Tips for Disney's Animal Kingdom

Animal lovers and parents of small children will love Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Still, you should keep a couple of things in mind. First of all, it’s the most spread out of all the Disney parks. Also, it’s the hottest by quite a bit. You need to approach a day at this park a bit more tactically. What I find works best is walking all the way to the back of the park, the Africa section, at the start of the day when I have the most energy. Then, I cross over to Asia and work my way to nearby Dinoland U.S.A. on the way out. Once Pandora - The World of Avatar opens, it’ll be the last thing I do before I leave.

What I like about this plan is that I can start the day with my favorite attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and then my family enjoys the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail when we’re in the mood. Similarly, we’ve seen Festival of the Lion King enough that we don’t need to do it each visit, but you absolutely should since it’s your first time. It also doubles as a great way to get off your feet when you’re tired. The same is actually true of Kilimanjaro Safaris, which takes at least 20 minutes.

After I’m done in Africa, I head over to the best thrill ride at the park, Expedition Everest. I’m not a huge fan of Kali River Rapids, which is the laziest attraction at all of Walt Disney World in my opinion, but it’s great when you need to cool off. That’s also why the lines frequently reach an hour or more on hot days. Make sure to get a FastPass for it if you plan to spend an extended period of time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Finally, Dinoland U.S.A. is notoriously circus-like and un-Disney, but I still ride Dinosaur, a woefully underrated attraction.

All of these plans should work for you, too. The only question is how much you want to interact with the animals. There’s also one other attraction that will provide a respite from the heat and walking. It’s Tough to Be a Bug is entertaining, especially the first time a person watches it, and it takes about 15 minutes to get seated plus watch the show.

Tips for Epcot

The smartest plan for Epcot partially depends on where you enter the park. Most folks will start at the front gates, visiting Future World first. Guests staying at a couple of Disney hotels nearby or riding boat transportation into the park will start at the back. That entrance is off to the side of the France Pavilion in the World Showcase. Should you arrive on that end of the park, the best tactic is to explore the World Showcase first. Otherwise, you’ll want to follow the herd entering Future World. That doesn’t mean that you have to act like everyone else, though.

The first thing you’ll see when you enter Epcot’s front gate is Spaceship Earth, the giant golf ball that grabs the eye. Lots of unexperienced guests will get in line for this attraction since it’s the first thing they see. That’s a rookie mistake that you don’t want to make. Due to its massive size and rider throughput, Spaceship Earth WILL have short lines at some point during the day. Wait to ride it during one of those instances. Alternately, make a FastPass for it later in the day. You’ll basically walk onto the ride that way, and it’s one of the easiest FastPasses to get anywhere at Walt Disney World.

When you enter Future World, walk right past Spaceship Earth and head either left or right once you reach the giant Fountain of Nations watery thing. Then, either go left toward Mission: Space and Test Track or right toward The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Imagination!, and The Land. While it’s spread out a bit, Epcot is easy to navigate. At the front of the park, only two rides will have extended wait-times throughout the day. Those are Soarin’ Around the World and Test Track. Everything else should be something you can wait in line to ride at some point.

One tip for Test Track is that if you don’t mind missing the ride-building portion, it has a Single Rider line. This can dramatically reduce the wait-time for the actual ride portion. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios also offers it, as do some other attractions across the four parks. These are the two rides where it’s most valuable, though.

When you’re tired, Epcot has a plethora of great options to rest while technically doing something. Living with the Land takes 20 minutes and will either open your mind to emerging technologies or provide you with a wonderful nap. Ellen’s Energy Adventure takes 45 minutes, and unless you’re on the ultimate caffeine high, you likely will fall asleep at some point since it has prolonged bouts of minimal light. Journey into Imagination with Figment is also more than 10 minutes long.

How you approach World Showcase depends on you and your travel party. Some groups find the walk around the 11 pavilions a bit grueling. On hot days in particular, they blow off a lot of what’s great about the back half of the park. Personally, I love it and try to spend an hour exploring an entire pavilion whenever I can. Since your time is at a premium during your first trip to Walt Disney World, you may not have that luxury.

Here’s what you need to know about this section. The Norway Pavilion is where the action is. Frozen Ever After is currently the most popular attraction at Walt Disney World in terms of wait-times and FastPass sellouts. If you can’t get a FastPass, expect to wait at least an hour in line. Thankfully, a lot of it is indoors.

Otherwise, the only pure ride in the World Showcase is at the Mexico Pavilion. While I find it incredibly charming, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros is more of an attraction used to get off your feet. In fact, I’ve heard angry guests complain when the wait-time for it was more than 10 minutes. I think of it as a hidden gem. You should think of it as an escape when you’re tired. Plus, the interior of the Mexico Pavilion is absolutely spectacular.