Animal Kingdom Fastpass +

[momof1princess]

I'm in the process of planning our next trip to WDW which includes our first trip to AK. Which attractions should we fastpass if we're planning to stay there pretty much all day. Also, does anyone know of a good, free touring plan? I want to make the most of our day, I think my 6 year old will really like it.

 

[coachdisney]

First of all how tall is your 6 yr old? Your fastpasses should be used for the safari and Mt everest, after that you have several choices, the lion king and water rapids are solid choices.

 

[DisneyGal1221]

I agree with the above poster, definitely want to FP Expedition Everest (if he/she is tall enough and would like to ride) and the Safari Ride. Kali River Rapids is a fun ride and worth a FP if you don’t mind getting extremely wet, not guaranteed but I have come off that ride soaked before. Dinosaur is a personal favorite that can be a little scary for little ones but one that he/she also might love. My biggest recommendations are to get there are park opening and you can usually ride Everest or the Safari without much of a wait and then you can change your FP to something else if you like. Also, leave plenty of time between your FP’s. Animal Kingdom is a very large park and between walking between rides and all the animals and cool things to see, you definitely don’t want to be rushed. Also, due to its size and how hot it always seems to be there, you don’t generally want to do much backtracking, so take a look at a map and schedule them in a manner so that you aren’t crisscrossing the parks multiple times.

 

[SAV]

I have set up my FP+'s for Kilimanjaro Safari first thing. Then Expedition Everest and then Dinosaur. My son was 7 last trip and was a bit scared on Dinosaur, but he just closed his eyes when he did and was fine. We proceeded to go on it another 3 times after that and he was loving it by the end. He's really looking forward to going on it next week.

I am also planning on getting my additional FP+ for Kali River Rapids once I use my initial 3.

We have never had a problem getting into any of the shows, so we don't use our FP's for them. We just get there a bit early and wait to be let in.

 

[momof1princess]

@coachdisney
My daughter is right at 48 inches, so if the height charts I checked were accurate, we should be fine. And she's really not scared of much. @SAV
I'm off to watch a video of dinosaur and download a park map. Thanks @DisneyGal1221 for your advice. Now I know what to look up.
This is the part of planning I don't like, it seems to take the fun out of being surprised at a new place!

 

[DVCPluto]

Not to step away from FP+s, but if you're planning your day, you might want to consider breakfast or lunch at Tusker House. We do it every trip and IMO it is one of the better buffets in all the parks. Characters are great and you get to see them in their safari gear. One of the few places to see Daisy. Donald, Mickey and Goofy are usually there,too.

It saves you some waiting time to see characters, and hey, you gotta eat...

 

[habuma]

Not to step away from FP+s, but if you're planning your day, you might want to consider breakfast or lunch at Tusker House.

I second this suggestion. It's even *BETTER* if you schedule it for around 8am on a day when the park opens at 9am. You get in for breakfast before there are any real crowds *and* you'll probably finish breakfast before the park even opens.

We did this a few weeks ago. After leaving Tusker House we walked over to the safari and a CM asked us if we wanted to be the first family to go on the safari. Heck yeah! We got a private ride through KS and even had the benefit of taking it slower than usual because the Sunrise Safari trucks were still out and holding us up. Essentially we got to go on a Sunrise Safari without paying Sunrise Safari prices!

No guarantees that will happen for everyone (in fact, I can guarantee that it *won't* happen for *everyone*), but you can hedge your bets by scheduling Tusker House breakfast before park opens.

 

[DVCPluto]

I second this suggestion. It's even *BETTER* if you schedule it for around 8am on a day when the park opens at 9am. You get in for breakfast before there are any real crowds *and* you'll probably finish breakfast before the park even opens.

We did this a few weeks ago. After leaving Tusker House we walked over to the safari and a CM asked us if we wanted to be the first family to go on the safari. Heck yeah! We got a private ride through KS and even had the benefit of taking it slower than usual because the Sunrise Safari trucks were still out and holding us up. Essentially we got to go on a Sunrise Safari without paying Sunrise Safari prices!

No guarantees that will happen for everyone (in fact, I can guarantee that it *won't* happen for *everyone*), but you can hedge your bets by scheduling Tusker House breakfast before park opens.

WOW! That's amazing! I never think to do TH super early because AK is not usually a full day for us. However, we are staying at AKL and may need to see what's available when I can make ADRs! Thanks for sharing!

 

[momof1princess]

[QUOTE"DVCPluto, post: 6132017, member: 98031"]Not to step away from FP+s, but if you're planning your day, you might want to consider breakfast or lunch at Tusker House. We do it every trip and IMO it is one of the better buffets in all the parks. Characters are great and you get to see them in their safari gear. One of the few places to see Daisy. Donald, Mickey and Goofy are usually there,too it saves you some waiting time to see characters, and hey, you gotta eat... [/QUOTE]

That is a great idea, unfortunately this trip was scheduled less than 180 days out so we missed out on Tusker House for breakfast. I decided to go to Mickey's BBQ that evening at WL as it was still available and matched up with our AK day - I guess not as many people want a 2 credit BBQ! It will be a new experience for us and starts at 6:30.

 

[DVCPluto]

That is a great idea, unfortunately this trip was scheduled less than 180 days out so we missed out on Tusker House for breakfast. I decided to go to Mickey's BBQ that evening at WL as it was still available and matched up with our AK day - I guess not as many people want a 2 credit BBQ! It will be a new experience for us and starts at 6:30.

I think either is a great idea! I'm very surprised you couldn't find an ADR for TH. If it's something you'd really like to do, keep trying. I got a reservation for the next day when I was down there a few years ago... Maybe it's more popular with the change of camp Mickey.

 

[momof1princess]

I guess I wasn't as clear as I should've been. I couldn't get a Tusker reservation for breakfast for a time that I liked. They had plenty of mid-morning or lunch times available, though. I'm just not ready to give up too much park time when the park hours are currently posted as 9-5 on the day we're going there.