AK Trip Advice

[Carlymouse]

Hi everyone! Going to AK next spring break (March 24-29, staying at AKL with some resort-only days) and wanted to get some advice on my day 1 plans- i.e. fast pass or time recommendations, your own experiences, etc. I am traveling with DH, my parents and DD4. Between my daughter's age and my husband not being a morning person, the plan is to hit our favorite things at AK at a leisurely pace. Trip will still be little daughter-driven. Last year we did all the parks, and this year we decided to take a more leisurely animal-themed trip both for us and for our daughter who LOVES animals.

My main objectives for Day 1 in AK (March 25, also my 40th Bday!) is to:

1) Not get too late of a start (ideally get to the park around 9:30AM, maybe 10 at the latest)
2) Do Kilimanjaro Safari, Adventurer Outpost, Festival of the Lion King and maybe Navi River + Rivers of Light. I also want to do dinner at Tiffins for my birthday. Extra time we'll wander the trails and maybe hit other shows if they fit.
3) Be able to return to AKL for a mid or late-afternoon break, especially because my daughter may need a nap to recharge.

I thought about doing the Rivers of Light dining package, but I'm worried about losing flexibility with returning to the resort because the dinner has to be scheduled at least 2.5 hours before the show, which I believe is around 8:15PM at that time of year.

We'll have 2 other park days that we'll spend at AK also, and I'll try to get FOP on one of those days, but I bring this up to say that I'm open to moving some of my Monday wish list to other days. Over the course of the trip I also want to see Pandora at night (maybe after Tiffins?) and maybe do the night safari.

How do-able is this list with an active 4-year old in tow and not doing rope drop? I want us to experience these cool things, but I don't want to make us crazy with being tied to a schedule or making everyone overtired. Any personal experience is welcome! Thanks in advance!

 

[zianha]

I think this is all completely doable! I like the idea of dedicating so much time to AK. There's so much I love there! Does your little one take naps in the stroller? When my kids were little they ended up taking power naps in the stroller on top of normal naps back at the resort. You seem to be willing to be a little flexible so I feel like you can probably get everything done as planned or catch other stuff on the additional days.

I will say that though I enjoyed the night safari, we went when the sun was completely down and didn't really see any animals, so keep that in mind. If you are able to do it around dusk, it's supposed to be really nice then!

 

[Carlymouse]

I just started hearing that about the night safari, so I had been thinking just as you said, to scratch it unless a dusk time worked out. She hasn't napped in the stroller before, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility. The stroller was great to have on our last trip and we're definitely bringing it again, but she frequently prefers to walk or be carried, which may prevent the sleeping... but if we wear her out enough... thanks for the feedback!