Animal Kingdom Rides by Age: There Aren’t That Many
The park has a lot to offer, including animal exhibits, shows, and characters. Rides are not the highlight. What are the available Animal Kingdom rides by age?
What Do You Need to Know About Animal Kingdom Rides by Age?
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
3. Rides in Animal Kingdom for Everyone
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
6. Rides for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
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Animal Kingdom Rides by Age
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
Disney World is hot. You will be much happier if you minimize wait times and alternate indoor and outdoor attractions so you aren’t in the sun all day. Make a plan.
What should you ride first at Animal Kingdom? The perfect plan for your family will depend on what you want to do. Generally speaking, Avatar Flight of Passage will have the longest lines of the day. If there is already a long wait when you arrive, knock out a few rides with shorter wait times and save that for later. You can probably walk onto Expedition Everest and Na’vi River Journey first thing in the morning.
Do not waste your time seeing animals first thing in the morning. They will be there all day.
Pro tip: Touringplans.com creates personalized touring plans for free. Input what you want to do and it will generate a plan. The plan can be modified throughout the day based on current wait times.
Bonus pro tip: Check out the park map before you go to familiarize yourself with where things are located.
Note: Disney’s Genie app claims to provide you with a free touring plan. While this is technically true, data points suggest the app sends people to rides with longer wait times that do not make sense.
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
After the pandemic, Disney discontinued the free front-of-the-line pass system and put paid systems, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, in place.
Pro tip: You can purchase both Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. You don’t need to choose.
Genie+
Genie+ allows you to reserve spots to skip the line on certain rides and attractions (including shows) throughout the day. Everyone who purchases it, whether in an on-property hotel or not, can start making reservations at 7:00 a.m. on the day of their visits.
Guests can make a new reservation every two hours OR when their prior selection has expired or has been used. In other words, you can book one less than every two hours if you have no selection pending. You cannot reserve a specific time, and you cannot book the same attraction twice on the same day.
You can purchase Genie+ beginning at midnight on the day of your visit. Cost varies by the day.
Pro tip: If you don’t care if you sit with your party, consider skipping Genie+ and using the single rider lines for free.
Individual Lightning Lanes
Individual Lightning Lanes require you to pay to ride one ride one time. The rate varies depending on demand.
As of the time of this writing, the only ride that requires an Individual Lightning Lane is Avatar Flight of Passage.
Pro tip: Guests of on-property resorts can start booking Lightning Lane reservations at 7:00 a.m. Off-property guests must wait until the park opens.
Bonus pro tip: If you don’t care if you sit with your party, the single rider lines will have shorter wait times.
Are These Extras Worth it at Animal Kingdom?
Are Individual Lightnings Lane and Genie+ worth it at this park? It depends. Will you be there all day? Do you want to avoid all lines? You can get by without it, but you might want it to maximize your day.
3. Animal Kingdom Rides for Babies and Up
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Kilimanjaro Safaris is a long ride through artificial savannas. You will see a ton of live animals, including crocodiles, giraffes, and cheetahs. You get great close-up views while the driver narrates. This ride is popular, so the lines get long.
Pro tip: The animals may be more active in the morning.
Bonus pro tip: This ride does not always run all the way to park close. Check the times so you don’t miss it.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: All ages
Location: Africa
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
Na’vi River Journey
Na’vi River Journey is a slow-moving boat ride through a bioluminescent rainforest. It ends with a lifelike Shaman. The whole experience is very serene, but it isn’t going to be exciting for older kids.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, adults
Location: Pandora
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
TriceraTop Spin
TriceraTop Spin is basically Dumbo in dinosaur cars. You spin in a circle slowly.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: No
Lightning Lane accepted: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers
Location: DinoLand U.S.A.
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
Wildlife Express Train
The train takes you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. It isn’t overly exciting. Characters occasionally join you for the ride.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: No
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers
Location: Africa
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
4. Animal Kingdom Rides for Preschoolers and Up
Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids is a water ride on a circular raft. You can find a similar ride at a lot of other parks. The wait is usually reasonable. You will get very wet. Bring a poncho.
Height requirement: 38″
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Asia
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Avatar Flight of Passage
Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3D motion simulator. You feel like you are riding a banshee. You can even feel it breathing. This is the most popular ride at this park, so the lines build quickly.
Height requirement: 44″
Genie+ accepted: No
Lightning Lane attraction: Yes
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Pandora
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
6. Rides for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
DINOSAUR
DINOSAUR is a bumpy ride on a Jeep through dinosaurs who want to eat you. This ride is so dark you cannot see your child sitting next to you in the seat. The only time you will catch a glimpse is when a brightly colored dinosaur appears next to your car to threaten bodily injury.
Height requirement: 40″
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane accepted: No
Best for: Upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: DinoLand U.S.A.
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest is the only roller coaster at this park. At one point, the ride goes backward. There is an indoor, dark section that feels like you go upside down, but you don’t. This ride is a little rough on the neck.
The queue gets bonus points. There is a lot to see.
Height requirement: 44″
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Asia
Indoor or outdoor: Both
Final Thoughts – Animal Kingdom Rides by Age
The park doesn’t have a ton of rides, but there is a lot of other worthwhile stuff to do. Make your plan considering the available Animal Kingdom rides by age to minimize waiting and maximize your day.
Visit Disney Worth with kids. You will not regret it.
