Thoughts on Animal Kingdom... am I foolish?

CaperRD

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 22, 2018
Hi! So, as a family, we have decided to ignore Pandora! Is that foolish? This is our first time at Disney. Our son is 6 yo. He has NO IDEA what Avatar or Pandora is. Animal Kingdom looks so HUGE! I've done a touring plan for our 1 day there and it is difficult to fit in everything as it is. And that's being there ALL DAY. Include EMH in the morning. We plan on starting at Safari, then doing Gorilla Trail, then train to Rafiki Planet watch, then Lion king Show, then UP show, then Jungle Trek, then Kali Rapids, then Finding Nemo, the boneyard; maybe Tough to be a bug; supper @ rainforest cafe; then Maybe rivers of light if we are not exhausted..
Thoughts on this plan?? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
NOTE - we are avoiding Pandora, Everest, Dinosaur and still feel our day is packed! Does it take as long as one imagines?
Thank you!
 
How tall is your son? If he is ok with thrill rides, then no way would I skip Everest or FOP. IMO they are the 2 best rides in all of WDW. I would try to squeeze in time for both. UP show and Boneyard are totally skip-able. You can really spend as much or as little time as you want on Gorilla Trail and Jungle Trek. I would get FPs for FOP, Safari, and Kali. If you do Navi at RD, the you can easily do Everest and Dinosaur without FPs right after.
 
I don't think ignoring Pandora is foolish with a six year old. Sounds like you have plenty to do! We found FoP to be okay, but I honestly don't rank it as one of my top rides. We thought it was highly over rated. Even with fastpass, it takes a huge chunk of time out of your day.
 
Animal Kingdom with my 7 year old is a 2 day park now. Any part of the park is skippable if you want it to be. Just more incentive to go back another time. I do suggest taking it slow, it is a lot of walking. Play at the boneyard for some untethered fun. It's a playground
 


How tall is your son? If he is ok with thrill rides, then no way would I skip Everest or FOP. IMO they are the 2 best rides in all of WDW. I would try to squeeze in time for both. UP show and Boneyard are totally skip-able. You can really spend as much or as little time as you want on Gorilla Trail and Jungle Trek. I would get FPs for FOP, Safari, and Kali. If you do Navi at RD, the you can easily do Everest and Dinosaur without FPs right after.
He is more than 45 inches - probably close to 46 inches now. We are not 100% sure how he is with thrill rides - we expect he is fine though. Do you think we need FP for Safari if we do it first thing? (we have EMH at 8AM).
 
That is a perfect age for a first visit to Pandora, even if you just walk through and take in the atmosphere. (That is, unless you aren't up for the negotiations once he sees the awesome Banshee toys!) But your day is pretty full and will still be great, although I agree with above poster that UP show is skip-able... especially if you're planning it mid-day on a hot day.
 


Everest was my son's first coaster at age 5. He hated me for it, at first. Then he begged to go back on it and now those rides are all he wants to do. First time at Animal Kingdom he spent over an hour at Boneyard. We also did the booklet thing where you get stickers, he really enjoyed that. Kiddo still (now 8) refuses to do Dinosaur. He did not like FoP because of the "bug" thing in the pre-ride bit. The ride itself he thought was ok. Now his favourite ride there is Primeval Whirl, which this mama can't handle more than once. Your son is probably too short for that still. My son also wasn't keen on the shows, though he did enjoy Lion King when I finally got him to go. Navi, we thought was lovely but boring :) I'd agree with ellbell though, it's a two day park for us. Or at least 1 1/2 if we have hoppers. We also really enjoyed the River of Lights.

We usually head straight for Safari and don't need a FP for it. We often ride it more than once in the day since the animals move around during the day and different ones are active throughout. Early morning is a different ride than in the afternoon. Well at least you see different animals.
 
My (at the time) almost 6 year old LOVED FOP and the whole Pandora area even though he had no idea what Pandora/Avatar was. His friend who was 5 was not ok with it, although I think we traumatized her earlier on the trip by taking her on Tower of Terror. It was the atmosphere that got her. She refused to go on anything even remotely scary the rest of the trip. My son loves roller coasters and fast rides and loved Tower of Terror. Pandora is busy and FOP even with a fast pass was at least 30 mins per group that went through (we did rider swap for a bunch of things on our trip). I would pick the attractions that you think your son would appreciate the most and go with it. FOP is amazing and I'm incredibly disappointed that we didn't end up making it on Expedition Everest. With young kids, we definitely needed 2 days to see it all.
 
If you don’t have a fastpass for Pandora rides then yes ignore it. We went on it yesterday and it is intense (but great). My kids loved it but they are 12,15,17. I am not sure my youngest would have been as enthusiastic at 6. FOP took us 30 minutes with a fastpass but they were also announcing technical difficulties - not sure how much that affects fastpass people tho versus standby which was 150min at that time.
You will have no problem getting on the safaris first thing without a fastpass. We ended up in that line (by accident) the other day first thing before park opening and they stated that there are 40 ride vehicles - I can’t remember how many each holds but the cast member was basically saying please don’t run once you get across the bridge as if you can hear my voice you will get on this ride with little wait and we were nowhere near the front of the crowd.
I will say tho that the day you have planned sounds really long for a 6 year old.
Other advice - don’t waste a fastpass on a show - pretty much all seats have good views. Not sure about rivers of light tho as we haven’t been.
 
