Animal Kingdom - planning my day and have concerns

[kbehm29]

I have heard many say that AK is a "half day" park. Well, I'm planning my first visit - which is coming up in less than eight weeks - and to tell you the truth, I'm having a hard time fitting everything in! Are the people who are saying that skipping a bunch of stuff?
We are starting our day with the Character Breakfast at the Restaurantosaurus. Our reservation is at 7:50 a.m. I figure that will take what - an hour? Then we want to rush over to the first showing of the Lion King show, where you have to be 1/2 hour early. That's at 9:40. The Pocahontas show is next, and the character greeting in Camp Minnie Mickey. It should already be 11:00.
We have little kids and older kids, so we have interest in the entire Dinosaur area, the Finding Nemo musical, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, the parade, my boyfriend is interested in the bird show. It seems we can't fit it all in.
Any suggestions? And does anyone know what time they stop running the safaris? We probably won't get to that until the end of our day. And I'm not even including Conservation Station and one of the walkways of animals!
I'm not seeing how this is a half day park at all. It closes at 6:00 the day we are going, and I wish it closed later than that.

Edited to ask: Has anyone ever done the character breakfast here before? Is there a special entrance you have to use? Can you rent a stroller that far before the park opens, or do you have to come back and do it later? How long would you say it takes to get from your parking spot to the restaurant? I know you have to walk through a large section of the park before getting there. Thanks for help!

[candydog]

Hi, first of all, don't believe everyone else about AK. There's no way you could do it in half a day, unless you skipped half of the park, and even then you'd still struggle. I did a full day back in '05 and didn't get everything done - and that was before everest and nemo musical opened.
So take my advice, don't rush the park - there's loads to do, and to be honest, no one gets to do everything they want to at a disney park, no matter how well planned they are.

Have a great time!

[Mr. Toad]

No way Animal Kingdom is a half day park. If there is a half day park it is MGM. We spent 2 of our 7 days at Animal Kingdom and still did not quite finish.

I loved conservation station - I would do that before I did all three shows(although Lion King is a must).

I would budget about 20-25 minute walk to get to the restauraunt.

[QueenRahel]

yes dont skip out on AK and spend a full day there...it is the largest park by volume of the four...be sure to get there early fot the lion king show, and dont miss out on tarzan rocks show if its still there, it has amazing live music and stunts like tlk...also dont miss kilimanjaro safaris, its tough to be a bug in the tree of life, everest, and dinosaur, for rides, although dinosaur is a bit too scary and intense for kids if you have any...and definitely go on kali river rapids its the best circle-water ride thing ive ever been on so far...so try to take a full day, relax and enjoy all of the beautiful scenery and animals the park has to offer!!!! there is also a rainforest cafe at the park enterance/inside the park...so if you want a cool restaurant for lunch or dinner go there its fabulous!!

[AwallaceUNC]

I have often said that DAK is a half-day park. Before Everest opened (and now the Nemo show), I feel that was true. Granted, this meant doing no more than a quick meal and skipping A, B, and some C attractions, but those are ones I would usually rather skip if it meant more time in the Magic Kingdom.

When Everest opened, it became a 3/4-day park. I haven't been there since the new Nemo show opened, but that just might bump it up to a full day.

Granted, you can easily spend a whole day DAK and that's always been true. You can even spend more than a day. There is much to be seen and enjoyed. It's just a matter of trading more time elsewhere for the time you need to spend at DAK. Don't get me wrong -- I love the park, but bird shows, nature trails, and conservation lectures have never been my thing, so I tend to stick to the highlights there.

-Aaron

[crunkcourt]

Must dos: Everest, Dinosaur, the Safari, Primeval Whirl, Kali River Rapids

Probably must dos that I haven't done: Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo Musical

The 2 times I've been to AK there hasn't been a super long line for Everest. It has been around 20 min or so. However, Kali River Rapids is next door so you can always grab a fast pass and ride them while you wait. Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl are also near each other. I think the Finding Nemo Musical is inbetween Everest and DinoLand (not positive) so you could also watch that while waiting for Everest. If you have time I'd also suggest just wandering around the park through the different trails and such. Good luck fitting it all in!

[Prince Charming 12]

I tried Donald's Breakfastosaurs, during my last visit about two months ago. It was a breakfast buffet and the characters (Donald, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto on that day) came around to visit each table for pictures and autographs. It was fun! You still enter the park through the main gate, but you must have a valid dining reservation, since it is not officially open yet. Security will ask you at the gate so I would have your dining confirmation number available, if they request it. None of rides will be operating so don't think that you can squeeze one in before regular opening time.

My two cents on planning....

I think it is a good idea that you are taking the time to plan out your day and dining options. You can really maximize your time in the park that way. However, I would avoid putting time stamps on when you will be at each attraction. Crowds, operating delays, bathroom breaks, etc. can really alter your day quite quickly. Especially since you are travelling with smaller children. I think you will find yourself watching the clock, rather than enjoying what the park has to offer. Since you have an age gap, I would suggest possibly splitting up for a time to avoid "down time". For example, the younger group will not meet the height restrictions for Expedition Everest so why waste time waiting for the older group to complete the attraction. It might be a way to utilize your limited time better. For the older group, to speed up the wait time at Everest I used the single rider line.

Most importantly, remember it's your vacation and not a "to do" list.