Is a couple hours at AK enough?

[ryan840]

Hi. If you happen to have seen my other threads, I apologize for the redundancy, and at the same time, how I keep changing my minds. That said, I was hoping to see all four parks with our 2 day hoppers, because we won't be returning for at least two years, and well, I just can't wait that long! I have pretty much decided to devote a full day to MK, because it will be funnest for our son. On the other day, we only want to do a few things at MGM (Playhouse Disney, and the Stars and Motor Cars Parade) and Epcot (see the topiaries and Illuminations). So I was wondering if we arrive at AK at 11:00 (we're not morning people by any means) and head to MGM by say 1:30-2:00, will we have enough time there? I'm hoping to be pregnant, so a lot of the rides are out of the question, especially since my son will only be 21 mos at the time, and probably too short for the rides. We really just want to check it out, see the Tree of Life (?) and see whatever animals we can by walking and going on mild rides. So can it be done?

 

[eeyore45]

I have no idea! For me and my dd, absolutely NOT!

If you only have 2 days, do what you will, its your vacation, make your plans your way, no one can make your itenary work for you, only you can. If its a getting into the parks question, maybe you can just visit the AKL and see animals that way?

We spent hours at AKL, we did the safari twice, the 2 trails with the animals, but we sit, and watch, and talk to the CM's and really enjoy the whole experience, I didnt like the Rafiki Planet so much, its a petting zoo, and conservation educational area, but DD loved it... so again, we spent 2 days there! but that's just us! MGM, not so much, we're not into Playhouse Disney, or Who wants to be a millionaire, or TOT, or RNR, but loved the Muppets, Indiana Jones, the Great Movie Ride, Beauty and The Beast, came back and did Fantasmic a different day... again you probably wont even consider dd favorite, its so blah now that they no longer make full feature movies here, like Mulan, but we loved that part, dd was so hooked into what it took to make pluto, we've bought her books (she's 8) to learn to draw...

so to each his own, and for us a couple of hours, isnt worth the time it would take getting on and off the buses from the walk from the park entrance to the place we'd go to.... just to have the claim "we went to AKL"

 

[epcotfan]

Is a couple hours at AK enough?

Nope. Especially if you arrive after 11:00. That is when the park is really crowded with people trying to get to and from attractions. There is a lot walking involved at AK so you need more time to appreciate what the park has to offer.

 

[ryan840]

I wasn't looking to "claim" that we went there, we really want to go there. We can't do most of the rides, including the safari ride, so we know that that will free up a lot of time right there. We really just wanted to go and see a couple of key places, and take is as it comes. I just thought since the park is only open for eight hours anyway, and we won't be waiting in line for rides, we could see a good amount of the park. Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[the kabuki]

No it's not enough. Instead of trying to do all 4 parks in 2 days, why not just pick 2 parks and concentrate on them. 1st thing that came to my mind was how much time you'll be losing travelling between parks. Plus, that might be too much running with a 21 month old. And , IMHO, you'll need to get going in the morning earlier than 11 am. You've only got two days, why waste them sleeping in?

As to the 2 parks, of course MK for one, and judging by your son's age, I'd pick AK for the other one. Epcot would be out just because of his age. IMHO, MGM doesn't have as many attractions for him as AK does. If you have hoppers, you could go to Epcot for Illuminations after AK, if it closes early depending on the time of year you're there.

BTW-I would definetly plan to be at MK on the day it has the EMH evening hours, especially since you're not morning people.

 

[ryan840]

Nope. Especially if you arrive after 11:00. That is when the park is really crowded with people trying to get to and from attractions. There is a lot walking involved at AK so you need more time to appreciate what the park has to offer.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. What would those of you who've been there suggest as a minimum amount of time, if you weren't riding rides and didn't absolutley see everything? Nothing is set in stone, and if we really like it there, we will certainly stay longer.

 

[ryan840]

And , IMHO, you'll need to get going in the morning earlier than 11 am. You've only got two days, why waste them sleeping in?

BTW-I would definetly plan to be at MK on the day it has the EMH evening hours, especially since you're not morning people.

Thanks again. I figured we'd get there at 11:00 to be on the safe side. If we et up at 9:00, eat a quick breakfast and head for the bus, I'm sure we'd get there earlier, especially since we are staying at ASMo... but as far as sleeping in, it's not really sleeping in for me. For whatever reason, God blessed me with a backwards inner clock- I have a very hard time sleeping at night. So getting up at 9:00 for me means six hours of sleep if I'm lucky (right now, it's more like five). But yes, we are going to MK on an evening EMH day, we made sure of that I am worried about losing time between parks though... how much do you think I'll lose?

 

[Lil_Tink]

well if your pregnate and a young child probly as most rides cannot be done.. but he will love all the animals.. May I reccomend the safari

 

[aubriee]

Definitely take your son to see the Lion King show. In my opinion it's the best show at WDW for little ones. He'll love the floats, bright costumes, gymnasts, singing/dancing, fire juggler, etc. When we were there in January it was my GD's favorite show.

Since buses don't go park to park, when you leave one park, you'll have to catch a bus to the nearest resort or TTC, then catch another bus to the park you are going to.

I agree with the previous poster. I would concentrate on AK and MK, and maybe just hop over to Epcot and MGM to see Illuminations and Fantasmic. Personally I prefer Fantasmic over Illuminations though.

