The updated plans are very efficient - the average wait in line should be under 11 minutes per step during summer for our standard 1-day Unofficial Guide Touring Plan - with more than an hour of free time available in the afternoon.
You can make additional FastPass+ reservations using the My Disney Experience mobile app, or with the FastPass+ kiosks located throughout the park:
Near Island Mercantile on Discovery Island
Near Kali River Rapids in Asia
Near Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa
Disney's Animal Kingdom FastPass+ Kiosks
Kiosk at Island Mercantile on Discovery Island
Near Kali River Rapids
Kiosk near Harambe Market
At the Discovery Trading Company on Discovery Island
Returning to Ride with FastPass+
Each FastPass+ reservation lasts for an hour, and Disney officially enforces the ride return time. Thus, if you make a FastPass+ reservation to ride Space Mountain at 7:30 PM, you have until 8:30 PM to use it, or change it to something else. Just like a restaurant reservation, your FastPass+ may be canceled if you don't show up on time. (In practice, you can usually be up to 15 minutes late to use your FastPass+ reservation.)
You can be 5 minutes early or 15 minutes late to use your FastPass+ reservation and the RFID readers will allow you to enter. So really, your “hour” window is 1 hour 20 minutes long.
After these initial FastPass+ selections are redeemed, guests can book additional same-day selections, as available. This is now possible with the app in addition to the in-park kiosks.
Animal Kingdom now features more nighttime entertainment including Rivers of Light and the bioluminescence of Pandora, which means it’s now a full day park for everyone. We offer thorough reviews and strategy for these offerings in our Animal Kingdom at Night Review & Tipspost.
Expedition Everest This is one of Disney’s most expensive attractions that they have every created, and is the most expensive roller coaster ever built in the world!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
This is definitely a MUST FastPass attraction.
Opening in February 2017, Rivers of Light is a breathtaking nighttime spectacular and is a hot FastPass selection
You will only be able to select one of these options on any particular day. So, if you want FastPasses for both, you will need to visit Animal Kingdom on two separate days during your visit. Both attractions are hugely popular with very long wait times. The Na’vi River Journey has been seeing wait times for 60-90 minutes. Flight of Passage usually has wait times of 90-120 minutes.
must choose between Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey. They cannot choose to do both with their initial three FastPass+ options.
The attractions for Animal Kingdom FastPass+ that will save you the most time are generally DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. If you plan on arriving right when the park opens, you can usually head straight to one or two of these and use FastPass+ on the others. (Though if you do want to visit Pandora – The World of Avatar, our suggestion would be to get to the park to ride one of the attractions and make your FastPass+ reservation for the other.)
The other decision you have to then make is whether or not to use one of your FastPass+ reservations for the new nighttime show, Rivers of Light.
if you want to see Rivers of Light anytime soon, the best way to make sure you have a seat would be either to use a FastPass+ or reserve a Rivers of Light Dining Package(currently available at Tiffins and Tusker House). Please note, if you use a FastPass+ for Rivers of Light, you will not be able to reserve an additional FastPass+ until you enter the show and your MagicBand is scanned.
If you decide to use one of your three FastPass+ for Rivers of Light and still want to try to experience everything else Animal Kingdom has to offer, your best bet would probably be to use your other two FastPass+ reservations on Avatar Flight of Passage and Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Since the show is new, Rivers of Light has a high demand. The show is beautiful, and I would definitely recommend seeing it at least once. However, it is generally considered to be the least popular of the four parks’ nighttime spectaculars, and it is especially not popular with young children. Even as the show debuted, it was possible to get FastPass+ reservations the day of, and Rivers of Light offers reasonable dining packages that will secure you a seat without having to use a FastPass. Of these four attractions, I would put Rivers of Light as the lowest priority unless you haven’t seen it.
if you only have one day at Animal Kingdom, I would get a FastPass for Flight of Passage, preferably late morning. I would get to Animal Kingdom at rope drop and head straight to Na’vi River Journey. The line will be most reasonable right at opening.
