Animal Kingdom - Arrival at 1:10pm
At 1:10, we arrived at Animal Kingdom, our third park of the day! Afternoon is when the crowds are the biggest at the parks - will we be able to get through our Animal Kingdom itinerary quickly, even with several waits posted at 30-40 minutes? Using a handful of relatively simple tricks, you'll see how I was successful:
Read the rest of this blog series
Part 1 - List of attractions visited
Part 2 - How to plan for such a challenge
Part 3 - Hollywood Studios recap
Part 4 - Epcot recap
Part 5 - Animal Kingdom recap
Part 6 - Magic Kingdom recap
Coming Soon:
Part 7 - Final concluding thoughts
Part 1 - List of attractions visited
Part 2 - How to plan for such a challenge
Part 3 - Hollywood Studios recap
Part 4 - Epcot recap
Part 5 - Animal Kingdom recap
Part 6 - Magic Kingdom recap
Coming Soon:
Part 7 - Final concluding thoughts
First Priority - Fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safaris (1:15pm)
Fastpass return times for the Safaris were 1:55-2:55 - only 40 minutes out. And the posted wait time was 45 minutes out. I never understand why ANYONE would get in a 45 minute standby line in that situation - wouldn't you rather spend 40 minutes out of line than 45 minutes in line? Go get a snack. Sit down. Or go visit another attraction! Any of those is preferable to standing in line! The only reason I can think of is a lack of understanding of the Fastpass system.
Anyway, with Kilimanjaro Safaris fastpasses in hand, it was time to visit other attractions.
Anyway, with Kilimanjaro Safaris fastpasses in hand, it was time to visit other attractions.
Attraction 12: Kali River Rapids (1:25pm)
This was easier than anticipated. The cold temperatures led to non-existant lines at this water ride (though it was still a pleasant 65 degrees and sunny - seemed warm to this Chicagoan!)
This attraction is always a crapshoot on how wet you get. You can't tell very well from the photo, but I got SOAKED on the big drop! Oh well - it may have been cool, but it was sunny, so I'd dry relatively quickly!
Total Wait for Attraction: 0 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 21 minutes
This attraction is always a crapshoot on how wet you get. You can't tell very well from the photo, but I got SOAKED on the big drop! Oh well - it may have been cool, but it was sunny, so I'd dry relatively quickly!
Total Wait for Attraction: 0 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 21 minutes
Attraction 13: Expedition Everest (1:42pm)
Navigating the park was our biggest challenge at this point - the crowds were big and there was all sorts of entertainment blocking pathways and slowing us down. Regardless, we made our way through the significant crowds, making our way to Expedition Everest.
Expedition Everest (a fantastic coaster with a great surprise in the middle) has a single-rider line - single riders are used to fill up empty seats on trains - as long as you don't mind being split up with your party, it can lead to much shorter waits. The "regular" posted wait was 40 minutes. In the single-rider line, we waited... 3 minutes!
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 24 minutes
Expedition Everest (a fantastic coaster with a great surprise in the middle) has a single-rider line - single riders are used to fill up empty seats on trains - as long as you don't mind being split up with your party, it can lead to much shorter waits. The "regular" posted wait was 40 minutes. In the single-rider line, we waited... 3 minutes!
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 24 minutes
Next Step - get another Fastpass
Since our Fastpass time had come up for Kilimanjaro Safaris, it was time to get our next Fastpass. Dinosaur had the longest waits, so we got a Fastpass for it.
Attraction 14: Kilimanjaro Safaris (2:05pm)
New zebra display
Next, we headed back to Kilimanjaro Safaris. The wait was about 3 minutes to board using our Fastpasses.
We got to see the new zebra display (just opened a few days beforehand). I'm pretty happy they've finally got rid of the "poacher" story to the attraction, and have made it all about the animals. It's very well done - I've talked to people who have done a real African safari, and they say it is quite authentic.
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 27 minutes
We got to see the new zebra display (just opened a few days beforehand). I'm pretty happy they've finally got rid of the "poacher" story to the attraction, and have made it all about the animals. It's very well done - I've talked to people who have done a real African safari, and they say it is quite authentic.
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 27 minutes
Time to say goodbye to my brother (2:45pm)
Sad to be leaving
My brother and partner-in-crime for this adventure had to leave, as he had to go to a conference in Orlando. I walked back to the car with him (I had left my phone charger in the car, and it was on fumes). He would join up with me again in the late evening.
