As I said above, I just returned from a recent Disney trip where I had planned on being in AK on Earth Day, when ROL and the nighttime experiences were originally supposed to open. The park was incredibly packed that day (the worst I've ever seen by far) and I overheard many guests talking about watching ROL. I think that meant a lot of people didn't hear about the nighttime activities being pushed back and guests flocked to the park. Anyway, I got to thinking on a different thread what my strategy would be for Memorial Day weekend now that I had a very packed experience at AK.
I figured I would go ahead and share that strategy here in case anyone is planning on attending that weekend. Hopefully someone can get some use out of it.
Full day AK Memorial Day Weekend Strategy:
Fastpasses:
I would book these as early as possible. I would book one for the nighttime safari. I would book another for midday Kali (if you are into water rides), it will most likely be very hot that day and a midday Kali soaking would probably be a good idea. If fastpasses are available for the Jungle Book show I'd book one for that, otherwise I'd use it for midday for EE or Dinosaur.
ADRs:
I would also book an early dinner ADR at Tusker House, Yak and Yeti or Tiffin's. The day will most likely be hot and if you plan to spend the entire day at AK, an early dinner inside an air conditioned restaurant will be just the ticket to refresh you and your party for the night's fun. If dining packages are available for the Jungle Book show I'd try for one.
Ride Strategy:
We went straight to KS at rope drop on Earth Day and we still had to wait about 15-20 minutes. The line took about an hour to build to 40 minutes around 10, if I'm remembering correctly. So instead of doing that, I'd go straight to EE and get a few rides in and then head to KS. If you have to wait for KS either way, it is probably best to get in a few trips up Everest first. After the KS I'd try to meet any characters that I wanted to see or else go to the rides in Dino Land.
Once the heat of the day hits I'd start a show rotation and watch Bug's Life, Nemo and FOTLK which are all in air conditioned theaters. I'd also watch Flights of Wonder, while not indoors there is a roof to keep the sun away and there are usually fans running in the theater.
Whenever there was a gap in my fastpasses and show schedule I'd hit the animal trails.
After my dinner ADR was finished, I would just enjoy the atmosphere and all the street parties while making sure to see the tree show. You should have a fastpass at this point for the nighttime safari. If there will be multiple Jungle Book shows I'd try for the latest and hope for the best, but I'd fully expect the night to be very crowded and just try to go with the flow.
What does everyone think? Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone planning on going to AK Memorial Day Weekend?
