Help with AK plans!

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Dh, myself and our DD who will be 18months are going in Sept for 10 days, we are planning 2 AK mornings. We have never done AK with a toddler before and never did the trails there, so here's my question ABOUT how much time should we plan on for Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Exploration Trail, and Rafiki's Planet Watch?

And we can bring our stroller on these right?

I was thinking about an hour each? is that too much or not enough?

This is our plan
day 1:
7:00AM bus to AK EMH
8:00AM Safari
8:30AM Pangani Exploration Trail
9:30AM Head to Lion King (Kusafiri coffee stop)
10:00AM Lion King
10:30AM Meet & Greet Camp Mickey and Minnie
11:00/11:30AM Lunch CS Pizzafari
12:00/12:30PM Tree of life, It’s tough to be a bug, Dino Land, Boneyard
1:30PM Bus to Pop


Day 2:
7:15AM Bus to AK
8:00AM Tusker House TS
9:00AM Safari
9:30AM Rafki’s Planet Watch
10:30 AM Flights of Wonder (if we have time )
11:45AM Finding Nemo
12:30PM CS Lunch Yak & Yeti or Flame Tree BBQ
1:00 Oasis/Bus to Pop

We have no intentions of rideing the big rides, EE, Dinosaur, Kali and with the heat I don't plan on staying for the parade. Thanks for the help!

 

[stargazertechie]

I would give 45 minutes each to Pangani forest and Maharajah, possibly an hour for Rafiki's, depending on how involved she gets with the Petting Zoo. Aside from the petting zoo, Rafiki's is geared more toward the big kids (watching vet procedures, etc).

 

[Reddy]

Rafiki's did have characters (Rafiki, Jimmy Cricket & Pochanas(sp??)) last August - so if you are into autographs plan on those & petting -- I did enjoy the train ride to & from too

Stroller works on all trails -- loved seeing the baby Gorilla

 

[dizziedupbaby0127]

I would give 45 minutes each to Pangani forest and Maharajah, possibly an hour for Rafiki's, depending on how involved she gets with the Petting Zoo. Aside from the petting zoo, Rafiki's is geared more toward the big kids (watching vet procedures, etc).

Rafiki's did have characters (Rafiki, Jimmy Cricket & Pochanas(sp??)) last August - so if you are into autographs plan on those & petting -- I did enjoy the train ride to & from too

Stroller works on all trails -- loved seeing the baby Gorilla

Thank you both for the quick responses! So I'll go with the hour each and maybe we will have shopping time!

I believe we saw the baby gorilla on our last trip in 09 when we exited the safari! I love the animals they have, I don't feel it is ZOO like at all!

 

[disneychic]

I would give 45 minutes each to Pangani forest and Maharajah, possibly an hour for Rafiki's, depending on how involved she gets with the Petting Zoo. Aside from the petting zoo, Rafiki's is geared more toward the big kids (watching vet procedures, etc).

I agree.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Dh, myself and our DD who will be 18months are going in Sept for 10 days, we are planning 2 AK mornings. We have never done AK with a toddler before and never did the trails there, so here's my question ABOUT how much time should we plan on for Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Exploration Trail, and Rafiki's Planet Watch?

And we can bring our stroller on these right?

I was thinking about an hour each? is that too much or not enough?

This is our plan
day 1:
7:00AM bus to AK EMH
8:00AM Safari
8:30AM Pangani Exploration Trail
9:30AM Head to Lion King (Kusafiri coffee stop)
10:00AM Lion King
10:30AM Meet & Greet Camp Mickey and Minnie
11:00/11:30AM Lunch CS Pizzafari
12:00/12:30PM Tree of life, It’s tough to be a bug, Dino Land, Boneyard
1:30PM Bus to Pop

Doing a similar trip with my 2.5 year old in about a week. The one suggestion I have, which is actually based upon suggestions that were given to me, is to Fastpass the Safari right out of the gate and do Pangani first. That way, you get to do the trail with a smaller crowd (everyone else will be on the Safari or EE), but you'll still get to do the Safari right out of the gate, because the FP time at park opening will probably be right around the time you wrap up the trail. If you do KS first, you'll exit into Pangani along with the mass of humanity that rode KS first and will be doing it with them.

