[["parks",[{"id":1,"name":"Magic Kingdom","abbreviation":"mk","created_at":"2009-07-13T18:28:25.000-04:00","updated_at":"2020-05-29T05:45:04.000-04:00","short_name":"Magic Kingdom","property_id":1,"time_zone":"Eastern Time (US & Canada)","permalink":"magic-kingdom","intro":"The original and most popular theme park at the Walt Disney World resort can be overwhelming and become quite crowded, even during the low season (see our Crowd Calendar for more info). We'll tell you how to get the most out of your time and money, and give you our picks for the best attractions and dining in the Magic Kingdom. Read our full Magic Kingdom overview.","dining_overview":" \r



\r

There are a dozens of restaurants in Magic Kingdom that have a range of quality. On this page you'll find restaurant ratings submitted by our readers after their own vacations, along with quick descriptions and links to each restaurant's menu. But first, some quick Magic Kingdom dining tips:\r



Magic Kingdom Dining Tips

Before you begin eating your way through Magic Kingdom, you need to know:

Every Magic Kingdom table service and quick service restaurant ranked by reader survey responses.



\r

\t\t\t Best Magic Kingdom Table Service Restaurants \r

\t\t\t \r

Name \r

\t\t\t\t Quality \r

\t\t\t Disney Dining Plan? \r

\t\t\t\t Reader Ratings \r

\t\t \r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t The Crystal Palace

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Fantasyland - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tFair \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t92% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Pancakes layered with fresh fruit for breakfast; prime rib, roast pork, and peel-and-eat shrimp for dinner; Thai curry mussels; grilled vegetables with balsamic glaze; pasta with wild mushrooms and chicken; shrimp; and a sundae bar. All-day character dining featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t Liberty Tree Tavern

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Liberty Square - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tGood \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t89% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tFor lunch: New England–style pot roast, roast turkey, and sandwiches. Family-style dining at dinner, with all-you-can-eat turkey, carved beef, and smoked pork loin. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t Be Our Guest Restaurant (dinner)

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Fantasyland - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tGood \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t89% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Price Fixe 3-course dinner with choices including filet mignon, lamb chops, bouillabaisse and others. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\r

\r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t The Plaza Restaurant

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Main Street, U.S.A. - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tGood \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t88% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tVeggie sandwich, club sandwich, chicken-strawberry salad, and ice-cream desserts such as the Plaza banana split or sundae. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Adventureland- Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tGood \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t85% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Asian, African, and South American flavors. Dishes include Char sui Pork, Steak with Yuca Fries, Stir Fry, Falafel with a Cucumber Salsa, and Pineapple Coconut Cake. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t Cinderella’s Royal Table

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Fantasyland - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tFair \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t86% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tCreamy lobster soup; seared Scottish salmon; grilled New York strip steak; Chocolate Wave dessert. For kids: fish of the day, fried shrimp, cheesy pasta, and grilled chicken breast. All-day character dining with princesses. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\r

\r

\t\t\t\t\t Tony’s Town Square Restaurant

\r

\t\t\t\t\t\t Main Street, U.S.A. - Table Service \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tPoor \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tYes \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\t73% \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t\t\tFor lunch: sausage-and-pepperoni flatbread and spaghetti with meatballs. For dinner: cioppino, braised short rib, and New York strip. \r

\t\t\t\t\t \r

\t\t\t\t \r



Food Carts

Food carts come and go in Magic Kingdom, but in most lands you'll be able to find bottled beverages, popcorn, and ice cream novelties. Special items include turkey legs (Frontierland), churros, and egg rolls (Adventureland). Don't worry, you're never far from a food cart in Magic Kingdom. While these carts move from time to time (that's why they have wheels), we do try to keep up with them on our comprehensive list of Magic Kingdom food spots.

Seasonal Dining at Magic Kingdom

There are some dining locations at Magic Kingdom that are only open during busier times of year (even then may only open for lunch). These include:\r



When we research the Magic Kingdom, we study its traffic\r

patterns, asking:

1. WHICH SECTIONS OF THE PARK AND WHICH ATTRACTIONS DO GUESTS\r

VISIT FIRST? When the park opens, guest traffic to Fantasyland and\r

Tomorrowland is heaviest, followed by Frontierland. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train pulls more people than ever into the back reaches of the park.

Our researchers tested the frequent claim that most people turn\r

right into Tomorrowland and tour the Magic Kingdom in a counterclockwise\r

sequence. We found the claim to be baseless.

2. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE PARK TO FILL UP? HOW ARE THE\r

VISITORS DISPERSED IN THE PARK? A surge of early birds arrives before or around opening time but is quickly dispersed throughout the empty park. After the initial wave is absorbed, there’s a lull lasting about an hour after opening. Then the park is inundated for about 2 hours, peaking between 10 a.m. and noon. Arrivals continue in a steady but diminishing stream until around 2 p.m. The lines we sampled were longest between 1 and 2 p.m., indicating more arrivals than departures into the early afternoon. For touring purposes, most attractions develop long lines between 10 and 11:30 a.m.\r



\r

From late morning until early afternoon, guests are equally distributed\r

through all the lands. However, guests concentrate in Fantasyland,\r

Liberty Square, and Frontierland in late afternoon, with a decrease of\r

visitors in Adventureland and Tomorrowland. Adventureland's Jungle\r

Cruise and Tomorrowland's Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain continue\r

to be crowded, but most other attractions in those lands are readily\r

accessible.

3. HOW DO MOST VISITORS TOUR THE PARK? Do first-time visitors tour differently from repeat guests? Many first-time visitors are guided by friends or relatives familiar with the Magic Kingdom. These tours may or may not follow an orderly sequence. First-time visitors without personal guides tend to be more orderly in their touring. Many first-time visitors, however, are drawn to Cinderella Castle upon entering the park, and thus they begin their rotation from Fantasyland. Repeat visitors usually head straightaway to their favorite attractions.

4. HOW DOES FASTPASS+ AFFECT CROWD DISTRIBUTIONS? When it comes to the Magic Kingdom, FastPass+ is moving guests from the right side of the park—Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus in Fantasyland—to Adventureland and the Liberty Square area, all on the left side of the park.

We’ve done our fair share of criticizing FastPass+, and there are still parts of it that are just plain goofy (see what we did there?). But as far as reaching its goal of more evenly distributing crowds throughout the park, FastPass+ has to be one of the big industrial-engineering-and-technology success stories of the past few years.

5. HOW DO SPECIAL EVENTS, SUCH AS PARADES AND LIVE SHOWS,\r

AFFECT TRAFFIC PATTERNS? Parades pull huge numbers of guests away from attractions and provide a window of opportunity for experiencing the more popular attractions with less of a wait. Castle Forecourt Stage shows also attract crowds but only slightly affect lines.

6. WHAT ARE THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS NEAR AND AT CLOSING TIME?\r

On our sample days, in busy times and off-season at the park, departures outnumbered arrivals beginning in midafternoon. Many visitors left in late afternoon as the dinner hour approached. When the park closed early, guests departed steadily during the 2 hours before closing, with a huge exodus at closing time. When the park closed late, a huge exodus began immediately after the early-evening parade and fireworks, with a second mass departure after the late parade, continuing until closing. Because Main Street and the transportation services remain open after the other five lands close, crowds leaving at closing mainly affect conditions on Main Street and at the monorail-, ferry-, and bus-boarding areas. In the hour before closing, the other five lands are normally uncrowded.

To get a complete view of the actual traffic patterns while you're\r

in the park, use our mobile app, Lines (touringplans.com/lines). The\r

app gives you current wait times and future estimates in half-hour\r

increments for today and tomorrow. A quick glance shows how traffic\r

patterns affect wait times throughout the day.

\r

Following the 2020 park closures related to COVID-19, FastPass+ at Walt Disney World is suspended until further notice.\r



Best Use of FastPass+ at Magic Kingdom

\r

Each of our 50 Magic Kingdom Touring Plans shows the attractions and FastPass+ start times that will save you the most time in line, like this:\r



Suggested start times for FastPass+ reservations:

\r

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train = 9 AM

\r

Peter Pan's Flight = 10 AM

\r

Enchanted Tales with Belle = 11 AM

Each touring plan also gives our recommendations for day-of FastPass+ reservations, those you can get at the Magic Kingdom's in-park kiosks after you've used your original set:\r



You should be able to get day-of FastPass+ reservations starting around lunchtime. Here's what we suggest:

\r

Buzz Lightyear = 3:30 PM

\r

Pirates of the Caribbean = 7 PM

\r

When updating the plans, we kept count of how many times each attraction was identified as needing FastPass+. This is a prioritized list of the attractions for which you should use FastPass+ to avoid long waits in line:\r



\r

While Magic Kingdom offers FastPass+ for more than two dozen attractions, our free touring plan software only identifies ten as frequently needing FastPass+:\r



Why You Might Need FastPass+ for Magic Kingdom

\r

Why is Peter Pan’s Flight listed? Probably three reasons:\r



\r

\t Peter Pan isn’t going to be anyone’s choice as the first attraction to visit. If you’ve got small children, you’re probably headed to Enchanted Tales with Belle or the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. If you’ve got older kids, you’re probably headed to Space Mountain or Seven Dwarfs. And no matter where you go first, you’ll probably visit at least one other attraction nearby next. That means you’re not getting to Peter Pan within the first 30 minutes the park is open. \r

\t Peter Pan appears on virtually every Magic Kingdom touring plan. It appeals to every age group and demographic, and has no height requirement. It’s a classic, if simple, Disney ride. \r

\t Although it’s not a headliner attraction, Peter Pan develops long lines throughout the day. Peter Pan’s wait times over Christmas often exceeded 150 to 180 minutes. Peter Pan’s hourly capacity is around 1,100 guests, or a little more than half Buzz Lightyear’s capacity, and far less than half the capacity of Pirates of the Caribbean. \r



\r

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in the second spot, is usually the first FastPass+ recommendation our software suggests, often with a start time between 9:00 and 9:30 AM. If you're doing a comprehensive tour of the Magic Kingdom, that Seven Dwarfs FastPass position allows you to visit Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear as soon as the park opens, then ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with little wait. It also puts you in a good position to ride a couple of secondary Fantasyland attractions before a 10:00 AM Peter Pan's Flight FastPass+ reservation, which helps cut down on how much walking you have to do in the park.

