Whole day at AK ?

[roxazul]

So we decided to skip HS and do AK for a complete day (we don't have hoppers). Well my daughter is the one who choose AK over HS after viewing some videos on YT... So now I need suggestions to tour this park.

What is you AK touring plan ?
Is EE a must-do (when should we get FP for it) ?
What about KS, what animals can you see ?
KRR, I know we'll get wet on this ride so how are the lines late PM ?
Conservation Station, any new stuff ?
etc.

Thanks

 

[DisneyMom11121213]

I would head straight over to KS. The animals seem to be more active in the AM and you shouldn't have a long wait. You should see hippos, elephants, lions ( although every time I have been on this ride they are sleeping), giraffes, wildebeest, lots of other animals as well. My brain is not working right now. Make sure if you have your camera to keep it strapped to your hand or around your neck.
From there I would head on over and check the lines for EE. If there isn't a long wait. The line to get in is pretty cool. Lots of things to look at and read.
My kids love Festival of the Lion King. I would definitely recommend that. They have a show every hour so you can throw that in anywhere. Its inside so it is cool. While you are over in CMM you can meet some of the characters as well.

 

[kevdo]

Here's a good primer:
http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/ak_cheat_sheet.pdf

Good attraction reviews for AK on this site:
http://www.jamboeveryone.com

Nice animal list for KS here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilimanjaro_Safaris

Key thing is to take your time, don't rush. Wilderness Explorers game is a good option for you and your daughter.

 

[alicat8]

we go straight to KS to ride and then to EE for fast passes. no real plan other than that. it's always much more leisurely than the other parks. besides those we kinda stroll and see the animals. we haven't ridden kali in a while, and i hate dinosaur, but you would probably want fp for those too. the lion king and birds of flight shows are my favorite. (i'm not a fan of the nemo one, so we skip that).

 

[Wendybird55]

How old is your daughter? DS (who is now 6) has always loved Dinoland especially the play are there. He can spend all afternoon there if you let him. He also enjoys the arcade area and there's a place where you can dig for bones in sand. They have Triceratop Spin (like Dumbo but you ride in a dinosaur). He tried Primevil Whirl last year (he was tall enough) and was so-so about it. He hasn't wanted to try Dinosaur. Also Goofy and Pluto have a M&G in that area.

We think Lion King is a great show and the Birds of Flight is also a good show. Haven't seen Nemo as I think it's about 45min. Conservation station is about the same...Rafiki is usually there for M&G. And if you enjoy metting characters you have to by camp Minnie Mickey.

For whatever reason I get the most turned around in AK and feel like I'm always walking in circles and keep passing the same rock. Like others we usually start by heading back to KS then working our way around from there. I try to leave Dinoland as last area before lunch, break or leaving to give DS the most time there as it's his favorite.

It all depends on your family and what they like. I find it's also god to allow yourselves "wandering time" in AK as there are various nooks and crannies where you can see different animals and stop and learn things from CMs.

 

[Wendybird55]

Oh and real quick..if you want to take a little break during the day you may want to take a bus over to the AK Lodge. They have an outdoor area where you can sit and watch the animals in the Savannah. It's really nice just to sit back relax a bit and watch the scenery and animals.

 

[mkarizona]

Our top picks:
Safari (twice, morning and late afternoon)
EE
Nemo
Lion King
DeVine
Parade

If you still have time:
Kali
Birds of Prey
Dinosaur
Trail around the base of the Tree
Bugs Life

 

[MHSweb79]

The bird show is called "Flights of Wonder." It's a really good show.

Don't miss Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo - both are great. You can work the rides around the show times. We love It's Tough to be a Bug but people with small children often find it too intense (spiders drop from the ceiling, for one thing).

After the first two rides on Kali and getting completely soaked (like dump the raft over and make us swim to the exit kind of soaked) we just skip it now. Unless you're the kind of people who enjoy getting tossed in the pool with all your clothes on.

AK is my DD's favorite park and she's 22 now. The only thing i don't like is the afternoon parade- I seem to find myself stranded on the wrong side of the path no matter how hard I try to avoid it, and having to watch the whole darned thing (again!) until I can get by.