AK Tips?

[Tank]

I have been to the other 3 parks several times but this Oct will be my first chance to see AK. Please share any tips, secrets, must-sees that you might have. I will be with DW, DD5 and DS2. These boards have been a great help in planning but I havn't seen much on AK.

 

[whozit]

Look for DeVine, possibly on the pathway between Africa and Asia. She is a performance artist that you may not even notice....she is camoflauged with leaves and may be stationary and you will not notice her, but then you may see her move and walk around (she is on 3' tall stilt type sticks and also has 3' sticks in her hands so she is about 10' tall). If your family catches sight of her moving, your kids will probably be mesmerized.

 

[mickeysaver]

AK is a great park. It's not a park filled with rides at every turn, but it has plenty to keep you busy. The place is just beautiful. There are lots of animals to see and fun things to do. They have many characters scattered through the park. I encourage you to take the time to go to conservation station because you can learn much there about the animals in the park, captive breeding programs, and some tree huggin' hippie stuff. The Pangani Trails include a spot along the way that has some cool small critters to observe in their own habits too. Don't forget to look out for Timon's cousins! Devine is a neat, if you can catch her act. Also, there is a wise cracking palm tree on wheels usually near the front of the park named Wes Palm that can be a lot of fun. Similarly, there is a talking trashcan named PIPA that lives back around Conservation Station.

I was very upset with myself on our last vacation because I didn't allow enough time to do AK right. We never made it out to Camp Minnie Mickey, Asia, or the Dino Section. I encourage you to give AK a full day, especially if you are planning on seeing the shows. The best advice I can give you for AK is to be prepared to slow down and enjoy it. It's done not done justice if you have a commando touring style. Mickey

 

[tjkraz]

From a touring perspective, you'll want to plan on seeing Kilimanjaro Safari in the morning. The animals tend to be more active in the AM hours. The vast majority of park guests know this, and will flock over to Africa right away.

You can use this to your advantage by getting FastPasses for KS when you first arrive. Send one member of your party over with all of your tickets to get FastPasses.

Depending on your FP return time, you can then catch many of the other headline attractions with little or no wait since so many people will be waiting for KS. Try for an early show of It's Tough to Be A Bug, and then head over to Dinorama for Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, etc.

Plan to dress accordingly for the weather. If you have a hot, humid forecast, it will be even more insufferable at AK.

Get a schedule of the shows when you arrive, and make sure to plan some of them into your day. If Festival of the Lion King is running when you are there, it is the one "must see" at AK. We enjoyed Tarzan Rocks. However, the Pocohontas show is nothing special.

The AK parade is definitely one of the better ones in the "World", so try to stick around for it if you can. The streets are narrow and it can be difficult to find a good viewing spot, so start lining up accordingly.

Touring in the off-season, you should be able to see everything that appeals to you--and then some--in a single day.

 

[june@imsarc.com]

Make sure you check the schedule for the Festival of the Lion King (FOLK) times. I know it is an early morning show and does not run all day. We've been disappointed in the past when we've gone to see it and there were no more times scheduled for the day.

I'd do Kilanmanjaro Safari first, then FOLK.

Make sure you bring rain ponchos or a change of clothes if you plan to do Kali River Rapids. You will get soaked. Not a bad thing if the weathers nice, but is awful if you are there on a cold day.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[RealMickey]

Great tips so far!

Lots of posters say AK is a half-day park. Give yourself a whole day, arrive at opening and stay till close. It is the only way to see most of the park. We spent the whole day on our first visit and saw most of what we wanted to see (but not all).

Eat lunch early, if you eat right when the diners open, there is no waiting in line to eat.

 

[Dan Murphy]

All well said thoughts here. Hard to add any, LOL.

Character breakfast, Donald's Breakfastosaurus, is a good one. As said, Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is super, lots of fun, really puts you in a dancing mood. The kids should enjoy Conservation Trail and Rafiki's Planet Watch. Festival of the Lion King, as said, is one of the best live shows at the World.

Take your time, slow down, drink lots of water, enjoy.

 

[BadgerBruce]

We also really like the acrobats (Karuka?) that perform in the Harambe section. It is a short, fantastic performance. The Lion King is not to be missed & your young kids will probably enjoy the Pocohotas show. There are CM's posted along the pathways of the trails that we've always found very helpful & happy to answer questions about the animals. It's a wonderful park!

 

[Hadjii]

If you get a chance to get to the AKL,make sure to try Boma. It's our favorite restaurant. Amazing buffet unlike any other at WDW.

 

[janette]

I agree with everyone take your time, it really is a beautiful park.

We usually get fast passes for the attractions then do a trail while we wait.

Here are a few pictures of DeVine, you might be able to ask at guest services where she would be but we just happened across her one day.

 

[jiggerj]

oh my gosh janette ! Those pictures of Devine are awsome ! Thank you for sharing and I hope to be able to see her in October !

