Disney Animal Kingdom -- advice needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much! The new fast pass system is really messing with my disney mojo and with any reasonable touring plan. There's very limited times for everything, and it's not particularly convenient when things are on opposite sides of the park. Disney has managed to turn the vacation planning into even more of a PITA than it previously was -- basically unless you are one of the disney obsessed that gets your ADrs exactly 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses exactly 60 days in advance, you're stuck with a lot of inconvenient times for everything. This may be our last Disney...(although I feel like I say that every time!)

you kind of have to embrace the new system or it will eat at you. ON the positive - you can book the FP in advance and not have to be there when the park opens to get a FP for Toys STory at HS. no joke - we were at the kiosk one year (new years eve day) at 9:15 and our return time was 6:30 pm.

we really like the bird show and if your kids are into it, mine really like the junior explorers program and doing the badges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much! The new fast pass system is really messing with my disney mojo and with any reasonable touring plan. There's very limited times for everything, and it's not particularly convenient when things are on opposite sides of the park. Disney has managed to turn the vacation planning into even more of a PITA than it previously was -- basically unless you are one of the disney obsessed that gets your ADrs exactly 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses exactly 60 days in advance, you're stuck with a lot of inconvenient times for everything. This may be our last Disney...(although I feel like I say that every time!)

you kind of have to embrace the new system or it will eat at you. ON the positive - you can book the FP in advance and not have to be there when the park opens to get a FP for Toys STory at HS. no joke - we were at the kiosk one year (new years eve day) at 9:15 and our return time was 6:30 pm.

we really like the bird show and if your kids are into it, mine really like the junior explorers program and doing the badges.

See, I don't know.. I actually worked in the Parks and most of my days off were spent in the Parks and I would decide on a whim which park I would go to on the day. Many times I was able to secure the FPs that I don't recall it ever being an issue. Well, the only one was Be Our Guest, but it had JUST opened so I can't really complain. I just really don't understand the whole "unless you book 180 days out you will be stuck with nothing" attitude...

Maybe not everyone knows to use the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone to book FPs? And you can change your FPs on your phone ahead of time and a lot of times by changing the time for 1 attraction, a whole bunch of other previously non available attractions will pop up?

[Anonymous]

Wow I kept scrolling through the responses thinking that people who hated Nemo and loved flights of wonder were trolling or kidding. I guess different strokes for different folks, but our family loves the Nemo show. The songs and the costumes and everything are very well done. Almost as well done as the Lion King Broadway Musical, in my opinion.

The bird show, on the other hand, I always thought was pretty lame. You can see shows like that at the zoo in many cities.

[Anonymous]

I thought the quality of the Nemo show was excellent, but it was too long for my 3 yo. 6 yo loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much! The new fast pass system is really messing with my disney mojo and with any reasonable touring plan. There's very limited times for everything, and it's not particularly convenient when things are on opposite sides of the park. Disney has managed to turn the vacation planning into even more of a PITA than it previously was -- basically unless you are one of the disney obsessed that gets your ADrs exactly 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses exactly 60 days in advance, you're stuck with a lot of inconvenient times for everything. This may be our last Disney...(although I feel like I say that every time!)

you kind of have to embrace the new system or it will eat at you. ON the positive - you can book the FP in advance and not have to be there when the park opens to get a FP for Toys STory at HS. no joke - we were at the kiosk one year (new years eve day) at 9:15 and our return time was 6:30 pm.

we really like the bird show and if your kids are into it, mine really like the junior explorers program and doing the badges.

See, I don't know.. I actually worked in the Parks and most of my days off were spent in the Parks and I would decide on a whim which park I would go to on the day. Many times I was able to secure the FPs that I don't recall it ever being an issue. Well, the only one was Be Our Guest, but it had JUST opened so I can't really complain. I just really don't understand the whole "unless you book 180 days out you will be stuck with nothing" attitude...

Maybe not everyone knows to use the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone to book FPs? And you can change your FPs on your phone ahead of time and a lot of times by changing the time for 1 attraction, a whole bunch of other previously non available attractions will pop up?

