How hot will Animal Kingdom be in summer?

[FlightlessDuck]

I know the plural of anecdote is not data, but every time we've visited, Animal Kingdom seems a little hotter, or at least more humid.

But it's still only a one-day park.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

We're going the last week of June. Just how hot will Animal Kingdom feel? Is it quite unbearable? It is the park my son is looking forward to the most, and I know that we will need a FULL day to see all we want to. Would we be better off to try and split it into two mornings, say 9-12 or 1 both mornings? Or 9-1 one morning and maybe 4-7 another day?

It will be hot, but just dress properly and drink a ton of water. Also, try to take in a couple of shows. There aren't many air conditioned rides except Dinosaur, but Nemo the musical, Festival of the Lion King and It's Tough to be a Bug are all air conditioned - good way to get a break from the heat.

Enjoy!

 

[isaboo]

It always feels hotter than the other parks. It's not a family favorite, so we skipped it last year. We go in August though....I think if we went during a cooler month we would spend more time there.

 

[GillianP1301]

It's going to be hot in summer no matter which park you're in, but I do personally find that AK "feels" hotter than the other parks. But, if you break your day up with sufficient A/C time indoors, like the shows and an ADR for lunch at one of the TS locations, then it's totally manageable. Our usual travel to Disney time is end of August, so we know all about the heat and it never really bothers us because we take advantage of cool down type attractions and meals.

As for your question on two half days or a full day, we do two half days, but that's really only because we like to hop (another build in break for us) and like to split up a lot of our days between two different parks. It's totally doable as a full day instead though, just make sure you have a handle on the show times that you want to watch and plan around those.

 

[kwdw]

How does this look for a Touring Plan, with the idea of being in park from 9-5?

Oasis Exhibits
Discovery Island Trails
Lion King (10:00)
Kilimanjaro Safaris (10:00 FP+)
Taking the train over to Conservation Station
ADR at Tusker House 12:25, I imagine we'll plan on an hour here?
Pangani Forest Trail
Kali River Rapids
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Either do Finding Nemo show or just take a break here, as we have about 40 free minutes
Flights of Wonder
Dinosaur
DinoLand Dance a Palooza

I'd head straight to the Safari at RD without a FP+ === ride it - then do the Forest/Jungle Trails. You can do the Safari a second time later in the day with a FP+ if you want. It's still cooler at 10 am - so - IMO - you are wasting good "outdoor" time by doing FOTLK that early in the day. Flights of Wonder, though, IS outdoors and while they have a few fans - it's not 100% shaded. Maybe do Flights of Wonder before lunch, FOTLK after lunch.

Be sure to FP+ Kali RIver Rapids.

No Everest for your group?

The Oasis/Discovery Islands trails aren't a big deal and they are totally shaded - you can do them on the way out of the park or skip them - especially if you take time for the Forest Trail/Jungle Trek. Now - you didn't put in It's Tough to Be a Bug - that's indoors and pretty cute.

I think Conservation Station is a good choice in the heat - some folks think that's a waste of time - but we always include it.

Tusker House is a character lunch - so I'd give that a bit over an hour. You might get seated late or have to wait to see a character. You might get through in an hour since it's a buffet - but it might take longer based on seating time and character rounds. Shouldn't take more than 1.5 hours though!

Nemo is a great show..... it's a must do for us.....

 

[ton80]

IMO, it is the hottest and most humid park.. We also go the last week of June and only spend about 1/2 day at AK.

 

[Hummingbird]

Hmmm DHS has always felt like the hottest park to me, while AK is more humid. And we go in July. Hottest of the hottest time.

Anyway, We do a full day at AK. We do EE, Primevil, dinosaur, trek & KS first thing after rope drop. Then we head to the conservation center. The we will have lunch. We save all the shows & kali for the afternoon when its really hot. Keep in mind though we don't mind trekking back and forth across the park, where as our way may not work for you if you like to go in a pattern.

 

[dprincessmom]

Would I want to do the Jungle Trek before or after Kali? We have a 12:25 ADR for Tusker House too, which will be good.

I would do the Tusker House ADR, then the trek, then Kali (AC, HOT, Water )

 

[Belle61513]

I think it feels hotter because all of the plants trap the humidity at people-level and there's nary a breeze to help your sweat do its thing (cool you off!) so you just walk around wet all day lol. That said, there are plenty of indoor things to do in the heat of the afternoon. Hit safari first thing when the animals are actually out. I would also recommend Dinoland in the am as the blacktop tends to get hot. Sit in Nemo and LK in the pm and you'll be fine.

 

[Jeannie in NJ]

My daughter and I were at AK once on a very HOT day. For some reason, the park was fairly empty, maybe everyone was at the waterparks, don't know. Anyway, we went on the rapid ride, there was another mother and her son on the ride with us. When the ride ended, there was no one to get on it, so the cast member asked if we wanted to ride again, we ended up riding about 8 times, so did the other mother and her son. We only stopped cause we wanted to do other things. The ride was so very refreshing. I am another one that seems to find this park to be hotter than the others. I find Epcot to be the least hot, maybe because of all the water there and all of the indoor stuff.

