how much time do i need at AK -- HELP

[laurafaith]

hi all needing a little help -- planning to o a AK/MK split day. going to do AK rope drop to do the safari and maybe 1 other thing. we have breakfast at tusker house at 10:30. was planning on doing a few more things then hoping over to MK because this will be our last night. then my boys said something about the pirates league -- so I called and they suggested a 2:30 reservation time for my 3 boys 12, 8 and 4 to have time to be done and do the parade....do u think this is a doable? how much time should I allow to get from AK to MK and be at pirates league by 2:30 -- or is this just a bad plan....don't think there will be much my boys will be interested at AK...thanks for any help!

 

[Ceryssa]

Hmm. Personally I LOVE AK, I wished we had another day there last time. Is this your first time to the park? A lot of AK's appeal is the atmosphere, so you may be right that there isn't a ton that will interest them if they are ride-focused. I think Festival of the Lion King is a must, and Expedition Everest is supposed to be fun (I didn't get to ride it ). They might enjoy Kali River Rapids. I don't know if there are direct buses from AK to MK (I've heard they have buses from one park to another but never seen them). It's always best to allow yourself an hour for transportation, more if you have to transfer.

 

[JRennie]

Hmm. Personally I LOVE AK, I wished we had another day there last time. Is this your first time to the park? A lot of AK's appeal is the atmosphere, so you may be right that there isn't a ton that will interest them if they are ride-focused. I think Festival of the Lion King is a must, and Expedition Everest is supposed to be fun (I didn't get to ride it ). They might enjoy Kali River Rapids. I don't know if there are direct buses from AK to MK (I've heard they have buses from one park to another but never seen them). It's always best to allow yourself an hour for transportation, more if you have to transfer.

I agree with this poster
I love AK and like to spend a whole day there or two half days if it's hot out. I totally agree about festival of lion king. It's hands down one of the best rides out there. You didn't get to go on everest? That makes me said because in my opinion it's one of the best rides at Disney. You must go!!

 

[JRennie]

If there is no direct bus, the best way to get to MK would be to take the bus to AKL then bus to MK. AKL is a short ride from AK.

 

[Alesia]

There is a direct bus to MK. You would need to leave by 1:30. I would want more time in AK.

If your appointment is at 2:30, I'm not sure how you're going to get out in time for the parade at 3:00.

 

[Alesia]

The best way to get to MK is to take the bus to AKL then bus to MK. AKL is a short ride from AK.

No. There is a direct bus. There always has been.

 

[JRennie]

No. There is a direct bus. There always has been.

When we were there last at the slower time of the year the MK buses were rare at AK and not nearly as frequent as the AKL buses. So I found it worked better than the direct buses for us. It was just a suggestion.

 

[Andrea1973]

AK is a great place, there is sooo much to look at. Kali is good, and if you can find DeVine, they will get a kick out of that. The safari is cool for lions, giraffes and elephants and cheetahs, or take them to see the tigers and gorillas. Some times the gorillas are right by the glass, and are playing around which is good for about half an hour easy. There was a younger one last time we went, and it was so active it was neat to watch.

I would go early to AK so you can see all the animals out before it gets too hot out. And from what I understand they have animals out that you can pet when you go into the park.

You can do AK in half a day, if you hussle, but you might over look some things or just be choosy about what you want to see. We often overlook Dinoland and opt for more animal time.

What ever you decide you wont be disappointed. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[laurafaith]

ok so I think im going to scratch the pirates league -- just don't think we will have time -- would still like to park hop over to end our trip at MK maybe around 3-4 -- so ill save my fast passes to use there -- so can anyone help me with a touring plan for AK with no fast passes? if we arrive at RD at 9 -- then we have breakfast at tusker house at 1030 -- what should we do when? I know the kids will want to do safari, maybe EE, lion king show...
thanks!

 

[Ceryssa]

I agree with this poster
I love AK and like to spend a whole day there or two half days if it's hot out. I totally agree about festival of lion king. It's hands down one of the best rides out there. You didn't get to go on everest? That makes me said because in my opinion it's one of the best rides at Disney. You must go!!

I know! I've never ridden it Hopefully my daughter will give it another try this year and I'll be able to do it with her

ok so I think im going to scratch the pirates league -- just don't think we will have time -- would still like to park hop over to end our trip at MK maybe around 3-4 -- so ill save my fast passes to use there -- so can anyone help me with a touring plan for AK with no fast passes? if we arrive at RD at 9 -- then we have breakfast at tusker house at 1030 -- what should we do when? I know the kids will want to do safari, maybe EE, lion king show...
thanks!

