Animal Kingdom on Saturday

[MrsMud]

...Of Columbus Day weekend!
We are doing mostly US and Seaworld this trip, with an evening at MK for MNSSHP. I know any park will be more crowded the Sat. of this weekend, but the way our schedule is, we really have no choice. I was planning on doing SW, as it is mostly shows and exhibits, and only a couple of rides, but now my daughter is saying she would like to go to AK. Am I crazy to even consider it? Does the same hold true as far as not a lot of rides, etc., or will it be mobbed regardless?

 

[sjc]

We did a Saturday (albeit a non holiday weekend) this past June and it was not that bad. I would reccomend getting there early and doing the big attractions first and then moving on to the walking exhibits when the crowds start thickening. We hit the safari first thing and had a 5 minute wait. At around 12 noon the crowds did start to seem a bit heavy especially around the water ride thingy that I can't remember the name of right now.... hope that helps...steve

 

[MrsMud]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if 1) AK is better or worse on a typical weekend, and 2) if it's affected more or less by a holiday weekend. Anyone else have an opinion? Maybe I would be better off sticking w/ Seaworld if AK will be mobbed.

 

[MrsMud]

BUMP! AK or Seaworld for more managable crowds?

 

[Captain America]

Dear MrsMud ,
My family and I will also be venturing to the AK that Sat. and here is my take on the potential crowd there that day :
1. Arrive prior to official opening with tickets in hand
2. Upon entry head towards the ride/attraction you want to see/do most and ride/see it
3. Next head to your second favorite and get Fastpasses
4. Now go to your third favorite and ride/see
5. Go back to your second favorite and ride/see (your Fastpasses should be good by this time)
6. Head towards your fourth favorite ride/attraction and get Fastpasses
7. Now go to your fifth choice and ride/see
8. Return to your fourth favorite if your Fastpass window has begun and ride/see
By now you should have rode/seen most of the more popular and thus most crowded attractions the rest of the day you shouldn't have too much trouble with lines especially if most of the attractions you haven't done yet are shows like Tarzan Rocks and Festival of the Lion King which have large stadium capacities and thus swallow lines quickly . You may have to do some crisscrossing of the park but it is worth it in my opinion to avoid long waits in line . Here's my plan step by step :
1. Kilamanjaro Safaris
2. Khali River Rapids
3. Its Tough to be a Bug
4. Dinosaur
5. Primieval Whirl
6. Tarazan Rocks
7. Festival of the Lion King
8. Pocahontas and her Forrest Friends
9. Panginnini tour
10. Mahareshi Jungle Trek

Good Luck and have a great trip !
Captain America

 

[m&m's mom]

Too funny!
We will be there that Sat. as well.
I heard that since locals do not go to AK that is the best park to go to on a Sat. We'll see!

 

[gshoemate]

We've done AK both during the week and on the weekend and we prefer the weekend. The crowds are not bad at all. I think people tend to go to Magic Kingdom on the weekends. And as a local, this is by far my favorite park. I think due to the fact that even on it's busy days, it doesn't seem that crowded and it is a slow paced park.

 

[MrsMud]

Thanks for the replies. I think we will definitely do AK, so now I can start obsessing over planning for THAT park!

 

[Dznefreek]

1. Kilamanjaro Safaris
2. Khali River Rapids
3. Its Tough to be a Bug
4. Dinosaur
5. Primieval Whirl
6. Tarazan Rocks
7. Festival of the Lion King
8. Pocahontas and her Forrest Friends
9. Panginnini tour
10. Mahareshi Jungle Trek

I would do it as 1, 9, 2, 10, 3, 6, 5, 4, 7, 8. This way your are not "all over the park." You also need to check the times for the shows.

 

[gshoemate]

How old is your DD?? You might want to take a run out to Rafiki's Planet Watch, it is a nice relaxing train ride and you can meet Pocahontis and Stanley and if you have a few moments pet the goats. Also, if you go in the morning, sometimes they are doing medical procedures on animals they you can view (I have heard these are done in the morning). You can always check in at Guest Services and someone can place a call out there and see if anything is scheduled. We usually get fast passes for the safari then get on the train. We also love to catch the last FOLK, when the park closes at 5:00 the last show is at 4:45. Alot of people leave after the parade so the show isn't to crowded. And if you get a spot for the parade by the road entrance to Camp Minnie Mickey, you should have plenty of time to catch the last FOlK. Have Fun!!

 

[MrsMud]

Gshoemate:
Yes, we will try to go to Planet Watch this time. Last time at AK, we only did 5 attractions and then my husband decided we should leave and go to Epcot. When I mentioned going to AK this trip he said, "There's nothing there!" I had to remind him that it was HIS choice to pass up the 16 other attractions (now 17 with Primeval Whirl added). This time my Dds are specifically asking to go, so he's outnumbered!

BTW, I am currently trying to rework my plan so we can go to AK during the week (probably TH), instead of Sat. Thanks for everyone's advice.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Now, I can't really accurately compare since we did AK on a Tuesday, but we did Seaworld on Saturday, 8/23 and it was the worst crowds I had seen all week. (We did 5 days in WDW parks and one at Seaworld.) We didn't get there til 10 am, but we did the Sea Lion Show, Dolphins, ate Lunch, Shamu Show, rode Wild Artic and then left around 4:30. You had to get to shows really early to not be sitting in the nosebleed seats, and the theaters closed about 15 minutes before the show for the Sea Lions and dolphins. Dh is active duty so we all got in free, and I would have been disappointed if we spend $200+ for that.
And when we did AK? Nearly everything was a walk on!! Fast Passes weren't even needed.