Easy Guide to Animal Kingdom

Don't miss out on reading this simple guide to having an amazing day at Animal Kingdom!

Virtual Queues & Lightning Lanes

Virtual Queue

There are no virtual queues at Animal Kingdom.

Lightning Lanes - Multi Pass

Genie Plus retired as of July 23, 2024.

Lightning Lanes can be purchased through the My Disney Experience App, so you can go through the line more quickly than the standby line. Prices vary depending on the theme park and time of year. If you are park hopping, you can buy the multi pass for the first park you will be visiting. Walt Disney World Resort guests can book 3 lightning lanes 7 days in advance for the duration of your visit, and all other off site guests can book 3 lightning lanes 3 days ahead.

3 attractions can be booked ahead of time:

DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Festival of the Lion King
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue...and Beyond!
It's Tough To Be A Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safari
Na'vi River Journey

STEP 1: Once you use your first Lightning Lane, you can book another one in any park.

STEP 2: Repeat. Repeat. Etc.

Single Pass Lightning Lanes

There are some lightning lanes that you can purchase individually. Multi Pass and Single Pass Lightning Lanes are two separate purchases. You can purchase one without the other. You can only buy up to two Individual Lightning Lanes per day and only one per ride.

Avatar Flight of Passage Single Pass Lightning Lanes can be purchased at Magic Kingdom.

All Walt Disney World Resort guests as well as guests staying at Shades of Green and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels can purchase Single Pass Lightning Lanes 7 days ahead of check-in starting at 7 A.M. EST. Single Pass Lightning Lanes can be planned for the duration of your stay (up to 14 days).

All other guests can book their Single Pass Lightning Lanes 3 days ahead of their visit starting at 7 A.M. EST.

Typical Park Hours

Animal Kingdom usually opens and closes the earliest out of all the theme parks.

Animal Kingdom will either open at 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. Depending on the time of year and the crowd levels, the park will close at 6:00, 7:00, or 8:00 p.m.

Early Entry time starts at either 7:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m.

On select nights in November and December 2023, there were Animal Kingdom Extended Evening Hours that replaced Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours. The park will be open 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. or 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. for guests staying at a deluxe or DVC resort.

Disney lists park hours as early as 70 days ahead on the My Disney Experience App. HOWEVER, the finalized the park hours are updated two full weeks ahead. When planning, finalize your itinerary 1-2 weeks before your trip with the updated park schedule.

Example: The day you visit Animal Kingdom, the posted hours are 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Transportation starts: 6:00/6:30 a.m.

Main Gates open: 7:30 a.m.

Early Entry: 7:30 a.m.

Park Opens: 8:00 a.m.

Park Closes: 7:00 p.m.

How To Get To Animal Kingdom

Transportation options vary depending on where you're staying:

Walt Disney World Resorts

If you're staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, the only transportation option to Animal Kingdom is the bus.

*The Disney World website states that all transportation options start operating 45 minutes prior to theme park opening. However, there are many reports of transportation much earlier (up to 90 minutes before early entry). If your goal is to go to early entry, make sure you leave your hotel room 60-90 minutes before early entry time!

Off Property Hotels & Rentals

If you decided to stay off property, make sure to check to see if your hotel has a shuttle option to Animal Kingdom. All hotels have different transportation schedules, so it is important to look for this information on the hotel website.