Animal Kingdom

[LisaT91403]

DLR veteran, but have never done WDW.

Question: can Animal Kingdom be done in one day...if that day were January 2nd? We have one day pre-cruise, and I think AK would be the choice since MK is too much like Disneyland and Epcot is just too big (and perhaps not as appealing to DS(6)).

If the answer is "yes", then I'm open to any planning suggestions since I haven't a clue. Maybe getting Fast Passes in a particular order?

Also, I don't suppose there's an easy way to "hop" over to MK just to do the new Mine Train ride, is there?

 

[phillipsjp2003]

IMO you can definitely do AK in 1 day. AK is usually our least favorite park because of two things, the heat and humidity in the summer and it is the largest park so it is a lot of walking between attractions. With that being said we have had some great days there and it has some of our favorite attractions ( Everest and Nemo) and we love the Tusker House for a midday meal. In January the heat will not be a problem. I say FP Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, and either Finding Nemo or Festival of the Lion King. Dinosaur also gets a long line so maybe a 4th FP. A good strategy is to try to schedule your day so you do not have to criss cross the park, but see each area while you are there. Past that take time to see the beautiful foliage and exhibits. I personally like the Pangani Forest Trail and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. If you have young kids the bone yard is a must and the new Wilderness Explorers is fun too. If you have to skip some things, I would leave off Primeval Whirl, Rafiki's Planet watch, and Flight's of Wonder. But this is just my personal preferences. Enjoy your trip.

 

[minnie mum]

Yes, you can do just about everything in one day. Some say you can do it in half a day, but those are the folks who just do the headliner rides and then leave. Don't make that mistake!

Crowd levels will still be high, so use a touring plan of some kind. I recommend that you look at the cheat sheets for AK at easywdw.com. They will also recommend the best attractions to FP.

Mine train will be problematic. FPs from the kiosks will be long gone. Your only hope would be to get in the SB line shortly before park closing. But I wouldn't pay for a one day parkhopper just for one ride.

 

[Itinkso]

You can easily do AK and still hop to MK although you would have to do standby for Mine Train. If you have been to Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park, you can bypass the trails where animals are in enclosures.

Definitely watch Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King.

 

[WeRblam]

Yes it can be done in a day. My son was a CM for that park and we were able to get most of rides and attractions in before his shift started! THe crowd level will be high on Jan 2, we were there last year at that time.
Highly recommend getting FP for Safari, Everest, The Lion King Festival, and Dinosaur. The 3D Bugs Life is pretty cool and can be done on your way out of the park. The River Rapids it may be a be cool that day so if you don't mind that you may get wet, go for it. The park is spread out so lots of walking. Take your time though and see things like the Vine Lady or take the Wildlife Express train and spend some time here. The Wildlife Tour (additional $$$) is really awesome and well worth it. Look at the ground, watch the monkeys play and just have fun!

 

[Nicoleinwi]

Animal Kingdom is probably my favorite park and we (DH & I) easily do it in less than a full day.

Since you have been to DL before you could always bypass the Bugs Life show as that is basically the same as what is in California Adventure. Kali River Rapids is neat but there is also that one rapids ride in CA as well that is similar. If you do Kali you will be soaked, so it might be a little cold in January. If you do go, I'd get a few of those cheap disposable ponchos and wear it on the ride then just toss them.

You son might like the Flights of Wonder show at AK as well.

 

[LisaT91403]

Thanks, everyone! So much to consider! I'm completely waffling between MK and AK. I will have to review the options more closely, and try to make a decision.

 

[Itinkso]

Thanks, everyone! So much to consider! I'm completely waffling between MK and AK. I will have to review the options more closely, and try to make a decision.

You could set up late FPs for MK and go into AK at rope drop and do Standby for EE and Kilimanjaro Safari ride. Dinosaur is the same ride track as Indiana Jones so if your son is a big Indy fan, he may be disappointed in Dinosaur.

In MK, definitely do Philharmagic. It is a must-do and whenever DD, who is a WDW CM, has CA friends visiting, it is always the first thing she takes them to see.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Ha there will ALWAYS be very strong opinions about the length of time to allow for AK on both sides. My opinion it is nothing like a zoo, I grew up going to the Bronx Zoo in NY and that is excellent. I have been to one in GA and one in Washington DC. AK is nothing like any of them. If you give up walking the trails you are missing a lot. People mention heat & humidity but you are going in Jan you won't have that issue.

So in my opinion between the shows, the rides, the animals, the incredible detailing everywhere you look no way is this a 1/2 day park. For me it is a 2 day or better.