 

[roscodog]

Two hours would not be enough. After transpo and going through security check, you won't be left with alot of time. My party took almost 45 minutes this past Jan with transpo, security and then ton's of pics with the characters at the entrance. Then they got in to AK. If you must go, do the Lion King and perhaps the safari but remember that they are at different ends of the park.

 

[newholidayx2]

definately not enough time

 

[Shells9]

I'm echoing the previous poster who said be sure to see Festival of the Lion King. It's a great show with lots of stuff going on. It will be great especially if he can recognize the Lion King's characters.

 

[WDSearcher]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. What would those of you who've been there suggest as a minimum amount of time, if you weren't riding rides and didn't absolutley see everything? Nothing is set in stone, and if we really like it there, we will certainly stay longer.

What you need to do is look at a map or a description of DAK and decide what things you'll want to do and see. It's impossible for us to know how much time you'll need, because we obviously don't know your family or their interests. But here's kind of a rough idea .... If you show up at DAK at 11am and want to leave by 1:30pm, you will have time to walk to the Tree of Life, head over and meet a few characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey, and maybe take a swing through Dinoland to let your little one play a bit in the Boneyard. OR ... you can walk in, take the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch, see the exhibits there, meet a character or two, and spend a bit of time with the animals. OR ... you can walk the trails in Asia, see the Tigers and maybe take in the Flights of Wonder bird show.

You're not likely to have time to see Festival of the Lion King (which is, I think, the best show at AK), because the line forms early, and the show is about a half-hour. You could see it, but between the line and the show, you'd be using about an hour of your time just for that, so you'd be using up half your time for that. You won't be able to see the parade, as that doesn't happen until 4pm.

I think you can get a flavor of DAK in a couple of hours, but there is so much to see there that you might find yourself sorry that you can't stay longer. Don't let the fact that the park is "only open for 8 hours" fool you. A lot of that is based on the schedule of the animals, and is not a commentary on how little there is to do there!

 

[ryan840]

Thanks to everyone for their input, it had really given me an idea of what to expect if/when I go! The times I gave were worst case scenarios and time spent actually inside the park, just to be on the safe side, so I think I will be able to go and have a bit of fun, and if we do stay longer, oh well, it's because we decided it's more fun there that at a different park. My husbands favorite Disney movie is The Lion King, so we may just stay longer to see that, it's up to him. Thanks again!

 

[scrump]

I guess it depends on what you want to do. I am not really a show person, or a parade person. I may catch a little bit, but rarely the whole thing. We like AK a lot, but we like to walk around, maybe do a couple of rides and then we are out of there in a couple of hours. AK definitely has a different feel, compared to the other parks, so we try and get some AK time, but we rarely stay for more than half a day maximum. Again, that's just us, to each their own!

 

[henrylovespooh]

If you just walk the Panjani Forest Trail and Majaraja Jungle Trek and check out the Oasis and Tree of Life, you can do that in two hours or so. That means no checking out Dinoland (not much for someone your DS's age anyway) or Camp Minnie Mickey (characters, Lion King show and Pocahontas show).

I think it can be done if you don't do the safari, but if you're just going to walk around and see some animals, maybe you should just spend some more time in another park instead of travelling all over WDW property.

But count on at least 30 minutes to get to the next park after AK and factor that in.

 

[henrylovespooh]

Definitely take your son to see the Lion King show. In my opinion it's the best show at WDW for little ones. He'll love the floats, bright costumes, gymnasts, singing/dancing, fire juggler, etc. When we were there in January it was my GD's favorite show.

Forgot to mention in my other post that this post made me think of when we took my son - then 22 months old - the Lion King show. He sat on my lap and looked at the people behind us for the entire show. I think he thought they were there to see him! It was so hot in the building that I was starting to freak out as he was getting redder and redder. We just didn't enjoy the show at all because of it and I thought I was the only one who didn't like the show.

If you're going to go back in two years, I think your son would get more out of the Lion King and Pocahontas shows. My son, now 3 1/2 and daughter, 2 1/2 loved both of them when we went last week. And since I got to enjoy it more, I loved it too. I wonder if they have AC in there now, because it was very comfortable.

 

[MinnieMom]

If you pick the top 3-4 things that you really want to do and plan for that you should be able to accomplish it and add in a few extras if you have the time.

I'm not sure why you said you can't do the Safari - ?? IMHO that is a must-do at AK!! I agree with the advice to do the Festival of the LK - it's another must!

AK is definitely one of my favs and I could easily spend 2 days there, but the timing all depends on what you want to do!

Good luck with your decision and I hope you have a great time no matter what you decide!

 

[ryan840]

If you pick the top 3-4 things that you really want to do and plan for that you should be able to accomplish it and add in a few extras if you have the time.

I'm not sure why you said you can't do the Safari - ?? IMHO that is a must-do at AK!! I agree with the advice to do the Festival of the LK - it's another must!

AK is definitely one of my favs and I could easily spend 2 days there, but the timing all depends on what you want to do!

Good luck with your decision and I hope you have a great time no matter what you decide!

That's excactly what I had planned on doing, in no way did I think we'd get to see everything I can't do the safari because I hope to be pregnant, and it is not resommended for pregnant women. I know I won't be very far along, but I definately can't afford to risk it. I'm sure that if I am not pregnant, we'll devote the whole day to AK, or at least most of it, since there will be a lot more we can do (I really wanted to go on the safari ride). Thanks again to everyone, I know we'll have a great time whatever we do!