My BEST advice would be to try to move TH to 8 am so you can get there before rope drop. Barring that, get there before rope drop and hustle to Everest, then run (not literally lol) over to the safari. Do the first FOTLK show after you leave TH so you don't have to go back over to that area (we had a 10:30 at TH, but we had to wait a few minutes to get in and it took about an hour, so we went to the 12:00 show). If you have some time between breakfast and FOTLK,. the Harambe Drummers are a lot of fun to watch. I didn't find much of anything in Discovery Island area must-do except meeting Pocahontas (although I think it's Tarzan there now), so unless that interests you I think that whole area can be passed over. If you really want to do Dinosaur or Primeval Whirl, head down to Dinoland. If not, maybe go over to Rafiki's Planet Watch and meet Rafiki, or to wherever Russel and Doug from Up meet (don't know where they are, sorry). Then go over to Asia and get in line for Kali (you'll probably get wet so best to save that one for last if possible). While you're over there if you can catch one of the last Flights of Wonder shows, it looks pretty cool. This is what I'd do, anyway. It may not be the most efficient plan depending what you want to hit, and again I've only been to AK once so this may not be the most recommended course of action. I tend to try to minimize crisscrossing the park, so I'd decide what you wanted to do and go from there.

 

[JRennie]

ok so I think im going to scratch the pirates league -- just don't think we will have time -- would still like to park hop over to end our trip at MK maybe around 3-4 -- so ill save my fast passes to use there -- so can anyone help me with a touring plan for AK with no fast passes? if we arrive at RD at 9 -- then we have breakfast at tusker house at 1030 -- what should we do when? I know the kids will want to do safari, maybe EE, lion king show...
thanks!

I would start with the safari (huge lines form there very quickly), then I would head over to everest, backtrack to kali once it's a bit warmer out, then head to dinosaur. Then after that most things can be done without too long of a line. If you want to see Nemo or lion king (and you should ) grab a park times guide and line up about a half hour ahead of time!

 

[samsteele]

If no FP+ for the park, I would get to AK for rope drop. Head straight to the back of the park for Kili Safari. If you love it the first time, ride it again right away. Then head to Expedition Everest if you know your family wants to ride. If they are in doubt, or only 1 or 2 want it, then consider the single rider line & the rest of the family move to the Dinosaur Ride. After Dinosaur, consider if you want to see Finding Nemo or Festival of the Lion King. Both are great shows. Lion King is likely more popular and dynamic. If you manage to get 4 attractions done before lunch, you have done well. A bonus would be It's Tough to Be a Bug under the Tree of Life. If you have more time, then enjoy Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (gorillas & more) and the Maharajah Jungle Trek (tigers & more). I try to spend 2 full days at AK. The theming is incredible & I love the Trail walks and the shows. Enjoy!

 

[C.C. Langley]

I agree that Kilmanjaro Safari should be done first thing. Not only do lines form fast, but it gets hot in florida quick... the earlier you go, the better, because the animals will be more active the less hot it is.

 

[minnie mum]

I would recommend that you have a look at the AK cheat sheet from easywdw.com here:http://www.easywdw.com/category/cheat-sheets/

Josh as a section specifically for touring without FPs for those hopping to another park later in the day. I have used the cheat sheets a few times and have found them reliable.

And try to get to the park well before 9:00. They usually open the gates 10-15 minutes early.

 

[Lucius Best]

hi all needing a little help -- planning to o a AK/MK split day. going to do AK rope drop to do the safari and maybe 1 other thing. we have breakfast at tusker house at 10:30.

You should be able to get in both Safari and Everest before Tusker House at 10:30am. Like previous poster said, get there before 9am because they are likely to open the gates early. You could go to Safari first like others said, but going to Everest first will cut down on walking back and forth across the park. Also, good chance Everest will be a walk-on, no wait if you go straight there at rope drop, could possibly get in multiple rides. Of course, depends if the older boys like roller coasters.

After Tusker House, you can spend as much time as you want before hopping to MK. There are the shows (besides Lion King and Nemo, there's Flights of Wonder bird show) and trails to see animals in Asia and Africa. If it's hot, Kali River Rapids line will be ridiculous. Dinosaur might be too intense for kids, and its line gets weird, sometimes it will say 30 minutes and be 30 minutes, sometimes it will say 30 minutes and be 5 minutes. It's Tough to be a Bug rarely has any line, can do that on the way out of the park.

There is a direct bus AK to MK, but depending on the time of day, they might not run very frequently. Could always hop on Contemporary bus, and walk over to MK.