Disney's Animal Kingdom is perhaps my favorite theme park in Orlando. The rich detail woven throughout the thematic and architectural elements create a sense of total and incomparable immersion. Here you will find incredible attractions that offer superb storytelling and promote conservation as a means to protect wildlife and preserve biodiversity. Wait times at the most popular attractions can range from one to three hours, and it can be difficult for first-time visitors to know the best way to tour the park without waiting in long lines all day. My ultimate Ride Guide for Animal Kingdom will give you the information you need to create a smart and easy park strategy.
FastPass+ Options:
FastPass is a free service for all guests visiting at WDW theme park (that's right...FREE), and using it allows you to bypass the standby line. That means significantly shorter wait times for you and your family! You are allowed to pre-book FastPasses for three attractions per day at a single theme park. When selecting your FastPasses, you will choose a 1-hour window when you can visit the ride and skip the standby line.
After you use your initial three FastPasses, you will be able to book additional FastPasses one at a time until all of the FastPasses at that park have been distributed for the day. On quieter days, you might see availability last up until the last hour of operating hours. Animal Kingdom has a two-tiered FastPass system.
- Tier 1 Attractions: Avatar Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey
- Tier 2 Attractions: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Festival of the Lion King, and It's Tough to Be a Bug
Under a tiered FastPass system, you may only select one of your initial FastPasses from Tier 1 and the other two from Tier 2. You also have the choice to select all three rides from the Tier 2 list, although that is not a recommended strategy. Tier 1 attractions are typically the most popular rides that have the longest wait times posted throughout the day.
FastPass+ Recommendations:
There are three attractions I always try to get in my initial three FastPasses: Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Between the two Tier 1 attractions, Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey, Flight of Passage is the clear favorite among guests. It has the longest wait times of any attraction at Animal Kingdom, and it is one of the most difficult FastPasses to get. If you cannot get a FastPass for Flight of Passage, go ahead and select Na'vi River Journey or a third Tier 2 attraction.
I choose Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris for three reasons...
- The queues are outdoors, meaning really long waits can get uncomfortable in the Florida heat.
- When you start looking for additional FastPasses, these two can be the most difficult to find.
- I think these two are the best attractions out of everything on the Tier 2 list.
If one of my top Tier 2 picks is not available, my back-up choice is usually Dinosaur. While this is one of my favorite dark rides in all of Walt Disney World, others may find the ride to be too scary for younger children or the vehicle motion too rough.
At the end of the day, choose the attractions that are most important to YOUR family and ensure short waits by securing those FastPass selections.
Rope Drop:
Rope drop is what Disney calls the beginning of operating hours at a given park. Where you begin your day at Animal Kingdom will most likely depend on which FastPasses you selected. The vast majority of guests at rope drop will be getting in line for Flight of Passage. Everything else will have minimal waits for at least the first 30 minutes (or even the first hour) of the day.
Option #1:
If you secured a Flight of Passage FastPass, a great rope drop strategy is to ride Na'vi River Journey first. As you turn left from the Tree of Life and walk into Pandora, you will see the ridiculously long line for Flight of Passage on the right-hand side of the thoroughfare. Keep left as you walk into the land. Na'vi River Journey will most likely be a 5 minute wait if not a walk-on. Afterwards, I suggest taking the bridge from Pandora to Africa and ride Kilimanjaro Safaris next. The standby wait should still be short, and the animals are quite active first thing in the morning.
If I am able to ride Na'vi River Journey AND Kilimanjaro Safaris with little to no wait at rope drop, I will usually modify my Kilimanjaro Safaris FastPass to another attraction such as Dinosaur or Kali River Rapids.
Option #2:
If you secured a Flight of Passage FastPass, another option is to rope drop Expedition Everest. This is a great strategy for roller coaster enthusiasts. The attraction can be found in Asia, which is located on the opposite side of the park from Pandora. Very few guests will be headed that way at rope drop, which means you can usually get multiple rides on this attraction before a line starts to build. This will also allow you to walk through the standby queue, which is incredibly detailed and contributes to the overall storytelling.