\r

Big Thunder and Splash Mountain are on the list, too. While they don’t normally get a huge influx of guests immediately at park opening, lines of 20 to 40 minutes can develop around mid-morning at Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, as crowds make their way to Adventureland after early stops in Tomorrowland or Fantasyland.\r



\r

Enchanted Tales with Belle makes the top five because it usually doesn’t make sense to visit it first thing in the morning. Counting walking time to Belle and the elaborate pre-show process, you’d be committing about half an hour to that one attraction, whereas you could probably visit 2 or 3 other attractions in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland in the same amount of time.\r



\r

Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise are interesting additions to this chart, because our software usually recommends these as day-of FastPasses, not one of the three to get in advance before you arrive at the park. Take a look at the chart below and you'll see that most of our Jungle Cruise recommendations are for late afternoon, day-of FastPass+ reservations. Why? These aren't in the top tier of popular attractions in the park, and they've got enough capacity to move a lot of people per hour. Those two things help moderate waits, so other attractions are generally more important for your first set of FastPass+ reservations.

\r

Space Mountain appears on the list probably because of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The new-ish Mine Train is still a hot attraction in Magic Kingdom, and it also has a shorter height requirement than Space Mountain (38 inches vs 44 inches), meaning more families want to ride it. That means visiting Space Mountain in the afternoon, when FastPass+ is needed.

That said, many touring plans list Space Mountain as the first attraction to visit, and it’s usually followed by other Fantasyland attractions to minimize how much you have to walk.\r



Attractions In Our Touring Plans That\r

Never Need FastPass+

\r

Some FastPass+ attractions seem never to require FastPass+, either because the touring plan gets you to them before long lines develop, or because the attraction rarely sees long waits:\r



Magic Kingdom Attractions In Our Touring Plans That Rarely Require Advance FastPass+ Reservations

\r

These include:\r



The Best Times for FastPass+ Reservations at Key Magic Kingdom Attractions

\r

Now that you know which attractions most need FastPass+, the next question is \r

when you should make your FastPass+ reservations. Here’s a chart showing the \r

times our Magic Kingdom touring plans use FastPass+ to avoid long lines \r

(yellow=morning times, orange=afternoon times):\r



\r

Suggested FastPass+ Reservation Start Times in Magic Kingdom Touring Plans \r

\r

\r

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train \r

9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 9:00am , 10:00am , 10:30am , 12:15pm \r

\r

\r

Peter Pan's Flight \r

9:00am , 9:30am , 9:30am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 12:00pm , 12:00pm , 12:00pm , 1:00pm \r

\r

\r

Enchanted Tales with Belle \r

10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 1:15pm , 6:30pm, 7:00pm \r

\r

\r

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin \r

9:30am , 11:00am , 3:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm\r

\r

\r

Pirates of the Caribbean \r

10:00am , 10:30am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 12:00pm , 1:00pm , 1:15pm, 2:00pm, 5:00pm , 6:00pm, 8:00pm\r

\r

\r

Splash Mountain \r

10:30am , 10:30am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:30am , 12:00pm , 12:15pm , 1:30pm , 3:00pm, 4:00pm , 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:00pm\r

\r

\r

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh \r

6:15pm\r

\r

\r

Jungle Cruise \r

11:00am , 11:00am , 11:30am , 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 6:30pm , 7:00pm\r

\r

\r

Tomorrowland Speedway \r

1:30pm \r

\r

\r

\"it's a small world\" \r

3:00pm, 5:00pm\r

\r

\r

Space Mountain \r

9:00am , 9:30am , 11:30am , 12:00pm , 1:00pm , 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 7:00pm\r

\r

\r

Big Thunder Mountain \r

10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:00am , 10:30am , 10:30am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 11:00am , 1:30pm, 1:30pm , 2:00pm, 2:30pm \r

\r

\r

The Haunted Mansion \r

11:15am , 1:00pm , 1:00pm , 2:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 5:00pm\r

\r

\r

Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater \r

12:00pm , 1:00pm \r

\r

\r

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid \r

3:00pm, 4:00pm\r

\r

\r

\r

\r



\r

In the chart above, yellow times indicate morning FastPass+ reservations, and\r

orange is for afternoon reservations. Times with no highlighting represent day-of FastPass+ reservations,\r

and all of these are made in the afternoon, after you've used your initial \r

set of advance FastPass+ reservations.\r



\r

Our touring plan software tends to recommend Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain, and Enchanted Tales with Belle a lot in the morning. All of the other attractions tend to have their FastPass+ recommendations in the middle to late afternoon.\r



What To Do If You Have Other FastPass+ Attractions or Times

\r

If you can get a FastPass+ reservation for the attractions shown, anywhere near the times listed, the touring plans will work exactly as shown, and your waits in line will be minimized. If you need to choose other FastPass+ attractions or times, our free computer-optimized touring plan software will incorporated those.\r



\r

Here’s the process I usually follow to create an optimized touring plan with low waits in line:\r



\r

\t Select all the attractions I want to visit during the day, and enter in all of the meals and breaks I want to take. I don’t enter any FastPass+ times at this step, because I first want to see what the Optimizer identifies as the attractions with potentially long waits. \r

\t Click the “Optimize” button and wait for the touring plan to be optimized. \r

\t Find the first attraction with a wait over 30 minutes, and see if a FastPass+ reservation is available for that attraction around that time. If I find one, I enter in the FastPass+ time that’s available, and re-optimize the plan. \r

\t I repeat Step 3 for the two FastPass+ eligible attractions with the highest wait times throughout the day. I re-optimize the plan after each attraction, because saving a bunch of time on one attraction may allow the Optimizer to uncover other ways to save you time throughout the day. \r



Another great resource for optimizing touring plans is our Lines Chat forum, where lots of folks are happy to offer suggestions.

Magic Kingdom FastPass+ Kiosks

\r

If you don't want to, or can't, make day-of FastPass+ selections on your phone via the My Disney Experience app, then use one of the the in-park FastPass+ kiosks. Magic Kingdom's FastPass+ kiosks are located throughout the park, including:\r



\r

Adventureland / Frontierland: In the covered pathway that connects the two. The entrances are across from the Swiss Family Treehouse and next to the Diamond Horseshoe.

\r

Adventureland: Next to the Jungle Cruise entrance

\r

Fantasyland: Outside Mickey’s PhilharMagic

\r

Storybook Circus: In the tent to the right of Pete's Silly Sideshow

\r

Tomorrowland: Next to the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin entrance

\r

Tomorrowland: Near Stitch's Great Escape \r



Other Tips and Advice for FastPass+ at Magic Kingdom

\r

Don't know where to eat in Epcot? On this page you'll find recommendations on where to eat, and where to avoid, as well as links to each restaurant's menu.\r



\r

Since the beginning, dining has been an important part of Epcot’s entertainment product. World Showcase has many more restaurants than attractions, and Epcot has added bars, tapas-style eateries, and full-service restaurants faster than any park in memory.

Touring Plans Tip \r

\r

\r

If cost is an issue, make lunch your main meal. Entrees are similar to those on the dinner menu, but prices are significantly lower. \r

\r



\r

Many Epcot restaurants are overpriced, especially Monsieur Paul (France) and Le Cellier (Canada). Combining\r

attractive ambiance and well-prepared food with good value are Via Napoli (Italy), Biergarten (Germany), and La Hacienda de San Angel\r

(Mexico). Biergarten (along with Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco) also features live entertainment.\r



\r

Each pavilion (except United States) has a beautifully seductive ethnic restaurant or two. While the food isn’t always compelling, the overall experience is great. If you fail to dine in World Showcase, you'll miss one of Epcot's more delightful features.

Our Favorite Epcot Counter-Service Restaurants

\r

If you want to sample the ethnic foods of World Showcase without eating in restaurants requiring advance reservations, we recommend these counter-service specialties:\r



Tipping at Epcot

A frequent area of confusion for Disney guests is the topic of tipping at Walt Disney World. International guests may be unfamiliar with American tipping in general. Gratuities are a part of life when you travel in the United States. We have a page dedicated to everything you need to know about tipping at Walt Disney World.

Below you'll find links to menus for every restaurant, bar, and food cart in Epcot.

At Epcot, Spaceship Earth, the giant geodesic sphere that is the parks’s landmark (and home to one of its headliner attractions), is just inside the main entrance. When visitors enter the park, they almost irresistibly head for it. Hence, a bottleneck forms less than 75 yards from the turnstiles as soon as the park opens.

Early-morning crowds form at Test Track and Soarin' in Future World, and Frozen Ever After in Norway. Guests not visiting those are\r

fairly equally distributed among the rest of Future World’s attractions,\r

most of which won’t develop long waits until 11 a.m. or later.

Between 9 and 11 a.m., crowds build in Future World. Even when World Showcase opens (usually 11 a.m.), more people are entering Future World than are leaving for the Showcase. Attendance continues building in Future World between noon and 2 p.m. World Showcase attendance builds rapidly as lunch approaches. Exhibits at the far end of World Showcase Lagoon report capacity audiences from about noon through 6:30 or 7:30 p.m.

Touring Plans Tip \r

\t \r

\t\r

\t Visitors aware of the congestion at Spaceship Earth can take advantage of the excellent opportunities it provides for escaping waits at other Future World attractions.

The Magic Kingdom's premier attractions\r

are situated on the far perimeters of its lands to distribute crowds evenly. Epcot’s cluster of attractions in Future World holds the greater part of the throng in the smaller part of the park. World Showcase has just one major bottleneck—Norway’s Frozen Ever After. Compared with Soarin’ and Test Track, Frozen’s long lines result more from a lack of ride capacity than guest demand. But with no attractions beyond Norway open in World Showcase until 11 a.m., most families who visit Frozen first head back to Future World.

The bottom line: Crowds build all morning and into early afternoon in Future World. Not until the evening meal approaches do crowds equalize in Future World and World Showcase. Evening crowds in World Showcase, however, don’t compare in size with morning and midday crowds in Future World. Attendance throughout Epcot is normally lighter in the evening.

Some guests leave Epcot in the early evening, but the vast majority exit en masse after Epcot Forever. Upward of 30,000 people head for the parking lot and monorail station at once. Still, this congestion doesn’t compare with the post-fireworks gridlock at the Magic Kingdom. One primary reason for the easier departure from Epcot is that its parking lot is adjacent to the park, not separated from it by a lake as at the Magic Kingdom. At the Magic Kingdom, departing visitors form bottlenecks at the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center and main parking lot. At Epcot, they proceed directly to their cars.