Because Animal Kingdom has started to offer distinct nighttime experiences, plan accordingly. Here are the two strategies we would recommend: Make your reservations for late morning/early afternoon and get to the park right at opening. This will allow you to go on most of the in-demand attractions while giving you an opportunity to get additional FastPasses later in the day. Alternatively, if you definitely want to have an evening at Animal Kingdom, make your FastPasses for 5 PM or later. This is great for if you want to park hop from another park earlier in the day.
Guests staying off site can book fastpasses only 30 days before their Disney vacation.
Best time to book your Disney FastPasses: You want to book your three fast passes for the times of the day when the Disney parks are busiest. This is between 11 AM and 3 PM – 4 PM.
Animal Kingdom FastPass+ Picks
Our top pick for adults / teens is Avatar Flight of Passage in Pandora.
Another great Disney Fastpass for teens is Kilimanjaro Safari early in the morning, and Expedition Everest.
FASTPASS BONUS: When Animal Kingdom opens up the night time show, River of Light, you will want to get a FastPass for this show.
GENERAL ANIMAL KINGDOM TOURING PLAN (INCLUDING PANDORA ATTRACTIONS)
Get FP+ for Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Flight of Passage
Arrive at Animal Kingdom about 30-45 minutes before the scheduled park opening time. Guests are usually allowed in early and stopped right in front of the Tree of Life. After going through the turnstiles to get into the park, you can usually find Divine just to the right side which is a fun way to start an Animal Kingdom day. You can also check out the shops, get PhotoPass pics taken, and see the birds released in front of the Tree of Life before the park fully opens.
First hour:
1. Na'vi River Journey
2. Primeval Whirl (48" height req.)
3. DINOSAUR (40" height req.)
Second hour:
4. Use FP+ for Expedition Everest (44" height req., suggested FP+ time: 9:30-10:30)
5. Kali River Rapids (38" height req.)
Third hour:
Lunch
6. Flights of Wonder
Rest of the day:
7. Use FP+ to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris (suggested FP+ time: early afternoon)
8. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
9. Festival of the Lion King
10. It's Tough to Be a Bug
11. Maharajah Jungle Trek
12. Finding Nemo - The Musical
13. Use FP+ for Avatar Flight of Passage (44" height req., suggested FP+ time: afternoon)
14. Rivers of Light
Kilimanjaro Safaris: Daytime (10/10) – Animal Kingdom’s flagship safari ride through “natural” environments exposing guests to a wide array of animals. This attraction used to have a bit of a storyline, but it was widely viewed as lazy pretext. Now it doesn’t have any real storyline and it’s viewed as lacking ‘substance.’ It just can’t win. Regardless of the story or lack thereof, Kilimanjaro Safaris is an amazing attraction, exposing guests to a multitude of animals in what appears to be their natural environments. The ride can be bumpy, but it adds an element of authenticity. Drivers are usually quite knowledgeable about the animals, so definitely ask questions that you may have. Animals are most active first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. This works well, as these are also the best times to experience the attraction to avoid waits. We recommend using FastPass+ and trying to get on one of the last safaris of the day. Nothing beats a sunset ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris!
Avatar Flight of Passage (10/10) – Walt Disney World’s newest E-Ticket thrill ride, this is like Soarin’ on steroids. Riders climb aboard the back of a banshee and link to an avatar flying through Pandora for a simulator experience that is far more ‘active’ than any past attraction of its nature. You can feel your banshee breathe, the wind and spray of the ocean in your face, and smell plenty of scents along the way. Even though it’s a screen-based attraction, you are fully immersed in the experience, and can fully suspend disbelief and embrace the action. No prior knowledge or being a fan of Avatar is necessary here. This will make you want to step deeper into the world of Pandora. FastPass+ is an absolute necessity for this, as the queue takes about 10 minutes to walk through when it’s totally empty. When full, that will be more like a 5-7 hour wait!