Obviously, if the FP time in the morning is longer than anticipated, you can do what you need to do, but if it's only 30-45 minutes, this could work out well for you and give your daughter a little more space to breathe on the trail.

 

[grandmadebby2]

I know the parade is not on your agenda but if you happen to be in the park longer than planned the afteroon parade there is my grandkids favorite. I think it is around 3:30, has very lively music and great characters. I also thought the Lion King was a longer than 30 minutes, maybe it just seems that way becasue it is so fabulous to watch.

 

[dizziedupbaby0127]

Doing a similar trip with my 2.5 year old in about a week. The one suggestion I have, which is actually based upon suggestions that were given to me, is to Fastpass the Safari right out of the gate and do Pangani first. That way, you get to do the trail with a smaller crowd (everyone else will be on the Safari or EE), but you'll still get to do the Safari right out of the gate, because the FP time at park opening will probably be right around the time you wrap up the trail. If you do KS first, you'll exit into Pangani along with the mass of humanity that rode KS first and will be doing it with them.

Obviously, if the FP time in the morning is longer than anticipated, you can do what you need to do, but if it's only 30-45 minutes, this could work out well for you and give your daughter a little more space to breathe on the trail.

Thanks I appreciate the tip, but I am an avid safari girl! It's my first ride every trip!

I know the parade is not on your agenda but if you happen to be in the park longer than planned the afteroon parade there is my grandkids favorite. I think it is around 3:30, has very lively music and great characters. I also thought the Lion King was a longer than 30 minutes, maybe it just seems that way becasue it is so fabulous to watch.

I wish it wasn't so late in the afternoon. DH and I saw this on our first trip and it was very cute, but staying that late in the heat will not work for DD or for us, we love our nap and pool time and we have dinner reservations at 5 the first night and plan on doing DTD the evening the second night, I just don't think it will be. WE LOVE LION KING, its such a wonderful show, those monkeys keep me on the edge of my seat!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

May I offer a suggestion? If you want to do the characters at Camp Minnie Mickey do them before the 1st Lion King show. That way it will be less crowded. Once the FOTLK show lets out the character greeting spot is much more crowded!

 

[g-dad66]

9:30AM Rafki’s Planet Watch
10:30 AM Flights of Wonder (if we have time )

I think you might have trouble making the 10:30 show. There can be a 10-15 minute wait for the train both to get to Rafiki and then to get back. So that might not leave you as much time there as you would like.

 

[dizziedupbaby0127]

May I offer a suggestion? If you want to do the characters at Camp Minnie Mickey do them before the 1st Lion King show. That way it will be less crowded. Once the FOTLK show lets out the character greeting spot is much more crowded!

Thats a very good point! Hmm.. I'll have to take a look at that.

I think you might have trouble making the 10:30 show. There can be a 10-15 minute wait for the train both to get to Rafiki and then to get back. So that might not leave you as much time there as you would like.

So the travel time should be about 30minutes? does that include the walk there? I heard it is a bit of a walk after you get off the train? so then add the time we spend there, so maybe more like 1.5 hrs? Ill have to try and rework that one, but if we can't make the brid show, it's another reason to take another trip

 

[g-dad66]

So the travel time should be about 30minutes? does that include the walk there? I heard it is a bit of a walk after you get off the train? so then add the time we spend there, so maybe more like 1.5 hrs?

Travel time could take 30 minutes. Maybe 20-25 minutes average.

I'm not including walking time in that. If you didn't stop for anything, your walk to and from the train would probably take about 15 minutes.

You might not need 1.5 hours, but I think that 1 hour would be cutting it close (and you probably want to get to the Flights of Wonder show at least a few minutes before it starts at 10:30).

The key thing, of course, is how long the kiddoes will want to spend at Rafiki's, and that's always hard to predict.