\r

Following the 2020 park closures related to COVID-19, FastPass+ at Walt Disney World is suspended until further notice.\r



Epcot's Tiered FastPass+ Attractions and Their Impact on Touring Plan Strategy

\r

We've updated our Epcot touring plans so that each plan now lists the suggested FastPass+ start times for the attractions that will save you the most time in line, like this:\r



Suggested start times for FastPass+ reservations:

\r

Spaceship Earth = 11:30 AM

\r

Mission: SPACE (Orange) = 12:30 PM

\r

Frozen Ever After = 2:00 PM

\r



\r

The updated plans are very efficient, with the average wait in line under 8 minutes per attraction on most plans. In fact, because the plans are so efficient, we've added Agent P's World Showcase Adventure and other attractions to many of the plans for teens and adults. (We also really like the game.) And some touring plans only use 2 of the 3 FastPass+ reservations you're given each day, which means you have 1 more to revisit a favorite attraction or try a new ride.\r



\r

When we update our Touring Plans, we keep track of how many times each attraction was identified as needing\r

FastPass+. Here's Epcot's chart:\r

\r

\r



\r

Epcot offers FastPass+ for 12 different experiences, and it was a little surprising to see that \r

FastPass+ was useful in at at least some circumstances in 10 of those 12 of the attractions. \r

Read on for a detailed explanation of why these attractions show up most frequently in our Epcot touring plans.\r



\r

The first thing to note about Epcot is that its FastPass+ attractions, like the \r

FastPass+ attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios, are grouped (or \"tiered\"), and Disney limits how many FastPass+ reservations you can make for each group. Here's the tiering:\r

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Group A (Choose 1 attraction)

Epcot Forever

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Frozen Ever After

\r

Soarin'

\r

Test Track

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Epcot Character Spot

\r



Group B (Choose 2 attractions)

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Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival

\r

Journey Into Imagination With Figment

\r

\r

Living with the Land

\r

The Seas with Nemo & Friends

\r

Spaceship Earth

\r

Turtle Talk with Crush

\r

Mission: SPACE Green

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Mission: SPACE Orange



Touring Epcot with Frozen Ever After

\r

The popular Frozen Ever After boat ride complicates touring Epcot for a couple of reasons. \r

Because it’s in the same FastPass+ tier as Soarin’ and Test Track, you can only obtain one in advance.\r

It’s also not had much day-of FastPass+ availability, because it’s based on a hit film and is one\r

of the few things in Epcot specifically designed for children. Also, its location in World Showcase\r

makes it impractical as a detour while you’re in Future World - any time you save in line will be spent walking instead.

For those reasons, we think you’ll save more time by choosing Frozen as an advance FastPass \r

reservation, than Soarin’ or Test Track. \r

With Soarin's new third theater providing 50% more capacity, we think that Test Track is the best attraction to visit once\r

the park opens. Remember that Test Track has a single-rider line that can cut waits by up to 80%,\r

if your party is willing to ride separately.\r



\r

After that, head for Soarin'.\r

Your total wait in line for both attractions should be under 40 minutes on days of average attendance, and under 60 minutes on busier days. \r

For comparison, we estimate the wait at Frozen to be in the 50 to 80-minute range most of the day. \r

When you factor in the backtracking involved in the alternatives, FastPass+ at Frozen seems to make the most sense.

We're recommending an afternoon FastPass+ reservation time for Frozen Ever After. \r

If only late evening times are available, take one and simply convert the clockwise tour of World Showcase to a counter-clockwise tour.

If you get a FP for Frozen Ever After before 3 PM, do a clockwise tour of World Showcase. We don’t suggest FPs earlier than this because it’ll involve backtracking to Future World from World Showcase. And if no Frozen Fastpasses are available, grab one for Soarin' around 10 AM, and see Test Track first, then Frozen around 11 AM.

Regardless of the time at which you obtain your Frozen FastPass, we think it’s unlikely that any day-of Fastpasses would be of much use, because of the backtracking from World Showcase you’d have to do to use them.

\r

Finally, we've tested adult touring plan variations that visit Frozen Ever After first thing in the morning, both with and without Fastpass+. In each case, it was impossible to finish the \r

touring plan before the park closed. Why? By the time you've arrived in Future World for Test Track and Soarin', the waits in line were long enough to throw off the rest of the day.\r

If you're going to skip Test Track, however, it might still be feasible to complete a tour of the park.\r

\r



Attractions That Never Need FastPass+ In Our Epcot Touring Plans

\r

These Epcot attractions never require FastPass+ in our touring plans:\r



Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival

\r

Turtle Talk with Crush

\r

Mission: SPACE (Green)

\r

Waits for the Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival and Turtle Talk with Crush are almost always under 10 minutes, so they're not a good use of FastPass+. Similarly, the waits for the non-spinning Mission: SPACE(Green) are almost always lower than the spinning (Orange); the spinning version is more popular and that's what we have in our touring plans.\r



\r

Epcot Forever is very good, and FastPass+\r

gets you into a special viewing area for the show, but you still\r

have to arrive a good 30–40 minutes in advance to get a good spot. Plus,\r

there are so many other good viewing spots around World Showcase\r

Lagoon that it’s difficult to recommend FastPass+ for Epcot Forever;\r

the consequence is an hour-long wait at either Soarin’, Test Track, or Frozen Ever After. The\r

exceptions are if you’re visiting World Showcase solely for dinner and Epcot Forever, or if you’ve used your first three\r

FastPass+ reservations and Epcot Forever FastPasses are still available.\r



The Best Times for FastPass+ Reservations at Epcot

\r

Now that you know which attractions most need FastPass+, the next question is when you should make your FastPass+ reservations. Here’s a chart showing the times our Epcot touring plans use FastPass+ \r

to avoid long lines (yellow=morning times, orange=afternoon):\r

\r

\r



\r

Also note that the average FastPass+ reservation time is before 1 PM in our touring plans. All but one FastPass+ ride is in Future World, and the hike to that one ride - Frozen Ever After in Norway - is\r

too far to be recommended. This, coupled with typical guest arrival patterns at Epcot, means that crowds will be concentrated in Future World through early afternoon.\r



What To Do If You Have Other FastPass+ Attractions or Times

\r

If you can get a FastPass+ reservation for the attractions shown, anywhere near the times listed, the touring plans will work exactly as shown, and your waits in line will be minimized. If you need to choose other FastPass+ attractions or times, our free computer-optimized touring plan software will incorporated those.\r



\r

Here's the process I usually follow to create an optimal Epcot touring plan with low waits in line:\r



\r

\t Select all of the attractions I want to visit during the day, and enter in all of the meals and breaks I want to take. I don’t enter any FastPass+ times at this step, because I first want to see what the Optimizer identifies as the attractions with potentially long waits. \r

\t Click the “Optimize” button and wait for the touring plan to be optimized. \r

\t Find the first attraction with a wait over 30 minutes, and see if a FastPass+ reservation is available for that attraction around that time. If I find one, I enter in the FastPass+ time that’s available, and re-optimize the plan. \r

\t I repeat Step 3 for the two FastPass+ eligible attractions with the highest wait times throughout the day. I re-optimize the plan after each attraction, because saving a bunch of time on one attraction may allow the Optimizer to uncover other ways to save you time throughout the day. \r



\r

I'll also manually re-arrange some of the World Showcase steps in a plan, especially if they're not automatically oriented into a clockwise- or counter-clockwise tour. The folks in our Lines Chat forum are especially helpful in making suggestions for efficient touring plans too.\r



Miscellaneous Tips for Using FastPass+ at Epcot

\r



\r

Obtain FastPass+ reservations for Frozen Ever After, Soarin' and Test Track as soon as possible - up to 60 days in advance for FastPass+, or early in the day as possible if you're an off-site guest.

\r

\r

\r

Mission: SPACE has two versions (orange and green) with separate wait times. A FastPass+ reservation for Mission: SPACE can be used for either the green or the orange flavor of space travel.

\r

\r

\r

\r

World Showcase usually opens later than the rest of Epcot, and it takes crowds a while to migrate from Future World to that part of the park.\r



\r

\r

\r

Test Track has a single rider line. If you do not mind having each member of your party ride in a separate ride vehicle, this can save you time without using FastPass+.\r

\r

\r



Epcot FastPass+ Kiosks

\r

Epcot's FastPass+ kiosks are located throughout the park, including:\r



\r

Future World West: In the breezeway across from Epcot Character Spot

\r

Future World East: In the breezeway on the way toward Mission: Space

\r

World Showcase: At the International Gateway \r



Disney's Hollywood Studios Dining Overview

Dining at Hollywood Studios is less exotic than at Epcot and possibly less interesting than at any other park. The upscale Brown Derby is by far the best restaurant at the Studios. For simple Italian food, including pizza, Mama Melrose’s is fine; just don’t expect anything fancy. At the Sci-Fi Dine-In, you eat in little cars at a simulated drive-in movie from the 1950s. Though you won’t find a more entertaining restaurant in Walt Disney World, the food is hit or miss. Somewhat better is the 50’s Prime Time Cafe, where you sit in Mom’s time-warp kitchen and scarf down meat loaf while watching clips of classic sitcoms. It’s fun and the food is a step up. The best way to experience either restaurant is to stop in for dessert or a drink between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Hollywood & Vine features singing and dancing characters from the Disney Channel during breakfast and lunch.

One TouringPlans staffer sums up the food situation at Hollywood Studios thusly:

There's nothing sadder than finding yourself hungry at the Studios.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Advance Reservations Recommendations

The park has five restaurants where Advance Reservations are recommended or required: The Hollywood Brown Derby, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, and the Hollywood and Vine Cafeteria. See our WDW Dining Reservation page for information on how to make reservations.

Our Favorite Counter-Service Restaurants

We receive considerable mail from readers recounting their DHS dining experiences. The 50’s Prime Time Cafe, for instance, is always a hot topic. First, from a Maryland reader:

50’s Prime Time Cafe was fun, but the food was mediocre at best. If my mom cooked that way, I would’ve run away from home.

