TOURING THE Animal Kingdom rides, shows, and zoological
exhibits are oriented to the entire family, thus eliminating differences
of opinion regarding how to spend the day. At the Animal Kingdom,
the whole family can pretty much see and enjoy everything together.
Since there are fewer attractions than at the other parks, expect
the crowds at the Animal Kingdom to be more concentrated. If a line
seems unusually long, ask an Animal Kingdom cast member what the
estimated wait is. If the wait exceeds your tolerance, try the same
attraction again after 3 p.m., while a show is in progress at the
Theater in the Wild in DinoLand U.S.A., or while
some special event is going on.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS in the
ANIMAL KINGDOM
THE FIVE CROWD MAGNETS ARE It’s Tough to Be a Bug! in the Tree of Life, Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa, Dinosaur in DinoLand U.S.A.,
and Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest in Asia.
Because the park hosts large crowds with only a relative handful
of attractions, expect for all the attractions to be extremely busy, and
for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest to be mobbed. Most guests arrive in the
morning, with a sizable number on hand prior to opening and a
larger wave arriving before 10 a.m. Guests continue to stream in
through the late morning and into the early afternoon, with the
crowds peaking at around 2 p.m. From about 2:30 p.m. on, departing
guests outnumber arriving guests by a wide margin, as guests who
arrived early complete their tour and leave. Crowds thin appreciably
by late afternoon and continue to decline into the early evening.
If you decide to visit during the late afternoon, you'll almost certainly have to return on another afternoon to finish seeing everything.
Because the number of attractions,
including theater presentations, is limited, most
guests complete a fairly comprehensive tour in
two-thirds of a day if they arrive early. Thus,
generally speaking, your best bet for easy touring
is either to be on-hand when the park opens
or to arrive at about 3 p.m. (if the park stays
open until 7 or 8 p.m.), when the early birds are
heading for the exits.
How guests tour the Animal Kingdom depends on their prior
knowledge of the park and its attractions. Guests arriving without
much prior knowledge make their way to Discovery Island and
depend on their handout park map to decide what to do next. Most
are drawn to Africa and Kilimanjaro Safaris or Asia and Expedition Everest. A smaller number visit
DinoLand U.S.A. first. Those guests who have boned up on the Animal Kingdom make straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa and Expedition Everest in Asia. Dinosaur in Dinoland U.S.A. Kali River Rapids in Asia and It’s Tough to Be a Bug! in the Tree of Life are also early-morning favorites.
The Expedition Everest roller coaster
draws 40% or more of the morning crowd to Asia. With so many
guests heading first thing for either Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa or
Expedition Everest in Asia, the remaining lands and attractions should
be lightly trafficked backwaters until late morning. As the day wears
on, the masses who have experienced Kilimanjaro Safaris and
Expedition Everest will turn their attention to other shows and
attractions, and the crowds will become more equally distributed.
Attractions that did not draw large crowds until 10:30 a.m. or so
before Expedition Everest will not experience high traffic until 11:30
or later now. On a park to park comparison,
Expedition Everest has significantly increased the Animal Kingdom’s attendance figures. But the new Super Headliner attraction comes with a heavy price: the further jamming of the park’s
already severely clogged pedestrian walkways.
Choosing the Appropriate Touring Plan
We offer fourteen touring plans for the Animal Kingdom, including plans for adults, parents with small children, and active seniors. Variations on these plans cover partial-day touring, such as when you have a free morning or afternoon on a travel day.
If your party consists of teens or teens and adults, start with the adult touring plans. Teens and adults almost always rate an attraction within one-half a star on our five-star scale, and the touring plans for both groups would be essentially the same.
We also offer a plan for families with children of all different ages, from pre-school through teens. This"Happy Family" touring plan allow the older children to separate (briefly) from the parents to ride roller coasters, before meeting up with the rest of the family again. We've also got touring plans for Disney Cruise guests, designed to cover the highlights of the park in a one-day shore excursion. Finally, if you don't see a plan that covers your needs, drop us a line and make a suggestion.
ANIMAL KINGDOM AND DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
ONE-DAY PLAN
For the time being, the limited number of attractions in the Animal Kingdom can work to your advantage.
Many Unofficial Guide readers, especially those visiting Disney World for only a few days, have asked for a one-day touring plan that covers the highlights of the Animal Kingdom into a one-day tour. The combined touring plan for the Animal Kingdom and afternoon Disney Hollywood Studios plans from this website. Together, they are the result of more than eighteen months of field testing. We believe the plan works best, especially for non-Disney resort guests when Extra Magic Hour is in effect at neither the Animal Kingdom when its early entry is in effect (see the beginning of this section for our reasoning), Disney resort guests should experience no adverse impact when using this plan on Extra Magic Hour days.
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