Ready for the ultimate adventure at

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll provide you with all the tips and tricks you need to make the most of your time at Animal Kingdom.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a unique
- Oasis
- Discovery Island
- Pandora – The World of Avatar
- Africa
- Asia
- DinoLand U.S.A.
Animal Kingdom is home to some of
Planning Your Visit
Before you visit the parks, it’s important to do a bit of planning to make the most of your time in the park. Here are some tips to help you plan your visit:

Best time of year to visit
Animal Kingdom gets busy during the Summer and Holidays, just like the rest of the
Increased interest in the parks, combined with more RunDisney and sports events, have driven a lot more annual visitors.
There are still times of the year that are better to visit than others, early Spring and mid-late Summer are some of the best. Our best recommendation, though, is to check a crowd calendar.
Park hours and crowd levels
Check park hours and crowd levels before your visit, to plan your day. Arriving early or staying late can help avoid the busiest times. Keep in mind that Animal Kingdom closes much earlier than the other
Rope Drop

One of the best ways to maximize your time in Animal Kingdom is rope drop. Guests staying on property at a
However, you’ll want to arrive at the park even earlier still! We recommend being in line outside of Animal Kingdom at least 1 hour before the posted park opening.
Once the gates open, you’ll be able to enter the park and head to your favorite part of the park.
Non-Resort Guests
Unfortunately, guests staying off property are at a BIG disadvantage for rope drop. Resort guests will already had 30 minutes to get in line, before non-resort are even able to enter the park.
It may not seem like a large amount of time, but the queue for Avatar: Flight of Passage jumps to 45 minutes, plus, almost immediately.
Animal Kingdom tends to have higher morning crowds than the other parks. Between the early park close time, and most of the animals being more active earlier in the day – rope dropping is a popular strategy.
Which attractions to prioritize

The top priority at Animal Kingdom is Avatar: Flight of Passage. This is still one of the most popular rides in all of

Next you’ll want to pick between Na’vi River Journey and Kilimanjaro Safari. Na’vi River Journey will be closer, but Kilimanjaro is infinitely better in the morning than any other time of day.
Genie+ Strategy
One of the newest systems at
How to use Genie+
Genie+ can be purchased through the My
Guests are able to make a Lightening Lane reservation for select attractions. Essentially this gives you a window when you’ll return to a ride and be able to board with little to no wait.
Avatar: Flight of Passage is not included in Genie+. An Individual Lightening Lane must be purchased to ‘skip the line.’ Again, the price will vary from day to day but $20 per person is common.
Ride Priorities for Genie+
The most popular Lightening Lane in Animal Kingdom, is the meet and greet at Adventures Outpost. This experience closes before the park and is a great chance to say hi to Minnie and Mickey. It’s the only place you’ll find them in their Safari outfits!

Na’vi River Journey is our second priority. Morning return times will go fast! We recommend grabbing this one early in the day to stack for the afternoon.

After securing these two popular Genie+ attractions, Expedition Everest is the next priority.
Kilimanjaro Safaris

Another popular attraction, but timing matters. On Kilimanjaro you’ll board an open air vehicle and drive through large expanses of animal habitats. These animals are most active early in the morning and near sunset.
Genie+ return times are too difficult to predict, to ensure a good window for the safari. You can book this one as an alternative to those above, or after them, and modify the return time throughout the day. Or check out the next section for later afternoon strategy.
Tips for maximizing your Genie+ reservations
Use your Genie+ reservations strategically to minimize wait times. For example, if you have a reservation for Expedition Everest at 10:00 AM, try to get another reservation as soon as you scan into the queue. You can also use the My
Maximizing Your Time
Animal Kingdom is a sprawling park, and it can be easy to luxuriate walking from one attraction to another. Here are some tips for avoiding crowds and minimizing walking:
Overview of Animal Kingdom layout
Familiarize yourself with the layout of the park before your visit. Animal Kingdom does not have the hub-and-spoke design of many other
Late Afternoon Strategy
Maybe the best kept secret at
People go early. Animal Kingdom is a rope-drop park and morning is one of the busiest times of the day. But, it’s a half day park.
Lots of guests leave after lunch or even for lunch. Taking the
Late afternoon is quite possibly the slowest time of day at Animal Kingdom.
Ride Priorities

Popular shows like The Lion King and The Big Blue and Beyond, last performance of the day are early. You’ll want to see these first, and check the schedule ahead of time.

Try to time a ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris near sunset, but before it gets dark. You’ll need to keep an eye on the queue wait time. Entering the queue about an 1-1.5 hours before sunset, works well.

Save Avatar: Flight of Passage for last! Make the most of your time by entering the this line within the last hour of park close. As long as you enter the line before the park closes, you will get to ride. Maximize the hours Animal Kingdom is open for everything else, and move the longest wait to after close
Which is the Best Strategy?
Each strategy works well, it just depends on how you like to roll!
We do NOT recommend Genie+ for Animal Kingdom unless it is a peak day. Spring Break, Christmas time – sure. But there are not enough attractions or long enough waits to justify it.
DO buy the Avatar: Flight of Passage Lightening Lane, if it’s within your budget to do so. You’ll save more time than using Genie+.
So how do you do Animal Kingdom? Are you an early bird?