Two Questions

[kennezgirl]

We are arriving next Monday and I am wondering if someone would care to share a touring plan for Animal Kingdom. We are familiar with the other parks, but Animal Kingdom is one that I am not sure of.
Also...I keep reading about how hot the parks are and I am looking at weather.com and it states the temperatures next week will be around 88 degrees. I know the humidity increases that some, but we have 88 degree temperatures where we live as well and I don't find it unbearable. I actually kind of like it. Is there a "real feel" difference with the humidity? Not sure what to expect.

Thank you all very much!

 

[TiggerMom76]

We are arriving next Monday and I am wondering if someone would care to share a touring plan for Animal Kingdom. We are familiar with the other parks, but Animal Kingdom is one that I am not sure of.
Also...I keep reading about how hot the parks are and I am looking at weather.com and it states the temperatures next week will be around 88 degrees. I know the humidity increases that some, but we have 88 degree temperatures where we live as well and I don't find it unbearable. I actually kind of like it. Is there a "real feel" difference with the humidity? Not sure what to expect.

Thank you all very much!

We were at Disney the 2-9 of June and most days the temps were mid 80s. However, I thought it was completely miserable and I'm from St. Louis where humidity reigns!

 

[luvgoing2disney]

What are the ages and likes of your group?

 

[kennezgirl]

It is just me and my two daughters, ages 12 and 16. We definitely want to do the safari and see the Lion King and the Nemo shows. We are not interested in EE. I am open to suggestions as to the other things we should try. We have an early dinner reservation at the Rainforest Cafe. I am wondering if we need to be at the park from open to close. I looked and they are open until 7:00 pm on the day we are going. I would really like to give this park a fair chance and take in the best it has to offer. Thank you for helping me.

 

[SpaceMtMan]

I can't really say a detailed plan of AK w/o knowing the ages/genders of the kids

If you've never been there, i'd recommend the The African Safari, kilimanjaro safaris, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, as well as others. Those are always hi-lights for us. You may want to stick around for the parade as also.

Have fun!

 

[ses1230]

Check out this plan from easywdw.com:

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/ak_cheat_sheet.pdf

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

I am wondering if we need to be at the park from open to close. I looked and they are open until 7:00 pm on the day we are going. I would really like to give this park a fair chance and take in the best it has to offer. Thank you for helping me.

Every time I have gone to the AK I have been with my two daughters who are 3 and 5. We find that it is a park that can be done in about 6 hours or less. We also skip EE and see the shows, in addition we visit Characters that are there. In Dino land there may be some rides that your girls are interested in so it is worth it too check that out.

 

[kennezgirl]

Check out this plan from easywdw.com:

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/ak_cheat_sheet.pdf

That is a very informative link. Thank you. From the attractions on that link, we would want to do the safari, the Lion King show, Finding Nemo show, Flights on Wonder, Maharajah Jungle Trek, walk the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, It's Tough to Be a Bug, and Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Dinosaur is a maybe. My girls are not interested in EE (not into thrill rides) and probably not the water ride. Not sure what time to plan to be there. I cannot see this taking all day, but I want to be sure we see the shows. Our dinner reservation is at 3:30 pm.

Thank you again!

 

[Bagheera23608]

Yes, the humidity adds tons to the temp. I've lived in the South all my life but Sept in FL was unreal. Keep in mind, in FL, you are in the sub-tropics! It's like walking in pea soup when the humidity is high. Think a hot steamy fog... if that makes any sense.....lol.

 

[bleeps]

We were in AK two days last week (the week of 6/7 to 6/14/13) and I highly recommend getting to the park prior to rope drop. The crowds were much higher than we were expecting, and the only chance of really getting in all those attractions/shows you are interested in is to get there early and to make good use of FPs. Concentrate on the attractions/shows first, and then have the Trek and Trail available to do at your leisure. There's also a lot of great shopping in AK to round out your afternoon as you get close to your dinner reservation. Keep in mind that the afternoon rains often hit in that 3:00 range, so be sure to have rain gear with you and try to be fairly close to the front of the park (where RFC is) if you notice the dark clouds gathering.

The forecast for our week was originally mid-to-upper 80s, but it was in the 90s (and up to 97) while we were there; humidity is like nothing you've experienced (unless you live in FL!). KEEP HYDRATED! Except for Dinoland, AK provides lots of shade.

I appreciate that your girls are a little older, but you might want to check out this character locator information: http://kennythepirate.com/disney-wo...orld-animal-kingdom-characters-schedule-list/

The secret to seeing characters without much of a wait is to know when and where they will appear, and to line up about 5 minutes before they come out. My DS is 15, but he wanted to see Dug and Russell from Up, and using Kenny the Pirate's info we waited less than 5 minutes using this strategy -- once the characters arrived, the line blossomed instantly and was at least 30 minutes long....

 

[mieshie75]

My daughter and I go she is 20. The heat is hot but not unbearable. (We've been in July) take it easy, a lot of the shows folk and nemo are good heat breaks. Don't forget the bird show I forget the name. We love taking walks along the trails and seeing the animals. This year we Are going to take the train to rafikis planet watch( it's kinda in back of the safari) we always miss this somehow.

