Tell me about Animal Kingdom in the summer

DLfan4 · Mar 3, 2017

hi. i have never been to WDW or Florida. ( been to DL California so know a bit how Disney parks work)
We may be going to WDW in July.

I have a few questions on Animal Kingdom
- the only items with waittimes are the Safari, Expidition, Bugs,Rapids, Dinoland stuff. does that mean that the shows and the animals/exhibits are come and go and there are no waiting?

- excluding Avatar/Pandora land, how long would you say it would take us to do all the attractions in AK in July? ( excluding character meet and greets. we wont do those)

- i know it will be hot/humid in July. will the animals be out and about to see ?

- should we do the Safari first thing when we arrive?

- any hints/tips ?

CAS239 · Mar 3, 2017

-the shows involve waiting for the next show. Sometimes this can be 30 or more minutes of waiting depending on what you're wanting to see.

-to see animals without any wait there's two walking trails. You go at your own pace and are able to take as long as you want

-doing all the rides except the Pandora ones depends on how quick you are going to the next ride and fast passes. You could do all the rides without doing any shows in about 5 hours roughly

-of course the animals will be out. They love the hot weather. However it's not guaranteed who will be out to see

-Safari first thing in the morning is good, or later in the afternoon is when I've found the Lions to be the most active. If you decide not to ride first thing then I'd get a FP for it

-Tips: Summer in Florida is hotter than you'll imagine it to be. Stay hydrated and get some shade and A/C when you can.

WEDWDW · Mar 3, 2017

DLfan4 said:
- any hints/tips ?

July is H O T!!!

You may want to take an afternoon break at your Resort.

And there are HUGE Lightning Storms most every afternoon-"respect" them!(a Giraffe was killed by lightning in 2003 at DAK).

You will also encounter The 15s(July is a HUGE month for these 15 year old girls from South America).

Prepare to SWEAT!lol(Free water is available at any Quick Service restaurant.)

DLfan4 · Mar 3, 2017

CAS239 said:
-the shows involve waiting for the next show. Sometimes this can be 30 or more minutes of waiting depending on what you're wanting to see.

-to see animals without any wait there's two walking trails. You go at your own pace and are able to take as long as you want

-doing all the rides except the Pandora ones depends on how quick you are going to the next ride and fast passes. You could do all the rides without doing any shows in about 5 hours roughly

-of course the animals will be out. They love the hot weather. However it's not guaranteed who will be out to see

-Safari first thing in the morning is good, or later in the afternoon is when I've found the Lions to be the most active. If you decide not to ride first thing then I'd get a FP for it

-Tips: Summer in Florida is hotter than you'll imagine it to be. Stay hydrated and get some shade and A/C when you can.

Thank you for the information and the Tips.

WEDWDW · Mar 3, 2017

Here are The 15s so prevalent in July at WDW.

You will see LOTS of them.

DLfan4 · Mar 3, 2017

WEDWDW said:
July is H O T!!!

You may want to take an afternoon break at your Resort.

And there are HUGE Lightning Storms most every afternoon-"respect" them!(a Giraffe was killed by lightning in 2003 at DAK).

You will also encounter The 15s(July is a HUGE month for these 15 year old girls from South America).

Prepare to SWEAT!lol(Free water is available at any Quick Service restaurant.)

Thank you for the info and tips.

Klayfish · Mar 4, 2017

We go to WDW in June/July quite often. I will say that for whatever reason, Animal Kingdom is much hotter than the other 3 parks. So you'll want to stay hydrated. All the QS places will give you free ice water, take advantage of it.

The rides that get lines quickly are EE and the Safari. Hit one of them early and FP+ the other. The shows are awesome, you'll want to see them.

And yes, be prepared to deal with the South American tour groups. There are a lot of them, and they tend to be oblivious to other guests in the park.

