Here's How You Should Plan Your Day at Disney's Animal Kingdom With Limited Capacity

Walt Disney World has officially reopened! We’ve been visiting all four Parks to show you everything from the new health and safety protocols to how the ride process is working now.

With limited capacity and new procedures in place, planning your Disney World trip definitely looks a little bit different these days. That’s why we’re bringing you all of our tips on what it looks like to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom right now!

Here’s how to plan your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with limited capacity!

Show Up Fashionably Late

While rope drop may have been the way to go pre-closure, for the Parks as they are now we actually may have to suggest the opposite. Pre-closure, rope drop was a great way to ensure you’d get on Flight of Passage with a less than three hour wait (more on that in a minute). Now, however, the initial rush to get in the Park at opening may be the worst time to be there. We’ve experienced more crowding not just at the Parks’ entrances at rope drop but also on paths and throughout the Parks.

Instead, we suggest showing up about 30 minutes to an hour after opening. This way, you’ll miss out on the initial crowd at security and breeze your way on into the Park. And you won’t have to worry about beating the crowds to get in line for a popular attraction, because wait times at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have been perhaps the shortest of any of the four Parks. Speaking of….

Get Ready to Ride the Attractions More Than Once

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the wait times at the parks since their initial reopening, and while all four Parks have had far shorter wait times then we saw pre-closure, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has had by far the shortest wait times across the board.

We can barely believe we’re writing this sentence, but in the past few weeks it has not been uncommon to see five minute wait times for Flight of Passage, a ride that pre-closure could easily hit 120 to 180 minutes.

With that in mind, you’re going to want to plan accordingly. If you plan on spending a full day at the park from open to close, know that you will absolutely be able to get on rides more than once, if that is what you’d like.

If you are your group want to do everything once and be done, you can plan on showing up to the Park a little later in the day, or leaving earlier on, because with the wait times we’ve seen thus far, it won’t take you as long as usual!

It’s also important to keep in mind that currently theatrical performances are closed at the parks, which means that fan-favorites such as Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical are not currently operating, which may factor into your planning for your day at Animal Kingdom.

Check out what the new ride process is like at Disney World now!

Look Out for Those Characters

While character meet and greets are not available currently at Disney World, Disney has more than made up for it with unique character experiences at each of the four Parks.

Over at Animal Kingdom, you can expect to find these characters in an unexpected place: on a boat! The fun experience features character pairings such as Chip and Dale, Rafiki and Timon, Mickey and Minnie, Pocahontas and Meeko, and more!

The characters show up spontaneously throughout the day, but if you want a truly close spot to grab a few snapshots, we’d highly recommend the Relaxation Station at Upcountry Landing, which you’ll find across from the venue for UP! A Great Bird Adventure. This spot will give you one of the best views of the characters in the entire park.

Read our ultimate guide to Disney World’s relaxation stations here!

Plan Where You Want to Eat in Advance

Because the wait times are so low at Animal Kingdom, you can expect to have plenty of extra time to explore the Park after riding all of the attractions.

Currently, a variety of restaurants and bars are not operating, with Quick Service restaurants switched to a primarily Mobile Order experience. Additionally, if you are looking to experience a Table Service restaurant such as Yak and Yeti or Tiffins, you’ll need to make an Advanced Dining Reservation.

While there are still plenty of options to grab a bite to eat at the park, we’d recommend checking out the most recent menus, as well as dining options available, as these have both undergone temporary changes since pre-closure.

Click here for a look at ALL the menu options at Disney’s Animal Kingdom right now!

Navigating Animal Kingdom with limited capacity is definitely a unique experience. And some of our strategies are pretty different than we would have expected at this time last year. We hope these tips help you get the most out of your next visit to Animal Kingdom!