We will be spending one day of our late-August Disney World trip at Animal Kingdom. We have 6-year old twins, who I know will love AK.
We do not plan to ride Expedition Everest or DINOSAUR (too scary) or Kali River Rapids (too wet). So my thinking was, after signing up for Wilderness Explorers, we’d head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and then the Pangani Forest Trail. Three questions:
Assuming we get to AK at open, is there any need for FastPass+ use with KS?
Are we going to beat the Pangani Forest Trail bottle neck that I’ve heard so much about - or are we better off coming back later?
If no EE, D, or KRR, or even KS, then what should I prioritize for Fast Pass+?
I think you should do KS twice; once first thing and once in the afternoon with FPP. Different animals are active at different times of day and so they could be very different rides. I know you don’t want to be too wet, but I think Kali is great for the afternoon to cool off (August is HOT) so could use a FPP to ensure a short wait around 2-3pm, the hottest part of the day. You could use a FPP for FOTLK or Nemo as well.
Make a Personalized TP and Optimize it for the day you are planning on being at AK - it will give you suggestions as to what attractions will benefit from FPP. @mALYficent has a good point about using an afternoon KS FPP for a different experience from your ride first thing in the morning.
You might change your mind about Kali River after being in AK in August lol. That park always feels 20° hotter than it is because there is no air flow in the park from all the foliage. If you don’t wear denim you dry quick enough.
[quote=“DCJP, post:1, topic:11014”]
Assuming we get to AK at open, is there any need for FastPass+ use with KS[/quote]
You do not need FPP for the Safari if you arrive at rope drop.
[quote=“DCJP, post:1, topic:11014”]
Are we going to beat the Pangani Forest Trail bottle neck that I’ve heard so much about - or are we better off coming back later[/quote]
Like any zoo-like animal experience, people congregate around the windows/viewing areas when an animal is nearby. You’ll be better off early in the morning, as crowds will be lighter, and there’s a better chance the animals will be active. If you come back later, make it really late in the day, if possible.
[quote=“DCJP, post:1, topic:11014”]
If no EE, D, or KRR, or even KS, then what should I prioritize for Fast Pass+?[/quote]
In December, while traveling with a friend’s family, which included his 5-year old daughter, we made FPP reservations for the Safari and Adventurer’s Outpost (to meet Mickey/Minnie). The group I was with with not early risers, so rope drop didn’t work well for them (thus, the Safari FPP). The Adventurer’s Outpost FPP turned out to not make much of a difference when we visited (at 11:35 AM on 12/16/2014). I also made a third FPP for Everest, with the idea that some of us could ride while the others, including the youngest, explored the Boneyard. The group got delayed, so that didn’t work out, but might be useful if the adults want to ride something and use child swap while the other parent watches the kids.
I would also recommend maybe checking out a few of the Wilderness Explorer stations (the little booklets where you “earn” the stickers like Russell). The stations each have a different theme and at many of them, my kids were able to interact with a number of cast members from around the world. We did that for the first time last summer and my kids had a lot of fun with it (my herd ranges from almost 6 to 14).
Well, it turned out that our day at DAK was a “1” day. I was still surprised how crowded the park felt, even though the lines for attractions was short. We didn’t really need FPP for anything as it turned out (we didn’t do KRR or EE).
We ended up doing Dinosaur after all, and my DS5 loved it and rode again, while my DD5 (they’re almost 6) was good with just one ride on it.
They loved, loved, loved Wilderness Explorers which certainly made it a full day (very) park for us. Thanks all!
(Circling back on some of these very helpful forum responses, now that we have returned from a spectacular trip.)