Animal Kingdom plan without FPs?

[Carla1183]

I know this is supposed to make me MORE relaxed and I'm really trying haha...AK plan for the day in Dec is getting me hung up. We do want to minimize lines where we can (husband would say thats his biggest priority), but that park is just too big to be backtracking back and forth.
If we rope drop, what makes the most sense? FOP first? then make the circle of Africa>Asia>Dinos? husband wants to eat at Flame Tree, I want to eat at Satuli, if possible. We basically want to ride everything everything except Kali, and it's our first time doing the trails and Rafiki's planet watch, so I feel like those will take big chunks of time. Kids are huge animal lovers. Last time we mostly stuck to rides + shows and it took us an entire day. But no shows or boneyard this time.

 

[Tomizgrl13]

AK is my favorite park! I don't do rope drop, but I would think knocking out FOP, and Navi River journey right in the beginning would help ALOT. Honestly I dont know if you ever heard of touring plans. They are amazing!!! It has been the best purchase I have EVER made. You can pick out all the things you want to do, eat, how fast you want to walk, and relax and it will put together a custom plan for you to follow. I'm not sure how much it is now, but it was $16 when I bought it a year ago, and definitely plan on renewing next week when its due.

 

[Carla1183]

AK is my favorite park! I don't do rope drop, but I would think knocking out FOP, and Navi River journey right in the beginning would help ALOT. Honestly I dont know if you ever heard of touring plans. They are amazing!!! It has been the best purchase I have EVER made. You can pick out all the things you want to do, eat, how fast you want to walk, and relax and it will put together a custom plan for you to follow. I'm not sure how much it is now, but it was $16 when I bought it a year ago, and definitely plan on renewing next week when its due.

Yes! I have TP subscription and Im using it. LOVE it. It just seems to want us to kind of go all over the place and the wait times are kind of iffy right now so i wondered what other peoples experiences were recently! Also kind of secretly hoping Lion King will reopen before we go, but i know thats pretty wishful thinking. AK was our fave 3 years ago too.

 

[nherbert]

Hi, I haven’t been post covid last went in January, but AK is one of my favorite parks and many times we did it without fast pass but we are rope droppers.
I suggest get there for rope drop, head straight to FoP, then skip Navi line too slow, head for safari line moves fast, head for Everest we would ride it multiple times with very little queue admittedly sometime single rider which is not happening now, then head to dinosaur if you want to do that. So now you have sped your way around the whole park, so you can now reverse and do everything else at a slow pace snacking your way back around, doing all the animal things you want and Navi, and hopefully lion king if it’s on (I just can’t imagine AK without lion king).

 

[LSUfan4444]

If we rope drop, what makes the most sense? FOP first?

I honestly depends on how early you get there and I don't mean what time you're at the park, I mean how many people literally entered the park ahead of you.

If you're driving and you don't get to security because the parking lot didnt open until 8:15 for a 9am park opening but busses were dropping off for 15 minutes before you got there, I'd say no....do not do FoP first. Don't spend the first 45 the park opens in line. If you look at the wait times for FoP they are the absolute highest in the first few hours the park is open because everyone tries to "rope drop" it.

You're going to have to decide when you get there and get a good gauge on what it looks like at the front. If you're truly on one of the first busses to get dropped off or Uber or get dropped off, then yes, I'd say FoP first then river journey if not, then no. You can wait until lunch and do FoP with a 45 minute standby time and pretty much for that or less until park close.

What I would do is have your phone out refreshing the wait times as you walk to pandora and if you see the wait time jump to 60 minutes when you're in line, get out of it and go do River Journey, then the safari or Everest and come back later to do FoP

 

[LSUfan4444]

I would think knocking out FOP, and Navi River journey right in the beginning would help ALOT

This is a a very popular opinion and alot of people agree which is one reason you may not want to do it.

 

[Carla1183]

I honestly depends on how early you get there and I don't mean what time you're at the park, I mean how many people literally entered the park ahead of you.