But a West Newton, Massachusetts, family loved it:

We decided to go against your recommendation and give it a shot. We’re so glad we did! For the five of us (ages 16–20), it was a blast. “Leroy,” our waiter and “big brother” for the meal, came and sat at our table and helped us set our places so we wouldn’t get in trouble with “Mom.” When one member of our party cursed, “Mom” arrived to punish him, making him clear the table onto her tray, which he did shamefully. It was a total kick that we talked about for the rest of the trip.

If you arrive at the Studios without having arranged Advance\r

Reservations for meals, you can make them at the restaurants. The Hollywood Brown Derby, expensive but tasty, is usually among the last to fill. The companion Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge is far less crowded and offers a small-plate and dessert menu, including the famous grapefruit cake. If you have no Advance Reservations and you get hungry, try Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner, which sometimes flies under the radar of the teeming hordes.

FANTASMIC! DINING PACKAGE

If you dine at the Hollywood & Vine buffet (dinner only) or at Mama Melrose's or Brown Derby full-service restaurants, you can obtain a ticket/voucher for the members of your dining party to enter the night's first showing of Fantasmic! without waiting in line and sit in a section of seats (one of the best in the theater) reserved specifically for dining package patrons..

Here are the rules: You may call 407-WDW-DINE (or book online) up to 180 days in advance and request the Fantasmic! Dining Package for the night you want to see the show. This is a reservation and must be guaranteed with a credit card at the time of booking. There's a 48-hour cancellation policy. Disney Dining Plan credits can be used to pay for the meal.

To keep guests from coming in and ordering the cheapest thing on the menu just to get Fantasmic! vouchers, Disney includes a fixed price meal in the package. Sample 2013 prices (peak season, excluding park admission and gratuity) are roughly as follows:

\r

\r

\r

Hollywood

Brown Derby

(Lunch or Dinner) \r

Mama Melrose's

Ristorante Italiano

(Lunch or Dinner) \r

Hollywood & Vine

Buffet

(Dinner Only) \r

\r

\r

Adult \r

$59 \r

$38 \r

$40 \r

\r

\r

Child (3-9) \r

$18 \r

$13 \r

$23 \r

\r



The price covers all you care to eat at the Hollywood & Vine Buffet or entree and dessert at the Brown Derby or Mama Melrose. Nonalcoholic drinks are included with the package at all three restaurants. Allow yourself a minimum of two hours to eat and make your way to the Fantasmic! show. If you have made ordinary reservations for any of the participating restaurants, they will not include reserved seats for Fantasmic!. You have to buy the package to get the good seats.

You will receive your tickets/vouchers at the restaurant. 30-45 minutes before the first Fantasmic! show of the night, report to the VIP seating entrance on Sunset Boulevard next to Beauty and the Beast. A cast member will collect your vouchers and direct or escort you to the seating reserved for dining package guests. Though you're required to arrive early, you can be seated immediately and won't have to stand in any lines. You will not have specific assigned seats in the reserved section. It's first-come/first-served, so arrive early for the best choice.\r



\r

If Fantasmic! is cancelled due to weather or other circumstances, you won't receive a refund, but you will get a voucher good for another performance within 5 days (you'll also need another day of park admission). Here's what happened to one reader:\r



\r

On my last visit to WDW this May I booked the Fantasmic dinner package at Mama Melrose and ate there and received my show voucher but the show was rained out. I thought I was out of luck but asked and was told the vouchers are good for 5 days for another show. I went to the show 4 days later and was able to use the voucher with no problem.\r



Tipping at Disney's Hollywood Studios

A frequent area of confusion for Disney guests is the topic of tipping at Walt Disney World. International guests may be unfamiliar with American tipping in general. Gratuities are a part of life when you travel in the United States. We have a page dedicated to everything you need to know about tipping at Walt Disney World.

\r

Following the 2020 park closures related to COVID-19, FastPass+ at Walt Disney World is suspended until further notice.\r



Obtaining More FastPass+ Reservations In the Parks

\r

Like FastPass+ at the other parks, you can obtain more FastPass+ reservations at Disney's Hollywood Studios once you've used your first set, or once their reservation times have expired (whichever comes first). Our touring plans include suggestions the best attractions and times for these day-of FastPasses, as shown below. Here's more research on the best day-of FastPass+ opportunities, too.\r



For example, if you have FastPass+ reservations for Toy Story Mania from 9 to 10 a.m., Rock n Roller Coaster at 10 a.m., and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, you can obtain more FastPasses as soon as you use the Runaway Railway reservation, or 12 noon, whichever comes first. You'll use Disney's My Disney Experience app or one of the in-park kiosks to make this reservation, and you'll only be able to make 1 reservation at a time. Once you make a reservation, you can get another FastPass+ once you've used the previous one (or the reservation time has passed).\r



Using FastPass+ with our Touring Plans

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Currently the top FastPass+ tier consists of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Slinky Dog Dash, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (opening March 4). That means that you can only choose one of those three. All other attractions are in the lower tier except for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance which does not yet offer FastPass+. Here are our recommended FastPass+ selections:\r



Suggested start times for advance FastPass+ reservations:

Slinky Dog Dash or Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway starting at 9 a.m.

\r

Toy Story Mania starting at 10 a.m.

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Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starting at 11 a.m.

Suggested start times for day-of FastPass+ reservations:

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run any time if available

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Star Tours after 2 p.m.

\r



Alien Swirling Saucers after 3 p.m.

\r

Fantasmic! = (Check the daily performance schedule)

\r

These plans are very efficient - the average wait in line should be under 9 minutes per step during summer for our standard 1-day Unofficial Guide Touring Plan - with more than 2 hours of free time available in the afternoon.\r



\r

When we update touring plans, we keep track of how many times each attraction is identified as needing FastPass+. As we did for the Magic Kingdom's FastPass+ priorities, here's the Studios' chart:\r



Attractions That Never Need FastPass+ In Our Hollywood Studios Touring Plans

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Most of the Studios' shows never require FastPass+ in our touring plans. Why? The touring plan software does a good job of getting you\r

to the show at least 15 minutes in advance. When your touring plan gets you to a show 15 minutes in advance, you'll almost always be able to get in to see that performance. And the worst case in most scenarios \r

is that you'll only have to wait until the next show. \r



If you're concerned about getting a day-of FastPass+ for Fantasmic!, consider the Fantasmic! Dining Package, which we think is a good option \r

for families who are already planning to have a sit-down dinner and catch a performance of Fantasmic!.\r



What To Do If You Have Other FastPass+ Attractions or Times

\r

If you can get a FastPass+ reservation for the attractions shown, anywhere near the times listed, the touring plans will work exactly as shown, and your waits in line will be minimized. If you need to choose other FastPass+ attractions or times, our free computer-optimized touring plan software will incorporated those.\r



\r

Here's the process I usually follow to create an optimal Hollywood Studios touring plan with low waits in line:\r



\r

\t Select all of the attractions I want to visit during the day, and enter in all of the meals and breaks I want to take. I don’t enter any FastPass+ times at this step, because I first want to see what the Optimizer identifies as the attractions with potentially long waits. \r

\t Click the “Optimize” button and wait for the touring plan to be optimized. \r

\t Find the first attraction with a wait over 30 minutes, and see if a FastPass+ reservation is available for that attraction around that time. If I find one, I enter in the FastPass+ time that’s available, and re-optimize the plan. \r

\t I repeat Step 3 for the two FastPass+ eligible attractions with the highest wait times throughout the day. I re-optimize the plan after each attraction, because saving a bunch of time on one attraction may allow the Optimizer to uncover other ways to save you time throughout the day. \r



\r

Another great resource for optimizing touring plans is our Lines Chat forum, where lots of folks are happy to offer suggestions.\r



Disney's Hollywood Studios FastPass+ Kiosks

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FastPass+ kiosks are located throughout the Studios, including:\r



\r

Hollywood Boulevard: At the corner of Hollywood and Sunset

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Sunset Boulevard: At the split between Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster

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Pixar Place: Just to the right of the Toy Story Mania entrance \r



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Specific notes about touring FastPass+ attractions in Hollywood Studios follow:\r



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\r

\r

The stand-by queue for Toy Story Mania! is very long, and it takes more than 4 minutes to follow a leisurely paced cast member through it if you are among the first in line at park opening. Because of this, someone with a FastPass+ at 4:00 PM may spend less time in line than the first rider of the day!\r



\r

\r

\r

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster has a single rider line. If you do not mind having each member of your party ride in a separate car or train, this can save you time without using FastPass+.\r

\r

\r



At 500 acres, Disney's Animal Kingdom is five times the size of the Magic Kingdom and more than twice the size of Epcot. But like Disney's Hollywood Studios, most of the Animal Kingdom's vast geography is only accessible on guided tours or as part of attractions. Animal Kingdom consists of six sections, or \"lands:\" The Oasis, Discovery Island, DinoLand U.S.A., Africa, Asia, and Pandora - the World of Avatar. (An additional section, Rafiki's Planet Watch, is touted as a land by Disney but doesn't really qualify as such in our eyes.

\r

Pandora - the World of Avataris the newest \"land\" in Walt Disney World, with an opening date of May 27, 2017. It's based on James Cameron's blockbuster 2009 film Avatar. The project began when Disney signed Avatar filmmaker James Cameron to a development deal in 2011. It turned into the largest expansion in the park’s history. Besides two new headliner rides - Avatar: Flight of Passage and Na’Vi River Journey — Disney has brought to life the floating mountains and glow-in-the-dark plant life of Cameron’s blockbuster film.\r



Its size and expansion notwithstanding, Animal Kingdom features a limited number of attractions. To be exact, there are nine rides, several walk-through exhibits, an indoor theater, three amphitheaters, a conservation exhibit, and a children's playground.

Tiffins, the Animal Kingdom's newest sit-down restaurant, is one of the highest-rated restaurants in Walt Disney World. The food, which includes Wagyu beef, lamb, and duck, is comparable to that found on the menus at Disney's best resort restaurants. Service is excellent.

That said, food at the Animal Kingdom isn't particularly exotic. You'll find a lot of counter service fast food, along with Tusker House, a buffet-style restaurant,\r

and Yak and Yeti, a table-service restaurant, in Asia. You’ll also find plenty of traditional theme park food—hot dogs, burgers—but even the fast food is superior to typical Disney fare. Our two counter-service favorites: Flame Tree Barbecue in Discovery Island, with its waterfront dining pavilions, and Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes (just outside\r

the full-service Yak and Yeti) for casual Asian dishes, from egg rolls to crispy honey chicken.\r



The Harambe Market, to the right as you approach Kilimanjaro Safaris, has four windows, each serving a different specialty, such as spice-rubbed ribs, batter-fried sausages, and chicken or beef kebabs. Beer and South African wines are also available.

