EE at Animal Kingdom

[Vanryan]

We are staying at the Beach Club. Monday is the day of "extra magic" at Animal Kingdom. Do you all think it would be worth scooting out early to get there prior to 7am? We will be having a couple of hotel days prior to Monday so we shouldn't be tired out from traveling. Will AK end up being crowded because it is the EMH day?

 

[kctinkerbell]

The Unofficial Guide does not recommend AK as an EE park. It does not have enough rides and FP's to accomadate the crowds that EE bring.

Having said that though, we were there last week and we arrived right as the gates opened at 9:00 and we left at 3:00 and we did not see everything. There are a few really good shows here and it is hard to see them all. We did spend a lot of time here with character greetings, and that took a lot of time.

If you get there just make sure you get FP's and decide what shows you want to see and schedule those in. I really recommend the touring plans, they work really well.

Also we had lunch at Tusker House in Africa and it was excellent counter service. Good salads, wraps, soup, and fresh fruit!!!

kctinkerbell

 

[Kaycee]

We no longer do EMH at AK. The day that we did EMH there, it was much more crowded than non-EMH opening times at that park, or at least it seemed that way, probably because every person there ran straight to the Safari. At non-EMH opening time, the crowd seems to disperse a lot better instead of stampeding to one ride.

 

[scootron]

You know, I'm the one doing all the planning for my family's trip this May. I've debated back and forth on the AK early entry question. This is what I'm thinking: First, we won't know for sure about the crowd issue until we're there. I think it will be very "managable", but who knows what that really means. Second, my crew are not huge early risers. I think they will get up and go if I say we need to, but I may be dreaming!! Third, knowing my group, I don't think we'll spend more than half a day in AK. Here's the deal, I think we'll use early entry to get ahead of the game there, and then get out of AK even quicker. Dinosaur will not be operating while we are there , so we'll do the Safari, Tree of Life, Its Tough to be a Bug and Primevil Whirl, and then move on. (I don't plan to get soaked on the Rapids.)

With all that said, if the crowds are "nonexistant" or really easy, and the family really wants to sleep that extra hour, I imagine I won't be too worried about it.

The one thing I'm learning on these boards is that everyone's situation is different, so you have to go by what is best for your group. Also, try to build in a little flexibility, so you can go with the flow!!

Good luck!!

 

[lentesta]

Thanks kctinkerbell! Vanryan, kctink is correct. There are probably not enough attractions with enough capacity to handle EMH crowds at peak times, so you can end up waiting in line longer at the AK during EMH than non-EMH days. I'd avoid it during this time of year.

Hope this helps!

Len

 

[Vanryan]

That's exactly the info that I needed! Thanks to all who replied.

Len we will be at WDW at the same time, that's pretty cool. I am this very minute ironing my unoffical guide because I have worked it over so much it is twice the size it was when I bought it!


scootron my kids are just the opposite. We won't do Dinosaur because my bunch is little:
8 (but a scaredy cat)
6 and a dinosaur fanatic who rode it at 3 and remembers being terrified
2 so not an option!
We will end up spending at least 2 days there. My kids are animal crazy. The boneyard alone is a minimum of 2 hours. Rafiki's Planet watch is another couple of hours and last time we didn't even get to the petting zoo. That's the coolest thing about Disney- they have something for everyone.

 

[lentesta]

Hey vanryan,

That's cool. If you see anyone wearing an Unofficial Guide shirt during your trip, say hi!

Len