Heading to AK in April- UPDATE IN OP

[aspentosh]

Update!

We went and it was wonderful.

I opted to grab a value resort (All Star Movies) for ease of getting to the park since we were staying almost 2hrs away for the rest of vacation. Good choice and we were overall happy with the room. We were in the Love Bug section, which was renovated, so I am sure that helped. Food was decent and the area was clean. We didn't do the pool or anything since we were only there one day and didn't arrive until 4pm. 

Tuesday morning we grabbed the bus and got to AK at 7:45 (9am open time). They let us towards Pandora at 8am and then opened up that area at 8:30 or so. We had a FP for FOP already but it was an evening one and since all our plans were working out we opted to get in line for FOP before the lines were insane. We were off the ride around 9am. DD loved loved loved it.

Next FP was Expedition Everest but we were able to squeeze in Primeval Whirl before we got there. Fun but nothing amazing. EE was super fun and it totally surprised DD when it went backwards. Would have loved to ride again but the line was over 100 minutes by 10am when we rode it. 

We meandered a little through Asia towards Africa for our Safari FP. The Safari was the one thing that was underwhelming, sadly. We saw a bunch of animals but our driver wasn't so... peppy? And she kept having to yell at people to keep their kids down. We got to see most of the animals including a giraffe WAY UP CLOSE so that was neat. 

After the Safari we ate at Yak and Yeti (thanks for those recs- so yummy!!!). Very glad for our reservations there, lol. Our next FP wasn't until 5:30 so we let DD lead us and so we wandered around Discovery Island and along all the viewing trails. She really enjoyed the Wilderness Explorer and got all the patches except for two. 

We rode FOP again (just as good the second time) and then got in our only long line of the day for Na'vi River Journey which was 70mins. At exactly 70 minutes later we were on the ride and glad we stayed to do it. Something different and it was so cool to see. 

After that we headed out on the bus, grabbed our car, and drove home. Overall a great day. Not as crowded as I expected.

My biggest annoyance were the people that kept "cutting" in line because they had family ahead. It happened a ton. Mostly just like 10 groups ahead so I am guessing a bathroom break needed to happen and they got separated. But while we waited for Na'vi River Journey there was a group of 4 people that came and moved halfway up the line... after we had been in line for 30 minutes. Was pretty pissed about that one. 


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We're surprising DD (7) with a day trip to Animal Kingdom when we are down in Florida. I have yet to buy tickets, but I will soon so I can schedule FPs. It's mid-April so I know it'll be crowded, but we're specifically not going on an EMH day to hopefully help with the crowds.

For those that have been, what is a must do for a thrill seeking animal lover 7yo kid that I should rush to get FP for? 

Based on the reading I've done here for the last week, I was thinking:

Safari
Expedition Everest
Flight of Passage

But could be easily swayed And if there are any other must do rides that we should try for, I'm all ears. None of us have ever been to AK!

Also- best restaurants for any of the meals? When we did MK a couple years ago we did BOG before the park officially opened (and then rode 7DMT at exactly park opening) so it would be cool if we could do that again and then be ready to hop into a line for a busy ride. 

[humpforfree]

Dole whip with rum at tamu tamu was my highlight yesterday 🤣 the festival of the lion king show was awesome (didn’t have this as an initial 3 fp+ but got it for one of the subsequent ones). Expedition Everest was awesome if you do like thrill rides/coasters.

[countthestars]

So fun! Those are definitely the three FP you want (though it might be really hard to get FOP!). If she's not easily scared, Dinosaur is fun for thrill seekers. Primeval Whirl is a love-or-hate ride. Definitely don't miss the Lion King show. If it's hot, Kali River Rapids is fun but bring a change of clothes.

There's no option to get into the park early to get to FOP quickly like there is with BOG. For meals - book today if you can! You don't need tickets to book (obv you need them to get into the park though). Tusker House is fun for character dining and Yak & Yeti is a pretty sure bet for good Asian food. Skip Rainforest.

[mmmomof2]

You will have a hard time getting a FOP FP, but you can try. I know they "dump" more into the system from time to time, or you can find them through refreshing.

We did a PPO breakfast at Tusker House, but it doesn't really get you an advantage. We ended up meeting the rope drop crowds at the safari line.  

I really liked the food at Satulli Canteen. I've heard good things about Yak N Yeti and the Nomad Lounge.

ETA - Dinosaur was really scary to my almost 7 year old, but I love it! Primeval Whirl was a hit with my 9 yo, but you need to be 48".

[jaycee]

For meals, I suggest checking Disney Food Blog on youtube and then searching for their Animal Kingdom videos. They have excellent suggestions and include pictures of food and prices and other tips.

[Deleted]

I'd have a back up for FOP, the chances of a FP after 60 days aren't great unless they extend the park hours and add them for that. You can rope drop FOP, I've heard to get there about an hour before the park opens if you do that. Safari and EE are great choices for the other 2. Dinosaur is another option if she's not too easily scared by loud/noisy things.

Do you want a quick service or table service restaurant?