Another full-service restaurant in Animal Kingdom, Rainforest Cafe, has entrances both inside and outside the park, meaning you don’t have to buy park admission to eat there. Both Rainforest Cafes (the other is at Disney Springs) accept Advance Reservations.

Tipping at Disney's Animal Kingdom

A frequent area of confusion for Disney guests is the topic of tipping at Walt Disney World. International guests may be unfamiliar with American tipping in general. Gratuities are a part of life when you travel in the United States. We have a page dedicated to everything you need to know about tipping at Walt Disney World.

Disney's Animal Kingdom's main draws are Pandora (Avatar - Flight of Passage and the Na'Vi River Journey), Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa, and Expedition Everest in Asia. Expect those attractions to be very busy from the moment the park opens, and for Pandora to be mobbed the entire day and night. Pandora, the Safaris, and Everest are at opposite sides of the park, which allows good guest distribution.\r

\r



\r

As the day wears on, expect those who have experienced the headliner attractions to turn their attention to other rides and shows, and the crowds to become more equally distributed across the entire park. Less popular attractions don’t experience high traffic until 11:30 a.m.

\r

Many guests who arrive at park opening will have completed their tour of the park by late afternoon and will leave. Wait times at the headliner rides have traditionally dropped as the afternoon wears on. However, with the opening of the nighttime safaris and Rivers of Light show, we’ve noticed an uptick in ride wait times after sunset. We expect this to continue with Pandora open, as guests flock to see the land’s “bioluminescent” landscaping.\r



\r

Following the 2020 park closures related to COVID-19, FastPass+ at Walt Disney World is suspended until further notice.\r



Disney's Animal Kingdom FastPass+ (FP+) FAQ

FastPass+ Tiers at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The opening of Pandora - The World of Avatar resulted in Animal Kingdom's attractions being grouped into tiers, like the FastPass+ attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Disney limits how many FP+ reservations you can make for each group. Here are the groups and their limits:

Group A (Choose up to 1 attraction)

Avatar - Flight of Passage

Na'Vi River Journey

Group B

DINOSAUR

Expedition Everest

Festival of the Lion King

Finding Nemo - The Musical

It's Tough to Be A Bug

Kali River Rapids

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost

Primeval Whirl

Rivers of Light

How to Use FastPass+ With a Touring Plan

All of our Disney's Animal Kingdom touring plans now use Disney's FastPass+ ride reservation system. Each plan lists the suggested FP+ start times for the attractions that will save you the most time in line, like this:

Suggested start times for FP+ reservations:

Avatar - Flight of Passage = 9 a.m.

Expedition Everest = 10 a.m.

Kilimanjaro Safaris = 12:30 p.m.

The updated plans are very efficient - the average wait in line should be under 11 minutes per step during summer for our standard 1-day Unofficial Guide Touring Plan - with more than an hour of free time available in the afternoon.

Which FastPasses Should I Get for the Animal Kingdom?

When we updated the plans, we kept track of how many times each attraction was identified as needing FastPass+. As we did for the Magic Kingdom's FastPass+ priorities, here's the Animal Kingdom's chart:

Reasons Why You Might Need an Animal Kingdom FastPass+

FastPass+ is offered at a dozen Animal Kingdom attractions, only 8 of them ever require FP+ in our touring plans. Here's why:

Kilimanjaro Safaris is the attraction that most frequently uses FP+ in our Animal Kingdom touring plans. Why? It's not a thrill ride, so it appeals to everyone in the park, from small children, to adults, to seniors. It's also very popular, so it appears in all of our touring plans. Another advantage of using FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Sarafis is that you can choose whether to experience the standard daytime safari, or try the nighttime version.

We recommend FastPass+ for the new Pandora attractions -Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'Vi River Journey - more than any Animal Kingdom attractions except Kilimanjaro Safaris. Both rides are in the same FastPass+ tier, so you have to choose which one you'll use your advance FastPass+ for. If you plan to ride Flight of Passage, we think that choice will save you the most time in line. If you're not riding Flight of Passage, get a FastPass+ for the Na'vi River Journey.

Expedition Everest is the attraction that appears next in our list of best FastPass+ attractions at the Animal Kingdom. Because it's a popular thrill ride, it appears in all of our 'tween, adult, and \"whole family\" touring plans.

Beyond those attractions, your choices for a best FastPass+ attraction depends on the ages of your family. Meet Disney Pals at the Adventurer's Outpost character meet and greet shows up on our Animal Kingdom touring plans for parents with small children. It’s probably not going to be the first stop of your day, and using FastPass+ at the Outpost will generally save more time in line than using FastPass+ at any other child-friendly attraction in our plans.

Similarly, Rivers of Light, Kali River Rapids, and Dinosaur are reasonable FastPass+ recommendations in some scenarios, such as days with late arrivals.

Attractions That Never Need FastPass+ In Our Animal Kingdom Touring Plans

These Animal Kingdom attractions never require FastPass+ in our touring plans:

Festival of the Lion King

Finding Nemo - The Musical

Primeval Whirl

It's Tough to Be a Bug!

Why? Most of them are shows, and our touring plan software does a good job of getting you to the show at least 15 minutes in advance. When your touring plan gets you to a show 15 minutes in advance, you'll almost always be able to get in to see that performance. And the worst case in most scenarios is that you'll only have to wait until the next show. Finally, it's rare for the wait time at It's Tough to Be a Bug to be more than 15 minutes, so there's not a lot of time to be saved there using FastPass+.

What To Do If You Have Other FastPass+ Attractions or Times

If you can get a FP+ reservation for the attractions shown, anywhere near the times listed in the plans, the touring plans will work exactly as shown, and your waits in line will be minimized. If you need to choose other FastPass+ attractions or times, our free computer-optimized touring plan software will incorporated those.

Here's the process I usually follow to create an optimal Animal Kingdom touring plan with low waits in line:

\r

Select all of the attractions I want to visit during the day, and enter in all of the meals and breaks I want to take. I don’t enter any FastPass+ times at this step, because I first want to see what the Optimizer identifies as the attractions with potentially long waits. \r

Click the “Optimize” button and wait for the touring plan to be optimized. \r

Find the first attraction with a wait over 30 minutes, and see if a FastPass+ reservation is available for that attraction around that time. If I find one, I enter in the FastPass+ time that’s available, and re-optimize the plan. \r

I repeat Step 3 for the two FP+ eligible attractions with the highest wait times throughout the day. I re-optimize the plan after each attraction, because saving a bunch of time on one attraction may allow the Optimizer to uncover other ways to save you time throughout the day. \r



Another great resource for optimizing touring plans is our Lines Chat forum, where lots of folks are happy to offer suggestions.

Specific notes about touring FastPass+ attractions in Animal Kingdom follow:

\r

Obtain FP+ reservations for Avatar Flight of Passage or the Na'vi River Journey, plus Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris as soon as you can, typically 60 days in advance for on-site guests and 30 days for off-site guests.

\r

Expedition Everest has a single rider line. If you do not mind having each member of your party ride in a separate car or train, this can save you time without using FP+.

\r

FP+ enables you to postpone a wet ride like Kali River Rapids to a warmer part of the day.

\r

If it is a cold day, do not bother with FastPass+ for Kali River Rapids. Lines will be short on cold days. \r



Where Are the Animal Kingdom FastPass+ Kiosks?

You can make additional FastPass+ reservations using the My Disney Experience mobile app, or with the FastPass+ kiosks located throughout the park:

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Discovery Island: Near the Island Mercantile store

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Asia: Near the entrance to Kali River Rapids

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Africa: Near Dawa Bar and Tusker House restaurant \r



General FastPass+ Information

What Does FastPass+ Cost?

There is no fee to use FP+ — it’s available to everyone and free with park admission.

When Can I Book FastPasses?

Guests staying at a Disney resort hotel may make FP+ reservations for the entire length of their trip, up to 60 days in advance of their trip. Everyone else with park tickets may book FP+ reservations up to 30 days in advance, one day at a time.

How Many FP+ Reservations May I Make?

In advance of your trip, you can make up to three FP+ ride reservations for each day of your vacation. Once you use these three pre-selected FastPasses, you can then make additional FastPass+ reservations, one at a time, while you are at WDW.

How Does a FP+ Work When I'm in the Theme Parks?

Most FP+ ride reservations specify a one-hour window during which you may enter the attraction. For example, with a reservation to ride Expedition Everest at 11:00 AM, you may arrive any time between 11:00 AM and noon. Your reservation will be canceled if you don't show up on time.

When you arrive at an attraction with your FP+, you’ll be directed to a separate, shorter \"FastPass+ Return\" line. To enter the line, you must validate your reservation by touching your MagicBand or RFID ticket to a reader at the FP+ Return entrance.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Overview

Among the best themed hotels anywhere, Disney's Deluxe Animal Kingdom Lodge allows you to stay in a room with views of real African animals such as zebras and giraffes. Adjacent to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in 2001. Designed by Peter Dominick of Wilderness Lodge fame, the resort fuses African tribal architecture with the rugged style of grand East African national-park lodges. Five-story, thatched-roof guest-room wings fan out from a vast central rotunda housing the lobby. Public areas, and about half the hotel rooms, offer panoramic views of a private 43-acre wildlife preserve populated with some 200 free-roaming animals and 130 birds.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is divided into two primary areas, the main Jambo House, which is comprised of standard hotel rooms, club level concierge rooms, and a small percentage of \"villa\" style rooms, and the adjacent Kidani Village, which is comprised entirely of studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom villas which function as small apartments with in-room kitchen facilities.

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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort map \r

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Most of the 972 Jambo House guest rooms measure 344 square feet and boast hand-carved furnishings. Standard amenities include a flat-panel TV, desk with two chairs, minifridge, and coffeemaker. Behind each headboard sits faux mosquito netting. Bathrooms have animal-themed wallpaper, two sinks, and a large mirror. Most rooms have full balconies.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Refurbishment and Pool Closure

Disney is currently refurbishing guest rooms in Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House. The construction is expected to be completed in Fall of 2019. Noise should be minimal, although proximity to the section being refurbished will make a difference. We do not currently know if any rooms are complete, but will update this page as soon as we know more.

How Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Compares to Other Disney Deluxe Resorts

The unique feature that separates Animal Kingdom Lodge from not only all the other Walt Disney World resorts, but almost any hotel in the world, is the animals. Many rooms have a view of the hotel's savanna with various wild animals roaming around. You may wake up one morning and have a giraffe looking in your window. The nightly price for rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge fall in to the middle of the other WDW deluxe resorts. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is located near the Animal Kingdom theme park. It is however, somewhat removed from the other Disney theme parks. If you have small children and aren't drawn to the animal views, a better choice at a similar price point might be the Wilderness Lodge, which also has an outdoorsy theme but much easier access to the Magic Kingdom.

Get to Know Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

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Real African animals graze outside your bedroom window. \r

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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Rooms, Jambo House

Most Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo rooms are 344 square feet and have two queen-size beds, a daybed, and a table and two chairs. Both Jambo House and Kidani Village have studios and one, two, and three-bedroom villas. Most rooms at Kidani Village are larger, however, and the difference is anywhere from 50 square feet for a studio to more than 200 square feet for a two-bedroom unit. (The three-bedroom Grand Villas at Jambo House, 148 square feet larger than those in Kidani Village, are the exception.) Because of the difference in area, one-bedroom units in Kidani Village can accommodate up to five people and two-bedroom units, which include a sleeper chair in the living room, can hold up to nine guests. At Jambo House, the one-bedroom \"value\" rooms sleep four, while the standard, savannah and club-level rooms sleep five.

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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Standard Room Layout\r

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Each Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Resort room is furnished with the following:\r



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Two queen-sized beds

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Dresser

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Table with 2 chairs

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Nightstand

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Full-length mirror

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WiFi wireless Internet access

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Flat-panel TV

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Mini fridge

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Coffee maker

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Ironing board and iron

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Hair dryer

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Digital thermostat

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In-room safe

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H2O-brand shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and bar soap \r



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Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House bathrooms are modestly-sized for a Disney deluxe resort, but they are larger than those at the moderate or value levels. Water pressure in the shower is adequate, but probably less than what you're used to at home. A separate dressing area next to the bathroom includes two sinks and ample counter space. Combined with the shower/toilet rooms, this means that three people can have private dressing space at the same time. A 1500-watt, wall-mounted hair dryer is provided. Guests with long or thick hair may find that the dryer is underpowered for their needs.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Classifications

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Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House rooms are priced depending on the view from the room. (Note: the classification system is different at the adjacent Kidani Village.):

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Standard View: Standard rooms generally have unremarkable views of landscaping or parking lots. These are the cheapest rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but there are some gems to be found in this category, though, using our Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Finder.

Standard rooms generally have unremarkable views of landscaping or parking lots. These are the cheapest rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but there are some gems to be found in this category, though, using our Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Finder. \r

Pool View: At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, any rooms facing the center of the resort (where the pool is located) is considered a Pool View. First floor rooms here tend to have views of the backs of lounge chairs sitting around the pool, so upper-floor rooms generally have better views.

At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, any rooms facing the center of the resort (where the pool is located) is considered a Pool View. First floor rooms here tend to have views of the backs of lounge chairs sitting around the pool, so upper-floor rooms generally have better views. \r

Savanna View: Savanna View rooms make up the majority of rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The main draw with these rooms are the animals that roam the Savanna during the day. The view from your window for the most part includes landscaping and trees. But don't worry, most of the time you'll see plenty of animals from the Savanna view rooms.. \r



Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge Level Rooms

The deluxe Disney hotels all include a subset rooms offered with addition amenities and more personalized serivce. These \"concierge level\" or \"club level\" rooms have a different name at each hotel. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge they are known as the Kilimanjaro Club. The Kilimanjaro Club is comprised of about 70 rooms. Though most of the Kilimanjaro rooms are physically similar to the standard Animal Kingdom Jambo hotel rooms, there are also a handful of suites with additional bedrooms, significantly larger square footage, or features such as in-room kitchen facilities.

Concierge Level guests receive additional amenities and personalized service beyond that available to regular guests. These include:

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Separate check-in area in a relaxed setting.

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Dedicated cast members to assist with dining recommendations and reservations, transportation, and other personal needs.

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Nightly turndown service.

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Access to a club-level-only lounge stocked with complimentary food and beverages throughout the day. Morning offerings include pastries, fruit, and coffee. Mid-day fare includes soft drinks, beer, small sandwiches, and savory bites. Later in the evening the lounge will offer desserts and a selection of wine and liqueurs. \r



Handicap-Accessible Room Options

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort have around 50 handicap-accessible rooms in a variety of configurations to accommodate guests with hearing or mobility issues. Mobility access rooms comply with Florida's Accessibility Code, with changes to everything from bed, counter-top, and dresser drawer height, to door widths, wheelchair ramps, and more.

Some accessible rooms have the standard setup of 2 queen beds; all rooms with roll-in showers have 1 king bed, and a small number of roll-in shower rooms have both 1 king bed and 1 double bed. Use our hotel room finder to see which rooms have which feature

Dining Options at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

The Animal Kingdom Lodge has table service, buffet, fine dining, lounge, and quick service dining options on site. Depending on whether you're staying in Jambo House or Kidani Village, some dining venues will be slightly more convenient than others. However, with the two sections of the resort just a 5-10 minute walk, or 2 minute shuttle ride, away all are easily accessible wherever your room is.

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Table Service Restaurants

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Jiko: The Cooking Place Jiko, located at Jambo House, is the Animal Kingdom Lodge's fine dining venue. Jiko has been winning awards and accolades (including AAA's Four Diamond Award) for its interesting fare and stellar wine list - one of the largest collections of South African wines in any North American restaurant. Dishes are beautifully spiced and full of flavor. Start with some flatbread, move onto the oak-grilled filet mignon or maize-crusted halibut, and wrap up with the Tanzanian chocolate mousse. Jiko has a special ambience, from the young African exchange students who greet guests as they enter to a menu of unusual tastes. Jiko's spacious dining room is inspired by the opening scenes of The Lion King. A pair of large wood-burning ovens dominates the center of the room.

Jiko, located at Jambo House, is the Animal Kingdom Lodge's fine dining venue. Jiko has been winning awards and accolades (including AAA's Four Diamond Award) for its interesting fare and stellar wine list - one of the largest collections of South African wines in any North American restaurant. Dishes are beautifully spiced and full of flavor. Start with some flatbread, move onto the oak-grilled filet mignon or maize-crusted halibut, and wrap up with the Tanzanian chocolate mousse. Jiko has a special ambience, from the young African exchange students who greet guests as they enter to a menu of unusual tastes. Jiko's spacious dining room is inspired by the opening scenes of The Lion King. A pair of large wood-burning ovens dominates the center of the room.

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Boma: Flavors of Africa Boma-Flavors of Africa, located at Jambo House, is a favorite of locals and visitors who return time and again for the salads, roasted meats, and interesting sauces. There are plenty of African inspired dishes, as well as basic items for those looking for familiar foods. While Disney calls this a buffet, it's very different from what you'd typically expect. The house specialties are watermelon rind salad, Moroccan seafood salad, roasted meats, Durban spiced roasted chicken, and vegetable skewers. Children are welcome to eat any of the offerings, but there are always classics like chicken fingers, pizza, or macaroni and cheese.

Boma-Flavors of Africa, located at Jambo House, is a favorite of locals and visitors who return time and again for the salads, roasted meats, and interesting sauces. There are plenty of African inspired dishes, as well as basic items for those looking for familiar foods. While Disney calls this a buffet, it's very different from what you'd typically expect. The house specialties are watermelon rind salad, Moroccan seafood salad, roasted meats, Durban spiced roasted chicken, and vegetable skewers. Children are welcome to eat any of the offerings, but there are always classics like chicken fingers, pizza, or macaroni and cheese.

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Sanaa Sanaa (sah-NAH), located at Kidani Village, offers diners a chance to sample and share a variety of Indian-African creations. Diverse Old and New World wines match the cuisine. One floor down from the Kidani Village lobby, Sanaa's dining room is inspired by Africa's outdoor markets, with baskets, beads, and art on the walls. It's a cozy space, with 9-foot-tall windows that look out on the resort's savanna - giraffes, water buffalo, and other animals wander within yards of you as you dine.

Sanaa (sah-NAH), located at Kidani Village, offers diners a chance to sample and share a variety of Indian-African creations. Diverse Old and New World wines match the cuisine. One floor down from the Kidani Village lobby, Sanaa's dining room is inspired by Africa's outdoor markets, with baskets, beads, and art on the walls. It's a cozy space, with 9-foot-tall windows that look out on the resort's savanna - giraffes, water buffalo, and other animals wander within yards of you as you dine. \r

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Counter Service Restaurant

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The MaraThe Mara is small counter service restaurant with a limited menu. The standout items here are the chicken or falafel pitas. \r

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Bars and Lounges

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Victoria Fall Lounge Located near Boma, Victoria Falls Lounge is Animal Kingdom Lodge's main bar. The Lounge has a full drink menu with several beer selections, wines, and spirits. The limited food menu includes finger foods such as chicken wings and mushroom flatbread.

Located near Boma, Victoria Falls Lounge is Animal Kingdom Lodge's main bar. The Lounge has a full drink menu with several beer selections, wines, and spirits. The limited food menu includes finger foods such as chicken wings and mushroom flatbread.

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Sanaa Lounge Located next to the Sanaa restaurant, the lounge serves Indian-inspired appetizers and small bites along with a selection of African wines and a full bar.

Located next to the Sanaa restaurant, the lounge serves Indian-inspired appetizers and small bites along with a selection of African wines and a full bar.

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Uzima Springs Pool Bar Uzima Pool Bar is located adjacent to the Uzima Springs Pool at Jambo House. The bar has a small selection of specialty drinks, African beer and wine, as well as a limited menu of cold foods.

Uzima Pool Bar is located adjacent to the Uzima Springs Pool at Jambo House. The bar has a small selection of specialty drinks, African beer and wine, as well as a limited menu of cold foods.

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Maji Pool Bar Maji Pool Bar is located near the pool at Kidani Village. It also offers a selection of specialty drinks, African beer and wine, as well as limited grab-and-go dining options. \r

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Other

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In-room Dining Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a full room service menu.

Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a full room service menu.