 

[lizzi6692]

I don't have a touring plan, but to answer your weather question: humidity makes a huge difference. If it's 88 degrees out, it will probably feel closer to 100 with the humidity. To give you an idea, the local weatherman where I live likes to call humidity "the air you can wear." Also, Animal Kingdom is the hottest of all the parks because of the way it is set up.

 

[bek]

Yes the humidity adds to the heat index -- 88 can definitely feel like high 90s. Think wandering around in a hot tub.

I'd suggest getting there at rope drop. Tour for a few hours, then take a break at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a beautiful resort to tour. Maybe switch your Rainforest ADR to Sanaa (get a window seat to watch the animals on the savannah) or Boma for a late lunch. Then go back and tour in the very late afternoon when the crowds should decrease somewhat.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Usually, DH and I visit in the fall, so I'm a bit worried about the heat next week as well. However, my former CM husband assures me that it will be hot until it rains, which it will do every day promptly at 3pm, after which the temperature will be much more bearable. I think he's probably stretching things a bit, but I figure we'll survive. Lots of lines and attractions are inside with AC anyways, so if we have issues, we'll just stick with those.

As for AK touring strategies, it would depend on whether or not you intend to do rope drop. Regardless, I would suggest you definitely fastpass both Kilmajaro Safaris and Expedition Everest.

 

[stargazertechie]

That is a very informative link. Thank you. From the attractions on that link, we would want to do the safari, the Lion King show, Finding Nemo show, Flights on Wonder, Maharajah Jungle Trek, walk the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, It's Tough to Be a Bug, and Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Dinosaur is a maybe. My girls are not interested in EE (not into thrill rides) and probably not the water ride. Not sure what time to plan to be there. I cannot see this taking all day, but I want to be sure we see the shows. Our dinner reservation is at 3:30 pm.

Thank you again!

Your interest sound very similar to how we tour Animal Kingdom.

I would highly suggest arriving at rope drop and starting the day off with the Safari (the animals will be most active), and then immediately go walk the Pangani forest trail. It will be almost empty, and I frequently have 15-20 minute conversations with the CM's on the trail and learn SO much about the animals. It also gives you the opportunity to get great photos like this one:




After pangani, hop on the first wildlife express train out to Rafiki's. About an hour after park opening each day they have vet check-ups that you can watch via TV and through an observation gallery window. The train ride out also gives you a great backstage look at the animal enclosures.


After all of this, go enjoy the first Flights of Wonder show, and then take a walk down the Maharajah Jungle Trek. At this point it would be a great time to catch It's Tough to be a Bug, and then head over to Dinoland and do Dinosaur.

Do Nemo after all of this, and possibly Festival of the Lion King as well. I definitely think with not wanting to do EE it's possible to get it all done before your dining reservation.


Kali River Rapids would be a great *Last* thing to do before you leave. Nothing's worse than 80% humidity and being drenched like a rat, trying to walk around all day.

 

[JeRmS]

Yesterday the high in my area was 89 .... with everything said and done the heat index reached 103 .... in other words ... HOT!!

and I live 45 minutes from MK so even though the temp say's high 80's, prepare for heat that feels like triple digits.

can't help ya with a touring plan, we don't use those! ;-)

 

[claypje]

I was there last week and it was hot. Temps were similar and it was really tiring. I have 2 small children, we went at RD and unfortunately it was one of my least favorite days, b/c of the heat and the crowds. If felt as if the walking paths were narrower than the other two parks and therefore felt more crowded (I just didn't feel like I could get anywhere). Anyway, yesterday I was reading a couple of posts from josh at easywdw and he indicated his favorite time of the day to go to AK is later in the day say 2pm-ish, most of the early morning crowds are heading out and it starts feeling less busy/crowded. I was already thinking if I were to do it again, i'd go this route...that being said you'd really need to check show times to be sure you'd be able to see the ones you want (I mention this incase some do not run past 5 pm even though the park is open till 8). Still love the park and the safari. Enjoy!

 

[kennezgirl]

Thank you to all of you who have helped with my questions. I don't know what I would do without these boards.

 

[kennezgirl]

Yes the humidity adds to the heat index -- 88 can definitely feel like high 90s. Think wandering around in a hot tub.

I'd suggest getting there at rope drop. Tour for a few hours, then take a break at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a beautiful resort to tour. Maybe switch your Rainforest ADR to Sanaa (get a window seat to watch the animals on the savannah) or Boma for a late lunch. Then go back and tour in the very late afternoon when the crowds should decrease somewhat.

So these are within walking distance? I chose Rainforest because it was at the park and we are reliant on the buses. Thank you!

 

[Delirium]

You'll want to do the safari first thing in the morning. With the heat, there is little chance the animals will be active in the afternoon.

As far as the heat's impact on you, Animal Kingdom always seems to be more humid than the other parks.

I highly recommend all the shows (Lion King, Nemo, and Flights of Wonder). Do Nemo during the hottest part of the day.

I also recommend the parade. If you don't do Everest and Khali River Rapids, there are not a lot of rides to worry about.