AK questions...your tips please.

[allisonwonderland]

when we get to go back(will be in either low regular season or off season) we wanna do AK and MGM.I will start with AK..what are the NOT TO BE MISSED?(any avoid at all costs?..lol)really just any tips on what you and/or your family found to be helpful.just two adults,,but WE LOVE animals.not sure whos schedule to follow,,,,passporters or the UG.ALso....what about the opening ceremony?and genrally what time is the parade?annnndd...did u do the AK MEAL DEAL?counter service meal,drink,snack and another drink?

 

[oogieboogie]

AK is a wonderful park to go to. IMO, the not to be missed are Kilimanjaro Safari, Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to be a Bug and the trails. I can do without the entire Dinoland area, but that's just me.

When opening time is 9am, before 9 you can enter the park up to Discovery Island in the middle of the park where the Tree of Life is. There, a safari truck with Mickey & Minnie will come, they'll do an opening song and dance, and the truck will then drive off to Africa. Most people will follow the truck all the way to Kilimanjaro Safari.

In the low/off-season, AK usually closes at 5pm and the parade is at 4pm, so most people will head out right after the parade. If you watch the parade in Africa, you could get to see it go by twice, but it does take you longer to get out of the park that way.

The AK meal deal is a great deal, IMO. You get an entree, drink and then you get a voucher for another snack and drink later on. Ours came to about $12 with tax and I got the salmon at Tusker House -$7.99, large soda -$2.29, then I got a Nestle Drumstick icecream for the snack -$3.50 and another bottle of soda -$2.00 so total spending was approx $16 saving me $4. The kid's deal we got approx $9 in food for $6.38 meal price with tax. Considering we would have bought the ice creams and popcorn and soda later on anyway, we saved about $14 for the whole family that day.

 

[allisonwonderland]

thank you!That is just the kind of feedback I need.I really wanna do LION KING..but DH is a bit leary.We dont really get much into the '"shows" at the parks(just not our style) but this one looked great!Not corny at all,,,,,,did they cancel TARZAN?

 

[eeyore45]

We wanted to do the shows, so we mapped out times for them - Lion King is awesome, the talent is amazing! (plus its now in an a/c place, so its a wonderful break - all the other shows are outdoors!) I planned the day and realized we wouldnt be able to do the things we love (the trails, safari, Kali, and the shows...) if we went to Dino land, so I avoided that!!

We'll go back, and explore Dinoland, but we'll have to cut out the shows and Rafiki area... its a lot of park, and most needs to be done at a leisurly pace, its a HOT park!! You do feel you are in Africa, Asia!!

 

[mwerner2]

Don't miss the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia if you like tigers. It's pretty easy to miss as it's out of the main drag. This means it's not usually crowded.

 

[grimley1968]

The above advice is good. I don't like shows much myself, but FOTLK is the best show WDW does, IMO. I wouldn't miss anything listed above. I'd add to make sure to ride Kali River Rapids, the Primieval Whirl in Dinoland, and Dinosaur, next to Dinoland.

With no kids, you wouldn't enjoy much else in Dinoland besides Primieval Whirl, but there is quite a bit for kids there, for other readers, such as a play area and the boneyard.

 

[diswedwish]

The trick to AK is to approach it a little differently than the other parks. Really take your time and enjoy the different plants, animals, themeing, talk to the CMs, etc. Definitely see FOTLK, it's a great show. You can squeeze everything in in about a half a day, but you'll miss a lot as far as just enjoying the park for what it is. We've (myself and DH) done both, now we know how to take our time and enjoy ourselves. The meal deal is good - we usually split one and that's enough for us. HTH

 

[julfre]

My favorite thing is after the safari first thing is to go on the trail next to it and see the gorillas. They are usually still going out to their spots for the day and are very active.

 

[golfgal]

Lion King is amazing! It is WELL worth watching. It's Tough to be a Bug was one of my favorite things in the parks.

 

[allisonwonderland]

hahhah..looks like poor DH is stuck with seeing FOTLK with me,.I saw a few minutes of it on some WDW special(travel shows) and it looked neat.SOOO many colors.I LOVED the LION KING and cant't wait to see it actually...do you think that there is a bad time of the year to go?since we may go in the cooler months..DH is concerned with animals not being out as much.

 

[Fromeurope]

Actually you will see more animals in the cooler months, because they stay in the shade in the summertime. Even for the animals it's too hot in AK without AC

 

[whithouston]

I would definitely do Kilimanjaro Safari, It's Tough to be a Bug, all of the different trails, and take a good look at Expedition Everest! To me, Kali River Rapids is way too short for the usual wait time. We did it once and have never done it again. Festival of the Lion King is okay, but not my cup of tea. However, a lot of people on here appear to like it, so I would definitely try it. Dino-Land is okay, just be prepared for whiplash on Dinosaur, the Ride!

 

[dawgsgirl]

I agree with approaching AK in a different way! Take the time to soak up the atmosphere. The trails that run behind the Tree of Life are great! And very easy to miss. There are a couple of great places to sit and enjoy the view of the Tree of Life right across from Flights of Wonder--the bird show. There is also an ice cream cart right there! The Lion King show is NOT to be missed! It is a wonderful show. I also highly recommend the parade at 4:00. It's the best daytime parade at WDW!

 

[MickeyMousesGal]

I definitely recommend riding Kilomanjaro Safari and Dinosaur. Tarzan Rocks is supposed to close around Jan. 2006. I also recommend seeing Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. I hope you have a wonderful trip!



Jessica

 

[liveforthemagic]

Your DH will LOVE FOTLK! Its not really a condensed version of the movie....so I think that appeals to the grown ups. Its sort of just a celebration of the cycle of life--goodness that sounds corny. I went with my DD and the whole time I kept wishing my DH and DS had gone with us--they were exploring one of the nature paths and didn't want to come. It is a wonderful break in the day and astounding--I really think its Broadway quality.

Also--although DD hated it, you gotta try Dinosaur. Its not fast or scary like a roller coaster--but it is intense and really amazing. I thought it was one of the more lifelike rides.

When we were there, Kali was broken and we never got to ride it. But its definitely on the top of our list for next time!

IMO, Dinoland would bore you--its kiddie carnival rides. Have a great time!

 

[grimley1968]

IMO, Dinoland would bore you--its kiddie carnival rides.

I wouldn't quite say that. The height minimum for Primieval Whirl is 48" - not a kiddie ride. It can throw you around quite a bit. It's a carnival-type of atmosphere, certainly, and Triceratops Spin is definitely a kiddie ride, but Primieval Whirl just isn't. I love Primieval Whirl, but it's the only ride I like in Dinoland.

As I said earlier, the Boneyard and the play area, also in Dinoland, are GREAT for kids, but since you don't have kids with you, I'd avoid those 2 things.

 

[AngelEyes]

when we get to go back(will be in either low regular season or off season) we wanna do AK and MGM.I will start with AK..what are the NOT TO BE MISSED?(any avoid at all costs?..lol)really just any tips on what you and/or your family found to be helpful.just two adults,,but WE LOVE animals.not sure whos schedule to follow,,,,passporters or the UG.ALso....what about the opening ceremony?and genrally what time is the parade?annnndd...did u do the AK MEAL DEAL?counter service meal,drink,snack and another drink?

My "not to be missed at AK list" is as follows:

Kilimanjaro safari, first thing in the morning.
It's Tough To Be a Bug
Dinosaur
Kali River Rapids
Jungle Trek

On top of all that, see some shows (Lion King especially) and just enjoy the park!