 

[JZCubed]

We're going the last week of June. Just how hot will Animal Kingdom feel? Is it quite unbearable? It is the park my son is looking forward to the most, and I know that we will need a FULL day to see all we want to. Would we be better off to try and split it into two mornings, say 9-12 or 1 both mornings? Or 9-1 one morning and maybe 4-7 another day?

Will the temperature be cool in your neighborhood before leaving to Orlando? If not, the difference will not be as dramatic as you might think.

However, walking through large crowds and sitting outdoors may not be in your best interest if heat is a concern.

We arrive the same week as you and have already outlined our desire to arrive at Park Openings (a/k/a Rope Drop) with an expectation of leaving back to the Resort swimming pool before Parks feel too crowded. In an attempt to keep our vacation feeling like a vacation - we have few plans to Park Hop, but never rule out the option.

So here's what I suggest to you:
--Outline all the indoor things you want to see at AK.
--Outline all the outdoor things you want to see at AK.

If you can do the outdoor things (i.e., Wonders of Flight, Nature Walks, Safari, Kali Rapids) at the beginning of your day and/or end or day, then you can avoid some heat.

If you can do any of the indoor things (i.e., Bugs Life, Lion King, Nemo, Dinosaur, lunch) when the sun is most hot, then you're avoiding heat too.

AK is our second-favorite Park (after MK) and we know that Touring will be a bit different in summer. Since we usually do two of the three shows on any one day, we will not be seeing Flights of Wonder in an attempt to avoid outdoor shows. Both Lion King & Nemo are indoors.

Only you can determine if you can get all your 'Must-Do's' accomplished in one day.

Good luck with FP+ later this month!!

 

[Bullseye]

You know that scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where they open the ark and all the Nazis faces start melting off...it's kind of like that
But seriously, we go every June and you can manage it by staying hydrated and getting into the air conditioning every once in a while. It kind of adds to the atmosphere of being in Africa or Asia!

 

[frisbeego]

I was reading another Cast Member secrets article and came across this, which made me think of this thread:

"During Traditions (aka orientation), we were told that the park is sunken into the ground to create a climate suitable for all the animals in the park. This is also why the temperature inside the park is much warmer than outside. However, I haven't been able to find confirmation elsewhere on the Internet, so I'm only going by what we were told."

 

[>Ash<]

whilst AK has alot of vegitation and can seem warmer than the other parks i dont think it is.

in June i would stick to my regular AK plan of attach which is usually.

arrive at rope drop/ head Straight for the Killimunjaro Safarri - after this i usually head to see the Tigers and Everest.

during the mid day sun, take in shows like Finding Nemo Musical, Lion King, & Its Tough To Be A Bug.

then once the heat of the day is over finish off with some of the nice jungle treks.

remember stay hydrated and if you start feeling warm/ kids are getting adgitated or cranky take a walk into a QS grab some ice waters (usually free) and relax. have a fun trip

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I LOVE AK, but it's HOT!

Please hydrate, wear a hat and some sunglasses and take your time. AK must be toured slowly. If you rush through it, you will be irritated.

 

[mhconley]

AK always feels hotter to me and I live in SWFL. I think its what another poster said, all the vegetation blocks the breezes.

But I would do everything I could to avoid DinoLand USA in the afternoon. All the asphalt turns that area into a virtual oven. It has to be 10-20 degrees measurably hotter in the afternoon than anywhere else in any of the parks.

Martin

 

[kaetra]

Another reason AK feels hotter is there aren't as many places to cool off with A//C. I think Dinosaur is the only attraction with an A/C queue. Trying to think of others, but can't right now. Other parks have more A/C opportunities it seems to me.

 

[hollybearsmom]

most of our family that went last year is from the mid-atlantic states. opinion was ridiculously hot! we had cool neck wraps. got bloated on ice water. and still only managed a half day.

 

[North of Mouse]

We're going the last week of June. Just how hot will Animal Kingdom feel? Is it quite unbearable? It is the park my son is looking forward to the most, and I know that we will need a FULL day to see all we want to. Would we be better off to try and split it into two mornings, say 9-12 or 1 both mornings? Or 9-1 one morning and maybe 4-7 another day?

IMO it feels much hotter and humid than the other parks. I think it is due to the pathways being 'closed in' by vegetation, and there's not too many areas of shade to get away from the sun. We can never spend a whole day there. We don't go in the summer anymore because the heat/humidity bothers us more than ever staying outside all day.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

The challenge for me is this:

1. The longest ride (safari) is outside and so is the line.
2. The lines for EE and KRR are both long and outside.
3. Our favorite quick serve (Flame Tree) only has outside seating.

It is just tough to get cool there for us.

But one of our ways we get by is to do this park the last 2 hours or so before it closes. Everybody else says rope drop, but as this park clears out it always FEELS cooler. We can often get multiple rides on Kali in the last 20 minutes before close.