Na’vi River Journey (8/10) – The other attraction in Pandora – World of Avatar is not nearly as wow-inducing, nor is it thrilling. Instead, guests board a slow-moving boat ride for a short boat ride through a bioluminescent environment, encountering flora and fauna along the way. Although visually interesting, too much of the scenery is static, making it all feel a bit underwhelming. The finale features the most breathtaking Audio Animatronics figure Imagineering has ever created, making the attraction worth it, but you still get the feeling this attraction could’ve been so much more. Note that our score does not account for the potentially lengthy wait times this attraction will have during its first year or so of operation. If you wait over 45 minutes for this (and you probably will), there’s a decent chance you’ll leave disappointed.
Expedition Everest (9/10) – Everest-themed roller coaster that goes backwards and encounters a yeti. Everest is Disney’s most ambitious roller coaster, and quite impressive in terms of theming and attention to detail. Many effects on Expedition Everest now do not work; the most notable of these effects is the large Audio Animatronics yeti, which now has strobe lights flashing on him to simulate motion (“Disco Yeti”). Despite these nonworking effects (the basis for it losing a point in our score), it’s still an impressively fun coaster, with one of the best queue lines at Walt Disney World. Expedition Everest has a minimum height requirement of 44″. It’s a good use of FastPass+, but know that it has short lines very first thing in the morning, and the wait time through the Single Rider line is typically less than 10 minutes, so if you can’t score a FastPass+ (or choose not to), it’s not the end of the world. Everest is also better at night!
Suffice to say, you absolutely need to score (at least) a Flight of Passage FastPass+, or be prepared to wait. More recommendations can be found in our FastPass+ Strategy Guide for Walt Disney World.
Hopefully, you were able to score a Flight of Passage FastPass+, in which case Na’vi River Journey should be your top priority. Then, you might consider doing Flight of Passage via the standby line if its wait time is not too bad, because it’s an attraction you’ll definitely want to do more than once.
Lunch – Animal Kingdom really brings it when it comes to dining. For lunch, we recommend slowing down and having a table service meal. Animal Kingdom gets pretty hot midday, and this is a great time to escape that heat with a longer, relaxing meal. Currently, our #1 pick for those wanting an exceptional, fine dining caliber (in a realized setting) meal is Tiffins. The best meal at Animal Kingdom, and one of the best overall at Walt Disney World.
Kilimanjaro Safaris (either your first or second of the day), we highly recommend timing this (perhaps via FastPass+) so you are boarding your vehicle right at official sunset time. This will mean the tail end of your sunset will occur around dusk, you will get to see the “eternal sunset” effect, and some of the evening lighting now used on the safari. If you wait until after dusk for the nighttime version of the safari, you won’t be able to see anything (besides the lions, which are most active at night).
Dinner Time – One of the biggest “problems” you’ll have with visiting Animal Kingdom is that there are too many good places to eat. I guess that’s a good problem to have. The newest of these, and the one we’re now recommending is Satu’li Canteen in Pandora – World of Avatar. This counter service restaurant has inventive, high-quality, and even healthy cuisine that is excellent.
head to the front of the park for the Tree of Life Awakenings. This is one of the highlights of Animal Kingdom After Dark. Occurring without a set schedule, you’ll want to linger up in front of the Tree of Life for up to 20 minutes after your meal to see one of these. During these “Awakenings,” the animals on the Tree of Life come alive via projections. This is pure Disney magic, and the experience reminds me a lot of (a technologically more impressive version of) the Kiss Goodnight at Magic Kingdom.
Expedition: Night Time – At the end of the normal park operating hours, you should have a bit of time to jump in line for Expedition Everest. By this point, the waits should be relatively short, and the experience will be exceptional. If waits are still on the long side, consider doing Expedition Everest via the single rider line.