One other thing. I would definitely NOT take my 6 year old on Dinosaur so good call there. If you are the family that lets your kids watch Jurassic World at 6 and they arent scared by it then possibly ok but even my 12 year old finds it scary. I overheard a cast member saying yesterday who works in the gift shop there that they have lots of little kids come off that ride crying.
If you did want to add a Pandora ride you might consider the river journey. It is great for younger kids but you don’t want to wait in standby for it as usually 60min plus.
 
My 3 boys...Paradise Cafe scared the dickens out of them, they refused to stay inside and eat as they tried to sit us in a darker corner just as the animals started in. Keep that in mind - I thought it would be a highlight, but instead it was a low moment for this parent!

Your day sounds great but exhausting - AK is hot and dry, and there's lot of walking as the darned shows aren't timed so that you can do them all conveniently...
 
Hi! So, as a family, we have decided to ignore Pandora! Is that foolish? This is our first time at Disney. Our son is 6 yo. He has NO IDEA what Avatar or Pandora is. Animal Kingdom looks so HUGE! I've done a touring plan for our 1 day there and it is difficult to fit in everything as it is. And that's being there ALL DAY. Include EMH in the morning. We plan on starting at Safari, then doing Gorilla Trail, then train to Rafiki Planet watch, then Lion king Show, then UP show, then Jungle Trek, then Kali Rapids, then Finding Nemo, the boneyard; maybe Tough to be a bug; supper @ rainforest cafe; then Maybe rivers of light if we are not exhausted..
Thoughts on this plan?? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
NOTE - we are avoiding Pandora, Everest, Dinosaur and still feel our day is packed! Does it take as long as one imagines?
Thank you!
I think you're right about Dinosaur. It can be pretty intense.

How active is your son's imagination? I've ridden FOP about 8 times and the only time I saw a child that was scared was when he really bought into the plot line that ...
... he was really going to be turned into an Avatar and ride a banshee.
. It is a wonderful ride and as long are your son is not a scardy-cat (meaning no disrespect to people who are scared or to cats) and he knows things are pretend, I'm sure he will enjoy it.

I agree with @pharm55 about the length of your day. Our family always takes a mid-day break instead of trying to "commando" through the day. The hotel pool is often the favorite part of the trip for younger kids.

Here'e my advise:

1. Safari -- I love a morning safari!
2. Gorilla Trail -- if you're short on time, chose only one trail. I prefer the gorillas myself.
3. Rafiki Planet watch -- IMO this is a total waste of time and energy.
4. Lion king Show -- Love this show!
5. UP show -- I liked the bird show that was there before.
6. Jungle Trek -- can skip. Sometimes the tigers are not even out.
7. Kali Rapids -- prepare to get soaked. Use the nearby lockers. I make this a last stop on my way out of the park so I can go "home" and dry off.
8. Finding Nemo show -- cute show, but 3 shows in one day is really a lot.
9. The Boneyard -- I hated to Boneyard, but my DD *loved* it when she was 6. I would keep it.
10. Tough to be a bug -- I like this show but it can be scary.
11. supper @ rainforest cafe -- the atmosphere is pretty cool for a 6-year old.
12. Rivers of light if we are not exhausted -- if you go all day you will be exhausted. I'm not a fan of ROL. I much prefer the Tree of Life "Nighttime Awakening" that is projected on the tree at night.

You're also missing Triceratops Spin which is a fun Dumbo-type ride with a short line.

I would get a FPs for Flight of Passage, Everest and Kali. I would get the first two early and set the Kali one for about 2 pm. (edited, I would book FOP in the evening after supper) If, on your earlier days you find out that your son will not be brave enough for FOP (Soarin' in Epcot is a similar ride) or Everest you can make adjustments to your FPs prior to your AK day. I would also consider STARTING with Na'vi River Journey at rope drop instead of the safari. The vast majority of the rope drop crowd is headed to FOP. You'll be able to do Na'vi and head over to the Safari before they are off the FOP ride.

So, I would do:

1. Na'vi River Journey standby
2. Safari standby
3. Lion King Show (check the show schedule)
4. Up show (check the show schedule)
5. Everest -- FP
6. Fill in with Boneyard between shows.
7. Triceratops Spin when you visit the Boneyard.
8. Kali in the early afternoon. -- FP
9. Go back to your hotel and r-e-l-a-x
10. Return to AK for dinner
11. FOP -- FP (Avatar is *beautiful at night!)
12. Tough to be a Bug if you didn't fit it in earlier.
13. Rivers of Light standby
 
Last edited:
Wow! Thank you! So very helpful!
I think you're right about Dinosaur. It can be pretty intense.

How active is your son's imagination? I've ridden FOP about 8 times and the only time I saw a child that was scared was when he really bought into the plot line that ...
... he was really going to be turned into an Avatar and ride a banshee.
. It is a wonderful ride and as long are your son is not a scardy-cat (meaning no disrespect to people who are scared or to cats) and he knows things are pretend, I'm sure he will enjoy it.

