Everything You Need to Know About FastPass at Animal Kingdom!

Hey, hey , hey! Thanks for dropping by to check out this week’s installment in the Disney Vacation Planning series. In case you’ve missed a previous post in the series, be sure to check out the links below! I created this series to ease some of the chaos that comes with planning a Disney vacation. Believe you me, there is a LOT that goes into creating those few special days. So this series covers everything from when to visit to what to pack and what to do when you get there. If you haven’t already, subscribe so that you can stay in the loop!!

This week we are going to take a look at FastPass+ in the Animal Kingdom. FastPass+ is one of the best advantages of a Disney vacation, and you can get even more of a head start by staying on property. Animal Kingdom saw a lot of changes in the last year, with a new land, new rides, and  an all new show. There is more than ever to see. So let’s get started!

Here’s Your Options

Animal Kingdom’s FastPass+ system is similar to that of Epcot and Hollywood studios, in that there is some limitation as to what you can reserve. However, it’s not to the same extent. There are no tiers, though you can only reserve one of the FP+ rides in Pandora. Here are all of the attractions Disney offers FP+ reservations for.

• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Festival of the Lion King
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventures Outpost
• Na’vi River Journey
• Primeval Whirl
• Rivers of Light

Okay but, I want to do everything….

I know right? I LOVE Animal Kingdom! There is SO much to do; great rides, great shows, great everything. I always say Epcot is my favorite park, but with the new attractions AK is giving it a run for it’s money. That’s not very helpful though, so here’s a brief review of these attractions, the usual line situation, and my recommendations for you.

DINOSAUR

This is not a good ride for small children. It’s a dark ride, but filled with dinosaurs and there are a few jump scares. The line for this isn’t ever very long, and there are some interesting props in the queue area. Save your FastPass and wait this one out.

Expedition Everest

1. NOT. USE. THIS. FASTPASS. Don’t do it. Expedition Everest is one of the most thrilling rides in the park, and it is a blast. But you don’t really need a FastPass for it. Last time we went, we rode 6 times back to back, and did the same thing 2 days later. Seriously, don’t waste that valuable reservation on this one.

Festival of the Lion King

This is a Broadway caliber show, it is SO good! You cannot miss it. But, there are performances all day and the auditorium is fairly large. A FastPass would certainly help you to get a seat, but only if you are not interested in one of the more high priority choices.

It’s Tough to Be a Bug!

Another show, but instead of a performance its more akin to a movie screen. It’s a cute attraction for young kids, and a great opportunity to give your feet a break. But I wouldn’t call this a must do by any means. Apparently I’m not alone, because there’s never much of a line. Take the standby line, if you want to check this one out.

Kali River Rapids

Depending on when you are visiting you may or may not need to reserve this with FP+. If you are going in the summer, absolutely grab this one because everyone will want to ride. If you’re going during the cooler season, you’ll be able to walk on in most cases.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

It used to be that you could avoid using your FastPass for Kilimanjaro by making it your first stop of the day but, with the conundrum that is Pandora, you can’t really do that anymore. Well, you can but you’d have to sacrifice something else. This is one of my favorite rides in the park, so I highly recommend it. It’s about as close as you can get to a real African safari outside of Africa. Grab the FastPass reservation.

Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventures Outpost

This attraction is really similar to Epcot Character Spot, the only real difference is that the characters are wearing different outfits. There are so many more rides in AK that you really need the FP for, that it doesn’t make sense to reserve this one. Unless, you are really big on meeting character in which case go right ahead.

Primeval Whirl

A fun mini coaster that may be soon replaced, if the rumors going around now are to be believed. Definitely check this one out, but you don’t’ need a FastPass for it, the wait should be pretty short.

Rivers of Light

If you want to see Rivers of Light you will need a FastPass. It is still really new and really popular.

The Case of Pandora

Avatar Flight of Passage

Na’vi River Journey

Pandora is the brand new land in Animal Kingdom that opened just a short time ago. There are 2 main attractions and everyone wants to ride them. The lines are usually 4 hours or more. What’s worse is you can only get a FastPass reservation for 1 of them. Thanks Disney. Because of that, you’ll need to try and arrive before rope drop to do one of these.  My recommendation here is to snag the FP+ for Na’vi River Journey and sneak in Flight of Passage  first thing in the morning. Most people will be doing the opposite, so you should be the odd man out.

Thanks for checking out this week’s installment of the Disney Vacation Planning Series! Drop a comment below and let me know which attraction you can’t wait to ride!