As you walk out after that last ride on Everest, it’s time to head to Pandora – World of Avatar for evening Extra Magic Hours. Now, it’s still likely to be busy (these nightly EMH make Pandora the land that’s open latest each day in all of Walt Disney World), but consider it ‘bonus time’ to experience the beautiful bioluminescent land at night. At the very end of Extra Magic Hours, we’d recommend jumping in line for one final banshee ride on Avatar Flight of Passage.
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If you are able to acquire Flight of Passage FP+: With one day, the easiest way to do most
everything is by arriving at least 45 minutes before open and heading straight to ride Na’vi River
Journey in standby. After, head to priority attractions outside of Pandora where waits will be short. If
you can’t arrive that early and can stay late, get in line for Na’vi River Journey about five minutes
before park close. If neither is possible, ride River Journey sometime between 1pm and 5pm when
waits are actually shorter than the early morning or evening. Use FastPass+ at Flight of Passage and
other priority attractions in the late morning and afternoon. With two days, book FastPass+ for Flight
of Passage on one day and Na’vi River Journey on the second, in addition to two other selections
each day.
If you are unable to acquire Flight of Passage FP+: With one day, the easiest way to do most
everything is by arriving at least 90 minutes before open and heading straight to ride Flight of
Passage in standby. After, head to Na’vi River Journey or priority attractions outside of Pandora
where waits will be short. If you can’t arrive early and can stay late, get in line for Flight of Passage a
few minutes before park close. If neither is possible, ride sometime between 1pm and 5pm when
waits are shorter than the morning or evening. Use FastPass+ in the late morning and afternoon at
Na’vi River Journey and other priority attractions. Visiting over two days will allow more FastPass+
usage and an easier time seeing the nighttime entertainment.
Either way, with an early arrival and plans to stay for the nighttime entertainment, including the Tree
of Life Awakenings and Rivers of Light, most guests will want to plan a lengthy afternoon break to
rest. Without interest in the nighttime entertainment, a half or three-quarters day should work. For a
single late morning or afternoon arrival, some compromises will need to be made as it will be
difficult to experience both Pandora rides and all of the headliners with short waits, in addition to the
evening entertainment. Plan to use FastPass+ upon arrival and then make as many subsequent
selections as possible after using the initial three.
Rope Drop: Animal Kingdom usually begins letting guests inside the park 30-45 minutes prior to
open and holds guests in three places inside the park. Those headed to Asia or DinoLand wait at the
Tree of Life. Those waiting for Pandora are held just outside the land along the bridge leading into it.
Those heading to Africa are held in the Pizzafari/Starbucks area. Guests are typically walked into
Pandora 20-30 minutes before official open with guests headed elsewhere held until closer to official
park open.
The main rope drop priority is Avatar Flight of Passage, where it’s essential to arrive at least an hour
before open and hurry as fast as possible to the holding area. For Flight of Passage, stay to the right.
The walk can be a congested experience. The walk to Na’vi River Journey on the left is much less
stressful. Very few people will be heading anywhere other than Pandora first thing.
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you could get discount tickets from Best of Orlando.
In order for the magic to work, you'll need to go to MyDisneyExperience.com and create an account. Enter your reservations info. If you have purchased on-property hotel reservations or tickets from a vendor other than Disney, link them using the on-screen options.
If you will not be staying at a Disney World hotel, your park tickets can substitute for MagicBands, or you have the options of purchasing MagicBands at the parks.
Step 4: Make Your FastPass+ Reservations and Dining Plans
At MyDisneyExperience.com, you and your park companions can book up to three FastPass+ reservations per day in advance of your visit. Unlike the old FastPass program, Disney World has added many more rides and attractions to the FastPass+ list as well as character greetings and special viewing areas for parades and shows.
You can also make restaurant reservations at MyDisneyExperience.com. If you are wondering where to dine, check out my list of Disney World's best restaurants.