Parker Clan · Mar 4, 2017

I have to agree with the previous poster, we always go in August and for some reason our AK day is the hottest... Brutally hot. What we did last year was break it up into half days. We did a morning there, did a few rides, & had a TS lunch at Yak and Yeti to cool off in the AC, then went back to the pool at our resort. Then we went back to AK on another night and did the safari and EE. it was a very cool experience at night! Now with Pandora I'm assuming there will be even more to do!
It is an obvious tip but definitely stay hydrated, wear hats and Sunscreen, we were constantly applying there and take breaks as needed in the shops etc. We saw a lady pass out a couple years ago there

DLfan4 · Mar 4, 2017

Klayfish said:
We go to WDW in June/July quite often. I will say that for whatever reason, Animal Kingdom is much hotter than the other 3 parks. So you'll want to stay hydrated. All the QS places will give you free ice water, take advantage of it.

The rides that get lines quickly are EE and the Safari. Hit one of them early and FP+ the other. The shows are awesome, you'll want to see them.

And yes, be prepared to deal with the South American tour groups. There are a lot of them, and they tend to be oblivious to other guests in the park.

thank you for the info. if the shows are that good, then we will plan to see them, thank you. also if the shows are inside with AC so that will be a good place to cool off?

DLfan4 · Mar 4, 2017

Parker Clan said:
I have to agree with the previous poster, we always go in August and for some reason our AK day is the hottest... Brutally hot. What we did last year was break it up into half days. We did a morning there, did a few rides, & had a TS lunch at Yak and Yeti to cool off in the AC, then went back to the pool at our resort. Then we went back to AK on another night and did the safari and EE. it was a very cool experience at night! Now with Pandora I'm assuming there will be even more to do!
It is an obvious tip but definitely stay hydrated, wear hats and Sunscreen, we were constantly applying there and take breaks as needed in the shops etc. We saw a lady pass out a couple years ago there

thank you for the info. We are staying off-site so we dont have the option of going back to our resort to use the pool. but i do like the idea of spitting the park day in half. we may take a break and go to lunch somewhere with AC or just go and check out some resorts inside with AC. ( i assume you can check out a resort even if your not staying there? )

Harambe · Mar 4, 2017

We used to go in August a lot. Yes it is hot, but you will become adjusted to that after a day or too on your trip. Drink plenty of water and always wear a baseball hat to keep the sun off your head and out of your eyes.

AK has fabulous places to eat lunch outside, but in the summer, you will need to eat indoors to get some much needed AC. You don't have to do an expensive ADR as there are a few QS places with indoor seating, so go in, take your time eating. Much better than leaving the park (you'll be walking in the heat, so somewhat counterproductive).

Get a FP+ fr the Lion King show. It is fantastic! The queue is outside, though, so if you don't do the FP and have to wait in line you will be out in the heat.

I know a lot of folks say AK is the hottest park, but it is not for me. TONS of shade throughout the park, so you can always find a spot out of the sun. For me, Epcot is the hottest, due to more concrete and less foliage.

allsaintsatx · Mar 4, 2017

You could jump over to AKL for a nice lunch at Sanaa or the Mara. At Sanaa you can see the animals in air conditioned comfort! AKL is a great place to explore (inside. In AC) and is just close enough to AK that you don't feel like you're spending all your time traveling.

WEDWDW · Mar 4, 2017

Harambe said:
Yes it is hot, but you will become adjusted to that after a day or too on your trip.

Or NOT!lol

bbjunkie · Mar 4, 2017

Animal Kingdom is gorgeous and very different from anything you've experienced at DL. Congrats on your trip and have fun!

Yes, it is brutally hot in Florida in the summer. The good news is that the two main shows there are both fantastic, relatively long (30 and 40 minutes) and in air conditioned theaters! Also, I personally think Festival of the Lion King is the best show on property.

I recommend rope-dropping the Safari and FP EE. Although the trucks are covered, it gets hot on the ride so I believe it is more comfortable in the morning. However, YMMV.

You have something new and fun to deal with, though, and we can't really help you much yet: the opening of Pandora. This may change your fast pass strategy and the park plan. The good news is people will have had the opportunity to experience it and report back before you will be able to make your fast pass selections.

I don't think you mentioned if you have kids that will be with you, but my family are huge fans of Up and we love the Wildreness Explorer challenges.

