Tips for families making FastPass+ selections in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

For families visiting Animal Kingdom with children who don’t meet the height requirements for the park’s thrill rides, here are some tips for making FastPass+ selections:

Finding Nemo-The Musical
If you plan to use a FastPass+ selection for a show, I would recommend Finding Nemo-The Musical in Animal Kingdom, as this show really impressed us. Both children said Finding Nemo was their favourite when choosing between Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King, which is a more interactive music and dance performance with floats. In Finding Nemo-The Musical, we were seated in a 1500-seat theatre and transported to a colourful undersea world with beautiful puppetry and projections. Favourite characters Marlin, Nemo and Dory were represented by live performers operating animated puppets, and there were also some larger-than-life puppets, such as the funny turtle Crush (see photo above). Finding Nemo-The Musical, which is the first original musical production of a Pixar film, stood out as a first-class musical production with impressive puppetry and music and with a running time of around 40 minutes I think it makes for a wonderful family show.

Kilimanjaro Safaris
Riders go on an 18-minute expedition in an open-top safari vehicle with a guide, driving around on bumpy roads designed to duplicate remote African roads. There are more than 34 species of African wildlife, and animals appear to be roaming around. I haven’t been on an African safari, but I would imagine it would be a bit like this, and to me, Kilimanjaro Safaris seemed like a truly unique animal experience that was very different from visiting a traditional zoo. We were surprised at how close we got to a giraffe and we all loved the experience, making it an attraction we’re still talking about.

Na’vi River Journey
The latest addition to Animal Kingdom is Pandora-The World of Avatar, and this land brought the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey attraction to the park. I would compare it to It’s a Small World in Magic Kingdom, as Na’vi River Journey is also a slow ride where visitors travel on boats. But the context is very different. In Na’vi River Journey, the boats travel through an exotic rainforest and jungle with glowing plants, and it is a dark and mystical adventure. The highlight is seeing the impressive Shaman animatronic, which is 10-feet tall, and even months after our trip I sometimes have my toddler singing and imitating the floating dance moves of the Shaman. The standard queue time seems to be surprisingly long at times, which makes it worth a FastPass+ selection for those who want to do a family ride in Pandora. Daddy T raved about Flight of Avatar, however, and visitors can only choose one FastPass+ selection in Pandora. (Families with young children may want to consider using Rider Switch for Flight of Avatar.)

Meet favourite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
Another good option for a FastPass+ selection in Animal Kingdom for families is the Adventurers Outpost where visitors can meet Mickey and Minnie. The characters are dressed in their special safari outfits, and we really enjoyed the photos from this fun meet and greet. We also had breakfast at Tusker House, so we had met Mickey there as well, and families dining at Tusker House may want to prioritise other attractions for FastPass+ unless Minnie Mouse is the ultimate favourite.

Tags: Attractions, Disney, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Review, Theme park, Walt Disney World