[nicolewi]

humpforfree, the Dole Whip with rum is on my AK list!

[humpforfree]

Feb 26, 2019 15:37:21 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

humpforfree, the Dole Whip with rum is on my AK list!

10/10 recommend. 😂 especially good after a half marathon in bonkers heat/humidity.

[ssmjlm]

I would plan to rope drop and then do lunch in the park. Tusker House is good for seeing characters, but not a must do IMO. Especially at 7.

[aspentosh]

Feb 26, 2019 15:34:37 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I'd have a back up for FOP, the chances of a FP after 60 days aren't great unless they extend the park hours and add them for that. You can rope drop FOP, I've heard to get there about an hour before the park opens if you do that. Safari and EE are great choices for the other 2. Dinosaur is another option if she's not too easily scared by loud/noisy things.

Do you want a quick service or table service restaurant?

That's what I've been reading, w/r/t the FOP FP. If we don't get to do it we'll survive  

And we have no preference for dining. We did both when we did MK and it was great to rest but also nice when we wanted to be quick. I think we'll do at least one table service meal so we can relax. We're pretty go with the flow once we're there but I like to get a few things planned so we're not scrambling. 

[countthestars]

I'd probably skip Tusker and go to Yak & Yeti then. Tusker tends to take at least 90 minutes because of the characters and going back and forth to the buffet, IMO. You could also check the menu for Tiffins - I've never been but I have heard good things. I think it's a bit fancier and more expensive.

[aspentosh]

Feb 26, 2019 16:05:47 GMT -5 countthestars said:

I'd probably skip Tusker and go to Yak & Yeti then. Tusker tends to take at least 90 minutes because of the characters and going back and forth to the buffet, IMO. You could also check the menu for Tiffins - I've never been but I have heard good things. I think it's a bit fancier and more expensive.

This is the restaurant if you do the Festival of Lion King reservations so I am wondering if we should do that for dinner. And then we get reserved seating (without a FP) for the show. Looks like there is a 6:50 dining reservation available with the 5pm show. And I figure since 6:50 is towards the end of the day that we may be tired and want to relax anyway. 

Decisions decisions.

[bowies]

Ooo what day? We’ll be there in mid-April too.

[curbsideprophet]

FOP will be hard to get if you are booking at 30 days.

I don’t think you need a FP or advantage for Festival of the Lion King so not sure that package is worth an extra charge. There is a thread on Disboards about it though if you are interested.

I have done the Tiffins Rivers of Light package. I thought the food was great and I enjoyed the show. The meal does take a long time though. If you want table service but something not quite as long or formal I would recommend Yak and Yeti.

[aspentosh]

Feb 26, 2019 19:29:37 GMT -5 bowies said:

Ooo what day? We’ll be there in mid-April too.

Week before Easter. Thinking that Tuesday. You?

[bowies]

Feb 27, 2019 6:43:50 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Feb 26, 2019 19:29:37 GMT -5 bowies said:

Ooo what day? We’ll be there in mid-April too.

Week before Easter. Thinking that Tuesday. You?

Ah, week before that. We’ll be there that Friday.

[countthestars]

I agree that you don't need a package to get into the LK show. I would only do that if Tiffins is your first choice anyway. That theater is pretty big and there are like 7 shows per day.

[aspentosh]

Feb 27, 2019 9:03:49 GMT -5 countthestars said:

I agree that you don't need a package to get into the LK show. I would only do that if Tiffins is your first choice anyway. That theater is pretty big and there are like 7 shows per day.

Good to know for sure. Tiffins is not a must do for us and after thinking about how long it would take we decided against it. We agree that we'd rather have a quick dinner and longer lunch (mid-day break) that might open up the possibility for FOP at night.

[AndyCohen]

Last year they extended the hours in the parks the weeks before and after Easter to something like 7:00am-midnight closer to the dates, just fyi

[aspentosh]

Thanks so much for all your help, ladies!

We decided to book a value resort for the night before we are headed there so we could save the 1.5hr drive and she can really experience Disney. It'll be our first time STAYING at a resort, so that'll be cool.

And amazingly, I was able to get a FP for FOP today because I had been looking 10-15 times a day since we booked the hotel. So now we've got FP for that, Expedition Everest, and the Safari! I feel like I won the lottery, lol.

We'll still plan to get there for rope drop and head to Na'vi River Journey before everyone swarms that area, but I feel a huge weight off my shoulders knowing we won't have to wait for 1,2,3+ hrs for FOP.

[Zoly]

My thrill-seeking 5 year old loved FOP and Expedition Everest, so I know yours will too. :-)

You shouldn't have to wait terribly long for the River Journey ride either since most go to FOP first. You all are going to have so much fun!

[aspentosh]

Update in OP

[minniemouse]

Glad you had fun! Sounds like a perfect day. I hear you on the line cutting. I typically don’t mind when one person (or an adult plus young child) jumps out of line to use the bathroom and then catches back up to their family a few minutes later. Some people have medical issues and need to get to a bathroom quickly. I really get annoyed when it’s a whole group though. There’s no legit reason for that. They should get at the back of the line.