Thinking of going to the Walt Disney World resort soon? On your next Walt Disney World vacation, you must check out Disney's Animal Kingdom. Out of all of the theme parks there, this Disney park is the best for animal and ride lovers!
Not only does this park have an amazing safari and animal exhibits, but they have the best rides! However, since this park is so popular, many of the rides tend to have long lines and wait times. Plus, if you are visiting during the summer, that is when the parks tend to see extra busy days.
Ways to Ride Your Favorite Rides
One way to beat the line for your favorite ride is to get to the Animal Kingdom as soon as the park opens. However, not everyone is an early morning riser. And if you are not staying at a Disney hotel, you’re gonna have to get up even earlier to beat the park opening traffic.
Furthermore, who wants to wait in the longest lines ever for the park entrance that can sometimes go out into the parking lot, especially when people are cut off by the rope drop? Plus, as soon as you are done with your first ride after the park opens, the lines for all the other rides will probably be really long!
Even hotel guests who decide to enjoy their 30-minute early entry that is now given to them in place of the extra magic hours will run into this issue after their second ride.
Another method is to use the single rider line, but that will separate you from your party, and riding with strangers is not as fun.
Genie Lightning Lane System
Why put up with all of this frustration when you can just make Disney genie lightning lane reservations? Disney Genie Lightning Lane is Disney World’s new Fastpass system. While it is offered through Disney Genie+, you can also purchase additional fast passes for some rides that are not offered through Disney Genie+.
All FastPass reservations must be made through my Disney experience app with a my Disney experience account.
Furthermore, there is a tier system that displays how high in demand each ride is. In Animal Kingdom Fastpass tiers, Tier 1 is the highest demand rides and the second tier includes everything else.
On average, most guests can have 2-3 fast pass experiences if booked early in the day. Each park has its own. Therefore, there is a Magic Kingdom Fastpass, but also Epcot fast passes, Hollywood Studios fast passes, and Animal Kingdom fast passes.
Here is the scoop on the best attractions to get fast passes for at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
1. Festival of the Lion King
Have you ever wanted to see your favorite Lion King characters on stage? At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can with the festival of the Lion King! This is an extravagant 40 minute performance filled with puppetry, costumes, and dances inspired by and songs from Disney’s classic hit animated movie the Lion King.
And what’s best about this attraction is that it is fun for all ages. It’s great for small children as you can’t put any height requirements on a theater show! However, on average, the wait time can be around 46 minutes to enter. And for young kids, 46 minutes seems like ages!
So if you want to beat the line for this amazing show and spare your young children from impatience, it would be a good idea to fast pass the festival of the Lion King.
2. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Do you love thrill rides like the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Slinky Dog Dash at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Space Mountain, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? If so, then Disney’s Animal Kingdom has another thrill rail ride that you will love!
You must ride Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, one of Disney World’s most famous roller coasters! On this amazing ride, you will feel as if you are actually climbing the Himalayan peaks while running away from the clutches of a yeti!
Since this is one of the most popular Animal Kingdom attractions, the average standby line wait time usually goes up to 45 minutes by the early afternoon.
Luckily, Expedition Everest has a few FastPass options as it can be offered through both Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane. To have the best experience with this ride, a good option is to fast pass it. This is one of the most popular rides to FastPass at Animal Kingdom!
3. Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
Have you ever wanted to see your favorite Finding Nemo characters on the big stage? If so, you would love the Finding Nemo show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! After walking the park all day, sit back and relax and enjoy this spectacular show featuring puppets, singers, and performers all set in the big blue sea!
This attraction is great for everyone since Nemo is a fan favorite of adults, teenagers, and younger kids! However, at times, this fan favorite attraction can have a long wait. Therefore, the best thing to do in order to insure shorter lines is to get one of the Animal Kingdom fast passes for it.
4. Kali River Rapids
Do you like water rides like Splash Mountain? If so, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a splash ride that you will absolutely love! The best way to cool off after a long day of walking around the Animal Kingdom is by going on Kali River Rapids!
Located in the Asia part of the park, this ride will make you feel like you are going down the rivers of the real life Kali River in India.
In a circular raft, you will be whisked away among fast-moving rapids among beautiful greenery. However, sometimes, this ride can have a wait of up to an hour!
Nobody wants to wait that long to hop on a refreshing water ride that will cool you off on any hot day! Thus, a fast pass for Kali River Rapids is one of the best FastPasses you can get at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for rides!
5. Kilimanjaro Safaris
Have you ever wondered what life is like in the African savannah? Wonder no longer! Located in the Africa section of the park, Kilimanjaro safaris is one of Animal Kingdom’s most popular attractions. On this 18 minute excursion, you will ride through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve in an open-air vehicle.
You will get to see all kinds of cool animals like lions, giraffes, and zebras roaming free and living their best natural lives.
Plus, you will have a cast member tour guide who will teach you all about all of the unique species in the savannah. The only downside to this fan favorite attraction is that it can sometimes have long waits of up to an hour!
Who would want to wait that long for such an amazing experience? Kilimanjaro Safaris should be one of your top rides to get a Fastpass for in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
6. Na’vi River Journey
Do you enjoy a good Disney World dark slow-moving boat ride? And have you ever wanted to float through the world of Avatar? If so, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a ride that you will absolutely love! You have to experience the Na-vi River Journey!
On this magical ride, you will float on a wooden boat through Pandora’s beautiful bioluminescent rainforest along with your favorite characters from the hit film. This ride has been a hit amongst many park goers ever since the opening of Pandora in Animal Kingdom back in 2017.