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Rapid Fill Mugs Guests may purchase a Rapid Fill Mug which allows self service soft drink refills for $18.99 for the length of stay. \r

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A view of Boma from Victoria Falls Lounge \r

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The atmosphere at Jiko is relaxed but elegant. \r

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Animal Kingdom Lodge Pools, Recreation, and Amenities

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Pools : Animal Kingdom Lodge has two pools. The largest, Uzima Springs Pool, sits near the outside of the lobby at the front of the resort. At 11,000 square feet the pool is the largest in all of Walt Disney World. There is also a water slide, hot tub, kiddie pool, and water player area. A smaller pool is located at the Kidani Village wing of the resort. The Kidani Pool features an extensive water play area for children. The Animal Kingdom Lodge's pools range in depth from around 3 feet 6 inches/1.1m to 4 feet 9 inches/1.4m. Pool are open every day, including during winter. The pools are heated to 82°F/28°C throughoutthe year. Pool hours vary seasonally, typically opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 8:00 p.m. Infants and children in diapers are welcome in all Animal Kingdom Lodge pools, as long as they're wearing swim diapers. Water wings are allowed at all Disney pools, and every pool has free life vests in a variety of sizes. All WDW pools include a chair-lift device that can lower guests in wheelchairs into the shallow end of the pool. Check with any lifeguard for assistance on using the lift.

: Animal Kingdom Lodge has two pools. The largest, Uzima Springs Pool, sits near the outside of the lobby at the front of the resort. At 11,000 square feet the pool is the largest in all of Walt Disney World. There is also a water slide, hot tub, kiddie pool, and water player area. A smaller pool is located at the Kidani Village wing of the resort. The Kidani Pool features an extensive water play area for children. The Animal Kingdom Lodge's pools range in depth from around 3 feet 6 inches/1.1m to 4 feet 9 inches/1.4m. Pool are open every day, including during winter. The pools are heated to 82°F/28°C throughoutthe year. Pool hours vary seasonally, typically opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 8:00 p.m. Infants and children in diapers are welcome in all Animal Kingdom Lodge pools, as long as they're wearing swim diapers. Water wings are allowed at all Disney pools, and every pool has free life vests in a variety of sizes. All WDW pools include a chair-lift device that can lower guests in wheelchairs into the shallow end of the pool. Check with any lifeguard for assistance on using the lift. \r

Playground : A small playground set is located near Uzima Springs. The set has a small plastic slide and a couple of sections with a few steps for toddlers to go up and down. The entire area is covered in a springy, poured rubber surface.

: A small playground set is located near Uzima Springs. The set has a small plastic slide and a couple of sections with a few steps for toddlers to go up and down. The entire area is covered in a springy, poured rubber surface. \r

Fitness Center : Zahanati Fitness Center is Animal Kingdom Lodge's fitness center and spa. It is open 24 hours a day but attendants are only available from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Massage, facial, and body treatment services are available.

: Zahanati Fitness Center is Animal Kingdom Lodge's fitness center and spa. It is open 24 hours a day but attendants are only available from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Massage, facial, and body treatment services are available. \r

Arcade : Located near The Mara restaurant is Pumbaa's Fun and Games Arcade , which features a selection of relatively recent video and arcade games.

: Located near The Mara restaurant is , which features a selection of relatively recent video and arcade games. \r

Movies Under the Stars : Free Disney movies are shown most evenings, weather permitting.

: Free Disney movies are shown most evenings, weather permitting. \r

Jogging: Walkers, joggers and runners can find a jogging trail. The trail is a 0.16 around Uzima Pool. There is also a 0.5 mile path that connects Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House and Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. \r



Practical Matters

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Check In/Out Times : Check-in time at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House traditional hotel rooms is 3:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. At Jambo House villa-style rooms and all of Kidani Village, check-in time is 4:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM.

: Check-in time at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House traditional hotel rooms is 3:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. At Jambo House villa-style rooms and all of Kidani Village, check-in time is 4:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. \r

Online Check-In : Animal Kingdom Lodge participates in Disney's Online Check-In program, which allows you to you provide name, address, and credit card information up to 60 days before your arrival. If you've checked-in online and provided a mobile phone number or email address, you will receive your room number electronically. Guests living in the United States and a few other geographic areas will have Magic Bands mailed to their home prior to their arrival. If you've completed online check in and have your MagicBand, you may go straight to the room bypassing the lobby altogether.

: Animal Kingdom Lodge participates in Disney's Online Check-In program, which allows you to you provide name, address, and credit card information up to 60 days before your arrival. If you've checked-in online and provided a mobile phone number or email address, you will receive your room number electronically. Guests living in the United States and a few other geographic areas will have Magic Bands mailed to their home prior to their arrival. If you've completed online check in and have your MagicBand, you may go straight to the room bypassing the lobby altogether. \r

Magic Bands : MagicBands are rubber/plastic wrist bands which function as your room key and resort identification. Depending on what options you've selected, your MagicBand may also function as your park ticket, dining plan ticket, or charge card.

: MagicBands are rubber/plastic wrist bands which function as your room key and resort identification. Depending on what options you've selected, your MagicBand may also function as your park ticket, dining plan ticket, or charge card. \r

Theme Park Tickets : Park tickets are best purchased online in advance either directly through Disney or via our Least Expensive Ticket Calculator. However, if you arrive without park tickets, head to the concierge desk to the right of the check-in desk.

: Park tickets are best purchased online in advance either directly through Disney or via our Least Expensive Ticket Calculator. However, if you arrive without park tickets, head to the concierge desk to the right of the check-in desk. \r

Dining Reservations : Dining reservation are best made online in advance or on your phone or tablet during your visit. If you need assistance stop by the concierge desk or the check in podium of any Walt Disney World table service restaurant.

: Dining reservation are best made online in advance or on your phone or tablet during your visit. If you need assistance stop by the concierge desk or the check in podium of any Walt Disney World table service restaurant. \r

Laundry : The one, two, and three bedroom villa rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge come with washer/dryer units in each room. Other guests may use the laundry facilities located near the main pool. Cost is $3 per wash, and another $3 per dry cycle. The machines take credit cards. A small selection of soap, fabric softener, and dryer sheets are also sold, for around $1 each. A typical wash cycle takes 20 to 30 minutes, and a typical dry cycle takes 40 to 50.

: The one, two, and three bedroom villa rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge come with washer/dryer units in each room. Other guests may use the laundry facilities located near the main pool. Cost is $3 per wash, and another $3 per dry cycle. The machines take credit cards. A small selection of soap, fabric softener, and dryer sheets are also sold, for around $1 each. A typical wash cycle takes 20 to 30 minutes, and a typical dry cycle takes 40 to 50. \r

Lost and Found : If you lose something during your stay, contact Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's Lost and Found department by calling (407) 938-3000.

: If you lose something during your stay, contact Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's Lost and Found department by calling (407) 938-3000. \r

Shopping : Animal Kingdom Lodge's gift shop is Zawadi Marketplace. It is located on the right side after you enter Animal Kingdom Lodge's lobby. As you'd expect from a Disney gift shop, Zawadi has a decent collection of souvenirs ranging from small trinkets such as keychains and pens, to embroidered jackets and Disney princess dresses. The store also sells basic pharmacy items such as sunscreen, aspirin, allergy and cold medicine, baby diapers and formula, shampoo, and the like. You will also find a small selection of convenience store food items such as frozen dinners, beer and wine, packaged snacks, and basic cooking items. An abbreviated version of the main store is located off the lobby of the Kidani Village main building.

: Animal Kingdom Lodge's gift shop is Zawadi Marketplace. It is located on the right side after you enter Animal Kingdom Lodge's lobby. As you'd expect from a Disney gift shop, Zawadi has a decent collection of souvenirs ranging from small trinkets such as keychains and pens, to embroidered jackets and Disney princess dresses. The store also sells basic pharmacy items such as sunscreen, aspirin, allergy and cold medicine, baby diapers and formula, shampoo, and the like. You will also find a small selection of convenience store food items such as frozen dinners, beer and wine, packaged snacks, and basic cooking items. An abbreviated version of the main store is located off the lobby of the Kidani Village main building. \r

Childcare: Two companies provide in-room sitting in Walt Disney World and surrounding areas. They're Kid's Nite Out and Fairy Godmothers (no kidding). Both provide sitters older than age 18 who are insured, bonded, screened, reference-checked, police-checked, and trained in CPR. In addition to caring for your kids in your room, the sitters will, if you direct (and pay), take your children to the theme parks or other venues. Neither service will transport your children in private vehicles or give baths. Both offer bilingual sitters. \r



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Babysitting Services \r

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\t\tkidsniteout.com\r

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\t\t407-277-3724\r

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\t\tHotels Served

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\t\tAll WDW and Orlando-area hotels\r

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\t\tAll WDW and Orlando-area hotels\r

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\t\tMothers and grandmothers, female college students\r

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\t\tor after 9 PM, +$2 per hour; additional fee for holidays\r

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\t\tTransportation fee, $14; starting after 10 PM,

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\t\t3 hours before service\r

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\t\tAE, D, MC, V; gratuity in cash\r

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\t\tCash or traveler's check for actual payment; gratuity in cash\r

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\t\tTransport children in private vehicles,

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\t\tis at sitter's discretion\r

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Transportation to and from Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

Driving to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort is just off of I-4 in Lake Buena Vista. Take I-4 Exit 3 - W Osceola Pkwy. Follow Osceola Pkwy for about 5.5 miles and Animal Kingdom Lodge will be on your right.\r



Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's GPS address and location are:\r



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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

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2901 Osceola Parkway

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Bay Lake, FL 32830

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Latitude: 28.353637 North, Longitude: 81.602756 West

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A security gate guards the entrance to Animal Kingdom Lodge's grounds. If you arrive by car, you'll need to provide photo ID at the gate; it's not necessary to provide your reservation number or paperwork. A dedicated parking lot across from the lobby serves as temporary parking for those who need it while checking in.

Guests keeping a car at the Animal Kingdom Lodge overnight will be charged $25 per day for standard self-parking or $33 per day for valet parking.

From Orlando International Airport If you're arriving at Orlando International Airport, Disney's free Magical Express bus service will take you and your luggage directly from the airport to your hotel room, then back to the airport when it's time for your flight home. For more information see our Disney's Magical Express Frequently Asked Questions page.

