EMH for Kilimanjaro Safari?

[HeiHei2018]

I'm debating Park Hopper tickets for our August trip to do Kilimanjaro Safari. We would do the safari and take in the scenery during EMH, see the shows, and then head to Epcot for the rest of the day with a Frozen FP. DD is only 6, so Pandora, EE, and Dinosaur are not on our must-see list. Are the safari and animals worth the effort and extra money? The alternative is an extra hour of sleep and a more leisurely day at Epcot.
Thanks for input!

 

[cakebaker]

Correction, it is open- didn’t use to be!

I always think emh’s are worth it to do secondary rides. The Safari can be amazing and well worth it.

 

[MooseBucks]

Such a hard question. Is this a once in a life time trip? Then yes, otherwise I don’t think it’s worth the cost for park hopper. The safari and shows are awesome but not worth the extra cost to me.

Also, at 6 pandora would be pretty perfect age wise especially Navi and FOP (skip EE and Dinosaur if she’s not ready for “thrill rides”)

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Such a hard question. Is this a once in a life time trip? Then yes, otherwise I don’t think it’s worth the cost for park hopper. The safari and shows are awesome but not worth the extra cost to me.

Also, at 6 pandora would be pretty perfect age wise especially Navi and FOP (skip EE and Dinosaur if she’s not ready for “thrill rides”)

I totally agree with this. An alternative if this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime trip is to go to AKV for breakfast at Boma, and then view the savanna there. Kidani Village has a nicer savanna, and it would be worth walking over to it before heading to Epcot. Then you can save AK for your next trip when your DD is older.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I'm debating Park Hopper tickets for our August trip to do Kilimanjaro Safari. We would do the safari and take in the scenery during EMH, see the shows, and then head to Epcot for the rest of the day with a Frozen FP. DD is only 6, so Pandora, EE, and Dinosaur are not on our must-see list. Are the safari and animals worth the effort and extra money? The alternative is an extra hour of sleep and a more leisurely day at Epcot.
Thanks for input!

As well Dino Land is fun for children your age. Face painting, carnival games, and various rides but possibly not Primeval Whip, as it's a hard turn mighty mouse type ride.
Also "It's Tough to be a Bug" show, and bird trick show (whatever it's current name), Lion King show, Maharaja and Gorilla Trails kept my kiddos enthralled and they are older than 6 now.

When you start adding up the length of rides and shows at AK plus walking time from one section to the other, you may find that it's a full day park on it's own; for us the first few times it was a 2 day park. Oh and even if you don't want to do any Pandora rides for whatever reason, the grounds are fantastically beautiful and on theme.

Not sure what the worth of the park hoppers are for your trip but guess it depends on how long you are staying. For a short trip in particular I see the worthiness; a trip of 5,6 days or more, not so much.

We give a full day to Epcot between various rides in Future World as well as it's interactive fountains and traditional ones. It's not a trip to Epcot for us w/o enjoying the rhythm of the skipping fountain. WS isn't peanuts either and can introduce an inquiring mind to other cultures.

 

[rteetz]

Are you not going to AK otherwise? AK is my favorite park so I always recommend going there.

 

[TammyLynn33]

Mine too. My kids love animals they could walk the trails for hours alone

Are you not going to AK otherwise? AK is my favorite park so I always recommend going there.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

You didn't say what type of trip time constraints you're under but if you have time, it might be worth a closer look at the rides. My DS is 6 this year and DD was 7 last year and Pandora is definitely a must do for them. They really enjoyed flight of passage. They also love EE. Dino, they don't though. They like the Safari (we all do) but I wouldn't buy hoppers just for that ride alone. If you know that your DD doesn't like thrill rides (my oldest doesn't) she may still like FOP and Navi is still an option. My oldest does like FOP.

FWIW all three of my kids love Primeval Whirl. Even oldest DD from the moment she was tall enough to ride it. We go on it many times a trip even though we only have one AK day. I'm pretty sure it was 4 times last year. And DH can't ride it because of vertigo issues so it's all me. DS was tall though to go when he was on the high side of 5 but he's taller than average.

 

[jormom1030]

If you are only saying your daughter wouldn’t like those rides due to her age, my daughter has loved them since she was tall enough. She was 4 when she started going on Dinosaur and it is her favorite ride at WDW.

