Animal Kingdom and Table Service

[Grumpy's Wife]

For those on the Dining Plan, where do you eat your table service meal when visiting the Animal Kingdom? I was thinking maybe going over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then I thought how much of a hassle it would be to get back to our resort. Catching a bus to DTD then transfer to resort bus (assuming that the AK it closed by this time). So what do you do on the dining plan when Animal Kingdom does not offer table service?

 

[catexer]

we are doing exactly what you are suggesting, taking the bus from AK to the AK Lodge, and then a bus to DTD to get back to our resort. AK closes early anyway so the critters can get some rest... so what else do we have to do but go explore AKL and then maybe spend a little time in DTD before heading "home".

 

[angel's momma]

Last time we went to Boma, and plan to do so next time.

It was PM EMH, and we had an early ADR, so we went back to AK.

Depending on your resort, and park hours, you don't necessarily have to transfer at DTD - pick the park closest to your resort.

We ate at Pepper Market from Pop, and transfered at MGM.

 

[HalfDozen]

With Tusker House and Flame Tree Barbecue, you can use counter service for a HUGE meal at AK. We are just doing that and skipping the table service credit for that day. (You can always combine it with another one for a signature dining, or do a character breakfast at restaurantosaurus)

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just a little OT about transportation. After you eat, couldn't you just take the first bus that comes along at AKL? Then, wherever it goes (most likely a theme park), take the bus from there to your resort?

 

[Kae]

Just a little OT about transportation. After you eat, couldn't you just take the first bus that comes along at AKL? Then, wherever it goes (most likely a theme park), take the bus from there to your resort?

That's what we do, when eating at the Resorts.

Kae

 

[angel's momma]

Just a little OT about transportation. After you eat, couldn't you just take the first bus that comes along at AKL? Then, wherever it goes (most likely a theme park), take the bus from there to your resort?

Depends on where your resort is.

If the first bus is MK, and the resort is Pop, the ride is quite a bit longer than if you switch at MGM.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I agree regarding Tuskers and Flame Tree. I don't miss TS at AK. And I haven't tried Pizzafari yet.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I'm still not sure what we will do. We will be staying in the new Suites at ASM. I would hate to go all the way back to the MK and back to the AllStars. I do appreciate all of your thoughts.

 

[pperfectmom]

We are planning to go to AK in the morning, back to ASMo for a nap and swim and then back to the park for Mickey's Jungle Parade. We have reservations at Boma for 5:30. Would it be best to take the bus back to ASMo for our nap and then just drive back to the park for the afternoon and then to AKL for supper? We will have 2 small children and all their acoutrements, so I thought after a long day we might be glad to have the car. Any thoughts?

 

[hanncam]

so let me get this straight. If I go to AK for the day and don't use a TS credit for dinner but instead just use a CS credit for lunch and then a CS credit for dinner also, then the next day if I go to MGM then I could use a TS for Lunch and then one for dinner? I am new to allof this so please help!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

so let me get this straight. If I go to AK for the day and don't use a TS credit for dinner but instead just use a CS credit for lunch and then a CS credit for dinner also, then the next day if I go to MGM then I could use a TS for Lunch and then one for dinner? I am new to allof this so please help!

Yes! You can use your credits whenever you want. You could use all your TSs in one day if you really wanted to, you just wouldn't have any left for the rest of the trip!

BTW, if you are park hopping, we always just eat our TS in the second park of the day, whether it's lunch w/ AK in the evening, or dinner w/ AK in the morning. This time, I have planned for us to do MK in the morning, go to the Poly for lunch at Kona, and then go to AK in the evening. If you are not park hopping, and you would like to eat a TS that day, how about going to Boma's for lunch in the middle of the day?

 

[HalfDozen]

You can eat ten table service meals in one day if you want (Well, if you have 10 credits)

You don't have to do anything specifically with them - they just put them all on your card and you "cash them out" every time you eat. So, you don't have to have a table service and a counter service and a snack each day. Some days, like our MK days, we won't do table service because there is nothing really good there to sit down and eat. But we love Pecos Bills and Cosmic Ray's, so we eat there.

Then we use an 'extra' table service credit from that day for a character breakfast on a different day - or a signature dining event like hoop dee doo.

Oh - and as for the question asked above - about driving back. I always advise against doing the park in the morning, swimming/napping, then going back in the afternoon. I think the jungle parade is around 4. The problem is - with Disney transportation (or even your own car) it takes a while to get in and out of parks. In our experience (with small kids) say you get to the park at 9. You could maybe spend three hours at the park before you'd have to start the leaving process - walking to the front of the park, waiting for a bus or tram to take you to the car, getting everyone loaded and driving to the resort (or waiting for transport to get you there) - then just as the kids fall asleep in the car, you have to wake them up to walk back to the room or put them back in the stroller. Then you have to deal with either getting the kids back to sleep or swimming, convincing them to get out of the pool, drying off and getting re-dressed, then doing the whole transportation thing in reverse - parking - walking through the park. I found that the jungle parade is pretty crowded and we had to line up about 45 minutes before - which would be at latest 3:15, I think.

What I recommend, if you're set on seeing the parade, is spending the morning at the resort swimming and then head to the park. We usually like to eat lunch in the parks because the food is better than resort food courts. Then you can walk around the park, see the parade, and see a few more things before they close. Our kids usually fell asleep in the stroller - or when they got older would just skip a nap. It was never a recipe for meltdowns for us, but that's something you'll have to figure out for your kiddos.