I agree with @pharm55 about the length of your day. Our family always takes a mid-day break instead of trying to "commando" through the day. The hotel pool is often the favorite part of the trip for younger kids.

Here'e my advise:

1. Safari -- I love a morning safari!
2. Gorilla Trail -- if you're short on time, chose only one trail. I prefer the gorillas myself.
3. Rafiki Planet watch -- IMO this is a total waste of time and energy.
4. Lion king Show -- Love this show!
5. UP show -- I liked the bird show that was there before.
6. Jungle Trek -- can skip. Sometimes the tigers are not even out.
7. Kali Rapids -- prepare to get soaked. Use the nearby lockers. I make this a last stop on my way out of the park so I can go "home" and dry off.
8. Finding Nemo show -- cute show, but 3 shows in one day is really a lot.
9. The Boneyard -- I hated to Boneyard, but my DD *loved* it when she was 6. I would keep it.
10. Tough to be a bug -- I like this show but it can be scary.
11. supper @ rainforest cafe -- the atmosphere is pretty cool for a 6-year old.
12. Rivers of light if we are not exhausted -- if you go all day you will be exhausted. I'm not a fan of ROL. I much prefer the Tree of Life "Nighttime Awakening" that is projected on the tree at night.

You're also missing Triceratops Spin which is a fun Dumbo-type ride with a short line.

I would get a FPs for Flight of Passage, Everest and Kali. I would get the first two early and set the Kali one for about 2 pm. If, on your earlier days you find out that your son will not be brave enough for FOP (Soarin' in Epcot is a similar ride) or Everest you can make adjustments to your FPs prior to your AK day. I would also consider STARTING with Na'vi River Journey at rope drop instead of the safari. The vast majority of the rope drop crowd is headed to FOP. You'll be able to do Na'vi and head over to the Safari before they are off the FOP ride.

So, I would do:

1. Na'vi River Journey standby
2. Safari standby
3. Lion King Show (check the show schedule)
4. Up show (check the show schedule)
5. Everest -- FP
6. Fill in with Boneyard between shows.
7. Triceratops Spin when you visit the Boneyard.
8. Kali in the early afternoon. -- FP
9. Go back to your hotel and r-e-l-a-x
10. Return to AK for dinner
11. FOP -- FP (Avatar is *beautiful at night!)
12. Tough to be a Bug if you didn't fit it in earlier.
13. Rivers of Light standby
 
I wouldn't miss Pandora personally. My best friend went to WDW for the first time last March and said Pandora was her 8yo son favourite thing at WDW even though they haven't done FOP because their kids are afraid of anything remotely scary (included in this category are Star Tours and Splash) and only her DH had seen Avatar prior to their visit. In fact, her DH and son went back in the evening while the girls were back at the resort to see it while it was dark!
 
Don't skip Pandora, try to get FP+ for both rides but definitely for FOP. None of us were big fans of the movie but even my 10 yr old son loved FOP. I know you want to focus on things your son would enjoy at AK, but honestly I think your whole family will enjoy Pandora - especially at night.
 
My 2 youngest (5,7 at time of trip) loved the Dino area of the park the best. When we talk about our AK day 6 months later my 10 yr old raves about Kali River but the little ones loved the Dino carnival games, triceratops spin and the Boneyard (if your little one loves to run around, climb and explore its great!). I wish we didn’t save that area til end of day and had more time to spend.
We skipped Pandora. No interest so no regrets. But it was an easy choose as we knew our kids wouldn’t enjoy it.
I found it helpful to look at YouTube videos with the kids before we went so the kids could tell me what looked best to them.
 
Looks like people here a split between those that say skip it and those who say do it.

Add me to the ones who suggest skipping it.

There really is so much at ak you dont need pandora. And by skipping it you can avoid long lined and the mass of bodies heading to that part of the park.

And with everyone in pandora you got the rest of the park empty at the beginning of the day.

You will be back one day. When star wars land is open.
And when everyone from all parks are mobbing star wars. Thats when you hit pandora ;).

I would say though. Have lunch or dinner at Satuli in pandora. Or just walk through pandora.

The theming itself is an attraction. So if you have time just walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. And maybe walk through once more at night when the pretty lighting effects are active.

I still remember when i was reslly young at epcot enjoying the simple walkway lighting effects at the end of the day.
 
FoP is my dd5 and dd7's favorite ride of all the Disney ride. No need to know anything about Avatar. If you can get a FP for it... I would suggest not missing it. I am not a fan of Navi.. it is cute, but not worth the wait or FP for us. We typically skip Planet Watch if we are short on time... Not much to see.. There is a petting zoo (goats etc..) and a small building with info on caring for animals. There are better things to see in the park I think...
 
Imo you’re skipping the 3 top attractions. I don’t know if you’re past your FP choosing time or not. But if you’re past the FP window I’d rope drop Pandora and go directly to FOP. Be at rope drop 45 min before posted park opening. And Pandora itself is amazing. Imo AK is THE best themed park. So many details.
 

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