Our first full park day has arrived! We got up bright and early to head on over to Animal Kingdom for Early Morning Entry. Keep on reading to see our adventures from the day and get some tips and tricks and even an itinerary for our “Best Day Ever” in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Early Morning Entry:
It was our first park day and we were rearing to go. We got up early, got ready and headed over to the buses. We learned a valuable lesson this morning – the bus depot at the main building is the busiest. We had to wait for 2 buses to get a spot. A lovely cast member told us that there was another bus stop near our room and that it’s usually less crowded and is the stop before the main building. Safe to say we used the other bus stop the rest of the trip.
The park opened at 7:30 this morning so it was quite early and quite chilly, it was January after all. My biggest tip if you’re traveling to Florida in the winter is bring layers! We were constantly putting on or taking off our sweatshirts or light coats. At one point it was so cold, my husband had a sweatshirt and a windbreaker on!
We get to Animal Kingdom and we get scanned for early morning entry. Just like most of the people coming in for early entry we made a beeline for Pandora: Flight of Passage. Here is my first tip – if it is in your budget, let this be the only thing you buy a Single Pass for in this park. The line took us about 2 hours to get through, we suspected they weren’t using the full capacity because usually when I rope drop this ride it only takes me about an hour to get through the line so there must have been some delays. However, I had my patient pants on and we waited and got off the ride around 9:30/9:45.
Morning Activities:
This was when I saw just how crowded this park was for a Saturday in January. The line for Kilimanjaro Safari was already at a 75 minute wait. My plan of attack for this park starts with rope dropping Pandora, either Flight of Passage if you don’t have a single pass or Navi River Journey if you do have a single pass for Flight of Passage. After riding the ride of your choice in Pandora, you take the back exit out of Pandora to Kilimanjaro Safaris because usually, by the time you are off whichever Pandora ride you chose, the park will be officially open and you can get on one of the first safaris and see the animals when they are just waking up and starting the day. It’s one of my favorite times to ride this attraction because I love seeing the Giraffes playfully run from their enclosure backstage to the Savannah on the ride. So, seeing that the line was already at 75 minutes, I caved and bought Multi Pass for the day. Now, later on in this post I will discuss whether or not I think it’s really worth it in Animal Kingdom.
We booked our three Multi Pass rides and grabbed a coffee and a pastry from Creature Comforts, the Starbucks Location in the park. We sat in a quiet area and waited for our return time for Kilimanjaro Safaris to roll around. It wasn’t too long of a wait so we just enjoyed our breakfast and people watched. We got on Kilimanjaro and had such a great ride through, the animals were active and for once I saw a hippo out of the water! It was so great, it’s easily my favorite ride in the park. After our lovely ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris we walked over to Tusker House for our lunch reservation!
Lunchtime:
For lunch we ventured over to my favorite restaurant in all of Animal Kingdom – Tusker House! This is an awesome character meal that serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner and has Donald and friends all in cute safari outfits! This is the only place you can meet Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Daisy in their Safari gear. The food is really good and it has African inspired dishes at all three meals. I had never eaten lunch here I usually go for breakfast so I was really excited to enjoy a relaxing break from the park and see some friends. Now, I would probably continue to come for breakfast and that has nothing to do with the restaurant and everything to do with me preferring an early morning breakfast with a lighter crowd of people. The later in the day you go the more crowded and loud the restaurant gets.
Afternoon Activities:
After lunch, we rode more rides, and my mission was to ride Dinosaur one last time before it closed forever. I personally love Dinosaur and I am very sad to see it go. I am looking forward to seeing what Disney brings to this space but I am very sad to say goodbye to Dinosaur. We also rode Expedition Everest and Navi River Journey. Later on in the evening we rode Kilimanjaro Safaris again – I always tell people to ride this twice, once in the morning and once at night because the switch out the Painted Dogs for the Hyenas and I like seeing the animals at their most active times of the day. We then had a few drinks at our favorite bar in all of Disney World – Nomad Lounge. It’s such a great reprieve from the park day.
Dinner:
For dinner we went to a restaurant that my husband and I really love to splurge on at Animal Kingdom – Tiffins. Tiffin’s is a signature restaurant near Pandora that serves African inspired dishes. It’s attached to the Nomad lounge and serves some great food. We even got a cute congratulations dessert for our honeymoon! We really enjoyed sitting back and relaxing in the plush chairs and talking about the day. After dinner we realized the park was officially closed and we walked back to the buses taking in all the lights and sounds of an emptying park.