I'm OP, and I'm pretty sophisticated about the Disney system. We booked our trip 5 months out (for a low volume week), and at 5 months out, we were unable to get any reservation at any time for Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table, and had to settle for a 2:15 lunch time at Animal Kingdom. I was out of the country the day our FastPass+ booking opened, so went to do it a couple days later, and ALL the fastpasses for the new 7 Dwarves Mine Train were already taken -- 58 days before our trip! I have the app for the phone, so I'll keep checking it, but I can't imagine that more will come available day of. We do have a party of 5, so maybe those with only one kid would have better luck. This is much worse than the first iteration of FastPass+, which I really liked -- that one, you could book 2 or 3 days in advance, and still also get the paper passes as well. I really liked that system, but I'm not thrilled with this one. I'm just not the person that can be sitting at my computer at 9 a.m. exactly 60 days before my trip so I can pick a one hour window in which I am going to ride the 7 Dwarves Train.

[Anonymous]

We liked the Nemo show at AK. We went last year and thought the fast pass system worked fairly well. We could not get FP for 7 Dwarfs mine train but we were able to get them for other rides like Toy Story Mania in HS. We were there during a low attendance time so the wait for 7 Dwarfs was not too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much! The new fast pass system is really messing with my disney mojo and with any reasonable touring plan. There's very limited times for everything, and it's not particularly convenient when things are on opposite sides of the park. Disney has managed to turn the vacation planning into even more of a PITA than it previously was -- basically unless you are one of the disney obsessed that gets your ADrs exactly 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses exactly 60 days in advance, you're stuck with a lot of inconvenient times for everything. This may be our last Disney...(although I feel like I say that every time!)

you kind of have to embrace the new system or it will eat at you. ON the positive - you can book the FP in advance and not have to be there when the park opens to get a FP for Toys STory at HS. no joke - we were at the kiosk one year (new years eve day) at 9:15 and our return time was 6:30 pm.

we really like the bird show and if your kids are into it, mine really like the junior explorers program and doing the badges.

See, I don't know.. I actually worked in the Parks and most of my days off were spent in the Parks and I would decide on a whim which park I would go to on the day. Many times I was able to secure the FPs that I don't recall it ever being an issue. Well, the only one was Be Our Guest, but it had JUST opened so I can't really complain. I just really don't understand the whole "unless you book 180 days out you will be stuck with nothing" attitude...

Maybe not everyone knows to use the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone to book FPs? And you can change your FPs on your phone ahead of time and a lot of times by changing the time for 1 attraction, a whole bunch of other previously non available attractions will pop up?

I'm OP, and I'm pretty sophisticated about the Disney system. We booked our trip 5 months out (for a low volume week), and at 5 months out, we were unable to get any reservation at any time for Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table, and had to settle for a 2:15 lunch time at Animal Kingdom. I was out of the country the day our FastPass+ booking opened, so went to do it a couple days later, and ALL the fastpasses for the new 7 Dwarves Mine Train were already taken -- 58 days before our trip! I have the app for the phone, so I'll keep checking it, but I can't imagine that more will come available day of. We do have a party of 5, so maybe those with only one kid would have better luck. This is much worse than the first iteration of FastPass+, which I really liked -- that one, you could book 2 or 3 days in advance, and still also get the paper passes as well. I really liked that system, but I'm not thrilled with this one. I'm just not the person that can be sitting at my computer at 9 a.m. exactly 60 days before my trip so I can pick a one hour window in which I am going to ride the 7 Dwarves Train.

Well to be fair, sophisticated Disney travelers know the reservation windows DO matter. I agree it's a shame it has to be that way, but I'm not going to stop going to Disney so I've adapted. I put calendar appts on my phone to remind me.

[Anonymous]

The Nemo show is people holding up puppets on sticks and dancing around. It was terrible.

Flights of Wonder is cool for people who like birds, owls and birds of prey. When we went my daughter was into Harry Potter and owls and she just loved the show.