Attraction 15 - Primeval Whirl (2:58pm)
Boarding Primeval Whirl
Primeval Whirl is a pretty substandard ride for Disney - a basic "spinning mouse" coaster that's not even really themed - you can find a ride like this at your local amusement park. It's fun and so I guess it's worth your time, but it's nothing "special."
But since I'm trying to visit all the significant rides, and since this ride usually has long waits, I had to add it to the list!
I knew the long waits of two hours ago would be a thing of the past by 3pm - especially with the early park opening, most people would be "done" with Animal Kingdom and heading out by now. And those who were staying were going to head to the parade starting in 45 minutes. The parade is in a completely different section of the park, so people wouldn't be here! That meant my wait was about 3 minutes.
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 30 minutes
But since I'm trying to visit all the significant rides, and since this ride usually has long waits, I had to add it to the list!
I knew the long waits of two hours ago would be a thing of the past by 3pm - especially with the early park opening, most people would be "done" with Animal Kingdom and heading out by now. And those who were staying were going to head to the parade starting in 45 minutes. The parade is in a completely different section of the park, so people wouldn't be here! That meant my wait was about 3 minutes.
Total Wait for Attraction: 3 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 30 minutes
Attraction 16 - Dinosaur (3:10pm)
On board Dinosaur
Final attraction of the day for Animal Kingdom was Dinosaur. Using my Fastpass, I waited perhaps two minutes.
I was seated next to two young kids - their parents were in the row behind them. I was worried they'd be freaked out (some kids do freak on Dinosaur) and warned their parents it's "intense", but their parents assured me they're "daredevils." And they took it completely in stride!
Total Wait for Attraction: 2 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 32 minutes
I was seated next to two young kids - their parents were in the row behind them. I was worried they'd be freaked out (some kids do freak on Dinosaur) and warned their parents it's "intense", but their parents assured me they're "daredevils." And they took it completely in stride!
Total Wait for Attraction: 2 minutes
Total Wait for entire day so far: 32 minutes
Three parks down and one to go!
On the bus
Animal Kingdom is now complete! At this point, it was 3:30pm, and only one park remained - the Magic Kingdom!
However, before heading to the Magic Kingdom, I decided to take a short break. There were three reasons a break was absolutely necessary:
So instead of heading directly to the Magic Kingdom, I took a bus to the Contemporary Resort. There, I ordered some food at Contempo Cafe, found a quiet place to sit, and recharged my phone's (and my) batteries for 30 minutes.
In case you're keeping score, at this point, I had visited the 16 biggest attractions at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, and waited a grand total of 32 minutes. To put that in perspective:
Next post is the big one - the Magic Kingdom. Can I visit EVERY major attraction at the Magic Kingdom if I get there at 5:00pm on an extremely busy day?
Read the rest of this blog series
Part 1 - List of attractions visited
Part 2 - How to plan for such a challenge
Part 3 - Hollywood Studios recap
Part 4 - Epcot recap
Part 5 - Animal Kingdom recap
Part 6 - Magic Kingdom recap
Coming Soon:
Part 7 - Final concluding thoughts
However, before heading to the Magic Kingdom, I decided to take a short break. There were three reasons a break was absolutely necessary:
- I had walked many miles, completely nonstop, and needed to rest for a little bit.
- I was extremely hungry.
- My phone was almost dead.
So instead of heading directly to the Magic Kingdom, I took a bus to the Contemporary Resort. There, I ordered some food at Contempo Cafe, found a quiet place to sit, and recharged my phone's (and my) batteries for 30 minutes.
In case you're keeping score, at this point, I had visited the 16 biggest attractions at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, and waited a grand total of 32 minutes. To put that in perspective:
- That's an average of 2 minute wait per attraction.
- My total of 32 minutes waiting is shorter than most people wait for a single attraction! (Less than half the wait at Toy Story Mania)
Next post is the big one - the Magic Kingdom. Can I visit EVERY major attraction at the Magic Kingdom if I get there at 5:00pm on an extremely busy day?
Read the rest of this blog series
Part 1 - List of attractions visited
Part 2 - How to plan for such a challenge
Part 3 - Hollywood Studios recap
Part 4 - Epcot recap
Part 5 - Animal Kingdom recap
Part 6 - Magic Kingdom recap
Coming Soon:
Part 7 - Final concluding thoughts
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