Ok, I need your help...

[bizybea]

(If this is on the wrong board, would someone please foward it? I wasn't sure where to post.)

Ok, here's the deal. DH and I are going on our DCL cruise December 14~22. We are driving down from Ohio on the 12th. We had planned on spending Friday, the 13th, with his grandparents in FL. The other night when Animal Kingdom was on the Travel Channel, I started getting a hankering to visit there. I've never been to WDW and this may be my first trip there. I was talking to my friend yesterday, she is a former CM. She told me that the 13th would be a perfect day for us to go, and that we would be able to see all we would want to in one day.

Now, here come the questions...
1.How much does it cost to go to WDW, just to AK for 1 day?

2.We would be taking DH's grandparents with us, is there a discount for senior citizens, or for FL residents?

3.Do you think that we would be able to see all we would want of AK, what time should we be there? What time to leave?(Remember, we would have to leave for the cruise the next day, and we also wouldn't want DH's grandparents to get too tired, they live in Ocala so we'd have the drive back, and we're staying with them.)

4.How much $ should we plan on taking with us? (Please consider parking fees, any other fees, lunch, etc.)

5.What are some must see attractions, or things to do? (DH can't ride roller coasters, and grandparents won't, so, that's pretty much out of the picture)

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me decide if we should do this or not. I'm hoping that we can, I told DH that I'd research it and that maybe we could squeeze this in!
Here's hoping that I'm making my first trip to WDW this year!

 

[Disney Doll]

I am pretty sure there is some sort of Florida resident discount for park admission. There is a link somewhere on the DIS that gives the prices of admission.

You could definitely do the Animal Kindom in a day. It's Tough to be a Bug, Kilimanjaro safaris,The Legend of the Lion King show, the Flights of Wonder show, the Maharajah Jungle Trek,the Gorilla Falls walk through are some of my favorties. The only roller coaster in AK is Primieval Whirl, and I haven't been on it, so I can't comment. The Dinosaur ride is one of those bouncy shaky sort of rides, so they might not like that.

 

[bizybea]

Thanks for the info, Disney Doll! Anyone else out there that can help?

 

[bizybea]

One more bump before I give up!

 

[mum4jenn]

I think a one day admission is around $50. Fl res. is a little less. Ocala is only about 1 hour away so it is not that far. Animal Kingdom is nice and you can def. do it in a day!!! Just be sure to drink some water as much as possible because it gets really hot and at least for me and my MIL the heat bothered me much more at AK than it did at any of the parks. (OOPS I just read that you will be there in Dec!!) Since you will be with your Geandparents I would recommend more of the walking around enjoying the sights. There are a lot of areas to see birds and such. Also there is a walking tour (do not remember the name) wher you get to see the tigers etc that is very nice. The safari is also a must do and you get to sit down for that. Everything is very expensive at all the parks. Water included!!! There is a place near the safari where you can buy fresh fruit. I would plan on $100 for food for the four of you. Depends on where you eat. It could be more than that or if you get something simple it could save you.

 

[DocRafiki]

I have to disagree with anyone who says they can see everything at DAK at any kind of comfortable pace. It takes a lot of pre-planning just to get to see all the shows, since they have limited show times and recommend showing up 30 minutes early. And now they have the parade. I've never done it all in one day, but I also like to enjoy all the sights... that's the best part of DAK, in my opinion.

You might be able to see everything at a decent pace since you won't want to ride the coaster and Dinosaur (and probalby Kali). But they are all tame as thrill rides go, though Dinosaur is jerky and no good for a bad back. Primeval Whirl is more the speed of a kid's coaster and lots of fun. You will want to skip Kali River Rapids if you don't want to get wet. But walk back there anyway to see the sights (I love the queue!) and spray the riders with water.

Must-see: If you haven't ridden the safari ride, you haven't seen Animal Kingdom. Don't miss the other walk-through animal tours. "Festival of the Lion King" is considered by many to be the best show in all the parks (I agree, but I love LK). "It's Tough to Be A Bug" is lots of fun, and you'll want to go through the queue just to see all the carvings and get up close to the Tree of Life. I could have wandered around there for hours!

Hope you have fun... bring lots of water and fans. Conservation Station is a good place to go if the heat is knocking you out, or if it looks like it's about to start storming. But, if you're running out of time, I wouldn't recommend going back there (even though I loved it at first since I'm a vet).

I sure am writing a lot seeing as how you hinted that you might not be checking back here this late. Can you tell I love DAK?