Must do rides/attractions at AK?

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Ok, fiends.  I am going to really be picking your brains in the next few months.

 

Brief recap:  My kids (except oldest) have only been to MK.  I have been to all four parks, but on whirlwind tours during WWW (brief hop to Epcot in 2013 and 4 parks in one day in 2014).  I am planning to bring all 6 of my children to FW 09/25-10/03.  We are getting tickets through the Disney Student Seminars, so we are hoping to spend time in each park.  The plan is to spend a day each in MK and Epcot and a day with both DHS and AK.  Oh, and I am an extreme planner.

 

For AK, so far, we have EE, the safari ride, and spending time looking at the Tree of Life.  I have one child (17yob) who loves big cats and hopes to work with them someday.  We are planning to do the early part of the day at AK and then have our FP+ at DHS for later.

 

So what are your must do attractions and rides in AK? 

[kadancer 82]

Beyond the Kilimajaro Safari - our must do's are Flights of Wonder, Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. If you are interested in big cats, then don't miss the trail in Asia for the tigers.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'd Rope Drop, go to Everest, then the safari. After that, Lion King. On our next trip, as must do is Nemo because we never make time for it, and I hear it's awesome.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

For your big cat kid, be sure to walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek.  If it's hot and sunny, shoot for early or late in the day.  Otherwise you're likely to just see a bunch of tigers laying around. It's over by Kali River Rapids.

 

 If enough of you are into animals, the Pangani Forest walk through is worth doing.  I could watch the gorilllas all day.  The entrance is right near where you come off the safari.

 

That said, best time to see animals at AK is early morning or late in the day - right before they close the safari - and cool even rainy days are better than hot sunny ones.

 

The Nemo show is probably my favorite show at WDW but takes up some time - I think the show alone is 30 minutes. Depending on how you're using FP+, if you really want to go it might be worth getting one for it so you don't have to waste a ton of time in line. Plus it looks like the FP+ people get the center seats in the theatre - not that there's really a bad seat.

 

We don't consider Dinoland a must do, and it's the one thing we usually skip, but the kids might enjoy it.  Primeval Whirl is popular. It's a fun ride but a little too rough for me.

 

If it's hot and/or you like to get wet, Kali River Rapids is a lot of fun.

 

If you have the time, wander the trails around the Tree of Life.  It's fun to see how many animals you can spot on the tree and some you can't see very well from far away.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

X2. With what others have said.

I do like Dinosaur. The ride. It's Inside with a/c. Great ride for kids of all ages.

Rafiki's planet watch is a quick walk thru. Nice short train ride and you get to see where they keep some of the animals at night. And the back of parts of the safari ride.

DD9 makes us go every time.

[Judy in Texas 150]

Do Rafiki's Planet Watch before 10:00 AM. Every time I've been there, the medical staff has been performing some sort of medical procedure. There was a flamingo having its neck scoped. Another time a turtle that was hit on a Disney road was having its shell put back together. A gorilla was having a cyst removed. This last time a bird with a broken wing was having the cast changed. The staff is very good at explaining what is going on and taking questions.

You can certainly look at The Tree Of Life; but, make sure you watch the 3-D movie inside the tree.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

EE, safari, Nemo, Lion King......

[Seals 111]

My 2cents:

Safari

Asia animal trail (has a name?). I think it's better than the other one unless you really like gorillas

Expedition Everest if you like big drop coasters (I don't, my kids do)

Dinosaur - to me this ride is very "Disney". It twists and shakes, it has a story. it's dark, there are big dinosaurs.

It's Tough To Be a Bug.

Festival of the Lion King - I prefer to Nemo. But Nemo is good too.

Kali River Rapids is ok if you need a get-wet ride. it's usually a long wait and then disappointingly not a long ride.

Primeval Whirl is ok but nothing special if you are pressed for time.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Nemo, Lion King, and Dinosaur

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I like the Flights of Wonder show.

[Lou... 3,118]

Oh, and I am an extreme planner.

 

 

Really, never would have guessed.

