How many days should I plan to spend in AK?

[GoofyGirl75]

We are heading to WDW on 2/7, and although we used to go yearly, we haven't been in 4 years, so we have SO many new things to see. That said, I know things are different with Covid. I'm currently planning on 2 days at MK, 2 days at HS, 2 days, at AK, and 1 day at Epcot. Now I'm thinking that might be overkill since there are no shows and stuff. I'm thinking of dropping at least one day to save some $ on our hotel room. With the current situation, do I really need to spend 2 days at AK, or should we be able to get all the new Pandora stuff (plus Kilimanjaro and Everest) done in one day?

Also... if we cut back, and then decide to add another day to our park tickets later in the week, will it cost more to add that extra day at that time than it would if I just paid for it in advance?

Thanks for any help you may be able to give, and if you have any other advice for visiting with the current situation, I'm all ears!

 

[GBRforWDW]

You can easily do all the rides in half a day at AK. It really just depends beyond that, how much more you want to see and do. I don’t think you’d need 2 days, but it’s all subjective.

as far as adding/dropping days, I’d keep the ticket and extra hotel night and have a mostly resort day in the middle of the trip, but maybe head to Epcot at 5 and do a slow stroll around world showcase and enjoy the festival stuff more. Again, that’s just me, not everyone would do that.

 

[Julie Amber]

I used to spend 2 days at AK pre-covid. Now, it's about a half day park. Two days would be totally redundant

 

[disneygirlsng]

You can easily spend a full day in AK. I could easily spend 2 full days there right now. But you should be able to get everything done in one day, so if you were to drop one day that would probably be ok.

 

[Skippyboo]

AK is basically a 1/2 day park. There’s no shows like Festival of the Lion King or Nemo. So it’s the 2 Pandora rides, Safari, Everest and Dinosaur. No reason for 2 days. Use it for MK or HS.

 

[yulilin3]

It really depends on what you want to do. I agree that if it's just attractions you can get done in less than a day but if you're an animal lover it can take longer. I spend about 45 minutes in the gorilla falls trail, 30 in maharajah and then about an hour at rafikis planet watch, add 30 minutes if you're doing the animation class there. Walking around sound the oasis and tree of life will add about 30min

 

[SeanWM48]

love AK. the big parts can indeed be done in one day especially with current wait times.

Safari, Flights, Everest are must-dos. but you can kill a lot of time wandering around and there are obviously a lot of other things to do like Dinosaur or the "Feathered Friends in Flight" bird show which is super kid-friendly and well done.

my suggestion for you would be to put a day in the middle of all of it and do no parks. reboot your legs, go to disney springs, explore the resort a bit. there is so much to do outside the parks these days. springs is a whole experience now, far more than just a place to shop.

 

[gharter]

As others have said, it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to repeat rides like Everest, Safari or one and done.
If its all the big rides and you don't care about the animal trails, etc, 1 day would be more than enough.
The loss of the shows also impacts less times needed at the park.
I think we could still spend a day to 1 1/2 days without being bored.

 

[Edeyore]

I disagree with everyone. You should spend all of your days at AK. I will be going around the same time and it will provide me with shorter lines for
food and wait times for rides.

 

[Blondie58]

So much depends on the individual. I could watch the gorillas for an hour (or more). I can do Kilamanjaro Safari twice. Other folks would be quite bored with all the animal stuff I like to do. I love to combine my AK time with visits to AKL to see even more animals up close and personal. We hope to stay at AKL in Janaury 2022. I hope the shows are brought back soon.

 

[Timandalicia]

Time at Animal Kingdom is whatever you did before plus Avatar.

 

[Shellyred8]

Right now, I think both HS and AK are pretty much one-day parks. Without so many of the shows, it's cut down on how much time is needed to do everything. In regards to AK, if you are a ride person, you may regret not having more than one day after you do Flight of Passage. It's awesome!!!!!!

That being said, it is probably good to have 2 days planned at HS to allow for as many opportunities as possible to get a RotR boarding group. IMO, RotR is definitely worth doing twice (and I'm only a middle of the road Star Wars fan)!!

 

[Blondie58]

Time at Animal Kingdom is whatever you did before plus Avatar.

No Lion King and don't know about the Birds of Prey Show??? Between these two that is less two hours.

 

[GoofyGirl75]

Thanks for all of the replies. We used to enjoy both the Nemo show and FOTLK, so with both of those missing, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time. Is Flights of Wonder still showing? (I didn't think it would be.) We liked that one too, but it's not a must-do. I'm currently keeping at 1 day, but we could always add a visit to AK on our departure day if we feel like we need to.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

Thanks for all of the replies. We used to enjoy both the Nemo show and FOTLK, so with both of those missing, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time. Is Flights of Wonder still showing? (I didn't think it would be.) We liked that one too, but it's not a must-do. I'm currently keeping at 1 day, but we could always add a visit to AK on our departure day if we feel like we need to.

I think this is a good plan. Animal Kingdom can currently be done in a day, for sure, but it may not be at a very relaxed pace, especially if you are planning on doing any of the trails as was suggested earlier. Personally, I would rather have a 3rd day at MK or HS than a 2nd day at AK, but that’s just me. Especially with how unpredictable HS is with RotR.

Flights of Wonder is no more, there is now a show called Feathered Friends in Flight that takes place every hour.

 

[ghtx]

I went to AK in September, arrived right at opening at 8am and rode every single ride* (there are only 7) by 11am. You will have plenty of time to take in the entertainment and the animals, plus the rides, in one day.

*OK I skipped the little train that takes you to Rafiki world

 

[disneygirlsng]

No Lion King and don't know about the Birds of Prey Show??? Between these two that is less two hours.

Bird show is running. But Nemo also isn't. FOTLK will resume sometime this summer.

 

[mickeymom22]

Not sure if AK is staying open late enough to get dark enough, but Pandora at night is beautiful....if you can stay around for it.

 

[abnihon]

We’re only doing 1 day at AK on an 8 night trip.

 

[bakerworld]

IMO two days in AK is overkill - maybe if you did one day and then returned a few days later to re-do rides you liked best. We'll spend a day at AK but a large slice will be at Dawa Bar and Nomad lounge with lunch somewhere. Of course, once we get drenched with water on Kali we usually leave. Now that I think about it, that's when we should hit Dawa to drip off - of course, it's kinda far - maybe the new food court area.