Critique my AK touring plan please :)

[lily2521]

We'll be arriving at RD on an EMH day. Crowd level 4.

RD - Safari
Pangani Trail
Discover Trails
FOLK 10:00 show (10am show FP #1)
Flights of Wonder 10:45 show (will we make this? I could move to 11:45 if needed, touring plans seems to think we'll have time)
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Safari again (FP #2)
Lunch
Tough to be a Bug
Fossil Fun Games
DinoLand Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo Musical 4:00 show
EE (child swap or single rider line)
Kali (FP #3)
Oasis Exhibits

I feel like there's a lot on this list, but It really hits everything we want to do. Too much, or doable? Thanks

 

[Pinkos]

Just curious why u r doing the safari twice?

And how old is the child? You've left out triceratops spin and the boneyard play area which my children love (3-5)

 

[lily2521]

Just curious why u r doing the safari twice?

And how old is the child? You've left out triceratops spin and the boneyard play area which my children love (3-5)

That was intentional, we want to do it twice, once at RD, and a second time using FP.

DD is 6, knowing her she usually passes on those types of things, she'll be more interested in the animals overall. But, according to touring plans, we have about 1 1/2 extra hours of time when we're in Dinoland USA, so if she does decide to do those things it shouldn't be a problem time-wise

 

[sharonabe]

Flights of Wonder at 10:45 is iffy. Lion King won't be over until 10:30 and you've got a lot of people trying to get out. If you can ask to sit in the section closest to the exit and you book it over to Asia, you MIGHT make it. It's worth a try, but be prepared to switch things up. There won't be time for a bathroom break or anything.

 

[lily2521]

Flights of Wonder at 10:45 is iffy. Lion King won't be over until 10:30 and you've got a lot of people trying to get out. If you can ask to sit in the section closest to the exit and you book it over to Asia, you MIGHT make it. It's worth a try, but be prepared to switch things up. There won't be time for a bathroom break or anything.

Yeah, this is the only one I'm a bit worried about, I'm thinking of just switching it to the 11:45 so we aren't rushing, if anything that's the one thing I want to avoid.

 

[Dis703]

I agree it may be a stretch to make Flights of Wonder at 10:45. I also see your DD is 6 years old. I highly recommend the Wildlife Explorers program for that age. My son did it once at four, twice at five and is so excited to finish his book this trip at age 6. Lots of fun and educational too.

 

[lily2521]

Okay, I reworked it a bit to move Flights of wonder so we aren't rushing so much:

RD - Safari
Pangani Trail
Discover Trails
FOLK 10:00 show (10am show FP #1)
Tough to be a Bug
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Flights of Wonder (11:45 show)
Safari again (FP #2)
Lunch
Fossil Fun Games
TriceraTop Spin
Boneyard
DinoLand Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo Musical 4:00 show
EE (child swap or single rider line)
Kali (FP #3)
Oasis Exhibits

I just worry that this is too much in a day? Touring plans says it's fine, and we have an hour of unaccounted for time in the day, that's also allowing 1 hour for lunch at a QS.

 

[cgattis]

Flights of Wonder at 10:45 is iffy. Lion King won't be over until 10:30 and you've got a lot of people trying to get out. If you can ask to sit in the section closest to the exit and you book it over to Asia, you MIGHT make it. It's worth a try, but be prepared to switch things up. There won't be time for a bathroom break or anything.

We asked for that section and were barked at to keep moving straight ahead. YMMV.

 

[mrzrich]

You'll be fine. I find that AK empties out after 3

 

[Pinkos]

I don't think its too much ... I personally wouldn't want to do the Safari twice, but if u did it intentionally must be important to your family. A lot of things in AK are relaxed walking trails. So even if it looks like a lot on paper, u can do it at your speed. Have u done it's tough to be a bug before? I have no experience myself , but looked into it for my 6 year old. After reading some reviews I've decided against it bc of scary elements. Should mention I also have a 4 year old. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[RustManFan]

sounds like you will be rushing through the trails if you ask me

 

[SmithSmith]

FWIW, my DH and I attended the 10:00 FotLK followed by the 10:45 FoW on a observed crowd level 5 day. It was a pretty easy walk (even took a bathroom break) and found a nice seat up front at FoW with a few minutes to spare. Totally doable! The only downside was missing a small "show and tell" outside the theatre. It was just a CM showcasing an Owl, so not a huge loss.

 

[SmithSmith]

I also wanted to add...

Josh from Easy WDW tested FP+ for FotLK one afternoon in October and had this to say:

FP+ is largely useless here in my estimation. I arrived 35 minutes early only to find about 100 people already in line in front of me. Maybe 150 people with FP+ arrived behind me. Had I arrived at the same time in standby, I would have been towards the front of that line and found a similar spot in my choice of sections, instead of being routed over to elephant.