 

[sarahj]

AK is one of our absolute favorites. We are going back in September for a quick visit and plan to do what we want at MGM, MK and Epcot in one day and then spend a whole day at AK. Do the Safari ride first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Those are the best times for animal viewing. We love the Dinosaur ride, Tough to be a Bug, the Pagani Trail and the Rapids ride. You will get wet on the rapids, so plan accordingly! Our favorite is the Festival of the Lion King show, so don't miss it. We also enjoy Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade, so try to catch that one. The music and costumes are great. I have never seen Devine, so I really enjoyed the pictures from janette! I will be sure to look more carefully for her on our visit. AK is beautiful. I agree that it is best to take your time and roam around seeing everything. Enjoy!

 

[whozit]

I had wanted to see DeVine, so I did stop and guest relations at AK and they called and checked and told me that she would be out, but since she was a "wandering vine" they didn't know exactly where. The CM did circle an area on the map where she often hangs out. We went there and walked around....no luck, so I stopped a CM in that area and asked if she knew if DeVine was around or point us in the best direction. She told us she hadn't seen here for a long time, thought she was only around in the winter because the costume was too hot, then she called in and checked and was told, that she isn't out at this time of year (I told her that guest relations had just told us differently, but she said she hadn't seen her in a long time). So we headed back on the same walkway and not 50 yards away, THERE SHE WAS! I wonder if we walked right past her and didn't see her, but caught sight of her because she was on the move. Keep your eyes open!

 

[gshoemate]

Festival of the Lion King....it is my favorite, I bet I have seen it over 100 times. I would recommend the last show which is usually at 4:45 when the park stays open until 5:00. Most people leave after the 4:00 parade so the show is usually not crowded. If you walk directly through the Fastpass machines at It's a Bugs Life, there is a nice trail that goes past the Tree of Life, not many people walk this trail so it is nice and quite. Keep your eyes on the left of the path and you will see a spot with kangaroos and deer. You will also get an up close look at some of the carvings on the Tree. This path connects you up with the road leading to Africa. If you have young children they will like to take a break in the Boneyard, AK's playground. There is an area where you can dig for bones also. Thats about it, the other tips have been great.

 

[Harambe]

Please do the Jungle Trek in Asia. You are so close up to the tigers - it is awesome (they are behind glass). We took a lot of time here toward the end of our AK day, and when we came out (this is over near Kali River Rapids), they were just marking the road for the parade. We had great seats (well - we sat on the curb!) for the parade, which is just so much fun! I dare you not to dance!!!!!

There is also some good shops - great clothes with AK logos that are more adult oriented (animals rather than Mickey and friends).

Just a note - while DH and I loved Tough to be a Bug, both of our kids (6 & 8) were frightened.

 

[sters]

I'd seriously avoid doing ITTBAB with little kids. It was very traumatizing for my son, who was 3 1/2 at the time, and my husband said the theater was filled with hysterical children.

 

[Jillpie]

My biggest tip: Don't walk out of AK without seeing the Lion King show!!!! It is worth the price of admission to AK. It is worth going to Disney World for!!! It is that good. But, and this is a big but...get in line early for this show if it looks like there are big crowds at AK. The last time we saw it, we had to stand. Its not the same as participating in the audience. Please, do not miss this show.

Also, take some time to observe the gorillas. They are SO funny to watch.

 

[janette]

Originally posted by sters
I'd seriously avoid doing ITTBAB with little kids. It was very traumatizing for my son, who was 3 1/2 at the time, and my husband said the theater was filled with hysterical children.

Ways to avoid the special effects:

1) Don't wear the glasses - when my DD was nervous one time I let her know it wouldn't be scary if she didn't wear the glasses so she didn't. This was for Honey I shrunk the kids, she did wear them for ITTBAB and loved the butterflies and some of the other things. She knew though to take them off if scared.

2) Have them sit on your lap or don't lean back on the seat and have their feet up. That will avoid the scarier special effects. If they are on your lap they will miss the last effect, if they aren't have them sit on the very edge of the seat.

3) If loud noises bother them try bringing ear plugs, they would be handy in several attractions.

With these precautions most children should be fine. They all have different tolerance levels but I think most would enjoy the movie and the queue line into the Tree of Life is great.

Lion King is one of the best shows! They include audience members in the show and one of my girls favorite memories is dancing in a show in Jun '00 Really magical.

 

[scrapaholic]

Please see another post that I submitted in response to your post...I meant to post as a response to this but being the great computer whiz that I am I entered as a new post. Look for the post " Look for the Kids Club Discovery Guide". This apparently is a new adventure for the kids at AK. My 5yr old DD loved this in April of this year. Sorry I made such a mess!!!

 

[3MGIRLS]

My 6 year old sits on my lap, and closes her eyes during the scary parts of this show. If you can, go to this show twice, once to see it, and once to watch the reactions of the other people in the audience. It's as great as the show!

I also agree, that the late afternoon is a good time to do the Safari. We have seen as many animals close to closing time as in the morning, and there is never any wait. The middle of the day isn't the best when it's hot outside.

My kids like to ride the Rapids over and over again at the end of the day. Normally, after the parade everyone leaves the park, allowing them to not have to wait in line. Plus, it is the end of the day and they don't have to walk around wet for hours.