Kenny the Pirate’s Guide to Animal Kingdom Attractions
Attractions | Characters | Entertainment | Hours |
Map | Menus | Touring |
Animal Kingdom offers very few rides and attractions and is often treated as a “half-day” park. Many guests tend to leave by mid-day. I’ve often arrived in the late afternoon and was able to walk on many attractions. I recommend that you arrive 45 minutes before park opening and head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris. If you find long lines at the Mickey Touchpoints, enter through Rainforest Cafe, which offers an entrance through its gift shop.
I would advise that you use your Fastpass+ entitlements for:
- Expedition Everest
- Kali River Rapids or Primeval Whirl
- Meet Mickey and Minnie at the Adventurers Outpost
I don’t see using Fastpass+ for shows as beneficial except during holiday seasons or if your family isn’t interested in riding Everest or Kali. In the busiest seasons arrive 20-30 minutes early for shows if you choose not to use Fastpass+. Dinosaur’s paper Fastpass machine is not connected to the rest of the system. This means that you can receive a paper Fastpass and immediately get a paper Fastpass for ANY other attraction that offers it including Primeval Whirl.
The absolute worst day of the week to go to Animal Kingdom in terms of crowds and wait times is Wednesday. If you plan to use the Extra Magic Hour privilege, go on Monday. The wait times on Wednesday versus the lowest average peak waits of the week can be 1.5 to 2 times as much! The lowest wait times of the week are typically Sunday and Saturday.
Understanding the chart |
FP+: Fastpass+ electronic Fastpass offered |
MEMH: Morning Extra Magic Hour attraction |
EEMH: Evening Extra Magic Hour attraction |
Click on any attraction name for a CURRENT wait time! Click any map or for larger map.
Highest Priority Attractions – Ride early, late or use Fastpass | |||
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Expedition Everest | FP+ & Single Rider | 44” |
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MEMH | ||
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Board your tea train in search of the mysterious YETI who has been known to terrorize the locals. The journey starts off smoothly, but then we find the tracks are destroyed and we must travel backward very fast. We see a projection of the YETI and are sent forward (photo op) and circle back up into the mountain. You will get a VERY BRIEF view of the largest animatronic ever built. Ride does not go upside down, but does offer big thrills.
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Kali River Rapids | FP+ | 38” |
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You WILL get SOAKED! This is not a splash ride, it is a drench ride. You will board a raft that seats 12 and spins while you are getting soaked throughout the ride. I recommend using FASTPASS for this attraction and bring along a change of clothes. There are complimentary lockers located by the restrooms to use during the duration of your ride.
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Kilimanjaro Safaris | FP+ | |
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MEMH | ||
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Animal Kingdom’s foremost animal based attraction. Many animals can even walk right up to your vehicle. This is a don’t miss attraction that will awe your kids! I recommend riding early in the morning while the animals are still moving about and eating. The trucks can be quite shaky and bouncy. | |||
Moderate Priority Attractions – Ride by mid-morning, late in the evening or use Fastpass | |||
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Dinosaur | FP+ | 40” |
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MEMH | ||
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Dinosaur uses an Enhanced Motion Simulator jeep to take you back to the late Cretaceous period in order to retrieve a Dinosaur before all known life forms are destroyed by a meteor attack. This attraction is a lot of fun, but is VERY shaky and can be very scary for small children.
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Primeval Whirl | FP+ | 48” |
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MEMH | ||
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Primeval Whirl is a typical wild mouse coaster like you might find at a local carnival, but it is made worse by all the spinning. If you are prone to motion sickness, you may want to avoid this attraction.
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Triceratop Spin | No | |
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MEMH | ||
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Triceratop Spin is one of the four Dumbo style spinners in Walt Disney World. There is really nothing special about this ride, but young children seem to like it. For some reason, it rarely has a long line.
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Wildlife Express Train | No | |
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Wildlife Express Train is the transportation to and from Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The lines are longest from noon to 3:00 but rarely exceed 20 minutes. | |||
Lowest Priority Attractions – Ride anytime, there’s rarely a long line | |||
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Conservation Station | No | |
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Board the Wildlife Express Train in Africa to experience this attraction. This is a walk-through area that includes an opportunity to see how the animal care experts take care of the hundreds of animals in the park. You can even pet some animals in the Affection Section. | |||
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It’s Tough to Be a Bug | FP+ | |
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MEMH | ||
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It’s Tough to be a Bug is located inside the Tree of Life. The 3D show portrays the difficult life of Bugs. The show can be scary for younger children with darkness, spiders coming from the ceiling and other dramatic effects.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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The Boneyard | No | |
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Giant kids play land with slides, climbers and they can even dig for fossils. It’s a great place for kids to burn off some steam while the parents rest! | |||
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Wilderness Explorers | No | |
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Stop at the kiosk as you cross the entry bridge on your right and pick up your Wilderness Explorers materials. See how many badges you can collect! | |||
Animal Trails – Walking trails. Explore at your own conventience | |||
Dinoland Animals | No | ||
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You can find the American Crocodile in this area. | |||
Discovery Island Animals | No | ||
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Animals that you might encounter on the Discovery Island Trails include: African Crested Porcupine, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Collared Lemur, Cotton-top Tamarin, Galapagos Tortoise, Lappet-faced Vulture, Lesser Flamingo, Macaw, Pacu, Paroon Shark Catfish, Red Kangaroo, Ring-tailed Lemur, Stork, Waterfowl, West African Crowned Crane | |||
Maharajah Jungle Trek | No | ||
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This is a self-guided walking tour that displays the animals you might encounter in Southeast Asia. Animals you may view include: Asian Tiger, Banteng, Blackbuck, Elds Deer, Gibbons, Komodo Dragon, Malayan Flying Fox, Rodrigues Fruit Bat, More than four dozen types of birds! | |||
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail | No | ||
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This is a self-guided walking tour that displays the animals you might encounter in Africa. Animals you may view include: African Bullfrog, Angolan Black and White Colobus Monkey, Dung Beetle, Emerald Starling, Kenyan Sand Boa, Meerkat, Naked Mole Rat, Nile Hippopotamus, Pygmy Geese, Western Lowland Gorilla | |||
Oasis Animals | No | ||
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Animals that you might encounter at the Oasis / Entry area include: Babirusa, Giant Anteater, Macaw, Muntjac, Patagonian Cavy, Peninsula Cooter, Read-eared Slider, Rhinoceros Iguana, Spoonbill, Swan, Wallaby, Waterfowl | |||
Rafiki’s Planet Watch | No | ||
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Animals that you might encounter include: Axolotl, Burmese Python, Caiman Lizard, Centipede, Colorado River Frog, Dart Frog, Fire Salamander, Goat, Gopher Tortoise, Green Tree Python, Kunekune Pig, Miniature Donkey, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Puerto Rican Crested Toad, Scorpion, Sheep, Siren, Stick Insect, Tamarin and Marmoset, Tarantula |