Never been to Animal Kingdom need some advice

[bumbershoot]

It has more to do with weight distribution than it does with sitting in the "wet chair". There is no one seat that is predictively wetter than any other. But the weight distribution of the vehicle itself will largely dictate who goes backwards down the drop(s).

If that were so, the side with DH would always go backwards, and he would be the one getting wet. But the reality is that it doesn't work that way. If anything, DS has gotten soaked on Kali and Grizzly out at DCA far more often than DH.

There are physical limits put on gravity. You reach a certain barrier that holds you in place until the ride is ready to fall (I'm seeing Grizzly in my head and hoping against hope it works for Kali, too, but I'm always so disappointed in Kali I don't have as many pictures in my head of it). That's not from gravity or anything, it's just where the round boat was in its spin at the time it was stopped. The spinning of the boat as it goes down also has the limit based on when it hits the end of the downhill. Sometimes it stops as the heaviest person is there. Sometimes it keeps spinning. Remember, it's a round boat and there are lots of people in it. You'll also have big people next to little people (grownups and kids), all interspersed, which probably keeps the boat pretty even.

Kali is ok, unless you've been on Bilge Rat Barges at Universal. if you have be prepared for a big disappointment.

Or Grizzly at DCA.



We love Primeval Whirl!


For kids that don't like TOT, if it's the spooky factor, watch out for Dinosaur. Even the queue got to my son the first time we tried to ride it!


And remember...no matter what it feels like, you do NOT go upside down on Everest.

 

[monkistan]

The Wilderness Explorers! It's a fun little way to see different parts of the park and get stickers for noticing details. It takes you all over the AK especially the trails, which you shouldn't miss because they're great.

Unless you know when animals have been fed, it's difficult to say when they will be up and about on the safari. We just went once in the am, and it was good, and then, on our second AK day, went in the mid/late afternoon. The animals were being fed so they were out walking around and grazing. It was AMAZING.

Also, if it's warm, you'll probably dry quickly after Kali.

 

[karly05]

I don't think I've seen anyone mention one of my favorite things in all of WDW: "Finding Nemo: The Musical." I really love this show, it's a must-do for me every year. I'm surprised Disney hasn't been plugging that the score for the Nemo Musical is by Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the songwriters of "Frozen."

I will also chime in on recommending Flights of Wonder. (I would say Festival of the Lion King, too, but not sure if it will reopen before you are there, or what changes there may be in the new show.) I also love the Maharajah Jungle Trek, with the tigers and bats.

I tried Flame Tree this year and liked my pulled pork sandwich, but my favorite CS meal in AK so far has been the honey chicken at the Yak & Yeti/Anandapur CS.

Oh, and I'm one of those who rode Kali once and got wetter than if I'd just skipped the ride and jumped in the river. I love water rides (Splash Mtn!) but that was a bit TOO much water.

 

[TillyMarigold]

This! Do NOT skip the Pagani or Majarajah Trails. We spend more time observing bats, gorillas and tigers than we do on the rides some days. To us, these trails are what AK is really all about and we devote a fair amount of time to exploring them to their fullest. You'll hear the occassional: "But we have a zoo back home." So what? Are the tigers at AK any less majestic or captivating simply because you town has a monkey house? Your daughters will love this part of AK, for sure.

Or the Oasis or Discovery Island trails! Smaller animals but you can get really, *really* close to some of them. Those trails are also quiet, shaded, and usually empty.

We used the Complete Walt Disney World book, it has a list of all the animals you can find. There are a ton. Although we never did see the lemurs. They're good at hiding.

 

[TillyMarigold]

As for Kali, before our last trip we bought swimmers' towels. You'd have to Google it, but each one folds up into a zip-loc sandwich bag size (and you need to keep it in one because you store them damp) and the two towels were enough to dry three people completely and our clothes most of the way. We also take extra socks in a zip-loc bag.

I love Animal Kingdom SO, SO much. I could talk about it forever, but:

- each building on Discovery Island has its own theme, as does each room in Pizzafari, it's a ton of fun to try to figure them out--things like "animals that hang upside down," "animals that carry their houses with them," "animals with stripes or spots."

