Stand by lines at AK

Lease257

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 24, 2018
we are going the week of the 25th and spending one morning in AK. I have small kids and we are really only aiming to do the safari and the Dino area. I’m not sure we will make rope drop bc we will have been out late the night before. How bad do lines for those attractions get? We are hopping to MK later so I reserved Fp for later there. But now I’m thinking if I should change them for the morning st AK and hope for fast passes later as my 4+ ones in MK. We aren’t looking to do any of the headliners at MK bc we will have already done PP and 7d and BTMR.
 
You are going to get completely mixed responses on this; some people always get passes for the first park, and some people always get it for the second when park hopping. It really depends on whether you would rather wait in a few lines standby or have the uncertainty about what rides you will get at the second park. Lines with small kids are a nightmare IMO, so I would definitely vote to get FPs for AK, especially since you are not rope dropping . Kilimanjaro safaris wait time does get pretty high mid-morning through lunchtime, since a lot of the rope droppers who went to Pandora first thing do Safaris next. Navi River is also a good choice (again, if still available) for small kids. And I always thought getting a FP for a show like Festival of the Lion King was silly because there are so many standby seats, but last time we were in line and did not make the standby cutoff so shows you what I know--apparently it is a not-too-bad use of a fastpass. Also MK has so many rides it is easy to get a 4th, 5th, 6th etc once you are done at AK, especially if you have already done the rides you really want on a prior trip.
 
I always get a FP for KS, the line can get long. Rope dropping it would be good, but since you can’t do that I’d get a FP. There are so many attractions in MK, you’ll be able to get last minute FPs there.
 


How little are your kids? What are you planning to do in dinoland?

My kids are 7,4,2. AK is the park I know the least about so I don’t even know if the dinosaur rides there are ones they would like. I YouTubed one of them...it looks like it’s indoors? It might be too scary for my 4 year old. The boneyard to let them play? I feel like we are only going here for the safari and maybe a dinosaur ride and a tusker house lunch...maybe the festival of the lion king.

Now I’m leaning toward looking for FP for Navi and safari and one other thing. And then taking a chance at MK. We will already have gone to MK the day before and will go again later in the week with some other good FP. Is the philharmonic easy to get? I think that’s one of the ones I booked for later that day. And another 7d but I snagged two other ones of those already on different days so I prob don’t need 3.
 
My kids are 7,4,2. AK is the park I know the least about so I don’t even know if the dinosaur rides there are ones they would like. I YouTubed one of them...it looks like it’s indoors? It might be too scary for my 4 year old. The boneyard to let them play? I feel like we are only going here for the safari and maybe a dinosaur ride and a tusker house lunch...maybe the festival of the lion king.

Now I’m leaning toward looking for FP for Navi and safari and one other thing. And then taking a chance at MK. We will already have gone to MK the day before and will go again later in the week with some other good FP. Is the philharmonic easy to get? I think that’s one of the ones I booked for later that day. And another 7d but I snagged two other ones of those already on different days so I prob don’t need 3.
There’s Triceratop Spin (like the Dumbo ride but with dinosaurs), and some character meets, and the boneyard. That’s about it for that age set. The dinosaur ride might be too much for the 7 year old (or not, you know your kiddos best). My kiddos love the Lion King and Nemo shows (they are the only shows my 2 yo will sit through without having a fit).

I would FP Navi, Safari, and maybe Lion King?

At MK if you’re asking about Mickey’s Philharmagic, it’s a theater show so no FP are really needed (there’s no special seating for those with FP and it’s rare that you can’t walk right in and wait for the next show to start). I can almost always get Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, small world, the Little Mermaid ride, Dumbo, Barnstormer, and sometimes Haunted Mansion FP later in the day.

There’s plenty to do at MK that you don’t ever need FP for- Philharmagic, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Liberty Square Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree, People Mover, Move It Shake It Mouskedance It and more I’m not even thinking of. So, even if you don’t get a bunch of FP as the afternoon goes on you’ll still have things to do.
 


I don't ride the Safari without a FP. If you're not there early then it's usually easily a 45-60+ min wait
 
My kids are 7,4,2. AK is the park I know the least about so I don’t even know if the dinosaur rides there are ones they would like. I YouTubed one of them...it looks like it’s indoors? It might be too scary for my 4 year old. The boneyard to let them play? I feel like we are only going here for the safari and maybe a dinosaur ride and a tusker house lunch...maybe the festival of the lion king.

Now I’m leaning toward looking for FP for Navi and safari and one other thing. And then taking a chance at MK. We will already have gone to MK the day before and will go again later in the week with some other good FP. Is the philharmonic easy to get? I think that’s one of the ones I booked for later that day. And another 7d but I snagged two other ones of those already on different days so I prob don’t need 3.[/

I was there in September with 11, 8, 6, and 3 year olds. Animal kingdom is their favorite park. We did 2 days there. I wouldn’t shortchange it. Our takes

SAFARI - not to be missed
BONEYARD - kids love this. I plan about an hour here
TRICERATOPS SPIN - 3 year old wanted to ride 4 times in a row. Typical spinner.
PRIMEVIL WHIRL - need to be 48 inches, 8 and 11 loved it. Other two weren’t tall enough
DINOSAUR - nice, but scared the 8 year old. It’s not scary because it’s fast, but because of the scary dinosaurs. The 6 year old loved it, so it depends on the kids
NAVI RIVER JOURNEY - kids like it. We did it 2x at rope drop. Family friendly and captures the avatar experience.
TUSKER HOUSE - we eat here every time.
FESTIVAL OF LION KING - great show

Also consider
FINDING NEMO -really good show
 
That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll just have to play this day by ear and if we are enjoying we can stay longer
 
I wouldn't take anyone but maybe the 7 year old on the Dinosaur ride- my 8 year old went on it last year but had no interest in going on a second time. It's the ride at Disney I scream the most on.
 
Take the time do so the train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch. It's an overlooked gem at AK.
 
I wouldn't take anyone but maybe the 7 year old on the Dinosaur ride- my 8 year old went on it last year but had no interest in going on a second time. It's the ride at Disney I scream the most on.

Good to know! I’ll cross that off my list. I didn’t really enjoy watching it on YouTube either
 
Given that you won't be there for RD and the lines can build quickly, I would get FPs for the rides you want to do at AK.
Definitely safari, consider Navi as well.
With the ages of your kids, I would skip Dinosaur.
The Lion King show and Nemo are both very good ifyou haven't seen them before.
Depending on when you are there, Rafikis Planet Watch may still be closed.
 

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