Animal Kingdom plan, EMH, and FoP

[kpd6901]

Background: our trip begins Thanksgiving day, but is a split stay. Animal Kingdom is not our first park, but it IS the first day of it's segment of the split stay, so it is FP 60+0. This is also the only AK day of our trip. Most everything is already planned out for the day, meals, RoL, planned FP times as well as our map for the day.

AK day is Saturday, Nov. 24. So, it will be busy as it is Thanksgiving week. AK has amEMH, and the plan is to hit NRJ at emh RD. The plan was to do Pandora in the early morning, then move along to Africa for a FP of Kilimanjaro Safari, then Lion King, then 1 pm lunch at Tusker and eventually moving around orderly through Asia and Dino until RoL. After RoL, we we're going to go back to Pandora for the evening experience, but not ride anything at that point.

The plan/goal was to get the FoP FP+ for the morning, but it brings up a couple of questions.
1) since it is emh, with an 8am emh open and 9am GP open, is 9am the earliest I can get the FP?

2) using TP, even with a 9 am FP window, it gives me a 41 minute wait (after the wait for RNJ and the free time before the FoP FP window opens at 9). I know it would be busy on that day, but would the FP line really be 41 minutes?? Standby on an emh, sure I could see, but 41 minutes with a FP just seems wrong.

3) we were hoping to see the 9:30 Navi drum ceremony and the 9:55 Tam Tam drummers before a 10:45 KS FP. But that 41-minute predicted FP queue time throws that off.

4) otherwise, would it be better to try for an evening FoP FP to get that later in the evening as we make our way back through Pandora for the bioluminescence? We were planning on eating dinner at Satu'li Canteen some time around 7:15ish. Park hours are scheduled till 8pm.

Thoughts?
Thank you!!

 

[sharonabe]

our trip begins Thanksgiving day, but is a split stay. Animal Kingdom is not our first park, but it IS the first day of it's segment of the split stay, so it is FP 60+0. This is also the only AK day of our trip. Most everything is already planned out for the day, meals, RoL, planned FP times as well as our map for the day.

I could be wrong (don't do split stays, so don't stay up on the ins and outs), but I thought if your ticket was attached to your first stay, you could do FP+ for the length of the ticket no matter how long your resort stay is. Go check the FP+ sticky to see if that is true. It will make FP+ much easier.

As to your other question, I agree. If you're standing right there at the FP entrance around 8:50 or so, there shouldn't be any wait for the FP line and you could walk right through and into the first waiting room, if not the first video room. However, even with that, getting back for the 9:30 drum show will probably require a pretty fast walk to catch the first of it.

If you can't get the 9:00 FP for FoP, I'd try to get one for the evening and ride when you go back for dinner. I know that precludes any other FP throughout the day, but it would be worth it to me.

 

[kpd6901]

I could be wrong (don't do split stays, so don't stay up on the ins and outs), but I thought if your ticket was attached to your first stay, you could do FP+ for the length of the ticket no matter how long your resort stay is. Go check the FP+ sticky to see if that is true. It will make FP+ much easier.

As to your other question, I agree. If you're standing right there at the FP entrance around 8:50 or so, there shouldn't be any wait for the FP line and you could walk right through and into the first waiting room, if not the first video room. However, even with that, getting back for the 9:30 drum show will probably require a pretty fast walk to catch the first of it.

If you can't get the 9:00 FP for FoP, I'd try to get one for the evening and ride when you go back for dinner. I know that precludes any other FP throughout the day, but it would be worth it to me.

@sharonabe tickets are attached to second segment, not the first. We will activate them early for our MK day on the day before, but AK will be the first day we can do advance FP. The goal on FP day is to book FoP, KlmjroSaf, and Everest.

Thanks for the thought on the Navi drum show. It would be neat, though I don't think the kids would miss it not knowing their missing it. My folks are coming along and would love to see it, but they will not be riding FoP based on what they saw in video and their concern with knees.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Yes, first FP will be 9:00 AM. You are unlikely to get any FOP FP at 60+0, let alone one for morning.