out of breakfast at 9:15, and went straight to the Safari expecting the line to still be short. What we didn't take into account was a massive number of FP returns coming in ahead of us. What we expected to be a 15 minute standby wait (as posted when we entered the line!) ballooned to 40 minutes. A very hot, unhappy, line-inching-forward forty minutes while the FP folks streamed ahead. Then about 20ish happy minutes looking at animals. Personally, I'd move that Everest FP to the afternoon, after Nemo. Everest is a quick ride and pretty close to Nemo, so you could hop right on after the show and still be eating lunch at a decent time.

Plus, you might even get *two* rides on Everest if you happen to get lucky and the line for the Safari turns out to be short. If that happened, I'd wander by Everest on my way over to Nemo and check how long the standby looks. If it's short, hop in. If it's long, continue over to Dinoland and take a spin on Primeval Whirl before your Nemo show instead.

That's what I'd do, anyway.

The difference between 9 and 9:15 is important here. I would do everything possible to be in front of that rope drop crowd and not part of it. We've done this a number of times and made it out to the Safari rope before rope drop. The key is to be at the front of the ADR crowd heading in at 7:45 or 7:50 when they are let back.

 

[nkereina]

We are always among the first to be seated when we've done pre-park opening TH. We're just two adults who eat pretty fast, and it's never taken us less than an hour at TH. That's two trips the buffet each, seeing most (not all) of the characters, and having a very busy server that time of morning with all tables being seated at once. I'd plan at least an hour for breakfast, if not longer if you want to see all the characters.

Safari takes us a good 20-25 minutes as well. If an animal is in your path and your vehicle has to wait, might take longer. You'd then have to hightail it over to EE. I would push back the EE FP or cancel it all together. You may not need an EE FP that time of day anyhow, or if you can wait until lighter in the day, the line dies down.

 

[Marbel]

I think you'll be okay. You may be doing EE at the very end of your FP window or maybe a bit later. Nemo is near EE so you should make it fine. If they seat you earlier for breakfast, all the better.

 

[tlmadden73]

I feel that every post that says "Is this too ambitious" should have the default answer of "YES!"

It all depends who (age) are touring with (and how many) .. things always go slower than expected at Disney (not always a bad thing except for tight FP windows).

The Safari simply takes a long time between loading and the ride itself, so who knows how long that could take.

You logically have your plan set up in "order" so you aren't criss-crossing the park, so it could work if you have a small group of fast movers.

 

[Magpie]

The difference between 9 and 9:15 is important here. I would do everything possible to be in front of that rope drop crowd and not part of it. We've done this a number of times and made it out to the Safari rope before rope drop. The key is to be at the front of the ADR crowd heading in at 7:45 or 7:50 when they are let back.

Which potentially leaves the OP only 20-25 minutes to eat and see characters, unless they manage to get in significantly earlier than their actual reservation.

Personally, considering the cost of a Tusker House breakfast, I wouldn't want to have to rush through it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Which potentially leaves the OP only 20-25 minutes to eat and see characters, unless they manage to get in significantly earlier than their actual reservation.

Personally, considering the cost of a Tusker House breakfast, I wouldn't want to have to rush through it.

Not if she's at the beginning of the pre-ADR crowd as I suggested. They won't wait until 8:35 to seat them. It's not like they're waiting for someone to finish their meal ahead of them to vacate a table. Most of those early times are seated in the order in which they present themselves at the podium.

 

[Magpie]

Not if she's at the beginning of the pre-ADR crowd as I suggested. They won't wait until 8:35 to seat them. It's not like they're waiting for someone to finish their meal ahead of them to vacate a table. Most of those early times are seated in the order in which they present themselves at the podium.

I suppose the real question is, is it "most of the time" or "all of the time"? And is the op a gambler?

 

[tink9702]

I'd move the Everest FP+ to after Nemo so 11-12 or 11:30-12:30 if there is availability. I'd also check the stand-by line on my way to Nemo and ride twice, once before and once after if that line isn't bad. I would NEVER want to rush through a character meal, you're paying too much to not eat enough food or see most/all of the characters. Good news is that you might make that FP+ on a level 1 day & if you didn't you could ride after Nemo in stand-by line.

 

[Marbel]

I'd move the Everest FP+ to after Nemo so 11-12 or 11:30-12:30 if there is availability. I'd also check the stand-by line on my way to Nemo and ride twice, once before and once after if that line isn't bad.

Good idea.

 

[MrInfinity]

Take you're time at breakfast if you're going to pay for it. Don't try to be out by 9am. Get there and speed-eat for that price? Nah.

I don't think you'll make it comfortably.

Breakfast, 8:30-9:30
Safari, 9:30-10:15 -- You need to make it thru this line in 20 min to have this work
15 min walk over to EE
Catch EE right at 10:30
Done by 10:50
Run over to Nemo

All up, you have to get thru the Safari line fast, walk over to EE fast, practically run to Nemo, and hope to get there before they're closing the doors. That sounds exhausting and like you're skipping out on the relaxing aspect of this park.

Ditch the breakfast and you make it all fine. Or do the EE after Nemo. Depends how you were planning to go after that... keep circling down into Dinoland or backtrack to Asia?

 

[ZoZo]

I would do the single-rider line at EE instead of using a FP. That would give you a lot more flexibility. I'v never waited more than 5 minutes in the SRL - I've often simply walked right on! I once rode four times in a row with almost no wait - I finally had to stop because it was just too much!