Animal Kingdom strategy: early entry, bus and breakfast

[mefordis]

For Animal Kingdom day, if going for early entry (7:30am) when do the busses arrive at the resort? Also, any recommendations for breakfast that day? AoA food court opens at 7am so it will be too late to grab something before taking the bus.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ensusieasm]

For Animal Kingdom day, if going for early entry (7:30am) when do the busses arrive at the resort? Also, any recommendations for breakfast that day? AoA food court opens at 7am so it will be too late to grab something before taking the bus.

Thanks in advance!

Buses should start an hour before early opening. Grab something from the the AOA food court the day before: Yogurt, fruit, cold cereal, muffin etc. You could also pack a few granola bars from home in your suitcase just for early mornings like this.

 

[elvispursley]

AK also has some nice QS breakfast options too

 

[scrappinginontario]

Buses will normally start rolling about 60 mins before park opening but it’s recommended you be at the bus 90 mins before park opening as the lines will grow waiting for the buses to start.

 

[DisneyTeacher]

We try to do rope drop most days. I know Disney says buses start running 60 minutes before the park opens but we’re usually pulling in to the park (load / unload area) 60 minutes before open. If you want to be near the front of the line to enter the park be at your bus stop about 90 minutes before posted opening.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

As others have said, if you want to be in the front of the pack to get on Flight of Passage, it is imperative that you are at the resort bus stop minimum 90 minutes before early entry starts.

You can check the bus times in the MDE app to see when the first/next bus is coming.

For breakfast, I am a huge fan of eating in your room before you get on the bus. Whatever works for you to get food in your belly so you don’t waste precious early entry/rope drop time standing in slow moving food/coffee lines. I am a fan of Lara bars or instant oatmeal and bananas. Keep in mind that most resort quick service areas are not open until 7am.

Use the coffee maker in your room to have that first essential cup of caffeine just to get you started. The coffee is not the best but it does the job.

After you conquer early entry & rope drop and have successfully ridden all your must do’s, then you can stop to sit down for a well deserved meal & a good cup of coffee and/or a celebratory beverage.

 

[_19disnA]

You can check the bus times in the MDE app to see when the first/next bus is coming.

I often wonder where Disney gets that information to display and how accurate it is? Last time we were at Disney, the TV monitors at the Contemporary bus loading area would often show information that wasn't accurate. Said a bus would arrive in 2 minutes and 15 minutes later, there was still no bus. Busses seem to circulate every 10-15 minutes or so, but could obviously run into delays from traffic or large numbers of people boarding/exiting. Unless they are tracking every bus in real-time (which I don't think they do), they seemed more like generalized estimates to us.

 

[jlstwinmommy]

We were at AK last Monday (9/16). We drove so can't help with the bus situation, but we arrived at about 7am (maybe a few minutes after). A couple from our group of 9 grabbed coffee and donuts from the Joffreys cart near the entry gate while we waited for them to start letting people in. They joined us just as the line started moving (which was about 7:25ish). Most of us went to the Starbucks in the park after rope dropping FoP.

 

[mefordis]

Buses will normally start rolling about 60 mins before park opening but it’s recommended you be at the bus 90 mins before park opening as the lines will grow waiting for the buses to start.

90 minutes before! omg I am telling my friend 45 mins before early opening. Will that be enough time? I haven't done rope drop myself in years.

 

[Ensusieasm]

90 minutes before! omg I am telling my friend 45 mins before early opening. Will that be enough time? I haven't done rope drop myself in years.

Be at the bus stop 90 minutes before early park opening. And don’t be surprised by the long line that forms for Flight of Passage. It will move pretty fast.

 

[Mousetopia]

As others have said, if you want to be in the front of the pack to get on Flight of Passage, it is imperative that you are at the resort bus stop minimum 90 minutes before early entry starts.

You can check the bus times in the MDE app to see when the first/next bus is coming.

For breakfast, I am a huge fan of eating in your room before you get on the bus. Whatever works for you to get food in your belly so you don’t waste precious early entry/rope drop time standing in slow moving food/coffee lines. I am a fan of Lara bars or instant oatmeal and bananas. Keep in mind that most resort quick service areas are not open until 7am.

Use the coffee maker in your room to have that first essential cup of caffeine just to get you started. The coffee is not the best but it does the job.

After you conquer early entry & rope drop and have successfully ridden all your must do’s, then you can stop to sit down for a well deserved meal & a good cup of coffee and/or a celebratory beverage.

exactly what I do. Sitting down for breakfast wastes best time of day in the parks! grab and go in the room.. and away I go! I DO pic one special sit down breakfast per trip as the interest arises. I try to have a non park day mid trip..perfect day for a special breakfast

 

[Mousetopia]

90 minutes before! omg I am telling my friend 45 mins before early opening. Will that be enough time? I haven't done rope drop myself in years.

60 at min if you dont care about a big line ahead waiting to go in, 90 to be at the front of the herd. Depends on whats important to you

 

[SL6827]

Buses will normally start rolling about 60 mins before park opening but it’s recommended you be at the bus 90 mins before park opening as the lines will grow waiting for the buses to start.

This.

 

[SL6827]

With the EE changed to every park, every morning, breakfast is not an option for us at Disney. If we drive, we go offsite to eat somewhere.

 

[mbizup]

90 minutes before! omg I am telling my friend 45 mins before early opening. Will that be enough time? I haven't done rope drop myself in years.

You could also just not stress about rope dropping Flight of Passage, arrive for early entry then do Expedition Everest (a few times if you wanted, you can literally walk through the queue onto the ride) and then go over to Safaris and have a short wait in standy as it opens earlier, then either do a Lightning Lane for FoP or just wait in standby later on in the day.

 

[sam1985]

Rather than make a new post I'm going to try to latch onto this one.
When rope dropping animal Kingdom to get on flight of passage what do I need to know?
From what I remember it's stay left at the tree and then they'll hold you somewhere around the bridge to Pandora land? then just follow the mass of people towards flight of passage?