Yes, it will be hot while you are there, and there are likely to be thunderstorms in the afternoon, but please don't let that deter you from visiting. Take your time, take breaks, and take in the details. It is a beautiful park!

disnut8 · Mar 4, 2017

My husband and I love Animal Kingdom no matter what time of year. We FastPass the Safari, Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids (we would change that one if the temps were cooler than we wanted). But we enjoy just about an entire day there because you don't need a FastPass for anything else so you can come and go as you please. Don't miss out on Rafiki's Planet Watch no matter what your age and the walking trails are very nice. I will say that when we took our then five year old granddaughter, she thought the gorilla trail was going to be "stupid" because she could see monkeys anywhere at any zoo. We had to bribe her during the trail so she would move away from all the animals. We were almost late for something because she took so long in there and when I checked my clock for how long - well over an hour. We kid her about that all the time now.

Anal Annie · Mar 4, 2017

I would FP the new Pandora rides and EE and standby the Safari early. (The line for the Safari is covered so there is at least shade in case you don't get there first thing.) When it's super hot the animals are less active so early is good - OR just before sunset. (Like try to look up the time for sunset and do it then.) NOT after dark tho - you can't see much. But we've had good luck right at sunset - the lions were playing like house cats. The animal trails and Rafiki's Planet Watch can take a lot of time if you do them - but you do see animals you wouldn't see otherwise. Oh and there's LOTS of Hidden Mickey's there. The line for Kali River Rapids will get long by mid-morning. Wear light loose clothing that will dry - you WILL get wet - possibly drenched!! No denim!! Feels good when it's 95 degrees in July. Use the free lockers for your stuff to keep it dry. In the past we have used a FP for it but will likely trade that one now for the Pandora stuff (unless we keep Kali & just do single rider for EE - decsions we have yet to make).

Nobody knows what to expect from the new Pandora rides. Lines will likely be long tho so I think FP's will be the way to go as they'll still be new to everyone. Dinosaur may or may not have a long wait but the outdoor part of the line is covered (so good for shelter from the sun or during storms) and the inside is in very cool A/C. The Dawa Bar in front of Tusker House (near the Safari) makes great Bloody Mary's until they run out of the garnishes - the one with the candied bacon is amazing - that is now one of our standard stops - we try to get there by 10:00 right after the safari. Breakfast of champions!! LOL. OH and EE has a single rider line if you want to do it more than once - that is often a great option. All of the shows at AK are amazing and worth trying to see. I think the new Pandora stuff will have an entirely different feel at night - so I can't wait to see that and RoL. We'll be there July 4th week - I'm expecting big crowds. Tiffins is an amazing (tho not inexpensive) restaurant. One of the very best on property. Check out the menu to see if you're interested. Yak & Yeti is another gem of a TS restaurant. Several decent counter service restaurants too in AK. The food in this park is very unique. You can get burgers & hotdogs if you want standard park fare at Restarauntosaurs but I highly recommend being a little adventurous here for your meals.

adisneyaunt · Mar 4, 2017

HOT, hot, hot...
Oh... and then dripping humid and Hot.
Still love it and wouldn't miss it!

CounselorX · Mar 4, 2017

DINOSAUR usually has pretty good AC in the queue and the ride itself. We'll usually ride that a few times in a row just because we love the ride and it's also refreshing. That's in September, though. I'm not sure whether the line ever extends past the air conditioned part during busier times.

momto2js · Mar 4, 2017

I believe that AK is quite possibly the hottest place on the planet!!

CarolynFH · Mar 4, 2017

DLfan4 said:
thank you for the info. We are staying off-site so we dont have the option of going back to our resort to use the pool. but i do like the idea of spitting the park day in half. we may take a break and go to lunch somewhere with AC or just go and check out some resorts inside with AC. ( i assume you can check out a resort even if your not staying there? )

Yes, you're welcome to check out the other resorts. If you plan to return to AK after you visit the other resort(s), I'd suggest taking the bus to whichever resort you want to visit, leaving your car in the AK lot. That way you don't have to worry about parking at the resort, which can sometimes be a problem if you don't have dining reservations there. You can spend as much time at the resort as you want (and even visit other resorts, such as all the ones on the monorail route), then when ready just take the bus from the resort to AK.

Tell me about Animal Kingdom in the summer

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