Best time to go to AK?

[Loops]

We have a 10:40 PS for breakfast at Chef Mickey's. I thought we would head over to AK afterwards....would it be too late to enjoy the park if we got to AK after 12....the day is also the night time EMH. What do you think?

 

[princssdisnygina]

The best time to enjoy the Animal Kingdom is first thing in the morning. You have to do the Safari first because most of the animals are out in the mornings eating and such. I have always rode it again a little later in case I missed something. I would never go to AK after 10am because of the safari itself. Plus, it starts to get crowded at 11. If we go when they open we can normally be done with everything by 1 or 2ish and go to another park. It is completely up to you but I wouldn't, if you want to do a park go to EPCOT since it is open later and is normally the least busy. AK and MK you need to be there when they open to miss most of the crowds. Just my suggestion!

Gina

 

[newholidayx2]

we have AK planned once at their regular opening
twice when they have their late nights hrs
and once after hopefully a 9am PS at Whispering Canyon (order off menu, no characters)

we are planning on pool time the day we're hoping to have Chef Mickey's character brkfst - will do MK later that afternoon/night

 

[bearzabout]

I love arriving at AK early and heading right to the safari. I also really like to visit in the afternoon. The experience is very different. The tigers on the trail in Asia are most active after 3PM. They often play together, walk, swim and pace around in anticipation of dinner time around 5.

Many people line up early for the parade which begins and ends in Africa around 4. Right after the parade passes, you can often hop on the safari with little or no wait. On a hot afternoon, the animals may not be very active. Other attractions often have short lines during the parade.

At the Rafiki's Planet Watch, they have interesting animal shows from around 11:30 to 2:30. They display animals you won't see elsewhere in the park, like an Asian Porcupine or a lesser anteater (Tamandua).

Many animals will likely go off display at the normal time even if the park stays open late. The extra evening hours would be the best time to experience the attractions in Dinoland and see Its Tough to be a Bug. The lines for these two attractions can get long in the afternoon, but both often have fastpasses available.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

In my experience, yes, sometimes animals on the Safari are more active during the early morning hours, sometimes they're more active later in the afternoon.

 

[luv2nascar]

earliern the better - it gets hot in AK

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've taken the safari at all different times of the day (AK is my favorite park) and I haven't noticed a significant difference in the number of animals I saw. I just haven't figured any rhyme or reason to a "best time".

 

[wkrider]

My DW and I did the private Safari Tour (two safari vehicles) in the morning that is given if you are starying at the AKL concierge. This tour was before the parked opened and they stopped along the safari to let us get alot of pictures of the animals. We then went back to the park at closing and witnessed things that we had never seen there before. We witnessed the animals waiting to get back to their pens for the night. The tigers were all gathered in the first viewing area. There was one that was right next to the door that they went into to get fed. Everytime another tiger came to close to the door they would hiss and swat at each other. Their ears would be laid back and they would look like they were going to pounce on one another. It was an awesome display and we watched for about 45 minutes. I got some of the bes pictures that I had ever taken in that park. They were not more than 20 yards away. It was AWESOME. I must also say that AK is my favorite park along with MK due to the fact that I like animals. I can sit and watch them forever just to see what they do next.

 

[KayakDaddy]

I would say that if that day is your only chance to go to AK, then take it. It is a wonderful place.

If you have more time or flexiblity, plan to do AK on another day when you can be there at rope drop. The character welcome/intro/walk with the rope is the coolest of the parks (IMHO) and you have the place to yourself early. You can get all the biggies out of the way early (multiple times on non-peak days) then you can relax while everyone else is standing in line.

If you are going to do a mid-day arrival, I recommend Epcot. WS opens up two hours later than the rest of the park. The people who arrived early will flood into WS when it opens, leaving a bit of a lull in the first part until more people arrive.

 

[Loops]

Thanks for all your help and ideas.

I'll have to check with the rest of my group. But I'm thinking maybe Epcot would be a better choice for the reasons Kayakdaddy mentioned.

 

[doodlebug]

So I have a question.. We have PS for the Donald Breakfast at 10am on EMH day so we will get into the park at 8am.. Is the safari open at EMH and should we head there first thing or what would you suggest for the 2 hours we will have??

 

[Loops]

Doodlebug....the following attractions are open during EMH at AK:

Animal Kingdom:

Discovery Island Trails
It's Tough to be a Bug
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

 

[doodlebug]

Doodlebug....the following attractions are open during EMH at AK:

Animal Kingdom:

Discovery Island Trails
It's Tough to be a Bug
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

Thanks!! Do you think we could do most everything on EMH in 2 hours before our PS??