Animal Kingdom to Hoop-Dee-Doo?

[jacksonsmom]

What is the quickest way to get from Animal Kingdom to Hoop Dee Doo?
What time would we have to leave AK to arrive on time for the 5:00pm HDD show?

We are planning on being in AK on Oct. 1st (yep, one of those planners )
While we all love AK, this is the only day we will be able to get over to AK

So we know we won't be able to enjoy the whole park but we want to get the most out of our time.
Here are the MUST DO rides:
Safari
Everest
Dinosaur
Primeval Whirl
Lion King
Bug's Life
Rapids (??? depending on the weather)

Would it be possible to maybe catch Flights of Wonder?
We would love to do the Maharajah Jungle Trek, but I don't know if we will have the time.

We have one rider that will not do Everest so we were thinking of sending him up to get FPs for Safari right when the park opens and the rest of us will make a beeline (with probably everyone else) for Everest.

Help me plan our AK day

 

[DisneyDK]

I can't help you with how to get there, but just wanted to remind you that you are suppose to arrive about a half an hour before Hoop-Dee-Doo starts. Looks like you have a fun day planned! Enjoy your trip!

 

[KarenAylwood]

They always tell you when you book ADR's to leave 45 minutes for travel time. Take the Fort Wilderness bus from AK to get to FW for HDDR. I went years ago to HDDR and back then you had to take a bus to FW first and then another bus to get to the hall where HDDR was held. Other posters can tell you if this is still correct.

Just to be safe I'd leave at 4- closer to 5 you'll be getting more and more people in line to leave since the park closes at 5 anyway.

[Edited to add: Saw the above post and didn't know that about HDDR- I would leave at 3:45 if that's the case!]

I think your plan to head to Everest first and then Safari is a good one- you could also grab FP's for Everest and head to the Safari first. It's best to ride the Safari first because the animals are all out in the morning. But if you go to Everest and right over to Safari you should still be able to catch them in the morning.

As soon as you can get another FP- grab one for Dinosaur and you could run over to Primeval Whirl to ride that, or get FP's for that too. Not really sure- it's hard to plan every event second by second.

If you haven't signed up for Tour Guide Mike you might want to look into it- he gives you hints on what attractions to do at what time. I've been to Disney 15 times and still found his tips helpful. And I'm sure you'd like it if you're the planner type. I'm not even a huge planner when it comes to Disney and I love his site!

Goodluck and have fun on your trip!! We'll be there right before you- Sept 14-21!

 

[jacksonsmom]

They always tell you when you book ADR's to leave 45 minutes for travel time. Take the Fort Wilderness bus from AK to get to FW for HDDR. I went years ago to HDDR and back then you had to take a bus to FW first and then another bus to get to the hall where HDDR was held. Other posters can tell you if this is still correct.

Just to be safe I'd leave at 4- closer to 5 you'll be getting more and more people in line to leave since the park closes at 5 anyway.

[Edited to add: Saw the above post and didn't know that about HDDR- I would leave at 3:45 if that's the case!]
:

We were thinking of leaving around 3:00pm that way in case anything happens on the road (bus break down, etc) we will have plently of time.

I just wasn't sure what the easier way is to get to HDD. I was thinking of taking a bus to the Comptemary and then take the boat over to HDD, but I don't know if that is taking more time then a bus to FW. I never been to FW so I don't know my way around it.

I was thinking of doing Safari 1st and grabbing FPs for Everest but every one in the party wants to do Safari so I was thinking since we have one extra people that doesn't want to do Everest he can go get FPs for Safari

I have never been to WDW in October so I have no idea on the crowds! We are use to May and June crowds!

 

[shafke]

Definitely take the bus to FW. I am not sure where the AKL bus goes to at FW. If it goes to the outpost then you will need to transfer to an internal bus. If it goes to the other stop then you are where you need to be without any transfers. Just a short walk to Pioneer Hall.

 

[WDWguru]

If you're really worried about time, just grab a taxi. They're always sitting outside the parks and it'll be faster than the bus, especially if you have to wait for one to show up. If you take a cab, leaving by 4 would be plenty of time.

If you get to AK when it opens, you'll have no trouble knocking everything out, including Flights of Wonder (don't miss - this is one of our faves) and Maharajah (hint - do this late in the day as the tigers are most active then).

 

[mrzrich]

I have stayed at FW 4 times, most recently in February, so I know the transportation situation pretty well.

If you take the bus to FW from AK it will drop you at the outpost. You will need to disembark and get on an internal bus to the settlement.

Secoond, third and fourth way, is to take the bus to MK, CR, or WL and take the boat to FW. The boat drops you close to Pioneer Hall, just follow the masses getting off the boat I think the boat is more fun

If you go to WL be sure to get on a boat going towards FW, not going towards MK. The one going towards MK will stop at MK and again at WL before taking you to FW.