The tigers and walk is beautiful but if I was only going to AK one day, I am not sure I would go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much! The new fast pass system is really messing with my disney mojo and with any reasonable touring plan. There's very limited times for everything, and it's not particularly convenient when things are on opposite sides of the park. Disney has managed to turn the vacation planning into even more of a PITA than it previously was -- basically unless you are one of the disney obsessed that gets your ADrs exactly 180 days in advance, and your fastpasses exactly 60 days in advance, you're stuck with a lot of inconvenient times for everything. This may be our last Disney...(although I feel like I say that every time!)

you kind of have to embrace the new system or it will eat at you. ON the positive - you can book the FP in advance and not have to be there when the park opens to get a FP for Toys STory at HS. no joke - we were at the kiosk one year (new years eve day) at 9:15 and our return time was 6:30 pm.

we really like the bird show and if your kids are into it, mine really like the junior explorers program and doing the badges.

See, I don't know.. I actually worked in the Parks and most of my days off were spent in the Parks and I would decide on a whim which park I would go to on the day. Many times I was able to secure the FPs that I don't recall it ever being an issue. Well, the only one was Be Our Guest, but it had JUST opened so I can't really complain. I just really don't understand the whole "unless you book 180 days out you will be stuck with nothing" attitude...

Maybe not everyone knows to use the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone to book FPs? And you can change your FPs on your phone ahead of time and a lot of times by changing the time for 1 attraction, a whole bunch of other previously non available attractions will pop up?

I'm OP, and I'm pretty sophisticated about the Disney system. We booked our trip 5 months out (for a low volume week), and at 5 months out, we were unable to get any reservation at any time for Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table, and had to settle for a 2:15 lunch time at Animal Kingdom. I was out of the country the day our FastPass+ booking opened, so went to do it a couple days later, and ALL the fastpasses for the new 7 Dwarves Mine Train were already taken -- 58 days before our trip! I have the app for the phone, so I'll keep checking it, but I can't imagine that more will come available day of. We do have a party of 5, so maybe those with only one kid would have better luck. This is much worse than the first iteration of FastPass+, which I really liked -- that one, you could book 2 or 3 days in advance, and still also get the paper passes as well. I really liked that system, but I'm not thrilled with this one. I'm just not the person that can be sitting at my computer at 9 a.m. exactly 60 days before my trip so I can pick a one hour window in which I am going to ride the 7 Dwarves Train.

PP who worked in the Parks.. Well, Mine Train is to be expected though. It opened a year and a half ago. Of course it is a highly sought after attraction.. And Be Our Guest/Cinderella's are potentially the two most popular dining locations on property. Of course you are not going to get all three things done in one trip... Maybe lower the expectation. Get a FP for Space Mountain (which, quite frankly has roughly the same wait time as Mine Train at any given time..) and wait for Mine Train. You will have to wait in at least ONE line on your trip! And perhaps instead of BOG for dinner, do a quick service lunch or breakfast! And the Biergarten in Epcot has the same Princesses for lunch and dinner and it costs much less. I just don't understand it... There are ways to get around it. Just try and be more flexible and less "uppity" about it all. Trust me, your kids won't know the difference.. They will just be thrilled to eat with the Princesses or in Beast's castle. Regardless of the fact that they aren't going to be in Cinderella's Castle or eating a full service meal at BOG. That being said, I really do hope you have a wonderful (er, magical!) trip and are able to figure out a plan that works with you and your family! Have fun, OP!

[Anonymous]

My 2 1/2 year old loved the Nemo show and saw it on two separate days at AK when we were there last winter.

[Anonymous]

I loved the Nemo show. We sat right up front. The actors were amazing. Yes, they held puppets but they also acted and were very good.

[Anonymous]

We loved nemo for the younger kids (they have bubbles that go into the audience...big hit for 3 year old).

[Anonymous]

The new FP system sucks. By the time we booked our trip, everything was gone. We were there 3 days and only ended up using like 4 FP because our plans changed. Plus we had park hopper & FP+ is pretty useless if you're planning to visit more than one park.

Anyway, flights of wonder was cool & we like the Asia trail. Never tried Nemo.

[Anonymous]

We like the new FP+. It's best if you are staying onsite. We also stayed off site and got FP+ without a problem. We park hopped in August and used the original FP+ at the first park and then got a fourth and sometimes 5th at the second park. There was always availability. Maybe not for Seven Mines Train but we did get things like Splash Mountain after using up first three.