And even though it's not one of the park’s new rides anymore, it still sees long waits of up to anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Yikes! The best choice to see a shorter wait time for this magnificent ride at Animal Kingdom is to Fastpass it.
7. Avatar Flight of Passage
Another fantastic world of avatar attraction is the Avatar Flight of Passage. Do you love Disney flight simulator rides like Peter Pan’s Flight in Disney’s Magic Kingdom and star tours on the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to ride a banshee from Avatar? Well now you can!
On Animal Kingdom’s Avatar Flight of Passage, you are a visitor of Pandora, flying atop a winged mountain banshee for a 3D flight over Pandora’s breathtaking landscape. Because everyone tends to have such a great time on this fantastic flying simulator, it tends to have extremely long waits.
In fact, out of all of the rides and attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Avatar Flight of Passage is notorious for having the longest wait time.
On average, its wait time is around 110 minutes. Yikes, that’s almost 2 hours! Who wants to wait so long for such an amazing experience? The first thing you should do upon arriving at Disney’s Animal Kingdom after getting your park ticket is to get a Fastpass for this ride for shorter lines!
8. DINOSAUR
Do you love car-like rides like test track in Epcot? And have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride through prehistoric times amongst dinosaurs? If yes, then Disney’s Magic Kingdom has a ride that you will absolutely love! In DINOSAUR, you will race through a historic jungle to rescue a dinosaur.
But you will be racing against the clock. Just make it through before the meteor strikes! While this all sounds like a lot of fun, this ride at times can have a wait that goes up to an hour!
And standing in line for an hour is no fun! Therefore, the better choice to experience this ride is through the lightning lane on Disney Genie+!
9. Feathered Friends in Flight!
Have you ever wanted a look into a bird’s life or to see wild exotic birds up close? At Disney's Animal Kingdom, you can! You have to check out Feathered Friends in Flight! Make sure to visit the Anandapur Theater for this exciting and educational exhibit where behavior specialists give you a behind-the-scenes look at the free-flying birds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
During this 35 minute show, you will learn about how the specialists train and care for their lovely feathered friends! However, on busy days, this fantastic experience tends to have long waits.
Can’t stand lines? The next time you’re in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll have to Fastpass Feathered Friends in Flight!
10. It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Have you ever wanted to see a 3D-live show hybrid with all of your favorite characters from A Bug’s Life? At Disney World, you absolutely can! You have to go and see It’s Tough to Be a Bug the next time you find yourself in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
During this spectacular attraction, guests get to learn what it’s like to be a bug with a show that's inspired by Disney Pixar’s A Bug’s Life! Sounds like fun, right? This amazing show can be found in the theater that’s hidden in the base of the Tree of Life.
One of the best choices that you can make on a busy day at the Animal Kingdom is to fast pass this amazing “Off-Bugway” show to skip any long waits!
11. Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
Do you want to meet your favorite Disney characters in person? Like all of the other Disney World theme parks, you can also do this at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! You must head over to the attraction called Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost!
At this exciting meet and greet station, you and your friends and family can have the amazing opportunity to meet world travelers Mickey and Minnie Mouse at their exploration headquarters. Plus, this experience is a better choice for families with babies and small children. What little kid doesn’t love Mickey and Minnie? Sounds exciting, right?
The next time you’re in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, head over to Discovery Island to meet this sweet mouse couple. One downside is that this attraction usually has a half hour wait.
And for a little kid, that feels like forever! So save yourself from the long line and your kids from impatience by choosing the lightning lane for Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost!
12. The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
Artists and animal lovers alike will love this attraction! At the Animation Experience at Conservation Station in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you will discover the influence that real-life animals had on Disney Animation.
Plus, you will have the wonderful opportunity of drawing a sketch of a beloved Disney character! If this sounds like fun to you, the next time you visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you will have to board the Wildlife Express Train to head over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
Unfortunately, this experience can have long waits on busy days, especially due to the fact that you are expected to board the train at least 40 minutes before your experience start time. Thus, the best option is to Fastpass this amazing ride like many other rides at Animal Kingdom!
13. Disney KiteTails
Although we are disappointed that Disney’s Animal Kingdom discontinued their night show called Rivers of Light, we still love the show that replaced it! Disney KiteTails is a daytime show that was introduced for Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration.
In this exciting show for all ages, watch your favorite Disney characters fly across the sky as kites! Sounds amazing, right? The next time you vacation in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll have to head over to the Discovery River Lagoon located in Dinoland U.S.A. to experience this beautiful show.
14. TriceraTop Spin
Do you enjoy slow attractions like the Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom? If so, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a similar ride that you will love! On TriceraTop Spin, you will get to fly and soar around and around in the air. But instead of riding on Dumbo, you get to ride on a triceratops!
This ride is great for all ages as it is a slow-moving ride. If this sounds like something for you, the next time you’re in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, head over to Dinoland U.S.A.!
15. Wildlife Express Train
As previously mentioned, the Wildlife Express Train is the main method of transportation that park goers use to access The Animation Experience at Conservation Station and other attractions at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
However, the Wildlife Express Train is no regular train ride. On this relaxing rail ride, you will get to cross the African savannah on an old-fashioned locomotive as you get a behind-the-scenes look at the Animal Kingdom’s animals roaming in their natural habitats. This might be one of the best rides to FastPass at Animal Kingdom!
If this appeals to you, during your next trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll have to take a ride on the Wildlife Express Train! It is one of the top picks for Animal Kingdom fastpasses!
A Guide to FastPasses at Animal Kingdom
There you have it, the best rides to FastPass at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! We hope that you have the best time!
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