Step 6: Have Fun at the Parks and the Resort
Redeem your FastPass+ reservations using your MagicBands (or park tickets if you don't have the bracelets). Use the app on your mobile device to check your reserved times.
You can also use the app to check standby wait times, make changes to your FastPass+ reservations, view interactive park maps, get resort info, and more.
Once you have used all three of your advance FastPass+ reservations, you can make additional FastPass+ reservations on the day of your visit using the FastPass+ kiosks in the parks. (You can't use the mobile device app to make the additional reservations.) You can also use the kiosks to make other My Disney Experience plans if you do not have a mobile device at the parks.
buy tickets from a discount vendor such as Best of Orlando, you can easily link the ticket numbers to your My Disney Experience account), choose your experiences, and download the My Disney Experience app.
If you plan to visit the parks early in the day, reserve your three advance FastPass+ choices for the earliest times possible so that you would be able to reserve additional experiences on site at the parks. (Once you have completed the last of your three advance-reserved experiences, you can make additional FastPass+ reservations at the parks.)
My Disney Experience offers suggested itineraries in groups of three FastPass+ reservations. If the time of one of the three experiences offered is not ideal, you might want to accept it anyway, because you could modify the time of any one experience once it has been booked. Check to see if a more suitable time is available, and change the reservation.
After you have chosen your three advance FastPass+ reservations, identify other experiences as "favorites" in the mobile app or the online Web site. When you are at the parks, refer to your favorites wish list on the app to help plan the rest of your day. My Disney Experience also allows you to plan a rough itinerary and schedule times for the non-FastPass+ favorites you want to experience.
Check the Interactive Maps
•••
This is a very cool feature. When you are at the parks, click the Attractions tab on the mobile app to see what experiences are available near your current location as well as to see the current standby wait times in real time. Seek out the ones with the shortest waits. You can also access interactive maps of character, dining, restroom, entertainment, and shopping locations.
You can only make one additional FP+ reservation at a time. When your fourth reservation is completed, you can book a fifth one, for example
, we recommend trying to score a FastPass+ for Avatar Flight of Passage and doing Na’vi River Journey via the standby line. You can read more about strategy for this new land in our Ultimate Guide to Pandora – World of Avatar.
Rivers of Light is the other new FastPass+ offering in Animal Kingdom, but since it’s a nighttime spectacular, we do not recommend booking a FastPass+ in advance for it. Since its initial popularity has died down, same-day FastPass+ are pretty easy to grab around midday for it. We’ll see if that remains true once Pandora opens, but for now, we’d recommend using those additional FastPass+ allocations for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest.
One final tip for these super-popular FastPass+ attractions: if there’s something that’s an absolute must-do for you, refresh the app regularly, particularly on the day of your visit. People cancel FastPass+ reservations at the last minute, and if you are diligent, getting a Frozen Ever After FastPass+ is possible (particularly for parties of 1-2). We’ve gotten lucky with same-day FastPass+ for Frozen Ever After several times–it just required a lot of refreshing the app!
You might recall that above I recommended making FastPass+ selections for the middle of the day.Making your 3 FastPass+ selections between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. is, I think, the best strategy (except at Animal Kingdom). This is because midday is when the wait times are the longest,
The first advantage to this is that it gives you roughly 2 hours from rope drop until 11 a.m. to do attractions via the standby line before the crowds really hit, and lines start getting longer. If you’re redeeming FastPass+ first thing in the morning, you aren’t taking advantage of these short standby waits.
Conversely, if you book FastPass+ too late in the day, your options are limited once you redeem your FastPasses and can start making additional selections. Instead, you want to find the right balance between early and not too early, and I think that is around 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. At Animal Kingdom, we recommend using your FastPass+ for the nighttime attractions and entertainment, since all of these new things will be incredibly popular, and there aren’t that many “good” FastPass+ (as you see above) in Animal Kingdom, anyway. In addition to doing the nighttime Kilimanjaro Safari with FastPass+, we’d recommend rope dropping it via the standby line.
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