ANIMAL KINGDOM Tips
Recommended as a relaxing day in the park, you can easily finish all the major rides in less than a day even if you don’t purchase the lightning pass. Plenty of trees and shaded areas to walk through, shows to see and thrill rides for the older kids and of course the unique safari experience. Newest ride is Avatar which is on average a 90 minute wait. Recommended for the Weekend as the crowd is smaller.
Ride Descriptions
Avatar
Below you will find descriptions of what we rode on our recent trip and our opinion. We didn’t ride all of the rides and you can find most descriptions (albeit short) in the Disney Parks app. They will have better descriptions of height requirements. Make sure your kids pass the height requirements first, it would suck to wait over an hour only to be rejected at the last minute, these employees are tough on the rules!
Ride Name | Description | Age & Thrill Level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
Dinosaur | Think of it as an indoor fast moving safari through dinosaur land. | Less scary than a roller coaster but only fun if your kids aren’t afraid of dinosaurs. | Recommended for Dinosaur lovers and those interested in a ride where the wait time isn’t more than 10 minutes on average. |
Avatar Flight of Passage | Think of it as a 4D Adventure on a motor bike through some breathtaking scenery. | Exciting if you immerse yourself in virtual reality, and danger level is low compared to roller coasters. | Our 9 year old was protesting waiting over an hour for a ride and didn’t want to go, in the end it was probably one of his favorite rides. |
Expedition Everest | Adventurous rollercoaster through the Mountains, located near the back of the park. | Probably Disney’s best rollercoaster with some unexpected surprises. Thrilling but not scary. | Recommended first ride to go on if Avatar is already 90 minutes when you come. Our family was able to go twice even though posted wait time was 25 minutes it was likely less than 10 minutes |
It’s Tough to Be a Bug | Seated in a 4D theater watching a cartoon with a few animatronics. | Good for all ages, entertaining for the kids and relaxing for adults. | A good winding down/entertainment. I wouldn’t classify as a ride but more of an attraction. Wouldn’t wait more than 30 minutes for this. |
Kali River Rapids | Exactly as the name you are on a raft on a river with a really short drop. | Good for all ages fitting their height requirement that don’t mind getting wet. | I wouldn’t wait more than 15 minutes for this one. It’s pretty much a disappointment. If pressed for time and been on these already at other parks, there’s nothing to miss here. |
Kilamanjaro Safaris | The unique aspect of this park, you feel as if you are in an actual safari though more safe. | Good for all ages, low thrill level and more of an experience. | Get in line if it’s 45 minutes or less. A definite must ride if you are at the park…unless you don’t like a zoo type environment, then what are you doing here??? |
Na’vi River Journey | Think of it as “It’s a Small World” through Avatar country. Nice scenery and not as “kiddish” | Calming, great for whole family for a winding down type of ride. | The line here is usually long because people ride after they get off of the Avatar Flight of Passage. I wouldn’t wait more than 20 minutes for this though sometimes the posted time is an hour. It’s more for Avatar fanatics. |
Wildlife Express Train | Train ride through the back of the park | Good for all ages. | Not necessarily a ride, but good chance to catch a quick snooze. On our previous trip we used it to get to the petting zoo which I don’t believe you can walk to. |
Food
Dole Whip with a Twist
At Animal Kingdom you can get your Dole Whip spiked (adults only of course). It can be regular or with a swirl of watermelon or sour apple. Located in the African Village.
Bring Your Own Food
We bought hot dogs and buns at Costco and brought inside for lunch with bag of chips and drinks. If you were to buy this at the park a smaller hot dog would be $7.99 plus tax!
Vietnamese Food in Orlando
Since we left the park earlier we headed to Orlando for some good Authentic Vietnamese Food. Huong Viet Vietnamese Restaurant is a mom and pop shop we found offering more traditional dishes in addition to what’s mainstream now. Great find!
Entertainment
It’s tough to be a bug is a cross between entertainment and ride. You are sitting in a 4D theater entertained by a cartoon with some animatronics. If you need to wind down and can snooze through the nose it’s a great recharge. Kids can relax and enjoy the fun.
Animal Kingdom is like a cross between Sea World and an amusement park. You get a few cool animal shows like this Feathered Friends in Flight where they combine education, corny jokes and cool bird tricks. Definitely worth a stop for some rest and good education entertainment. Shows weren’t full during a Saturday for us.
The parades at the park is along the waterways you can catch every hour or whenever they mention in the app. Stop by the nearest bridge to see them past by and your kids can wave at their favorite characters. Possibly
Other Tips
Parking
Animal Kingdom parking isn’t too bad compared to Magic Kingdom and the park itself not as big as Epcot or Magic Kingdom, it’s doable to park at a regular spot and not premium and there were no trams running here either.
Winding Down Rides
The day can be exhausting for any age with the heat, walking and waiting. Find rides and shows with a short wait time at every park where you can rest your eyes and feet and not be over stimulated. At Magic Kingdom there’s: It’s Tough to Be a Bug, Feathered Friends in Flight, Wildlife Express Train Ride, and the Safari (if you’re not interested in seeing the animals =).
Charging Stations
There isn’t a lot of charging places here as other parks but we were able to get through the day without needing a charge on my crappy battery phone. If you cannot find one, you can always charge at guest relations. There were a few ports spotted at the Avatar cave but the line is constantly moving.
Wait Times
Check the wait times in the apps a day or two before each park and take mental notes for the rides you want to take. There are certain times of the day when rides aren’t as long: Early morning only the hottest rides are an hour wait, go for the classic rides they are usually less than 10 minutes. Wait times are usually longest from 10 AM to 1 PM, then they decrease as people grab lunch. Use the Genie to sign up for lightning pass, which I believe is free (it wasn’t available yet when we went but Fast Pass was free) + isn’t free.
Souvenirs
We generally don’t buy souvenirs unless they are something unique to the park that can remind us of the trip. In this instance we tried to find the nicest clothes that say 50th Anniversary or “Walt Disney World”, but it was limited stock. Sometimes others parks would have something in stock when one doesn’t. Ask employees if you need a different size. Know that you can return items easily at other stores throughout the park so you can buy something and return elsewhere if you find something you like more.
Weather
The weather is unpredictable and usually raining at some point in Orlando. Check weather when there is the highest chance of thunderstorms to plan your rides for the day. You don’t want to be stuck waiting in the rain or in line for a long time to learn they will have to shut it down. If there is a high chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, plan on riding rides like Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids first.
