We don't go to AK often need help with a morning plan.

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

2 adults in July.
How long of wait will we run into for Kilimanjaro Safaris at RD?
Can I likely be done by noon if I do Kilimanjaro at RD and have a FP+ for Na'vi, EE, and Dinosaur?
Should I start my FP+ at opening or should I start them say 20-30 minutes later?

 

[sharonabe]

2 adults in July.
How long of wait will we run into for Kilimanjaro Safaris at RD?
Can I likely be done by noon if I do Kilimanjaro at RD and have a FP+ for Na'vi, EE, and Dinosaur?
Should I start my FP+ at opening or should I start them say 20-30 minutes later?

Everyone is headed to FoP at rope drop, so you'll be fine going to Safari and should walk right through the queue up to where you wait for your vehicle.

Depending on which way you head from Safari, I'd probably start my FP+ at 9:30. It will be easier to modify and move up EE and Dinosaur, so you might want to begine with Na'vi if you can get that one for the 9:30 time frame. If that doesn't work, make that one your last one.

 

[LaurenT]

I don’t think you’re legally allowed to visit AK without doing FoP!!
If you’re there early enough for RD, you can go straight to FoP and still walk onto KS.

 

[LaurenT]

If it were me and I wanted to just make a half day (I can easily spend 4 days just in AK), I’d be at the tapstile at 7:30am. That would make it a pretty sure thing that you’ll be on FoP before 9 am. Then walk right onto Na’vi (which is right there). Have a 9:30 FP for KS, 10:30 FP for EE and 11:30 FP for dinosaur ... you’ll be heading out of the park by noon.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don’t think you’re legally allowed to visit AK without doing FoP!!
If you’re there early enough for RD, you can go straight to FoP and still walk onto KS.

If it were me and I wanted to just make a half day (I can easily spend 4 days just in AK), I’d be at the tapstile at 7:30am. That would make it a pretty sure thing that you’ll be on FoP before 9 am. Then walk right onto Na’vi (which is right there). Have a 9:30 FP for KS, 10:30 FP for EE and 11:30 FP for dinosaur ... you’ll be heading out of the park by noon.

Thanks but we have zero desire to go on FOP.
My sister gets motion sickness and I cannot see 3D (I watch Muppets and Philharmagic because I like the story lines but I can't actually get the full effect)

 

[greg9x]

2 adults in July.
How long of wait will we run into for Kilimanjaro Safaris at RD?
Can I likely be done by noon if I do Kilimanjaro at RD and have a FP+ for Na'vi, EE, and Dinosaur?
Should I start my FP+ at opening or should I start them say 20-30 minutes later?

Depending on what else you want to do, you probably only really need to worry about NRJ FP+.. Probably hit the others with little wait if go at RD and be done in couple hours.. but get FP's anyway if that's all your doing. But if you can't get NRJ FP+ then do that at RD first as there is little wait at RD since everyone is going to FoP.

 

[momof2n2]

I haven't ever visited in July, but I think RD is still rather standard. I have always RD to KS and been in one of the first 5-10 vehicles out, this is with 1-2 double strollers and a senior citizen mother slowing our walk just a bit. We normally ride twice, in fact.

If that is truly all you are doing, I don't think you will have any problem being done by noon. I just love AK so much, I can't imagine why you'd want to be done that early.

I believe that if you could also go from your 1-2 rides on KS over to EE and ride that 1-2 times standby and/or single rider line. I'm sure I will be corrected if I am wrong, but that has been my May/October experience and this is all still within the first hour of RD...

 

[disneygirlsng]

Doable, yes. But I can't imagine rushing through and only spending 3 hours at that park with all there is to do.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

We don't care for all that much at AK. We find it a bit boring and just don't want to spend much time there.
It's our least favorite park.
We realize many love it and there is nothing wrong with that but it's just not our thing.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

After just having a conversation with my sister I think I can more easily express why we are not all that into AK.
AK is MOSTLY about animals and learning about animals.
Growing up we went to so many other places in Florida that had animals and had people talking about animals that we don't really feel its necessary.
Examples... Sea World, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Homosassa Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs, Silver Springs.
You would get up close and person with the animals and learn all about them.
Plus at our local amusement park we had a petting zoo and we had season passes to that amusement park.
The non animal attractions are limited at AK (as they should be really when its a theme park based on live animals) so its just not too much of a draw for us.

