animal kingdom help

[deltadawn7799]

I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for the Animal kingdom. We always seem to rush through this park and I always feel that we have missed things or are not hitting things that we should definitely see.

 

[johamna]

you should definitely catch the finding nemo musical as well as the lion king show if you havent already..both are amazing!

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd second the recommendation for both Finding Nemo and Lion King stage shows.

We love to just take our time walking along the two wildlife trails in Africa and Asia. Lots to see on both trails.

Also, there is a path around the back side of the Tree of Life that most people never notice. Its a good place to spot more of the animals carved into the tree and to see some of the park from a different vantage point.

 

[katemarcail]

Animal Kingdom requires a slightly different mindset than the average attraction-oriented visitor tends to bring with them. I see so many people call this a half day park and, attraction-wise, they're right - there's not all that much to ride here. However DH and I managed to spend three whole days there during our last 7 day visit and felt like we still had so much more we could have seen. We treated it more like a zoo or nature park than an amusement park and that makes all the difference.

So, my tips:

- Stroll, don't rush! There's SO much to see at every turn, from fantastic animals to wonderful little details the imagineers put in.

- Accept Dinoland for what it is and enjoy it. Yes, it's got a roadside amusement park. That's what makes it fun. Spend some time looking at the details, from license plate planters to figuring out the gender of the yellow dino (nothing vulgar, just some suspiciously placed lights). Wander the trail they have there with plants and enjoy the peace and coolness. Spend some time in the restaurant there and take in all the great details that surround you, like students' signatures, thumb print dinos, and emergency squirt guns.

- Do all the trails and do them slowly! What's a two minute roller coaster ride compared to standing inches away from a real-life tiger?

- Hit Rafiki's Animal Watch and spend some time talking with the cast members there. DH had a great time chatting with one about how fish undergo operations. It looks remarkably like preparing them for dinner, they're just missing the lemon wedge.

- Don't miss the shows, especially Festival of the Lion King!

- Even if you don't want to ride E:E it's worth going through the line once just to see it. You can always chicken out. I love the little yeti wearing tiny mickey ears in the first room.

- Stop and shop! There's some great unique merchandise here.

- Enjoy the hidden spots, from the "hidden" trail between Africa and Asia to the kids' drum corner in Africa to the little Everest temple in Asia.

- Go crazy with your camera. I've got a TON of photos from AK and wound up printing and framing them and filling a wall in our living room. People always ask about them and can't believe they're all from WDW - I guess they're expecting giant mice rather than authentic prayer flags and aged ruins. Anyway, those pictures are some of the best I've ever taken and it wasn't because I'm some terribly skilled photographer. It's just such a photogenic place!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I have to agree with Lion King!

Also have you seen Flights of Wonder? I thought would be lame but it's something we enjoy every trip.

Search out Devine

Watch the parade!

Do circle the tree of life via the trails - it's a lot of fun and really interesting.

We love AK - especially the above attractions, the safari, the trails, and Kali River Rapids.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

These are some great tips thanks!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

It seems I find something new every time I go.

I found kangaroos last time! ok, probably late to the party, but never saw them before!

We spent time 2 trips ago checking out the tigers. I have some amazing pictures from that trip

The shows are some of the best there are at Disney. Don't skip Flights of Wonder. We skipped this for years, then finally made time for it. What a great show.

While it does not have the most exciting rides in the world, no where else can you spot an anteater

 

[Big Kid]

If you are traveling with little ones, make time for them to explore the Boneyard playground. The first section is a great climbing gym with slides and the second is a giant sandbox (filled with pea gravel thankfully) in which the kiddos can uncover a mastadon skeleton. Our son can spend a couple of hours in there quite happily.

We also love the ribs at Flametree Barbeque in the lakeside dining pavilion (the one farthest from the restaurant) with a view of Mt. Everest.

 

[dolphindan1]

our best tip is to get a first seating at Donalds breakfast...you are in the back of the park at RD...ride or get FP for safari and then go to EE, PW, and dinosaur....we usually FP safari and ride after the parade....its nice to have the jump on the RD crowd...we can usually eat and have all the characters come by in 45 mins....its our #1 tip

 

[Lbg206]

I agree with everyone else about taking your time and relaxing. It can get VERY hot and humid there during the afternoons so start out early and just take it slow later in the day. If you have time to devote more than one day my recommendation is hit the Safari and EE first thing when you get there and then grab FP's for later. Do the two walking trails and really take your time, don't rush!! If you're patient with the animals they'll eventually come around and you'll get GREAT photos. Do an early morning breakfast or a lunch....or even both if you want. They have some GREAT food at AK. AS someone else said accept Dinoland for what it is and just enjoy the fun bright colored happy side of it...do Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, and Triceratops spin (that last one if you have a small child) and again if you have a small child hit the boneyard and let them play while you relax on a bench during the hotter part of the day with something cool to drink. Skip the parade initially so you can get shorter line rides while it's going on. Then lastly head up to Rafiki's Planet Watch. No, the animals aren't anything too great to see, but the ride there is very nice and definitely talk to the CM's, they make it worth the trip.

