Animal Kingdom in 2 hours

[MomOfWesAndNorah]

We fly in on June 2. We get into MCO at 2:40 and are planning to take ME to Pop. Animal Kingdom is open until 8 that night, and we already have the rest of the trip is set. I was afraid we'd have to skip AK, but the hours were extended from 7 to 8, so we're going to give it a shot in 2 hours and figuring best case scenario we may have 2.5 or 3. It's only an extra $30 to add the 5th day ticket (we have 2 days at MK, a day at Epcot, and one day at DHS (can't skip disney junior characters meal!))

I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. We have FP set for the safari and meeting mickey and minnie. I figure we will hit the triceratops spin. Anything I should reconsider or make sure to hit on a SHORT trip? Thanks!

 

[kastoney]

It is doable. Check out easywdw who has a great article they posited lately on hitting AK late in the the day. Good news park is pretty cleared out so lines should be minimal. If it's back open festival of the lion king shouldn't be missed. If it's not the nemo show should also appeal to your kids. There is also an awesome playground area right outside of Dinoland that is my daughters favorite thing in the park. If you have time it's tough to be a bug is cute too and it lets you see the intricacy of the tree of life while going through the queue.

 

[Malibustyle23]

We enjoy the safari ride, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Finding Nemo show, Lion King show (closed during your visit ), riding the train Rafiki's area which includes a petting zoo type area.

Personally I would skip the Spin ride for any of the above but then again the spin shouldn't take as long as any of the above either.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think aiming for the Safari and Mickey is a perfect idea. If you get to do anything else, bonus

 

[mickeymom22]

Please don't take your kids on It's A Bug's Life! It is very intense for young children. Dark and loud and 3-D! You don't want to freak them out the first day they are there!

They will really like the safari, meet-and-greets and the Boneyard playground.

Even walking the trails and looking at the animals would be great for them!

 

[MomOfWesAndNorah]

Please don't take your kids on It's A Bug's Life! It is very intense for young children. Dark and loud and 3-D! You don't want to freak them out the first day they are there! They will really like the safari, meet-and-greets and the Boneyard playground. Even walking the trails and looking at the animals would be great for them!

Yeah, my 4 YO son in easily scared, so Bugs Life is not going to work for us!

 

[TimothyG]

I think it's doable. I find that ME is hit or miss. Sometimes you can get on right away and leave for WDW and sometimes there's a 15-30 min wait before leaving MCO. But even under the worst case where you will have to wait, I think that you still have plenty of time to do this.

I might hold off onto adding the 5th day until you get on property though. If you have a flight delay then that may put a wrench in your plans and you would have wasted the money on the extra day.

 

[Malibustyle23]

Please don't take your kids on It's A Bug's Life! It is very intense for young children. Dark and loud and 3-D! You don't want to freak them out the first day they are there!

They will really like the safari, meet-and-greets and the Boneyard playground.

Even walking the trails and looking at the animals would be great for them!

Really depends on the child. My ds was fine with it at 2.5 and 3.5. Of course others may not be but most parents would not would their child wouldn't be happy with. Just sharing what we enjoy.

 

[jkf26]

My daughter was 4 last time we went and loved "It's Tough to be a Bug" and also "Kilimanjaro Safari"

 

[Nancyg56]

I think it is worth a shot! I agree that Bugs life is an attraction that depends on the kid. My DGD would have hated it when she was younger, but she is not a fan now either! LOL!

 

[Alice Royal]

My parents first took me to WDW at 3 and the Bug's Life show was the only thing I absolutely hated...to this day, I refuse to go in there...

Safari is a very good FP choice. You can probably get on the two kiddie rides in the Dinoland area quickly in the evening.

 

[GetAPaperBag]

You can probably get done what you want to get done, but in my opinion, AK is one of the best parks to just walk around and soak up. The theming is so good and the park just feels more relaxing than the others.

 

[Canuckbiggs]

We fly in on June 2. We get into MCO at 2:40 and are planning to take ME to Pop. Animal Kingdom is open until 8 that night, and we already have the rest of the trip is set. I was afraid we'd have to skip AK, but the hours were extended from 7 to 8, so we're going to give it a shot in 2 hours and figuring best case scenario we may have 2.5 or 3. It's only an extra $30 to add the 5th day ticket (we have 2 days at MK, a day at Epcot, and one day at DHS (can't skip disney junior characters meal!))

I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. We have FP set for the safari and meeting mickey and minnie. I figure we will hit the triceratops spin. Anything I should reconsider or make sure to hit on a SHORT trip? Thanks!

Triceratops spin is pretty well the same as Dumbo, Fly Carpets of Alladin and Astro Orbitor - just in a dino.

IMO it can be skipped in exchange for the Finding Nemo show or Lion King show if it is on. Both are fantastic IMO and unlike anything at any other park.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Last Msrch we did AK in about 2 hours in the am with no fastpass. Did all the big rides. But our absolute fav thing to do is the walk through the zoo area. Not called that but that is what it is. The animals have such wonderful habitats and the zoologists have lots of fun activities for the kids. The ape enclosure is incredible. I could just watch them all day. I agree with a previous reply about not getting an extra ticket until you actually arrive. Luggage takes a while but then we always get our own. And ME can take 5 min up to as much as 20. Plus another 25 to 30 minutes to get to hotel. And then you have to check in, get organized and wait for bus to park. So just try to relax and hope it works out.

 

[lakoda]

I think it is totally worth it! We just split an AK park day with Blizzard Beach last week, we arrived at AK at about 3:30 and stayed until close at 7 pm. It was easier since Lion King is closed and we did Nemo last trip so my 5 y.o. wasn't interested in watching it again. She HATES ITTBAB so it definitely varies by child...but I agree with others about avoiding it first day (it made her nervous for the other 4D shows). It is much easier to plan an afternoon visit with FP+. I think in addition to KS & characters that you should walk one or both of the animal trails (Pangani is right next to KS so it is a good choice). If your 1 y.o. is walking it is a great area to give free reign to work off some energy! I know that Triceratop Spin is just like Dumbo but my daughter loves them both. And if you do it right before closing then the CMs may let them stay on if there aren't many people in line waiting I think the most we did at one time without getting off was 3 times. AND it is a great photo op! Another thing to consider - if you have another adult with you and are interested in riding EE then you can do that right before closing & do rider swap. Or depending on time/interest you could get a third FP+. Have a great trip!!

 

[Kpskyman]

I think it is possible to do what you want to on that slotted time, but could be very rushed. Did you get park hoppers ?? If you did I would consider doing another park your first evening and maybe hitting AK on a RD on your EPCOT day. The animals are much livelier on KS first thing in the morning as are the animals on the two trails. Then when done with what you wanted to do at AK, just jump on bus to EPCOT.

 

[MomOfWesAndNorah]

We are skipping the PH tickets this time. We've debated but I know we will be back and I don't want to spend so much time on the bus with two littles.