 

[Skippyboo]

With everyone going to Pandora at RD, it’s not going to be a problem to do KS, you could probably do Everest and Dinosaur too. I would do FP as EE, Dinosaur and then NRJ. After your safari, pop over to Asia and DinoLand and finish in Pandora then you’re relatively close to the exit.

 

[tsme]

I think it’d be really easy to get on KS at RD.
Are people still having to wait in line at RD to get into Pandora?

 

[CAQDaddy]

We've found that most of the park is pretty deserted at RD as everyone heads to Pandora. We usually head to Dinosaur first, hit Primeval Whirl (usually 2-3 times) head toward EE and then KS. If you go that way I would use the FP's for EE, KS, and NRJ though you probably won't need them for EE or KS. You might even have time for Festival of the Lion King prior to heading to Pandora.
I think you can hit everything you listed and be out by noon pretty easily and it doesn't really matter your plan if you get there early.

 

[gharter]

You can easily be done by noon.
Personally if you are going to be there at RD, I would go to Navi (on by 8:50 and off 8:55) (if you don't want to do FoP), then walk over toward EE (you should be able to ride several times) do Dinosaur on the way to EE.
Get a FP for Safari at 10

If this is all you want to do, you can easily be done by noon, but you are missing a lot of the rest of the park.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

You can easily be done by noon.
Personally if you are going to be there at RD, I would go to Navi (on by 8:50 and off 8:55) (if you don't want to do FoP), then walk over toward EE (you should be able to ride several times) do Dinosaur on the way to EE.
Get a FP for Safari at 10

If this is all you want to do, you can easily be done by noon, but you are missing a lot of the rest of the park.

Thanks. I've been before and pretty much did it all. These are the only things I care to do. I'll consider your approach.
If the park opens at 9am are they really still letting you in that early that I'd be on and off of NRJ before official opening time?

 

[Skippyboo]

Josh from easywdw -“Guests are typically walked into Pandora 20-30 minutes before official open with guests headed elsewhere held until closer to official park open.”. However if you have a FP for NRJ, I personally go to the other areas away from the rush in Pandora and ride the other rides you want and then do NRJ w FP.

You could also FP- NRJ, EE, KS and pick up Dinosaur as the 4th FP once you tap in on 3rd.

 

[Rileygirl]

Question: if you were not doing fop on a rope drop morning at AK, and we’re heading towards Dinoland with small kids in strollers, would it be ok to plan on being at the park turnstiles for around 8:30 ish? Would the mob be already inside the park on the left hand side? Just trying to figure out the strategy for friends that are going with small kiddos, and they only plan to do Navi river, which we will fp at a convenient time.....but want to make this as easy and as comfortable an experience as I can, as they have never done Disney.....

Suggestions and opinions please! OP,sorry for the hijack.....

 

[gharter]

Question: if you were not doing fop on a rope drop morning at AK, and we’re heading towards Dinoland with small kids in strollers, would it be ok to plan on being at the park turnstiles for around 8:30 ish? Would the mob be already inside the park on the left hand side? Just trying to figure out the strategy for friends that are going with small kiddos, and they only plan to do Navi river, which we will fp at a convenient time.....but want to make this as easy and as comfortable an experience as I can, as they have never done Disney.....

Suggestions and opinions please! OP,sorry for the hijack.....

Absolutely. You will have a much longer line at the turnstiles, but they normally let you in up to the Oasis at 8:30 and hold you there, except for those heading to Pandora which they take to the entrance of Pandora (95%+ which are all headed to FoP).
If you are headed the other direction, you will be going with a much smaller crowd. I'm not positive, but I don't believe they will let you in the rest of the park, other than Pandora, early.

 

[Rileygirl]

Absolutely. You will have a much longer line at the turnstiles, but they normally let you in up to the Oasis at 8:30 and hold you there, except for those heading to Pandora which they take to the entrance of Pandora (95%+ which are all headed to FoP).
If you are headed the other direction, you will be going with a much smaller crowd. I'm not positive, but I don't believe they will let you in the rest of the park, other than Pandora, early.

Thank you!

 

[nkereina]

Can I likely be done by noon if I do Kilimanjaro at RD and have a FP+ for Na'vi, EE, and Dinosaur?
Should I start my FP+ at opening or should I start them say 20-30 minutes later?

You can definitely do the safari at RD. The ride itself is about 20 minutes long, so I would start my FP+ around 9:30 just in case. I think you can be done by noon if all you are doing is the safari, Navi, EE, and Dinosaur. We like to do Its Tough to be a Bug, the animal viewing trails, the Lion King show, and have lunch at Flame Tree so we usually finish up around 2-3.