For the second day again start out early and walk ALL around the tree. Behind it is a "hidden" path that few people know about so you can stop and take pics without hardly anyone around. Do the "It's Tough to be a Bug" show because it's AWESOME. Then definitely do Find Nemo the Musical AND Festival of the Lion King. both are great, but Lion King is the best ever! A little tip....use the daily schedule map to find a time where FOTLK and character greeting times overlap and hit Camp Minnie/Mickey at that time. a CM told me about this and it's perfect if you want to meet any characters. Most of the kids in the park will be at the Lion King show and you can basically just walk up to ALL of the characters with little to no wait time. Just make sure to be done before Lion King let's out because then they'll be mobbed by TONS of kids.....that's when you can head in for the next showing of Lion King.

Afterwards explore the rest of Asia including Kali River Rapids if you don't mind getting wet, do the Flights of Wonder show if you wish (I'm terrified of birds so I skip this one) and by this time you can grab a quick bite and get a perfect seat for the parade. You MUST see this parade3 at least once, it's the best in all of WDW. Finally afterward just wander around slowly and catch anything you may have missed....check out the parrots up in the trees, the drum set up, and definitely search out DeVine (sp?) she's awesome!!!!

You can of course adjust this plan to fit your desires and needs especially depending if you're on an adults only trip, have teens, young kids, etc. but these are just my recommendations. Do one day with rides and walking trails and the second day with shows and just seeing the park sites. Take it slow and soon it'll be become one of your favorite parks!! I know it's definitely mine.

 

[devjam]

Any tips for finding Devine? I heard that she's usually on the trail between Asia and Africa but didn't spot her last year.

 

[jpmandan]

our best tip is to get a first seating at Donalds breakfast...you are in the back of the park at RD...ride or get FP for safari and then go to EE, PW, and dinosaur....we usually FP safari and ride after the parade....its nice to have the jump on the RD crowd...we can usually eat and have all the characters come by in 45 mins....its our #1 tip

I agree with you on that.
Safari first thing in the morning is the way to go.

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! Great tips! I was able to land Donald's Breakfast at 9am, but will keep trying to see if I can get an earlier ADR. I think one of the best park tips (at any park) is getting a breakfast ADR for before the park opens.

On Rafiki's Planet Watch we were lucky enough to see the operating room where they had a full grown lion asleep while they performed some dental surgery. He was massive and his gigantic paw was right up next to the glass, I have never seen a wild animal that close up before, totally worth taking the train ride back there.

We are going at Christmas time and are hoping to catch the special Christmas parade.

One of our favorite things to do is go to Restaurantosaurus and get a seat in the trailer, very retro, we have done this every year with our boys, they know right where to go!

My 3 complaints about AK:
1. Jeez it is HOT there! I believe a CM said it is always something like 10-15 degrees hotter at AK than anywhere else at WDW b/c of all the vegetation/humidity.
2. It closes way too early, I know they need to feed the animals, but closing at 5pm just doesn't allow enough time.
3. Sometimes it is almost darn impossible to fit in FOTLK, lunch and FN shows. I feel very rushed when I try to squeeze both in.

Funny story about the heat, someone I work with was a tram driver for a summer in college at AK. He said he lost 15 lb's that summer from driving a tram-he sweated it off-and he is from Costa Rica so he is used to the heat!

We were going to skip AK this trip, but my younger sister is coming with us now and she has not been to WDW in over 20 years, so she has never been to AK and she is an animal lover so I think we will make this our last park day. I think she is going to love it!

Keep it up with all the great tips!

 

[kclyn]

I start with Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing in the morning. The lines are shorter and the animals are more active. That will save you some time for later in the day.

I love to take my time on Discovery Island/Tree of Life. There is sooooo much to see that you can't really take it all in if you are rushing around the park. The amazing artwork in the tree itself is worth the time to stop and admire.

(My two favorite rides - Everest and Dinosaur; make sure you do those!)