Skip AK with young kids?

[Gamble20]

I’m planning a 5 night/6 day trip next year. Both of my kids are likely to be between 40-43” at age 4-5 and I’m fairly confident they won’t reach the 44” needed for Expedition Everest and FOP. My question is basically would it be better to just focus more on one of the other parks (particularly MK and HS), or should I still commit a whole day to AK? I don’t currently plan on adding park hopper, if it’s available by then.

I am also torn on whether I should try and book BLT or Beachclub villas (studio), or a mix of both.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

DAK is an amazing park for kids, don't skip it, especially if you are visiting the parks for more than 3 days. Even if they don't ride EE or FoP. The shows and animal exhibits there are really great, much better than your local zoo. Depending on how different things are by then, you can always take a shorter day at DAK of you don't want to use rider swap at the rides for bigger kids. They also have a scavenger hunt you can do called wilderness explorers that may be perfect for the ages of your kids. Its also a great place to meet characters vs MK with shorter lines. As long as festival of the lion king and the nemo musical are back by your trip its a full day park. Its a really nice change of scenery over the traditional theme park. Many of the attractions don't require waiting in long lines

 

[swellman]

I agree - AK is great, especially for kids. And honestly rides aren’t the main focus of AK. Or at least it was so pre-COVID.

Here’s hoping things return to normal by the time you go.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

If your kids love animals I would not skip AK. There is so much more for them to do there than just those rides. It is just a really cool park. They might love It's Tough to be a Bug. A lot of fun things for kids.
Also between the 2 resorts for myself I would prefer BCV because it is close to both Epcot and HS. You can even walk there. Plus it is close to the Boardwalk and there would be fun things there for the kids to do in the evening.

 

[Kathy1628]

I go annually {before covid} with my daughter. She's now 14. When she was 5, I committed to listening to her as to which park we would go to and Animal Kingdom was her favorite. We spent 2 full days there and additional half days because we had park hoppers. As soon as she was old enough, we did the backstage tour "Wild Animal Trek" and those are my favorite pictures ever at Disney. Well actually shark reef at the water park was fabulous but that doesn't exist anymore-so sad.

 

[JFDIS]

If they are over 40” there are only two rides they won’t be able to get on. The animal trails are amazing! The safari was the highlight of my three year old’s last trip. I think AK has the best overall theming and food quality.

 

[Sue M]

Don’t skip AK! It is great, and one of the best themed of all the parks. Take your time walking around to notice all the little touches.
Safari is fantastic. I try to get 2 rides in at different times of day. Love the 2 trails. Take the train to conservation station. 2 great shows, Nemo and my fav, Lion King. Pandora is amazing to walk around, and they have a boat ride. Also a really good QS. Dinosaur, Tough to ba a Bug, Kali river....Love walking around Harambe. So many things to do. We usually spend 2 days here. I can’t understand the people who say it’s just a half day park.

 

[StageTek]

Do your kids like the zoo? I'm thinking that at 4 and 5 fast roller coasters and thrill rides aren't their top priorities. Am I wrong about your kids?

If they enjoys the zoo they will LOVE AK. The Safari is spectacular early in the morning when they have just let the animals out and are feeding them. While everyone else is racing to FOP you can stroll over to the safari. The two trails are perfect for them. Next year the shows will be back - they will love both the Lion King and Nemo show. There is a LOT for a 4 and 5 year old to do other than the 2 rides you mentioned.

I am also torn on whether I should try and book BLT or Beachclub villas (studio), or a mix of both.

Beach Club!

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Maybe go to the park, take an afternoon pool break and finish off the day with dinner at T-Rex in Disney Springs.

As far as where to stay I usually suggest BC because I love that area but with little kids staying at BLT you can walk to MK and they will get a kick out of riding the monorail or the boat. You can take a boat over to the campground or Wildness lodge.

 

[pwdebbie]

Absolutely don't skip AK! Do some homework before you go so you know how to find all the trails (some are meant to be "discovered" and therefore aren't obviously marked -- considered "secret" trails). I tell folks that AK is a park to be savored, not one to rush from one attraction to the next. It is about the journey, not the goal. Go slow, let the kids set the pace, and see all that there is to see.

 

[mindeola]

Don't skip! So very much to do and see withoput those two rides.

 

[momandmousefan]

Obviously, put us in the camp of...if your kids like animals at all, go for it!

It's my daughter's #1 favorite park. She could watch the animals for days. The Safari ride is one of the longest rides of any of the parks, and Navi River is absolutely beautiful too. It definitely is one of those parks to take it slow and enjoy all the little hidden secrets.
Also a lot of kids LOVE the Wilderness Explorer program where they can earn sticker badges (for free) throughout the park and I believe that is still going on.

 

[Rm4OneMore]

I’m planning a 5 night/6 day trip next year. Both of my kids are likely to be between 40-43” at age 4-5 and I’m fairly confident they won’t reach the 44” needed for Expedition Everest and FOP. My question is basically would it be better to just focus more on one of the other parks (particularly MK and HS), or should I still commit a whole day to AK? I don’t currently plan on adding park hopper, if it’s available by then.

I am also torn on whether I should try and book BLT or Beachclub villas (studio), or a mix of both.

Any help is appreciated!

We went in 2018 and my then 3 & 6 year old loved it. We were talking about our next vacation this morning while waiting for their bus and they specifically asked if we could go back to Pandora, do the Kilimanjaro Safari, & ride the "Yeti ride" (Expedition Everest). They also got to meet some of the Duck Tales characters which was a bonus.

 

[ninafeliz]

I love, love, love the AK! However, despite that, if we skip a park it is typically the one we skip. One reason is no way to get there other than a bus, and even though I know that shouldn't be a huge deal, for some reason it is. Particularly with a double stroller. It makes it seem harder to just run there and back, even if it isn't any longer. The second reason is we have two three year olds and of the things that we tend to do at the AK they cannot do as many of as the other parks. I don't want to skip EE, FOP, and Dinosaur, and for FOP RS takes forever. Now, with COVID, they can't even go to the play area (which is super hard to keep track of two three year olds in, also, lol). So as much as I love the park in general, it's one we have skipped for shorter trips or if we didn't have any grandparents along or a sitter for our littles. We also have a 7 yr old, so prior to the twins we still had the height and RS issue, so we have been spending less time at the AK for a while now. Until our youngest get a few years older we will probably still spend less time at the AK. FWIW none of our kids have even been all that thrilled with looking at animals, other than the initial oohs and aahs, they aren't ones to be occupied for hours with them or anything. They take a look and are ready to move on.

 

[Jmljasmine]

With small kids we skip HS. AK is a must. The lines and crowds at HS, Star Wars, and the bigger rides just leave too little for us to do there. My littles favorite parks are MK and AK.

 

[CheshKAT]

Oh my please don't skip AK. Our little ones loved Kilimanjaro Safari, Wild Africa Trek. The Tree of Life. Kali River Ride. But their fav. was the Bone Yard. We had a hard time getting them out of this one.

 

[MickeyMouse3!]

Sign them up for Wilderness Explorers and let them earn their "Merit badges". My wife and I did this during our last trip and had a blast. It's geared towards the kids, but then, aren't we all kids while at WDW?

 

[Calee]

On our first trip my kids were 4, 6 and 8. We had 5 park days and did 2 in MK and 1 in each of the others. It was perfect.

 

[Gamble20]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Much appreciated.

 

[Zegolfer]

Looking forward to our first trip to WDW!