If I am able to ride this coaster a bazillion times, I will usually modify my Expedition Everest FastPass to another attraction.
Option #3:
If you could not secure a Flight of Passage FastPass, I recommend choosing to rope drop either Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest. Most guests who cannot get a FastPass for Flight of Passage will plan to rope drop it, but I think the smarter strategy is to simply get in line for the attraction at park close. The line will be significantly shorter at the end of the night because the FastPass line closes after operating hours, meaning the standby line moves much faster.
The posted wait times on most attractions might appear to be high as you near park close, but don't let that discourage you to get in line last minute. Disney inflates wait times at the end of the day on purpose. I walked into the Flight of Passage standby queue one evening with the posted wait time at 120 minutes. The actual wait time ended up being only 35 minutes. Just make sure you get in line one minute before the park's official closing time, otherwise they will not let you in the queue.
If you do choose to rope drop Flight of Passage, I recommend arriving at the park 60-90 minutes before it opens. If you are a morning person, this strategy works great. If you are a night owl, avoid the attraction until late at night. Personally, I would rather show up just a few minutes before the park opens and enjoy a more relaxing morning by heading to other attractions that will have much shorter waits.
Midday:
My favorite things to do in middle of the day at Animal Kingdom is to grab a few cocktails at Nomad Lounge. This is a wonderful place to enjoy some A/C and wind down a bit. Afterwards, I might choose to watch a show such as Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo: The Musical. If I've already used my initial three FastPasses for the day, I will try to snag additional FastPasses to ride other attractions I missed or experience my favorite attractions again.
This is also a great time to explore the amazing trails around Animal Kingdom, including:
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail located in Africa
- Maharajah Jungle Trek located in Asia
- Discovery Trails located in Discovery Island
You can also use this time to head back to your resort hotel to take a nap or swim in the pool. I particularly like doing this when the park hours are long. Crowds will be the busiest between 11am - 4pm, so if there is a time to take a break, this would be it. Personally, I do this one often because I like to be at the parks first thing in the morning and late at night.
Park Close:
My absolute favorite attraction to ride at park close is Expedition Everest. Riding this attraction at night elevates the thrill factor and gives you a better view of the (sadly broken) yeti animatronic because your eyes don't need to adjust to the darkness when you dive back into the mountain.
Both of the Pandora attractions are wonderful options to ride at park close. The lines will be relatively short, and you will get the opportunity to admire the bioluminescent foliage with minimal crowds as you exit the attractions. If you really want to ride Flight of Passage twice in one day, I suggest using a FastPass and hopping in line right at park close.
The Most Important Thing:
Be flexible. I wish more Disney experts gave this advice. Do not plan every minute of your trip. Things will go wrong. It will rain for three hours and Expedition Everest will be closed when you wanted to ride it. Dinosaur will be temporarily closed when you head there at rope drop. Your kid will start having a melt down. These are normal things that happen. Yes, even at Disney World.
My best advice I can give is to be well-informed with the layout of the parks, know which rides are must-do attractions for your family, make a plan, and then make a back-up plan. Leave in some wiggle room. Don't be afraid to switch gears and do something else. An amazing time at Disney World requires some flexibility so nothing becomes a "make or break" moment for you and your family.
My Perfect Day at Animal Kingdom:
Here is a list of the all of my favorite things at Disney's Animal Kingdom. If I get the chance to see, do, and eat all of these things, then it was a perfect day:
- Rides: Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur
- Shows: Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to Be a Bug
- Trails: Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Discovery Trails
- Food: Nomad Lounge (Hightower Rocks), Satu'li Canteen (the protein bowls), Flame Tree Barbecue (pulled pork cheese fries), Mr. Kamal's (fries and hummus), Zuri's Sweet Shop (Sahara dessert cake pop), Dawa Bar (African margarita)
Happy riding!
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