Monthly Archives: April 2023

My Best Animal Kingdom Advice

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Animal Kingdom is certainly the most unique park at Walt Disney World. It really is astonishing that Disney was able to combine a world class amusement park with what is essentially a wonderful zoo. All of this is accomplished without guests being aware of any of the effort behind the scenes to care for the animals.

Animal Kingdom is the largest park by area, and it feels it. It is a long walk from one side of the park to the other. Then there are the walking trails to see the animal exhibits. Animal Kingdom has diverse (and bulky) vegetation throughout the park that can make navigation more difficult, especially for new visitors. There are also less rides than at the other parks. All of this has the combined effect of making planning your day at Animal Kingdom much more important.

The Must See Attractions

Based on popularity and wait times (and not personal preference), the biggest attractions at Animal Kingdom are Avatar: Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, Festival of the Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. So the plan must be to find the best way to get to all those attractions, without making the day so hectic that it takes away from the enjoyment.

The Plan that Works for Me

Expedition Everest

I have a plan that I have worked through over multiple visits to Walt Disney World that gets me the results I want. I usually don’t purchase Genie Plus for Animal Kingdom, because there are just too few attractions to use it on. If you really want to get on Avatar: Flight of Passage, you can book a Lightning Lane reservation for that ride alone (more on timing later). The most important part of the plan is to arrive early at Animal Kingdom. I want to be there at least 20 minutes before the park opens. Now this is usually pretty early in the morning because Animal Kingdom is often the first park to open. But you need to get there early and get in at rope drop.

Now mostly everyone heads over to Pandora when Animal Kingdom opens. So I go the other way and I can ride Dinosaur and Expedition Everest (once or twice even) without any wait. Next it is on to Kilimanjaro Safari, and then Festival of the Lion King. By then it will be around 11 am. Then it’s either a light lunch or snack, or right over to Pandora. If I have made a Lightning Lane reservation for Avatar, I will hop on, and have the rest of the day to relax and see the animals. Otherwise, I will get in line and wait. The queue is interesting, and the wait is most often less than posted. I am not a huge fan of the Avatar movies, so I don’t wiat for Na’vi River Journey. But if you want to experience it, the ride is beautiful.

Should you buy Disney Genie Plus???

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Walt Disney World is certainly a popular vacation destination. There are four distinct parks, including Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. No other vacation involves so much planning and offers such a diverse list of activities. Every vacation to Walt Disney World is unique on its own. Being so popular (and so amazing), means that the cost of the vacation is expensive. And that is just the start. It goes up from expensive to pretty much astronomical. Therefore, budget decisions must be made. Things to decide on include resorts, dining, souvenirs, and other extras. Then there is Disney Genie Plus. It costs can vary by day, but expect about $15 per person per day, which can easily add up to a major expense. Disney Genie Plus allows users to make reservations (the old Fast Pass) for some rides throughout the day. So The question remains, should you purchase Disney Genie Plus.

Hollywood Studios

The Definitive Answer to the Question

The simple answer is YES. You need Disney Genie Plus. They way to think about Disney Genie Plus is that however it works out, it is really amazing to skip major lines on at least some attractions. It actually makes a big difference (especially for the kids) to get on a ride without a long wait. It makes for a nice break from the lines and makes them more bearable when you get back in one.

But the complicated answer is you don’t need it every day. Disney Genie Plus works best at Magic Kingdom. Because there are so many rides, you can get the most amount of reservations. The other parks have much more limited options, and it becomes less valuable. Animal Kingdom really has the least benefit and it can probably be avoided. Especially if you can get there early and rope drop. Hollywood Studios is so busy and the reservations go so fast, it is also a struggle to use Disney Genie Plus. But even if it only gets you a few rides, it can make a difference as Hollywood Studios usually has the longest waits. EPCOT is the second best park for using Disney Genie Plus. There are surprisingly a large amount of quality rides to book and they are some pretty great ones (Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, Test Track).