When we were there, we arrived 5 minutes before show time, and the theatre wasn't even close to filling up. I really don't think you'll have a problem getting a good seat via standby since you'll be there at a similar crowd level day and you're planning to hit the first show of the day. That way you could use that FP+ for something else.

 

[lily2521]

I don't think its too much ... I personally wouldn't want to do the Safari twice, but if u did it intentionally must be important to your family. A lot of things in AK are relaxed walking trails. So even if it looks like a lot on paper, u can do it at your speed. Have u done it's tough to be a bug before? I have no experience myself , but looked into it for my 6 year old. After reading some reviews I've decided against it bc of scary elements. Should mention I also have a 4 year old. Just thought I'd mention it.

Yeah, I put it there twice thinking if we do it twice, great, if not, that's okay too.

I haven't done tough to be a bug, but I have read it can be scary. My plan is to show DD a clip of it online, and let her decide. If she doesn't want to do it we will skip that one.

FWIW, my DH and I attended the 10:00 FotLK followed by the 10:45 FoW on a observed crowd level 5 day. It was a pretty easy walk (even took a bathroom break) and found a nice seat up front at FoW with a few minutes to spare. Totally doable! The only downside was missing a small "show and tell" outside the theatre. It was just a CM showcasing an Owl, so not a huge loss.

This is good to know, even though I've reworked my plan a bit, I like the idea of doing these back to back based on location

I also wanted to add...

Josh from Easy WDW tested FP+ for FotLK one afternoon in October and had this to say:

FP+ is largely useless here in my estimation. I arrived 35 minutes early only to find about 100 people already in line in front of me. Maybe 150 people with FP+ arrived behind me. Had I arrived at the same time in standby, I would have been towards the front of that line and found a similar spot in my choice of sections, instead of being routed over to elephant.

When we were there, we arrived 5 minutes before show time, and the theatre wasn't even close to filling up. I really don't think you'll have a problem getting a good seat via standby since you'll be there at a similar crowd level day and you're planning to hit the first show of the day. That way you could use that FP+ for something else.

Also a good tip, thanks! Although, if we do use a FP, and arrive just 5-10 minutes early, as opposed to 35, does that save us time standing in line, but still assure us a decent seat? If we have a FP do we need to arrive 30 minutes early?

 

[Jennytoon]

If you just miss the 10:45 FoW, check the line at Kali. It is right there in the same area and often still a relative walk-on at that hour (although I've only ever been there when the park opens at 9, don't know if it will be different on EMH). If you are doing Jungle Trek, then FoW, then Safari #2 and then lunch after then you will have plenty of time to dry off if one of you turns out to be in the "soaker seat" as these are all outside and therefore not air-conditioned. Of course, this presumes the day is hot ... if not, you can forget I said anything. Anyway, if you end up doing this you can easily move Tough to Be A Bug to the end around the Oasis Exhibits, and give it a miss if it seems like people are tired and stressed.

Doing the safari 3 hours apart you may very well see different animals. We often ride the safari once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and it is frequently different -- we love the double ride.

I second whoever wrote about the Wildlife Explorers.

Also you've completely left out Conservation Station / Affection section? It's true this is an investment of time as you have to take the train there and back, but if DD is into animals it is not just the petting section, there are also frequently opportunities to watch the vets work with the animals. If pressed for time my kids would probably choose to skip everything in Dinoland (although they *love* the Boneyard) in favor of Conservation Station. YMMV.

 

[SmithSmith]

Also a good tip, thanks! Although, if we do use a FP, and arrive just 5-10 minutes early, as opposed to 35, does that save us time standing in line, but still assure us a decent seat? If we have a FP do we need to arrive 30 minutes early?

The only thing I can tell you is my experience, on a crowd level 5 Saturday this past fall, we arrived @ 9:55 for the 10:00 show without FP+ and were seated smack dab in the middle of the giraffe section and by showtime the theatre was about half full. I'm not sure if EMH would make the show more popular than a non EMH day. Perhaps keep the FotLK FP+ and if you arrive to a small SB line, you could log on to MDE and switch the FP+ for something else?

 

[tink9702]

I don't think it's too much to do but you are backtracking multiple times so you'll be doing quite a bit of walking.

As far as FP+ for FOTLK we did not need one for the 4pm show. walked up at 3:55 or so in the SB line and got a decent seat. Not sure if the 10am show is busier though.

 

[lily2521]

I don't think it's too much to do but you are backtracking multiple times so you'll be doing quite a bit of walking.

As far as FP+ for FOTLK we did not need one for the 4pm show. walked up at 3:55 or so in the SB line and got a decent seat. Not sure if the 10am show is busier though.

The backtracking is a concern of mine, I'm having a really hard time figuring out my plan to avoid some of this? Like I said we're active people so the walking is okay for us, but at the same time I don't want to feel like we're walking back and fourth all day.

