animal kingdom itinerary

[schmoopy]

Hi - would like opinions on the best things NOT to miss at animal kingdom. Will be there on am emh day with dh and ds 5yrs old. I had heard that we should head straight to the safari as the animals might be more active early in the am. We have res for Donald's breakfastsaurus at 8:40am but now thinking I should change that? What other things are must see and most popular (crowded)

Thanks

 

[Spine_DR]

The res sounds like its at a good time to me. The animals at the safari can be more active in the morning 2 years ago at like 10:00 am we had a couple of rhinos trotting infront of the safari vehicle it was kinda cool they really slowed us down.

If your Family likes shows my parents said that Nemo musical is a must see(I havent seen it yet). If you guys like rides and your son is adventurous(my son didnt go on EE and Dinosaur until he was 8) you need to get a FP for EE quickly in the morning.

 

[sif]

Do try to do Safari early. Also, don't miss the new Finding Nemo show. Just saw it last week and it is awesome. Broadway-quality. Festival of the Lion King is also a must-see. And your 5yo will really like the Boneyard, which is a GREAT playground area with climbing nets, slides, etc. in the Dinoland USA area. Enjoy.

 

[cinderkelli]

Agreed on doing the Safari as early as possible. We did an EMH morning too, and did it first thing. We saw SOO many animals. It was great. I don't know about Expedition Everest and Dinosaur with small children. They may not even be big enough to ride. But I would totally recommend the Flights of Wonder show. I feel like it is overlooked a lot, but we really enjoyed it and I don't even like birds! It was cute and those birds are so smart!

 

[schmoopy]

Thanks for the information. I think we'll skip EE - may be a bit too thrilling for ds. But will plan on safari, dinosaur, kali river rapids, its tough to be a bug, and at least one or the other of Nemo or lion king. I suppose no advnace resevations for these last two (except fast pass), correct?

Also, any ideas on thebest way to get to AK from Old Key West early in the am on a Monday in March?

 

[sif]

It is not possible to make advance reservations for either Lion King or Nemo shows. Check the Times Guide (near park maps at park entrance) for showtimes. Don't be put off by large crowds waiting for the show. Both theaters hold HUGE amounts of people. But plan to be there at least 1/2 hour before the posted showtime. If you can manage to see both shows, it will be worth your while!

 

[sif]

Oh, forgot to mention in my last post....No Fastpass either for Lion King or Nemo. But for the reasons I stated in my last post, you won't really need Fastpass. Enjoy.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

If you can, I'd change the ADR for a little earlier so you can try to make it to the safari within the first 15 minutes or so the park opens. That way, the line will probably still be tolerable and you can see the animals which will be more active. We didn't care much for the safari though. Didn't see many animals. (We went in the afternoon).
This is what we thought of AK....
Not to be missed:
festival of the lion king
tough to be a bug (my dd3 was terrified of this since it gets dark, and there are lots of bugs involved among some other scary stuff, but it was really good)

liked enough:
finding nemo musical
jammin jungle parade
character trails at camp mm

Your child might also enjoy dinoland and the animal trails in Asia and Africa. There is also lots of live entertainment performed all over the park.

 

[DisneyJo]

A good thing to do is get a FP for the safari then walk the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, once finished ride the safari. I've heard Dinosaur can be a bit rough and frightening so that might be worth checking out. Lion King is an absolute must and also Camp Micky as the characters are all dressed in their safari gear. Have Fun.

 

[kellypooh]

I completely agree with a PP about Flights of Wonder -- we all love it

 

[mickeysaver]

AK is my favorite park as far as the beauty and wonder factor goes. I love the rides, but some of the true gems are the entertainment options that are not listed on the main websites. I direct you to Steve Soare's website, which has the up to date schedules for the regular and non-published entertainment options at the parks. For Animal Kingdom, you have to know that it's not a park that is about the rides, but about the amazing attention to detail in EVERY corner of the park.

Some of my favorite non-published entertainment.......
Divine
Wes Palm
Pipa
Inka Wasi
Gi-Tar Dan
Mor Thiam

But, the best to me is the Tropicals. I love the steel drums and just to pull up a curb and watch the little kids dance to the music.

Happy Planning! Maggie