- Africa, Asia, and DinoLand each have incredibly detailed and very interesting back stories about the different ways man interacts with nature and vice-versa [short version: Africa = respect for nature and living alongside it responsibly; Asia = the disasters that happen when man exploits nature recklessly, and how nature fights back; DinoLand = fishing camp that turned out to have dino bones, and the crazy owners decided to make a quick buck by setting up the fairgrounds]

- Disney has some of the best keepers in the world so if you see one, definitely talk to them, I've learned so much from them

Joe Rohde is my personal hero.

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

I'm not seeing Flights of Wonder!!! IMHO FoW is not to be missed. Whether or not you like birds, it's a wonderful conservation story, and your kids will love it. If you're a photographer, try to get chosen to sit on stage and photograph a raptor bird coming right atcha. Very cool, indeed.

Regarding CS meals, we tried Flame Tree and weren't impressed but we do love Pizzafari, which is tradition with us.

Best advice? Do NOT rush through this park. I don't recall how long you'll be in WDW but for us AK is a 2-day park, if not more. There is just so much to see, and if you blow through it you'll miss a lot. We'll do whatever rides we feel like (KS is repeated many times), then stroll through the different trails. As a fun thing to do, try and find the catfish shark. Cool, yet creepy!

This!

We LOVE Flights of Wonder. It's such a great show.

Festival of the Lion King is also an amazing show - so much fun!

Though I love Finding Nemo (the movie) and musicals in general, I'm not so thrilled with Finding Nemo - The Musical but it is sitting inside with AC so it can be worth it.

I love watching the kangeroos in front of the Tree of Life! Often, we watch from the trail just in front and to the left of the Tree and a CM will be there either feeding the Kangaroos or the condors. They always stop and talk to us about what they are doing and answer our questions. Some of my best CM interactions have happened in AK.

Definitely take your time and slow down. It's my favorite park!

 

[ShannonMB]

We love Animal Kingdom and we are always busy there all day. The nice thing is that 3 FP+ is plenty here since there's no tiering!

DD loves Kali River Rapids or I would skip it. I always get soaked to the skin. I actually change in to flip flops and wear a poncho and that works pretty well for me.

I would FP Everest, the Safari, and Dinosaur. Primevil whirl doesn't float my boat. The only thing I would add is that one of my favorite things at AK is the Tough to Be a Bug show inside the tree. Please check that out, it's so much fun. I would have skipped it my first time there if my sister hadn't done it first and told me I'd love it. ::yes:

 

[bocaj1431]

There are a lot of great tips so far.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the heat yet. Of corse, this depends on what time of year you will be at DW but if you are traveling during June thru Sept. with kids, you will need to factor the heat into your plans.

Ask any of the CM's and they will share with you that AK feels hotter than the other parks. We visited the parks in Sept and dealt with the heat in all the parks but when we visited AK, it was horrible. It was so bad that after just under 2 hours we left.

When you make your plans definitely sprinkle in some activities that are in the AC in between rides or activities that will mainly be in the sun. Definitely, for lunch find a dining area in AC. Bring some spray bottles for the kids to keep cool or bring Zip loc glad bags and fill with ice at the soda stations and let the kids carry these until they begin to melt. Empty the bags, put them away and pull them back out and refill when need to cool down again. You can even find Disney glad bags in the dollar store.

Have a great time and stay hydrated!!!!

 

[ZoZo]

Hello! I was just at AK last week, and spent the better part of two days there. Some tips from me:

Rafiki's Planet Watch has some nice surprises. The often do veterinary procedures first thing in the morning; you can see them through a viewing window. I was told they do not do vet procedures on Wednesdays anymore. They also do "animal encounters" on a little stage by the petting farm. The keepers bring out animals onto stage and talk about them. Last week, they had a spectacled owl; in the past, I've seen a hedgehog, porcupine, and birds.

Flights of Wonder is a great bird show. Definitely worth watching. Be sure to have a dollar bill ready when they ask for a volunteer - you might get to be part of the show!

When you arrive at AK, be sure to look for DiVine right after you enter the park. She's a stilt-walker who blends right into the foliage; most people don't even notice her!

Be sure to go on the safari ride at least once. I know you have a FP, but I often try to ride it twice, at different parts of the day. Last week we had a great sighting of three lionesses and a lion, all draped over the rocks at Price Rock. I've never seen so many at one time!

And be sure to stop and talk to the cast members who are posted at the animal exhibits on the animal trails. They know so much about the animals!