We have taken time to look at how to ride the top rides at EPCOT, Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with low waits. Today we are going to jump into Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
With the opening of Pandora, Disney’s Animal Kingdom transitioned from being a half day park with only a few rides, to being a full day with some top attractions.
To make sure you can enjoy your time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom while on your Walt Disney World vacation, we are going to look at the top rides and how you can experience them without extremely long waits.
As a review, there are some basic strategies you can use to have lower wait times:
- Arrive early (before Park opening also known as rope drop)
- Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane Access ($15/per person per day)
- Buy Individual Lightning Lane Access (price ranges from $5 to $15 per ride per person)
- Use early entry option (for Disney resort Guests only)
- Single Rider (when offered)
- Wait until Park closing
We hope that this breakdown will help you create a plan on how you can enjoy the top rides in Disney’s Animal Kingdom without having to wait in long lines.
Avatar Flight of Passage: Pandora
The top ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Avatar Flight of Passage. On this breathtaking ride, Guests are connected to their very own banshee and then soar around Pandora. Guests get to experience the beauty and danger of Pandora as they explore all it has to offer.
Since this is the top ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the lines for it start building as soon as the Park opens. To avoid hour long lines, consider some of the these options:Purchase Individual Attraction Selection
- Purchase Individual Attraction Selection
- Use early entry
- Hit at Park close
- Arrive early
If this ride is a must do for your family, we highly recommend looking into the individual attraction selection. Since so many Guests choose to rope drop this ride, if you aren’t in the front of the pack you can still spend a lot of time waiting in line.
Na’vi River Journey- Pandora
The other ride in Pandora is the Na’vi River Journey. Not nearly as exciting as Avatar Flight of Passage but still just as popular, you will see the line for this ride grow early on in the day as well. Since most people hop from Avatar to Na’vi River Journey so they can finish out the land, those wait times are high early on.
Na’vi River Journey is a slow moving dark boat ride that takes Guests through the bioluminescent forest. Although there is some storyline missing, the overall beauty is amazing.
If you are wanting to experience Na’vi River Journey but don’t want to wait in a long line, take a look at the ways you can do so:
- Purchase Individual Attraction Selection
- Use early entry
- Hit at Park close
- Arrive early
Although the lines don’t build as quickly for Na’vi River Journey in the morning, you might want to consider using Genie+ here or checking it out later on in the day.
Expedition Everest- Asia
The highly thrilling roller coaster in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Expedition Everest. This coaster has everything from going backwards, a big drop and being in the dark. As the major thrill in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest can see long lines in the middle of the day.
- Purchase Individual Attraction Selection
- Use early entry
- Hit at Park close
- Arrive early
- Single Rider
We don’t feel like it is necessary to purchase individual attraction selection for Expedition Everest because you can use some of the other options as ways to avoid long lines. If you choose to purchase an ILL for Avatar Flight of Passage, you can then head right to Expedition Everest in the morning. You can also choose to use the single rider line if you don’t mind splitting up your group.
Kilimanjaro Safaris- Africa
An extremely unique ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Kilimanjaro Safaris. This ride takes Guests on a true safari around the Harambe Wildlife Reserve where they can get up close with a variety of animals that call the reserve their home.
This is an amazing ride and a must-do when in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Because most Guests agree with that, the lines for the safari build quickly in the morning as Guests want to see the animals as they wake up.
To avoid long wait times, choose an option below:
- Purchase Genie+
- Use early entry
- Arrive early
This ride does close earlier than others so make sure to pay attention if you are wanting to ride later on in the day. Kilimanjaro Safaris would be our top choice for a Genie+ selection in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Dinosaur- DinoLand
Our final ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Dinosaur. This intense ride takes Guests back in time to capture a dino to bring back. Of course things go terribly wrong along the way.
After Expedition Everest, Dinosaur is the next thrill ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Because of this factor, it does see wait times start to build throughout the day.
To avoid long lines we recommend one of the following options:
- Purchase Genie+
- Use early entry
- Hit at Park close
- Arrive early
We don’t think you need to purchase Genie+ just for Dinosaur; however, after Kilimanjaro Safaris it is a good option if you already have it purchased for the day. Otherwise hitting Dinosaur early in the day or late at night are great ways to avoid long lines.
We hope that looking at these top rides in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and how to ride them without long waits will help you plan out your day at this Disney Park.
If you are wanting more on Genie+, we have suggestions on what selections to make HERE.
