Animal Kingdom Touring

(Article last updated: October 24, 2018)

Worried about long waits for Animal Kingdom attractions, especially with the addition of Pandora - World of Avatar?

Having well-organized touring plans that make good use of FastPasses is key to avoiding long line waits during your Disney World trip, including at Animal Kingdom.

Below, find an Animal Kingdom touring plan that fits your group, along with FastPass+ suggestions to make sure you're maximizing your time.

Let's take a look...

FastPass+ basics

New to making FastPass+ reservations? Check out how to use FastPass+ at Disney World to get you started.

Animal Kingdom FastPass+ options and priorities

You can make 1-3 FastPass+ reservations ahead of time.

Here are your FastPass+ options at Animal Kingdom.

FastPass+ suggestions to save to your phone

Want to have the FastPass+ suggestions on your camera roll? Press the image below from your phone to save to your camera roll.

Arrive before park opening

To make the best use of your time, arrive about 45 minutes before park opening.

Animal Kingdom usually allows people in up to 45 minutes before the official opening time. Guests are stopped in front of the Tree of Life until the park opens.

Between the time you enter and the time the park opens, you can get PhotoPass pics taken, shop, see DiVine (just to the right after you enter), and view the Winged Encounters just before the park opens.

What times should you make reservations?

The general idea is to start touring early and ride in the standby lines, and then use FastPass+ a bit later in the day. In the touring plans below, we've given suggestions on what time you might want to make your FastPass+ reservations.

Single rider option

Expedition Everest also has a single rider option. Here's how single rider lines work.

Animal Kingdom touring plans

I like to organize my touring plans by hour because minute-by-minute touring plans can make you feel like you’re running from place to place without any flexibility, but grouping them by hour can give you some sense of timing as you plan.

Here are some example Animal Kingdom touring plans.

• General AK touring plan (w/FP+ for Flight of Passage)
• General AK touring plan (withOUT FP+ for Flight of Passage)

• AK touring plan w/toddlers (w/o Pandora attractions)
• AK touring plan w/toddlers (with FP+ for Na'vi River Journey)

General Animal Kingdom touring plan (with FP+ for Flight of Passage)

Get FP+ for Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Flight of Passage

First hour:

• 1. Na'vi River Journey
• 2. Primeval Whirl (48" height req.)

Second hour:

• 3. DINOSAUR (40" height req.)
• 4. Use FP+ for Expedition Everest (44" height req., suggested FP+ time: 9:30-10:30)

Third hour:

• 5. Kali River Rapids (38" height req.)
• Lunch

Rest of the day:

• 6. Use FP+ to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris (suggested FP+ time: early afternoon)
• 7. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
• 8. Festival of the Lion King
• 9. It's Tough to Be a Bug
• 10. Maharajah Jungle Trek
• 11. Finding Nemo - The Musical
• 12. Use FP+ for Avatar Flight of Passage (44" height req., suggested FP+ time: afternoon)
• 13. Rivers of Light

General Animal Kingdom touring plan (withOUT FP+ for Flight of Passage)

Get FP+ for Na'vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Expedition Everest

Note: extra important to arrive early for this touring plan because they often allow people in 30-45 minutes before park opening to start queuing for Flight of Passage.

First hour:

• 1. Flight of Passage
• 2. Primeval Whirl (48" height req.)

Second hour:

• 3. DINOSAUR (40" height req.)
• 4. Use FP+ for Expedition Everest (44" height req., suggested FP+ time: 10:00-11:00)

Third hour:

• 5. Kali River Rapids (38" height req.)
• Lunch

Rest of the day:

• 6. Use FP+ to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris (suggested FP+ time: early afternoon)
• 7. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
• 8. Festival of the Lion King
• 9. It's Tough to Be a Bug
• 10. Maharajah Jungle Trek
• 11. Finding Nemo - The Musical
• 12. Use FP+ for Na'vi River Journey (suggested FP+ time: afternoon)
• 13. Rivers of Light

Animal Kingdom touring plan with toddlers (without Pandora attractions)

Get FP+ for Finding Nemo - The Musical, Festival of the Lion King, and Kali River Rapids (fyi - Kali has a 38" height requirement)

First hour:

• 1. Kilimanjaro Safaris
• 2. Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (re-opening in 2019)

Second hour:

• 3. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
• 4. Use FP+ for Festival of the Lion King (suggested FP+ time: 10:30)

Third hour:

• Lunch
• 5. Use FP+ at Kali River Rapids (38" height req., suggested FP+ time: early afternoon)

Rest of the day:

• 6. Maharajah Jungle Trek
• 7. Use FP+ at Finding Nemo - The Musical (suggested FP+ time: afternoon)
• 8. TriceraTop Spin
• 9. The Boneyard
• 10. Rivers of Light

Animal Kingdom touring plan with toddlers (with FP+ for Na'vi River Journey)

Get FP+ for Na'vi River Journey, Festival of the Lion King, and Kali River Rapids (fyi - Kali has a 38" height requirement)

First hour:

• 1. Kilimanjaro Safaris
• 2. Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (re-opening in 2019)

Second hour:

• 3. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
• 4. Use FP+ for Festival of the Lion King (suggested FP+ time: 10:30)

Third hour:

• Lunch
• 5. Use FP+ at Kali River Rapids (38" height req., suggested FP+ time: early afternoon)

Rest of the day:

• 6. Maharajah Jungle Trek
• 7. Finding Nemo - The Musical
• 8. TriceraTop Spin
• 9. The Boneyard
• 10. Use FP+ for Na'vi River Journey (suggested FP+ time: afternoon)
• 11. Rivers of Light

What about Rider Switch (sometimes called Child Swap)?

The Rider Switch system allows parents to take turns riding things that little ones can't/won't ride. Please read my Rider Switch article so you can see how to use it and maximize your FastPass+ reservations.

Want to show up late or park hop?

Animal Kingdom used to be a super easy park to spend a half day and was a great candidate to park hop to or from, but with more attractions and a nighttime show, that's not as true anymore.

If you do want to show up late, just make sure you have FastPass+ reservations for headliners like Kilimanjaro Safaris and one of the Pandora attractions, and know that Expedition Everest has a single rider line to help you save wait time as well.

WDW Prep Members

Level 2 WDW Prep Members have touring plan tools to put together their own plans. The attractions indicate height requirements, if it's a good use of FastPass+, illustrations of ride vehicles so you can see how many people will fit (especially handy if the kids outnumber the adults), and when to visit each attraction.

And as you build your touring plans, they are grouped by hour (for the first 3 hours) and then your whole plan is plotted on a map at the bottom of the page so you can see how it all lays out.

⇢ Get access to Level 2 tools ⇠