 

[disnut8]

Animal Kingdom is our second favorite park after Epcot. But we are 50+ adults with no kids.

For FastPasses, think about your likes. Ours are the Safari, Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. However, on January 2nd, Kali might not be a good choice so you could do Dinosaur. Others like Legend of the Lion King (not our favorite) or Nemo (yawn for us).

But - the thing I like about Animal Kingdom are the attractions that don't need FastPasses. Rafiki's Planet Watch - pet goats and pigs and sheep and see some great displays. Flights of Wonder - one of the best shows at all four parks - birds doing what they do naturally. The two walking trails - one featuring gorillas and one tigers. And the less looked upon trail around the Tree of Life. Plus, taking the time entering the park and/or exiting and see those animals.

Do we spend an entire day at Animal Kingdom? Usually not. But there is more there to do without a FastPass than, in my opinion, at any other park.

 

[olwyngdh]

We generally do a day at AK, and with my child, that is often not enough-between the trails, Conservation Station, and all the hands on science activities, she is in her happy place.

There is a lot to see and do at AK unless you are only interested in doing the headliners--but then you are missing out on the best parts of the park.

 

[LisaT91403]

I'm the OP, and am back with a few more questions about AK!

I'm concerned about buying tickets ahead of time because January weather is so iffy. If it's going to be raining all day, we will not want to go to AK. I realize that we can't book fast passes ahead of time if we don't purchase tickets. So my question is...is AK doable on short notice (no pre-booked FPs)? Note that it will be January 2nd, so I know that it will be miserably crowded.

We would definitely want to do EE, Safari, Nemo, FOTLK...but not Kali RR because DS(6) does not like to get wet. I'm not sure if he will want to do Dinosaur or not...might be too scary. We can do Bugs Life here in California, so we can skip that one as well.

I know what Disneyland is like on a busy day, but I'm not sure what a park like AK would be like considering it's not as "ride driven" as other parks. Thanks for your help!

 

[ChgoMusicGirl]

Keep in mind that AK also has a tendency to clear out towards the end of the day ( but it closes early). We did RD, took a midday break and returned around 5 in June and even though we had FP+ for things, we really didn't need any of them. So theoretically you really could do it on the fly if necessary.
I agree with PPs, definitely don't rush through AK, the theming is amazing. They really took great care to be as authentic as possible. Also, I highly recommend Tusker House for great food, more beautiful theming, and a great character experience for breakfast and lunch!

 

[disnut8]

I'm the OP, and am back with a few more questions about AK!

I'm concerned about buying tickets ahead of time because January weather is so iffy. If it's going to be raining all day, we will not want to go to AK. I realize that we can't book fast passes ahead of time if we don't purchase tickets. So my question is...is AK doable on short notice (no pre-booked FPs)? Note that it will be January 2nd, so I know that it will be miserably crowded.

We would definitely want to do EE, Safari, Nemo, FOTLK...but not Kali RR because DS(6) does not like to get wet. I'm not sure if he will want to do Dinosaur or not...might be too scary. We can do Bugs Life here in California, so we can skip that one as well.

I know what Disneyland is like on a busy day, but I'm not sure what a park like AK would be like considering it's not as "ride driven" as other parks. Thanks for your help!

I would recommend Fastpasses for Expedition Everest, Festival for the Lion King and the Safari. Dinosaur is extremely loud so it might not be a good choice for your son. You can probably do Nemo standby since the theatre is very large. I would check the ten day weather forecast when you can and then book your Fastpasses. You can always change them if needed. I'm going over Labor Day weekend and just change mine all over the place yesterday so you have flexibility to do that before your date.

 

[LisaT91403]

OP here, wanted to report back. We had a great day at AK!

I did a quick touring plan (free on the website) once I knew which attractions we were interested in. We started at noon, and stayed until closing at 8:00pm. I liked having the TP because it helped me to understand how long the walks would take us...and it helped to put things into a logical order. Here's what we accomplished:

Oasis Exhibits
EE (DS rode twice with our 4 FP's)
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Flights of Wonder
KS (with FP+)
Pagani Trail
Wildlife Express Train (did not get off, as DS was too tired to look around)
TriceraTop Spin
FOTLK (with FP+)
EE one more time

We were still recovering from our cross-country trip the day before, so we were happy with the amount we accomplished. Also, it was really crowded because we were there on January 2nd. Even at 7:30pm, the wait for EE was 35 minutes.

Thanks to everyone for your help.