We want to do Kali at the end of the day specifically because we don't want to walk around wet all day.

 

[Jennytoon]

The backtracking is a concern of mine, I'm having a really hard time figuring out my plan to avoid some of this? Like I said we're active people so the walking is okay for us, but at the same time I don't want to feel like we're walking back and fourth all day.

We want to do Kali at the end of the day specifically because we don't want to walk around wet all day.

I think if you are getting there at 8, you might be able to swap around a bit to avoid some backtracking. How about:

RD - Safari (finish around 8:40)
Pangani Trail (finish around 9:10)
Rafiki Planet Watch (return ~10:30)
Flights of Wonder (10:45 show, finish ~11:15)
Maharajah Jungle Trek (finish about 11:40)

Lunch (~1.5 hr break)

Safari again (FP #1) (finish ~1:30)
FOLK 2 PM show (FP #2) (finish ~2:30)
Discover Trails
Tough to be a Bug
Fossil Fun Games
TriceraTop Spin
Boneyard
DinoLand Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo Musical 4:00 show
EE (child swap or single rider line)
Kali (FP #3)
Oasis Exhibits

Now you are making a slow circle around the top of the park before lunch (you didn't say where you were planning on eating), you've got a re-set at lunch. After lunch, you pick up again in Africa but this time when working towards the right half you go through Discovery Island and catch TTBAB as you pass into Dinoland. This gives you about 1.5 hours after FOLK to make the 4PM Nemo, but you've also got a bunch of stuff in there that is very variable timed or you can cut if it just doesn't look that interesting.

I know that I put in time for Rafiki when you didn't respond to my earlier comment (so it may not be that interesting to you), but the issue is that otherwise, you've got a what-next problem after you finish Pangani @ 9:10. There is stuff to do in Africa like the drumming station etc., and you could pick up a quick snack and hang out until FOLK @10. Once you've done that though, you are committed to a backtrack for the second safari when that is the ONLY thing in the area you'll be doing, unless you do it right away. If you did that, then the first part would look like:

RD - Safari (finish around 8:40)
Pangani Trail (finish around 9:10)
FOLK 10 AM (no FP)
Safari 10:45 (FP #1)
Snack
Flights of Wonder @ 11:45 (finish around 12:15)
Maharajah Jungle Trek (finish around 12:45)

Lunch (~ 1.5 hr break, finish around 2:15)

Discover Trails
Tough to be a Bug
Fossil Fun Games
TriceraTop Spin
Boneyard
DinoLand Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo Musical 4:00 show
EE (child swap or single rider line)
Kali (FP #3)
Oasis Exhibits

The second half is very similar in both plans, includign the "start" time on Discovery trails. The big differences overall between the two (IMO) are
1) The first plan has early lunch and the second one late lunch (which you had in your earlier plan)
2) The second plan loses some of the oomph of the second safari as it is only 3 hours later and not morning / afternoon -- but I still think you would find it quite different
3) The second plan includes a lot of swing time between the first few stops; you'd spend this looking around in Africa etc. In the first plan, that loose time is concentrated into Rafiki.

 

[lily2521]

I think if you are getting there at 8, you might be able to swap around a bit to avoid some backtracking. How about:

RD - Safari (finish around 8:40)
Pangani Trail (finish around 9:10)
FOLK 10 AM (no FP)
Safari 10:45 (FP #1)
Snack
Flights of Wonder @ 11:45 (finish around 12:15)
Maharajah Jungle Trek (finish around 12:45)

Lunch (~ 1.5 hr break, finish around 2:15)

Discover Trails
Tough to be a Bug
Fossil Fun Games
TriceraTop Spin
Boneyard
DinoLand Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo Musical 4:00 show
EE (child swap or single rider line)
Kali (FP #3)
Oasis Exhibits

What's funny is I was playing around with my plan some more this morning, and it looks pretty similar to this suggestion of yours. You're right, I think we're going to skip Rafiki only because of the time commitment. If we want to add it I'm thinking we'd have to remove something in its place? This is the plan I came up with this morning;

RD - Safari
Pangani
Discovery Trails
Snack at Tamu Tamu
FoLK - 10:00 FP #1
Safari FP #2
Meet Pocahontas
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Flights of Wonder @ 11:45

Lunch

Fossil Fun Games
TriceraTop Spin
Boneyard
Dance-a-palooza
Finding Nemo
EE (child swap)
Tough to be a bug (which we might not even do, depending on if DD will be scared)
Kali FP #3
Oasis

After comparing your suggestion to the list I had, I took your advice and moved Discovery Trail and TBBAB to PM. I'm very happy with this plan. As you said, it gives us some AM time for a snack, and to meet Pocahontas, and also gives us a bit of freedom in the PM in Dinoland depending on how long things take us there.

Thanks so much for your suggestions, I feel much better about our plan now! And won't be rushed to make FoW After FoLK in the morning either.