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The Best Time to Visit Animal Kingdom

The quietest month at Animal Kingdom is September, averaging about 27 minutes of wait across all rides. The quietest day of the week is Wednesday at about 34 minutes.

Busiest: April (51 min) on a Saturday (46 min). Choosing the right month is worth about 24 minutes per ride.

Every month ranked, quietest first

September, October and August are the quietest months at Animal Kingdom. April, March and December are the busiest.

1stSeptember 2027~27 minquietest2ndOctober 2026~31 min+4 min3rdAugust 2027~32 min+5 min4thJune 2027~34 min+7 min5thJuly 2027~34 min+7 min6thMay 2027~37 min+10 min7thJanuary 2027~38 min+11 min8thNovember 2026~40 min+13 min9thFebruary 2027~44 min+17 min10thDecember 2026~44 min+17 min11thMarch 2027~45 min+18 min12thApril 2027~51 min+24 min
■ Low crowds■ Moderate■ High crowds

Know your dates? We'll build a ride-by-ride plan for that exact day at Animal Kingdom.

Prefilled with the quietest upcoming day in our data. Change it to your own travel dates.

Free while open access lasts. We use your date to time each ride around its predicted wait.

The best day of the week

Wednesday is the quietest day at Animal Kingdom, about 12 minutes better than Saturday.

Sunday
~44 min
Monday
~45 min
Tuesday
~37 min
Wednesday
~34 min
Thursday
~35 min
Friday
~43 min
Saturday
~46 min

How much your date actually matters

Visiting Animal Kingdom in September instead of April cuts about 24 minutes off the average wait for every ride. Picking a Wednesday over a Saturday is worth another 12 minutes. On a 10-ride day, that is the difference between a few short waits and most of your afternoon spent in line, and it costs nothing but scheduling.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to visit Animal Kingdom?

September is the quietest month at Animal Kingdom, averaging about 27 minutes of wait across all rides. April is the busiest at about 51 minutes, so picking the right month is worth roughly 24 minutes per ride.

What is the best day of the week to visit Animal Kingdom?

Wednesday is the quietest day of the week at Animal Kingdom, averaging about 34 minutes. Saturday is the busiest at about 46 minutes.

What day of the week is Animal Kingdom least crowded?

Wednesday. Across BTQ's recorded wait times, Wednesday averages 34 minutes at Animal Kingdom, 12 minutes less than Saturday.

What is the worst time to visit Animal Kingdom?

April on a Saturday is the busiest combination in our data, averaging around 51 minutes across all rides.

Do I need Lightning Lane if I visit at a quiet time?

Usually not. Visiting in September on a Wednesday removes about 24 minutes of average wait, which is most of what Lightning Lane buys you at Animal Kingdom.

More on visiting Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom crowd calendar, month by month →Is Lightning Lane worth it at Animal Kingdom? →Live wait times for every ride at Animal Kingdom →How to Avoid Long Lines at Disney World →Rope Drop at Disney Parks: We Analyzed the Data So You Don't Have To →

Visiting Animal Kingdom in September?

BTQ times each ride around its predicted wait on your exact date, so you ride the headliners without Lightning Lane.

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