 

[StarSeven7]

We spent 2 days at AK on our past trip! My DS is 5 and EE is his favorite ride anywhere at Disney World- we rode it 10 times over 2 days! (Once 5 times in a row and I realized that is my limit!!) My kids (DS5 and DD8) also love both Pandora rides and after disliking Dinosaur in the past, they decided this year that it was really fun and went on it multiple times. So it definitely depends on the child, but I wouldn’t rule out anything on age alone!

 

[HeiHei2018]

Are you not going to AK otherwise? AK is my favorite park so I always recommend going there.

No, I was planning to skip AK until I saw the EMH. The plan is MK on arrival day and Day 3, Epcot on Day 2, and HS on departure day. MK is her favorite, and we've yet to do most of the rides outside Fantasyland. We do Epcot for Frozen, but she has no interest in WS. We've never done HS or AK. I thought we'd try HS for TSM and the princess-themed shows. However, I'm starting to question my plan.

I've read that AK is the hottest park in summer. Is that true?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

No, I was planning to skip AK until I saw the EMH. The plan is MK on arrival day and Day 3, Epcot on Day 2, and HS on departure day. MK is her favorite, and we've yet to do most of the rides outside Fantasyland. We do Epcot for Frozen, but she has no interest in WS. We've never done HS or AK. I thought we'd try HS for TSM and the princess-themed shows. However, I'm starting to question my plan.

I've read that AK is the hottest park in summer. Is that true?

I've never understood people saying AK is the hottest park. I have ruled out summer trips because as I get older, I can't take the heat. But I've never once felt hot at AK. I think it's very shaded and cool. Now, Epcot is another story. I'm a dripping mess there because there's lots of concrete and little shade.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I've never understood people saying AK is the hottest park. I have ruled out summer trips because as I get older, I can't take the heat. But I've never once felt hot at AK. I think it's very shaded and cool. Now, Epcot is another story. I'm a dripping mess there because there's lots of concrete and little shade.

I think it's a perception thing. Do you prefer to bake on hard packed (concrete) desert or swelter in a jungle? AK probably has less of a breeze with all the forested areas. But I'm not sure breezes are really a thing in summer in FL. I have not noticed AK to be hotter than anywhere else, but it does require more walking and back and forth for us to get to attractions so there's that.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I think it's a perception thing. Do you prefer to bake on hard packed (concrete) desert or swelter in a jungle? AK probably has less of a breeze with all the forested areas. But I'm not sure breezes are really a thing in summer in FL. I have not noticed AK to be hotter than anywhere else, but it does require more walking and back and forth for us to get to attractions so there's that.

My solution to the walking back and forth is to break the park down into quadrants or halves and do everything we want to in that area maybe eat something and go on to the next area. I don't find AK particularly hot either and agree it could be a perception moment.

 

[HeiHei2018]

My solution to the walking back and forth is to break the park down into quadrants or halves and do everything we want to in that area maybe eat something and go on to the next area. I don't find AK particularly hot either and agree it could be a perception moment.

I like the quadrants approach. I'll have to look at the map more closely.

Is the perception of heat because the animal viewing is outside while pavilions in WS have air conditioning?

 

[cruisin5]

What's the draw to Epcot? At 6, I think AK is a better fit than Epcot.

 

[buzznina]

No, I was planning to skip AK until I saw the EMH. The plan is MK on arrival day and Day 3, Epcot on Day 2, and HS on departure day. MK is her favorite, and we've yet to do most of the rides outside Fantasyland. We do Epcot for Frozen, but she has no interest in WS. We've never done HS or AK. I thought we'd try HS for TSM and the princess-themed shows. However, I'm starting to question my plan.

I've read that AK is the hottest park in summer. Is that true?

If anything it's probably the opposite, because of all the vegetation and shade areas. Plus, I have been living in Florida since 84 and it's hot EVERYWHERE in central Florida.

 

[HeiHei2018]

What's the draw to Epcot? At 6, I think AK is a better fit than Epcot.

The draw in Epcot is Frozen. Meeting Elsa was the highlight of our last trip. Beyond that, the only things she really loved were the Seas pavilion and Figment.

Based on everyone's input, I may consider a day at AK. If we don't do Hoppers, should we skip Epcot or HS?

 

[cruisin5]

When is your trip? SWGE will change HS and the crowds there.

 

[HeiHei2018]

When is your trip? SWGE will change HS and the crowds there.

We are going in August before the SWGE madness. I assume this will be our last trip for the foreseeable future because the prices and the crowds will be too much for us come December.