Are you ready to run wild with the animals?
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the wildest park in Disney World! It’s teaming with wild animals, fun rides, and lots of great food. It’s not often a park that gets the spotlight, but it is a park worth mentioning. If this park is your favorite, you know how much fun it can be. If you’ve never been or don’t go to it often, then it’s time to listen up! We tested out seven tricks that may seem bizarre, but four of them actually worked wonders!
You Don’t Have To Do as Much Planning
Animal Kingdom has several rides and shows that are tons of fun! But one really nice thing that we’ve found with Animal Kingdom is that the park doesn’t require nearly as much planning as some of the other Disney World parks.
The days we go to Animal Kingdom, we don’t necessarily go with much of a plan. That means that day we may not buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass, we may not know if we’re going left or right at the entrance, and we may not have dining reservations. And luckily, in Animal Kingdom, not having those plans will usually work out! However, there’s another trick we use that certainly helps ensure we get on every ride, if that’s our goal.
Get There Early To Ride Rides
If our goal for the day is to ride every ride at Animal Kingdom, then we get to the park early. If we’re staying at a resort that offers Early Entry at Animal Kingdom, then we get there for Early Entry. As soon as we get there, we start riding rides.
The lines for rides at Animal Kingdom can get long but usually not until the afternoon. If we start riding rides right away when we get there, we can have them all ridden within just a couple of hours! There’s no need to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass if you plan to get to Animal Kingdom early. Also, Animal Kingdom is kind of a half day park. Ride the rides in the morning, then when it starts getting warm out, head to the shows! Grab some lunch around noon, and you’re ready to hop to another park.
Skip Table Service Restaurants
Animal Kingdom offers TONS of great quick service dining options. Satu’li Canteen, Flame Tree BBQ, and Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe are just examples of some of the delicious places you stop for a quick bite to eat at this park.
We enjoy these quick service restaurants so much we rarely get dining reservations for table service places in Animal Kingdom. It keeps our day going, and we still get great food! However, there are some great options for table service here too, so if you prefer table service locations, that is also an option here.
Go to Rafiki’s Planet Watch
If you miss the animation experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then head to Rafiki’s Planet Watch!
This is a fun experience to learn a bit about animation and create your own art! Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station are also great to visit because they’re indoors. Animal Kingdom can be a really hot park to visit, so finding indoor things to do is a great idea throughout the day.
Expect to Endure the Weather Rain or Shine
One thing that we have found not to work at Animal Kingdom is expecting to endure the weather there rain or shine. Like we said, Animal Kingdom is a hot park, and that’s mostly due to almost everything being outdoors. This can be tough to manage on really hot days AND on days when it’s raining.
Many of the shows and ride lines are outdoors, making this park particularly rough in extreme weather that Florida is known for. That’s another reason why getting there early and making it a half day park can be good ideas.
Buy a Yak & Yeti Refillable Mug
Recently, Yak & Yeti began offering refillable mugs. These are the only in-park refillable mugs currently and can be GREAT options! However, this trick only works if you manage your expectations for them.
See, these mugs can ONLY be refilled at Yak & Yeti, so you’ll always have to keep walking back to the restaurant at the back of the park to get your refill. If you’re ok with getting the extra steps, this trick can work. But if you would rather not have to keep walking back there for your refill, this might not be a trick to use.
Don’t Use a Locker at Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids is a water ride in Animal Kingdom. It certainly helps with the heat you’ll experience in the park. However, you’re almost guaranteed to get wet.
We tried not getting one of the lockers that are offered at the entrance to the ride and instantly regretted it when all of our belongings were soaked! Trust us, use the lockers (plus, they’re free!).
We hope the tricks that work can help you on your next trip to Animal Kingdom, and we hope you learn from our mistakes for the ones that didn’t work!
Keep following AllEars for more Disney tips and tricks!
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What’s your favorite trick for Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!
I can’t believe we’re still calling Animal Kingdom a half day park. If you want to see everything, you need to spend the whole day there. And if you want to see animals, you need to go on the trails in the morning, not the hottest part of the afternoon. The attraction lines get shorter in the afternoon when all the “half day park” people leave.