You're going to have to decide when you get there and get a good gauge on what it looks like at the front. If you're truly on one of the first busses to get dropped off or Uber or get dropped off, then yes, I'd say FoP first then river journey if not, then no. You can wait until lunch and do FoP with a 45 minute standby time and pretty much for that or less until park close.

This is great advice thank you! If we decide to bypass it until later should we head to safari, everest or dinosaur first?

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

This is great advice thank you! If we decide to bypass it until later should we head to safari, everest or dinosaur first?

I would head to Kilimanjaro Safari first if not doing FOP first.

 

[LizzyDragon]

This is great advice thank you! If we decide to bypass it until later should we head to safari, everest or dinosaur first?

Safari. The animals tend to be more active in the morning.

 

[Handykapper]

Head to the safari and work your way back

 

[DeutscherDon]

Where do you get a tour planning subscription?

 

[Carla1183]

Where do you get a tour planning subscription?

I dont think we are allowed to post links but its the touring plans website should come up easily with a search!

 

[lilmc]

I just noticed the hours for my trip next week were extended and it’s 8 am opening instead of 9. I was planning on arriving to the parking lot at 7:45-8 (staying off property and we have a rental) when park opening was 9, do I just back that up an hour now to 6:45-7? Or does 8 am opening mean they actually open closer to the official opening time?

 

[hlm2007]

I just noticed the hours for my trip next week were extended and it’s 8 am opening instead of 9. I was planning on arriving to the parking lot at 7:45-8 (staying off property and we have a rental) when park opening was 9, do I just back that up an hour now to 6:45-7? Or does 8 am opening mean they actually open closer to the official opening time?

Back you're arrival time up an hour

 

[bakerworld]

This is a conundrum for us also but I am think FOP. The trouble with that is I think everyone is probably thinking FOP. The only part I am sure of is Kali River Falls LAST.

 

[Marcia Isherwood]

I know this is supposed to make me MORE relaxed and I'm really trying haha...AK plan for the day in Dec is getting me hung up. We do want to minimize lines where we can (husband would say thats his biggest priority), but that park is just too big to be backtracking back and forth.
If we rope drop, what makes the most sense? FOP first? then make the circle of Africa>Asia>Dinos? husband wants to eat at Flame Tree, I want to eat at Satuli, if possible. We basically want to ride everything everything except Kali, and it's our first time doing the trails and Rafiki's planet watch, so I feel like those will take big chunks of time. Kids are huge animal lovers. Last time we mostly stuck to rides + shows and it took us an entire day. But no shows or boneyard this time.

Definitely be there at least half an hour prior to opening; take the first bus (arrived one hour before opening). They have been opening the parks and big attractions early. We did AK in September. We left one hour prior to opening and were able to walk right in once we got to AK. FOP was up and running, Navi River didn't officially open till close to opening time. Early bird gets the worm. We literally got all the big attractions done before noon....then plenty of time to relax, have lunch and spend as much time as you want with trails and misc

 

[Dug720]

The only issue with knocking out Flight and Na'vi first is you said you want to eat at Satu'li, and I'm afraid that would put you through too early for that. So you'd have to backtrack for that.

 

[Carla1183]

The only issue with knocking out Flight and Na'vi first is you said you want to eat at Satu'li, and I'm afraid that would put you through too early for that. So you'd have to backtrack for that.

I know, this is hanging me up too! since the rest of my family wants FT I probably need to just let this one go OR I can get it last thing before we leave the park since we're planning on ordering pizza to our hotel after we leave that night. I can eat Satuli and then everyone else can wait for pizza.
3 years ago i had a similar dilemma and i just sent the rest of my family off to do something else and i ate alone there It's my favorite QS anywhere in DW!

 

[BruinsDad]

We'll be there Monday before Thanksgiving and I am not doign FOP first. Even if we get there at rope drop, my kids can't outrun everyone else at the gate. So we will hit Pandora in the afternoon. I am thinking Safari, EE, Dinosaur, then doubling back jungle trek, bird show, lunch at Y&Y, gorilla falls, end at pandora. Something like that.