AK's Wildlife Express Train....do it or skip it??

[escriven75]

We will be at AK in November and are bringing my parents along. They haven't been to WDW since there was ONLY a Magic Kingdom so most things will be new to them. My kids and I haven't ridden the Wildlife Express Train in years and years so I don't really remember it. I'm wondering should we take a ride on it so my parents can experience it or is it not worth it? How long is the ride? Is it something we should get a FastPass for?
Thanks everyone!

 

[erionm]

FP+ is not offered for it. The train runs between Harambe and the Conservation Station and takes approx 7 minutes (one way).

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/animal-kingdom/conservation-station/

 

[Robo]

We rarely do it.
It eats a LOT of time.

 

[Magpie]

You definitely don't need a fastpass for the train!

It's just a pleasant little trolley ride out to Rafiki's Animal Watch. When you disembark you'll find a very short walking trail past some monkey exhibits, at the end of which you find... basically a hands-on children's museum sort of thing, with a small petting zoo (featuring VERY fat goats). There are sometimes "meet the critter" type encounters with cast members, occasionally Rafiki will show up, and if it's early in the morning and you're very lucky, you might even see some veterinary work being done on an animal (no guarantees).

It's a relaxing way to kill a whole lot of time. (Last time we were out there, my husband took a nap on a bench.)

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

For the love of Pete, skip it!

 

[Minnesota!]

We love it and Rafiki's. Kind of like Tom Sawyer Island - removed from the hustle of the park, lots to poke around at. We really enjoy heading out that-a way

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

Lol- I love how so many of us have different opinions

It definitely is a nice slow ride. We never got off at Rafiki, which I guess is the point! I think we were all a bit grouchy and overheated and didn't enjoy seeing the behind the scenes animal enclosures- I prefer the magic of the jungle trek and the other animal walking trails- but as you can see here, many really enjoy it!

 

[tlmadden73]

It is not a "ride" per se but just fun themed short transport out to Rafiki's Planet Watch (which is mainly a petty zoo, a place to meet some characters and some fun exhibits inside the building) ..

That's it. Worth a trip out there if you have people interested in a petting zoo (goats, sheep, etc.)

 

[escriven75]

Yes, I always expect a wide variety of replies.....but if they have reasons to support them then it is super helpful whether it is a 'yes' or 'no' reply! We just don't usually spend much time at AK when we go so I don't remember the last time we rode this. I think IF we did it we would probably be doing as a "rest the feet" type of break for grandparents so we probably would NOT get off at Rafikis. Can we stay on and do a round trip back to where we started? Or do we need to disembark and get on a 'return ride' train?

 

[RedStars]

It's a time suck. We're skipping it.

 

[Robo]

Can we stay on and do a round trip back to where we started? Or do we need to disembark and get on a 'return ride' train?

They sometimes ask that everyone get off the train.
You can stay at that station and wait for the next train,
but if there already is a line of guests waiting to board,
you might need to wait for another train following that one.

Everything at WDW is affected by time, weather, crowd-levels, and equipment issues.

 

[mom2rose&john]

If you can't remember the ride it must not have been too bad for you. Everyone should do it at least one time. IMHO, whether you think it sucks or is a must do should be made by you.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

My granddaughter and I usually do it. It's a nice ride and she loves the petting zoo (she was 18 y.o. last trip) and I loved being able to get my photo taken with Jiminy Cricket ... my fav character.

 

[ahalper0227]

This does take quite a bit of time, but it is a can't miss for us now. We really enjoy being able to see the veterinary procedures there.

 

[Linleedo]

It was a waste of time. Too long waiting for next train back.

 

[revdon64]

Not a bad thing in my opinion. Short ride out past the night time animal enclosures for the safari. Petting zoo, small animals, the occasional show, Rafiki M&G, Chip and Dale M&G. It's a pleasant diversion.

 

[Crystal824]

We usually do it, but we have little kids who like petting zoos and meeting Rafiki. If we didn't have little kids, we would probably skip it. It is a big time suck.

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

we did it on our first ever trip and haven't went back since . We do plan on doing it again this year though

 

[mkla2015]

I would do it at least once to try it out. Our last visit was the first time going on the train because like many others I always just saw it as a waste of time but my kids wanted to do the Lion Guard pledge so we HAD to take the train to Rafiki's.

 

[Otter49]

We'll usually do this as a 15 minute round trip rest the feet kind of thing.

As Robo said, it's possible they'll ask you to get off the train in busy times, but we've only had this happen once.

Ask at the station if you can stay on the train and they'll usually know one way or the other.