Genie + in Animal Kingdom: Is it worth it?
So, personally, I don’t think multi pass is worth it in Animal Kingdom I think you can still have a great park day with only a single pass for Flight of Passage. I think that’s the only thing that is really worth it in Animal Kingdom. Now, if the rides are hitting 75 minute waits and the parks are bit more packed like it was when I visited, then yeah I would say bite the bullet and buy the multi pass. I still truly believe that you can have the perfect park day without having to shell out any cash at all. If you want to see that itinerary, keep scrolling!
Our Best Day Ever Itinerary:
So, to start your day you want to get up for early park hours – if you’re a resort guest. If the park opens at 8:00am then you want to get there around 7:00 am for early park entry at 7:30 am. If you’re not a resort guest, get there around 7:30 am the latest for regular park opening, but the earlier the better. Rope drop is key to this plan.
After you’re let into the park, whenever that time is, head directly to Flight of Passage. You want to wait that line out first thing and then not worry about it the rest of the day. I do not condone running in the parks, it is against the rules and cook kids follow the rules. I do however, condone briskly walking when you need to get somewhere fast. This will be the only time I say to briskly walk anywhere in Animal Kingdom. But, you will briskly walk to Flight of Passage.
After Flight of Passage you want to take the back exit out of Pandora and into Africa. Walk to the back of Africa and head over to Kilimanjaro Safaris. After riding the two headliner attractions in this park, you can relax because you got them out of the way. You’ll probably be hungry by now so head over to Creature Comforts which is the Starbucks location in the park. If you like flat white mochas be sure to get one here, as the proceeds from the sale of that latte go towards the conservation fund for cotton top tamarins.
Take your coffee and maybe a pastry of sorts to the Tree of Life and walk around towards the river. There is an almost always a virtually empty walk way with benches! It is such a sweet spot. After relaxing, use the My Disney Experience App to decipher where you should go next, ride something on your list of must do’s or keep walking around and enjoy the sights and sounds of Animal Kingdom. Honestly, during the mid- morning, early afternoon part of your day, you are going to rely on the wait times listen on the My Disney Experience App and on your own desires as to what to do.
If you’re hungry, I have some recommendations. Depending on where you’re at in your day and what kind of food you’re craving I recommend doing one of the following things. If you want something fast but really good and really hearty, I recommend hitting up Eight- Spoon Cafe and grabbing the pulled pork Mac and Cheese. This is one of my favorite snacks in Animal Kingdom and is the perfect small lunch that really packs a punch. If you want a more luxurious stop in your day, you can head over to Nomad Lounge and put your name on the walk up list. You should aim to spend about an hour to an hour in a half there, really enjoy the shade and the brief respite from the crowds. It’s a must do for me and my husband to go to Nomad Lounge when we visit Animal Kingdom. We enjoy the food and drinks and just like to sit and people watch.
Now, for the afternoon, you’ll want to check with the My Disney Experience App for ride wait times and ride what’s low and what you are willing to wait for. Every day is different so it’s impossible for me to say exactly what rides to go on in a definitive order. Make sure you check the app and utilize that to determine where you want to go next. If you want a fun activity that is fun and educational – spend the afternoon or some of it at least, doing the Wilderness Explorers – a fun and interactive game around Animal Kingdom where you collect Wilderness Explorer badges. You learn things about the Animals in the park and it’s fun seeing how many badges you can collect. It’s always a cool thing to do in the afternoon if you want a break from the rides and want to do something interactive.
For dinner, I suggest eating at Satuli Canteen in Pandora. They are known for their bowls and more importantly their cheeseburger pods. The food is consistently good and the value of what you get for the price can’t be beat. After dinner, if the sun has gone down, walk around Pandora at night and maybe even get some pictures taken. It’s so cool to see the bioluminescent plants glow at night and see the walkway lit up. If the park is still open, hope on one last ride, maybe make it Navi River Journey since you’re in Pandora but it’s completely up to you and the app.
And that’s what I think a perfect day in Animal Kingdom looks like! This can obviously be tailored to suit whatever needs you may have and to incorporate Multi or Single Pass. If you want to see a more detailed itinerary for your personal needs, just reach out via the Plan with Me page!
Until next time, stay magical!