Pandora (and Animal kingdom in general)

[Kkb0517]

I'm trying to decide which day to do which park for our April 2018 trip. I know it will probably change a bit by April but what do you think is a better way to do the rides at pandora and enjoy the rest of AK throughout the day (I'd rather not park hop) - go for morning EMH on a day that isprojected to be a 7 or at regular park open on a day that is projected to be a 5. We would get there early before rope drop either way. Ideally I'd like to get a fastpass for FOP for later in the day and also ride it at rope drop stand by (followed by stand by river journey), though I realize that might not be possible.

 

[GeneralTso]

You can't book FOP and the River ride for the same day w/FP. Once you complete one, you can try for the other. Or rope drop for one and FP the other.

 

[Klayfish]

Don't use the crowd calendars to pick your days, they have no real accuracy. In general, if you want to do rope drop to get on FoP, then that's the best way to do it without a FP+. We were last there in July, but I've heard that NRJ lines are now getting shorter, so that one may be a standby possibility anyway, especially by next spring.

 

[GunnarCharles]

We were just there and even for August the River Journey stand by lines were manageable once you got past the morning craziness. At one point after it was dark I think the standby was 30-45 minutes so not terrible.
Personally, I loved FoP so I would get a fast pass booked and rope drop it, but others may prefer different attractions.
I also like to use my fast passes for late morning/early afternoon so I feel like they are being useful, but also allowing for the option of booking more that same day if available. Granted, I usually do this with the intent to park hop but the strategy is the same regardless.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I agree with the crowd calendars, in that they are of minimal use. From my own experience and watching these boards, there are so many special events, promotions, and deals, that these seem to now be obsolete.

Your life is not complete unless you do FOP. The river navi generally had much shortly waits when I was just there (i.e. FOP 150 minutes and River 40).