I need remedial help (one late April day in AK; don't understand Genie+)

Walt Disney World
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I thought I was doing pretty well in terms of planning a very short trip with my sister to visit my DCP son who works in the Animal Kingdom. He got us a discount on a room at ASMovies, and he’s giving us each a one-day park hopper. I’ve got Wine Bar George and Kona Cafe reservations; I’m sure I’ll get California Grill the day of our last night. My sister hasn’t been to WDW since 1993 and has never been a fan, so I am keeping her in the Animal Kingdom for the day and taking her to La Creperie de Paris for dinner at night.

Then I started thinking, “How can I ensure my sister has a good time? What attractions might she want to see?”

And that’s when I remembered that she loved the movie “Avatar” when it came out. I am not a fan, so I never cared about Pandora-land in the AK. I can wait until the crowds die down before heading there. But I’m pretty sure my sister would be psyched.

Now I’m trying to dig up information on how I can get her to the safari and Maharajah Jungle Trek and still ride the – flying around on a thing ride (whatever it’s called) without having to stand in line for 2 hours. I am old. I wouldn’t stand in line for 2 hours if Walt himself were unfrozen and brought a real, live Tinker Bell back with him from Neverland.

And as far as I can tell, Genie+ is just a way to keep me glued to my stupid phone instead of enjoying a park, and ILL is Disney’s way of telling me they love my money more than they love me.

And I don’t – I don’t want to learn Genie+ if I don’t have to.

So my question is: Do I have to? Really? Can I just go to the Safari first thing and then … go to whatever doesn’t have a line after that? Can I buy an ILL for my sister and let her go ride the Avatar thing while I sit on a bench and enjoy Africa or Asia or a dance party on Discovery Island?

At this point, I’m very much looking forward to 3 days of exploring the resorts and Disney Springs, and I’m dreading one day of dealing with Genie.

I just need someone to convince me that it’s worth it to do the homework. I’m flashing back to 9th grade, “C’mon, Miz Thompson, I’m never really gonna use algebra when I’m 30.”

Or, if the homework is not necessary, I need the Cliffs Notes on how to survive the Animal Kingdom for one day.

Thank you in advance. I did a couple of searches to try to find old threads that address my neurosis, but they were really long and addressed a lot of parks I’ll be avoiding this time.

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Yes you can just buy an ILL for FOP and won’t need to buy G+.

What else do you want to ride?

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Well, Kilimanjaro Safari … I don’t know if Expedition Everest will be open by the end of April, but Dear Sister enjoys roller coasters as much as I do. Maaaaayyyybeee Dinosaur. It’s so rough, but at least it’s air conditioned. We’ll want to see the bird shows and walk through the animal displays. There are so many nooks and crannies I’ve never explored at AK because it’s always so dang hot when I go.

And thank you for the information. :grinning:

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I definitely don’t think you’ll need G+.

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Yes! Do exactly this!

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This made me laugh so much I had to tell my daughter what was so funny. She laughed, too!

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LOL! Thank you; you made my day. And I really love Tinker Bell – the old-fashioned one who was beautiful but vain, jealous, grumpy, and deliciously pouty. I’d be really excited if fairies were real.

But I seriously would not stand in line for 2 hours. :rofl:

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If she’s a huge Avatar fan, I’d also recommend Na’vi River Journey. The Pandora area is a pretty area to explore even if you haven’t seen the film.

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From what I have read AK really does not require Genie. But I would definitely by an ILL for “flying around on the thingy” :joy:

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Oooh, thats a great idea… I really love Navi and ride it when I can. But I don’t want to wait for it.

If you arrive 5-10 mins after the first early entry rope drop crush, you can casually walk to Navi and then to KS and be just fine waits wise. And then buy a FOP for the end of our day to avoid extra walking.

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We arrived about 10 minutes after rope drop (real rope drop not early entry rope drop) this week and walked onto Safari. My friend, on the same day, arrived right at early entry, walked onto Navi, and then walked onto Safari. So you should be fine.

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