Animal Kingdom advice

[henry72]

I would definite give Kali a try. We use to go midday right before we went back to the hotel. (That was June and we had park hoppers.) Both kids 6 and 9 last time loved it.

We have a TH ADR at 10:30 for our upcoming trip. We picked this time so we could sample both breakfast and lunch items. We plan to do Safari before our ADR.

 

[JPKnapp]

On our first trip to AK, I made the mistake of rope dropping Safari. The ride is in the very back of the park, so the kids got all amped up at opening and then we walk past all these great looking attractions and I had to keep telling them "we'll do that later" (on repeat) and "keep up".

I felt bad for them actually. Mostly because it was our first time there and I felt like it set the day off in wrong way.

I would work counter clockwise around the park.

 

[Lucius Best]

What is RD like at AK? Do you get in a little before 9? Is there usually a big run for Safari, or are most folks heading to Everest?

THanks everyone for the thoughts. I'm still not sure how to fit everything in but talking it through helps!

Every time I've been to AK they have a different opening RD procedure, don't know what they are doing currently. Sometimes they let us through the turnstiles early around 845, but then everyone was held in front of the Tree of Life. Other times we went through the turnstiles closer to 900 and once you're in then everything is open. At RD I've always felt it was half of the crowd going right to Everest and half going left to Safari.

Safari is all the way in the back of the park, so yes, it is kind of a hike to get there at RD, but that is absolutely where you want to go first, because that is the most popular attraction on your list and the animals are most active in the morning. And if you are going mid week in mid September, crowds should be very light in AK, you could possibly get in two standby rides on Safari before your Tusker House ADR, depending on how the line looks.

If Dino isn't going to be running, there isn't much to see/do in DinoLand. There's a painful old-school coaster, and a Dumbo-style ride, and a small crocodile exhibit.

I'll take a shot at a touring plan, focusing on animals and shows:
900AM Safari
~930 Pangani Forest/Gorilla Falls walking trail (OR Safari second time if short line)
~1000 Tusker House check-in early for 1020 ADR
1200PM Lion King show
~1245 Rafiki
~145 It's Tough to Be a Bug (after show, exit and go LEFT for a few "hidden" animal exhibits) (OR Kali if want to get wet)
245 Flights of Wonder show
~315 Maharajah Jungle trail (Tigers)
400 Finding Nemo show
~445 early counter service dinner (Flame Tree is #1 but all seating is outside, for AC there is Restaurantosaurus or Pizzafari)
~600 DinoLand / Everest with FP or single rider
~700 Safari FP