From Sanford International Airport It's about a 40-minute drive from Sanford to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. If you're not renting a car, be aware that Sanford's airport offers fewer transportation options than Orlando's, and Sanford's options are generally much more expensive. A taxi from Sanford International Airport to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort will cost between $120 and $150, depending on traffic. Mears Transportation offers 3-passenger towncar service to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort for around $140 each way, plus tip; 5-passenger SUV service or 10-passenger van is around $190 each way. That means round-trip transportation will run you somewhere between $240 and $380, plus tip, between Sanford and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. You may also want to consult ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft for their pricing options.

Getting to the theme parks, water parks and Disney Springs

Disney provides free bus service from Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort to Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney Springs. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's bus stops sit along the front wall of the lobby, between the lobby and check-in parking lot. Each theme park has its own bus stop somewhere alongthe wall. Animal Kingdom's bus service is shared with Blizzard Beach, while Disney Springs and Typhoon Lagoon also share a stop and service.

Ask a Disney Cast Member about Animal Kingdom Lodge's bus schedule, and they'll tell you that buses run about every 20 minutes. In reality, Animal Kingdom Lodge's bus schedule varies considerably depending on the time of day and where you're headed.

For example, if you're headed to the Magic Kingdom between 8 AM and 11 AM, you'll wait around 11 minutes, on average, for a bus to arrive. The bus schedules for Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios are about the same early in the day, with a bus arriving every 15-20 minutes, on average. Bus schedules to the water parks and Disney Springs are a little less frequent, and you could wait anywhere from 12 to 37 minutes for a ride.

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Buses run a little slower from around 11 AM to around 4 PM, when most people are already in a park. Disney's evening buses are scheduled around the theme parks' closing times, where most of the fleet is deployed to get guests back to their hotels. Your waits to return to your hotel from a theme park should average out to around 30 minutes under most circumstances.\r



If you've got your own car, it's faster to drive yourself to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, and Disney Springs. Disney's bus service is faster to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. We evaluate Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort's bus service annually, and the latest transportation times can be found below.

Getting to another hotel from Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

The fastest option, however, is almost always a taxi or ride sharing service such as Uber or Lyft. Rates are generally in the $15-25 range, depending on your destination. A taxi can typically get you to most points in Disney World within 20 minutes (often much less), versus the one to two hours it might take using Disney's free transportation system. Taxis are available outside the lobby; if a taxi is not already sitting out front, the bell services desk also serves as a taxi stand, and they'll call one for you.

To Universal Orlando

If you're staying at Walt Disney World and don't have a car, Mears Transportation will shuttle you from your hotel to Universal and back for about $20 per person. Pickup and return times are at your convenience. A one-way taxi ride is around $36, and may be the cheapest option if you have three to five people.

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The health club is fully equipped with cardio equipment and weights. \r

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Animal Kingdom Lodge has laundry rooms available for guest use. \r

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Reader Review Comments

A family of four from Lincoln, England, gives Animal Kingdom Lodge a mixed, though mostly positive, review:

We had a fab holiday, but we wouldn't recommend people paying the extra money to have a savanna room. The animals are scarce, and you don't really spend much time in your room. The pool was fantastic and the hotel stunning. We visited Boma: Flavors of Africa, but my children found the food very different and spicy. The food court was fine, although we wished they'd change the menu as after two weeks you're fed up of the same choices.

A Portage, Indiana, family begs to differ with us:

We disagree with your assessment that the Giraffe Trail is the least desirable wing of Animal Kingdom Lodge. We stayed in a pool-view room and loved it. The view was beautiful, even without the animals (which you can view elsewhere). The proximity to the pool, lobby, and restaurants was great, and a bonus was the direct exits from the hallway to the outside, which were very close to where Disney transportation picks up. And we saved about $500 over what we would've spent on a savanna view.

A British mum had safety concerns:

The room was very small and not very child-safe (REALLY high beds), but the hotel itself was fantastic in all other aspects.

Finally, from a Chandler, Arizona, couple:

Specifically wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We weren't disappointed! Fantastic resort. We loved sitting on our balcony in the afternoon and watching the animals. Found the transportation to be easy and convenient from this location as well.

TouringPlans offers pictures of the view from any Disney Resort room on property. Click here for the Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort map and to choose a room to see the view.

A glance at the resort\r

map tells you where the best rooms and villas are. Kudu Trail and Zebra\r

Trail, two wings branching from the rear of Jambo House, form a semicircle\r

around the central wildlife savanna. Along each wing are seven five-story\r

buildings, with accommodations on floors two through five. five\r

buildings on each wing form the semicircle, while the remaining two buildings\r

jut away from the center. The best rooms—on floors three and four,\r

facing into the circle—are high enough to survey the entire savanna yet low\r

enough to let you appreciate the ground-level detail of this amazing wildlife\r

exhibit; plus, these rooms offer the easiest access to the lobby and restaurants.\r

Second-floor rooms really can’t take in the panorama, and fifth-floor\r

rooms are a little too high for intimate views of the animals. Most of the\r

fourth-floor rooms in Jambo House are reserved for concierge guests, and\r

the fifth and sixth floors house the DVC units.

Room 2356: A Kudu Trail room with a good savanna and easy access to the hotel lobby. \r

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Room 2281: Rooms on the lower levels show the little details of the savanna. \r

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Most rooms in the outward-jutting buildings, as well as rooms facing\r

away from the interior, also survey a savanna, but one not as compelling\r

as that of the inner circle. On the Zebra Trail, the first two\r

buildings plus the first jutting building provide savanna views on one\r

side and look onto the swimming complex on the other.

Less attractive still are two smaller wings, Ostrich Trail and\r

Giraffe Trail, branching from either side of the lodge near the main\r

entrance. Some rooms on the left side of Ostrich Trail overlook a small savanna. Rooms on the opposite side of\r

the same buildings overlook the front entrance. Least desirable is\r

Giraffe Trail, extending from the right side of the lobby: its rooms\r

overlook either the pool (water view) or the resort entrance (standard\r

view).

Room 1468: Lower level rooms facing the pool may not have the best view. \r

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Room 2356: An example of a room facing the edge of the savanna. \r

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Room 3138: Some savanna view rooms have trees that partially block the view. \r

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Strengths and Weaknesses \r

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Strengths \r

Weaknesses \r

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Magnificent lobby \r

Few counter-service dining options \r

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Along with Wilderness Lodge, it’s\r

the least expensive Disney Deluxe resort \r

Rooms are among the smallest of the\r

Deluxe resorts \r

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Best theming of any Disney hotel \r

Jambo House villas are smaller than those\r

at Kidani Village \r

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Amazing savanna views \r

No direct non-bus transportation to any\r

theme park \r

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Excellent on-site sit-down dining options \r

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Large, beautiful feature pool \r

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On-site cultural and nature programs \r

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Disney's Beach Club Resort Overview

This five-story Deluxe resort has clapboard facades with whitewashed-wood \r

\r

trim and is painted a bright blue. The Beach Club is embellished with beach \r

\r

scenes in foam green and white. The resort has a themed lobby, with sea-horse \r

\r

fixtures. The resort faces 25-acre Crescent Lake and has an elaborate swimming \r

\r

complex that it shares with the Yacht Club Resort.

There are 576 guest rooms at the Beach Club, and 282 studio and one- and \r

\r

two-bedroom villas at the Beach Club Villas, part of the Disney Vacation Club \r

\r

time-share program. Most of the hotel rooms are 381 square feet and have two \r

\r

queen-size beds, a daybed, and a desk and a chair. Like the Grand Floridian's, \r

\r

rooms have a lot of drawer space. Beach Club rooms are decorated in soft green \r

\r

and blue tones. Some rooms have balconies.

The Beach Club consists of a long main building with several wings \r

\r

protruding toward Crescent Lake. Looking at the resort from Crescent Lake, the \r

\r

Beach Club adjoins the Yacht Club on the left and spreads toward Epcot on the \r

\r

right. The main building and the various wings range from three to five \r

\r

stories. Most rooms have balconies or, on the ground floor, patios. Balconies \r

\r

are either big enough for a couple of chairs, or about 6 inches deep (stand at \r

\r

the rail or sit in a chair inside the room). Top-floor rooms often have \r

\r

enclosed balconies inset into the roof. Unless you'e standing, visibility is \r

\r

somewhat limited from these dormer balconies.

The Beach Club Resort shares restaurants, pools, and other amenities with \r

\r

the Yacht Club Resort and Beach Club Villas. A small business center serves \r

\r

guests' work needs for both the Yacht and Beach Clubs and Beach Club \r

\r

Villas.

As a Disney Deluxe resort, the Beach Club provides excellent service. \r

\r

Within the Yacht and Beach Club are nine restaurants and lounges and are \r

\r

within walking distance of Epcot and the BoardWalk. Transportation to other \r

\r

destinations is by bus or boat. Walking time to the transportation loading \r

\r

areas from the most remote rooms is 7 minutes.

How Disney's Beach Club Resort Compares to Other Disney Deluxe \r

\r

Resorts

The Beach Club (and its neighbor Yacht Club) have two major advantageous \r

\r

over other hotels. One, you can walk to the International Gateway entrance of \r

\r

Epcot in less than 10 minutes. And Two, it has the best pool of all the Walt \r

\r

Disney World resorts. The nightly price for rooms at Yacht & Beach Club fall \r

\r

in to the middle of all the other WDW resorts. Yacht Club does offer a fitness \r

\r

center, salon, barber shop, and a spa.

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The Beach portion of the Beach Club Resort.\r

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Where To Check-In, Get Theme Park Tickets, and Make Dining \r

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Reservations

A security gate guards the entrance to Beach Club's grounds. If you arrive \r

\r

by car, you'll need to provide photo ID at the gate; it's not necessary to \r

\r

provide your reservation\r

number or paperwork. A dedicated parking lot across from the lobby serves as \r

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temporary parking for those who need it while checking in.\r



Guests keeping a car at the hotel overnight will be charged $25 per day.

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Check-in time at Beach Club is 3:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. Beach \r

\r

Club participates in Disney's \r

Online Check-In program, which allows \r

\r

you to you provide name, address, and credit card information\r

up to 60 days before your arrival. If you've done this, look for an Online \r

\r

Check-In sign near the Registration Desk. You'll be routed to one of the \r

\r

Online Check-in staff and should\r

be on the way to your room in a few minutes.\r



If you have checked-in online and already have your MagicBand, the resort will simply send you a text with your roo