When might we expect to see the spreadsheet?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

(oh I so hope Marty has a spreadsheet!!)

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Really, never would have guessed.

When might we expect to see the spreadsheet?

 

 

(oh I so hope Marty has a spreadsheet!!)

I am embarrassed to admit, I have never really learned Excel.  I am a binder girl.

 

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/1512532_10204301461562954_7165975844864248201_n.jpg

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Love the binder!!

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Rafiki is a yawn-fest for me, but if your kids are interested in zoology it'd probably be a winner. I like FotLK and Nemo, but they both take considerable time, so it might be tough to squeeze into a half day visit. Safari and EE are must-dos. I like D! And ITtbaB and would do my best to squeeze them in. I leave ITtbaB til last since the queue is cool and so is the theater, and it's near the exits.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Another AK question, so I hope some helpful fiends will read this far into the thread. :)

 

The day I plan to go to AK, it has morning EMH.  That puts it in the red (avoid if possible) onmost crowd calendars.  However, we were just going to go for the morning/possibly early afternoon, then hop to DHS.  

 

Does this sound like a reasonable idea?

 

Or does this idea make you cringe?

 

 

[Seals 111]

My philosophy is that if an itinerary fits your schedule best, ignore the crowd calendar. If you are very flexible then the crowd calendar can be consulted but you still need to make your own decision. With morning EMH and you are going in the morning it gives you more opportunity to do things if you get there before it opens. And you are going during a less crowded time in general so I really wouldn't worry about it. You will have a wonderful time.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Another AK question, so I hope some helpful fiends will read this far into the thread. :)

 

The day I plan to go to AK, it has morning EMH.  That puts it in the red (avoid if possible) onmost crowd calendars.  However, we were just going to go for the morning/possibly early afternoon, then hop to DHS.  

 

Does this sound like a reasonable idea?

 

Or does this idea make you cringe?

 

I try to avoid parks with EMHs, but as long as you go for the EMH and are only going for the morning, you should probably be OK. Just get the headliners done during the EMH. What did you decide you want to do there?

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I try to avoid parks with EMHs, but as long as you go for the EMH and are only going for the morning, you should probably be OK. Just get the headliners done during the EMH. What did you decide you want to do there?

According to my spreadsheet -  :rofl3: - the safari, EE, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and maybe Finding Nemo the Musical.  

 

If it is very hot out, we may do Kali River Rapids, but probably not.  

 

But maybe.  

 

See, i want to be the fun Mom who lets them ride if they want to, but I don't want to be the frazzled mom listening to them gripe about being wet the rest of the day, or the bent over Mom carrying spare clothes and shoes 7 people all day.

 

Oh yes, not only do I spend hours planning the trip, I spend hours getting overly anxious about the trip.

 

Where dd i put that rum??

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

You'll be fine then. Start with EE and make sure you do the Safari before 9.  

 

I hate being wet, so we usually skip Kali, but on our last trip, my mom wanted to do it, so she got dollar store ponchos. That worked. The problem is heat=long line. If you want to ride it, I'd do it on the way to the Safari. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Actually, I'd do it after the Safari. I think the Safari will be more popular in the morning. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

My philosophy is that if an itinerary fits your schedule best, ignore the crowd calendar. If you are very flexible then the crowd calendar can be consulted but you still need to make your own decision. With morning EMH and you are going in the morning it gives you more opportunity to do things if you get there before it opens. And you are going during a less crowded time in general so I really wouldn't worry about it. You will have a wonderful time.

 

I try to avoid parks with EMHs, but as long as you go for the EMH and are only going for the morning, you should probably be OK. Just get the headliners done during the EMH. What did you decide you want to do there?

 

Agreed X2!

 

See, i want to be the fun Mom who lets them ride if they want to, but I don't want to be the frazzled mom listening to them gripe about being wet the rest of the day, or the bent over Mom carrying spare clothes and shoes 7 people all day.

 

An excellent and wise plan. :)

 

I'd get there for EMH open and hit the safari first.  The animals tend to be more active early (especially if it warms up later) and you should see more of them.