Credit: ITMWalt Disney World in Florida tends to draw crowds all-year-round. And, with the current pandemic, even though there is a 35% limited capacity put into place, that isn’t stopping Guests from coming to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.
If you are looking to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom, one of Disney World’s four theme parks, on a future trip, but are worried about the crowd levels, follow these tips and tricks! In this article, we are breaking down all of the areas and attractions to avoid compared to which areas are much less crowded and which attractions are better to ride!
Animal Kingdom Areas to Avoid
Pandora — The World of Avatar
Ever since this immersive land opened to Guests in 2017, it has easily been one of the most popular places at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With two incredible attractions — Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey — Guests flock to Pandora to take in the atmosphere and hop aboard either a banshee or a mystical riverboat.
Asia
Home to one of the more popular attractions in the theme park, Asia tends to get a bit busy — Especially outside of Expedition Everest. With the social distancing queue lines, Guests tend to line up further outside the attraction entrance, which can make the paths outside of the ride more narrow for those to walk by.
Animal Kingdom Areas to Visit
Discovery River Lagoon
Whenever I visit, now that Rivers of Light is no longer showing at the lagoon, this area of the theme park is pretty empty. And, as an added bonus, this location is where the current Disney Character floats both start and end their route! So while sitting here and enjoying some peace and quiet you may have the chance to see Timon, Rafiki, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, Dale, or even the Discovery Island Drummers!
DinoLand U.S.A.
Though this area is home to one of the more popular attractions in the theme park — DINOSAUR — the area itself tends to be pretty empty. And despite Disney World recently eliminating Primeval Whirl from this land, there is still plenty to do to keep you occupied.
Grab a bite to eat at Restaurantosaurus, play carnival-style games such as basketball and whack-a-mole, or ride two of the attractions still located in DinoLand U.S.A. — DINOSAUR or TriceraTop Spin.
Attractions to Avoid at Animal Kingdom
If you are looking to avoid crowds and long lines, be sure to stay away from the following Animal Kingdom rides as these tend to build up throughout the day:
- Na’vi River Journey
- DINOSAUR
- Flight of Passage
- Expedition Everest
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
Attractions to Visit at Animal Kingdom
As for attractions that tend to be a bit less popular, and haven’t had extremely long lines, be sure to check out the following:
- TriceraTop Spin
- Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Wildlife Express Train
- Discovery Island Trails
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
Do You Want to Visit Walt Disney World?
If you are looking to visit Disney World on your next vacation, there are some things you need to keep in mind. First, health and safety protocols have been added to the theme parks. These include social distancing markers, the requirement of a proper face covering, encouragement of Mobile Order, temporary suspension of meet and greets, parades, and fireworks, and more.
Additionally, Disney has a new Park Pass reservation system that requires those who wish to visit a Walt Disney World theme park — Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom — to have both a valid ticket and a reservation for the park they wish to visit on that day.
At this time, the Disney Park Pass system currently allows Guests to book available theme parks through January 2023, indicating that theme park reservations are not going away anytime soon, so Guests should get familiarized with the system if they are wanting to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.
If you want to visit Walt Disney World on your next family vacation but need help planning, be sure to get in touch with our friends over at Academy Travel. They will be with you every step of the way when planning your magical vacation. You can get started today by clicking here!
And if you are looking to avoid crowds at other parks, check out our guides here:
- How to Avoid Crowds at Magic Kingdom in Disney World
- How to Avoid Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- How to Avoid Crowds at Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios
- How to Avoid Crowds at EPCOT
Have you recently visited Animal Kingdom? What are your tips and tricks for avoiding crowds? Let us know in the comments below.