How long for Rafiki's Planet Watch in AK?

[TheMovieJunkie]

Never been to Rafiki's Planet Watch in AK and would like to check it out when we go (in two weeks!!) How long would you say it takes to see it all with the train ride to and from?

We have FP for Safari from 10:50-11:50 and ADR for Yak & Yeti at 2:00. Do we have enough time in between Safari and Yak & Yeti if we get to our FP at the later end of the hour?

Any tips or suggestions? Would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!! Everyone has been so helpful with my other questions and helping me put the finishing touches on our plans!!

 

[MrInfinity]

I don't think that's enough time, but it really depends what you want to do. There are a few of the Wilderness Explorer quests back here, and each one of those can take 20 min. Are you wanting to get there, dash to the end, and say yep we saw it? Or are you wanting to do the little-kid things along the way? There isn't much for adults in this area, but kids 3-9 can spend a lot of time here.

When we did it we hit a 9am open wanting to ride the Safari, then go to Rafiki's, and then make a 12:00 Y&Y (3 hours total, including Safari, which is about what you have) and that was not enough. We got thru about half of the quests, hung out w Chip & Dale, but ended up having to cut our stay short to get back to the train. The train ride alone can be 30 min depending on when you catch it or if you've just missed it.

 

[TheMovieJunkie]

Ugh. Thanks! My kids are 12 and 13 and I will have my 24 year old brother with us, so I am thinking some of the stuff geared for real little ones can be skipped. Will also skip meeting Chip and Dale because we will see them at Epcot (and have met them before). But, if there are other characters that we have not met before, I might force my kids to take a picture with them. LOL!
The Affection Station (?) looks really cute, so that would be a must do.

If I rearrange my plans a bit and make it to the earlier end of our Safari FP, maybe it'll be better timing? Is it true that you can get in a few minutes earlier on a FP or is that just rumor?

Thanks again for responding!!

 

[LaurenT]

Can you try to go at 9:30? They do their surgical procedures in the morning. We watched the male lion getting a check up and teeth cleaning on our honeymoon - though it's usually more like fixing a wing on a flamingo or getting a wallaby ready for travel ...
Other than that, I like the sound booth and the petting area ...but that's about it for me

 

[TheMovieJunkie]

I wish we could, because seeing a medical procedure would be very interesting...at least for me!! You sound like me. The sound booth and the petting area are what's intriguing me the most (and the train ride itself).

I am thinking if we get on Safari ASAP, we might be able to squeeze Planet Watch in and keep an eye on the time. If we rush through, at least I'll have a better idea of how to plan it for next time...because there is ALWAYS a next time! Lol!

 

[bc7ate9]

My husband and I - it's just us and we are in our 30's - like going out there. We met Rafiki (I think that's the only place you can do that) and watched some animal training demos. We also learned to build a bird house. Meeting all the goats and brushing them is fun for a bit too. I have no idea how long we spend there, though - I'd doubt more than an hour.

 

[jcarwash]

For what it's worth...I checked the time stamps from my photos from our visit to Rafiki's Planet Watch last month.

We had one child doing all the Wilderness Explorer activities (and not rushing through them), BUT we've been there many times before AND I would also categorize this is a quick visit out there. No Chip 'n Dale (line too long), no animal petting.

We were on the train to Planet Watch at 3:54pm, and on the train back from Planet Watch at 4:32pm. I'm not suggesting all visits would be under an hour, however, I also don't think it's compelling enough that you'd be out there forever. If you planned for 45-60 minutes, I think you'd feel like you saw it.

 

[TheMovieJunkie]

Thank you for all the advice!

I am putting it down as something to browse through, if my timing works out to what I have plans.

Thanks again!

 

[BudgieMama]

We were there during the veterinary check ups, and it was fascinating. There was a CM on our side of the window, and she answered all our questions. The day we were there, they were doing check ups on some of the birds, and as bird lovers, we could have stayed for hours! We weren't expecting to stay for long, and we had to get to other stuff, but we will definitely plan longer next time.

We were luck that when we arrived that Rafiki only had one family waiting, so we got to meet him really quickly too!

I recognise some people won't stay for long at all, but for us, it is a must do, and a fascinating look at their care of the animals in the park.

 

[purple figment]

It is so hard to say how much time you'll need at Rafiki's Planet Watch. It always seems to take us more time than we expected. On most mornings there are veterinary procedures where even the most routine exams can be interesting. Sometimes there is an animal handler in the center of the room with an animal - last time it was a young alligator that we were able to touch, previously it was a snake which I skipped!.

You won't have the ADR time constraint for Yak and Yeti if you join the Landry's Club. It is $25 to join, but you get an immediate $25 credit to use, and there is priority seating. You don't need a reservation, because when you go up to the podium and show your card you will be seated ahead of those waiting with an ADR. It also works at Rainforest and T-Rex.