Animal Kingdom Parking Guide: Tips & Everything You Should Know
Understanding parking options available at Animal Kingdom prior to visiting is key to ensuring a smooth arrival and day at the theme park!
After all, Animal Kingdom actually has the least transportation options available compared to the other Walt Disney World theme parks, so you'll likely be relying on your car more than usual!
Our Animal Kingdom Parking Guide details everything you should know before you go including parking locations, prices, discounts and tips!
Topics & Tips We'll Cover On Animal Kingdom Parking:
- Where To Park For Animal Kingdom!
- What Time Does Animal Kingdom Parking Open?
- Is Preferred Parking Available At Animal Kingdom? Is It Worth It?
- How Much Does Parking Cost at Animal Kingdom?
- What Parking Section Is Best?
- Is Electric Vehicle Parking Available?
- Animal Kingdom Parking Discounts!
Where To Park For Animal Kingdom!
The best place to park for Animal Kingdom is always going to be the Animal Kingdom parking lot located directly in front of the park's main entrance.
This is unlike Magic Kingdom where there are multiple parking options that may be better than others depending on your travel plans.
You can also park at any of the other Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs, Boardwalk and resort hotels (if you have a reservation) for access to Animal Kingdom by bus.
We suggest simply parking at Animal Kingdom for the best and easiest access to the park however.
For easy directions to the Animal Kingdom parking lot you can follow the posted signage for "Animal Kingdom" across Walt Disney World property or enter this address into Google Maps: 551 Rainforest Rd. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
What Time Does Animal Kingdom Parking Open?
Animal Kingdom parking typically opens about 60-90 minutes before the parks opening time.
The parking lot at Animal Kingdom does not have a set opening time like the theme park itself - the parking lot opens when Disney cast members are done preparing the area for daily operation.
Is Preferred Parking Available At Animal Kingdom? Is It Worth The Price?
Yes, Preferred Parking is available at Animal Kingdom!
Preferred Parking will allow you to park substantially closer the entrance of Animal Kingdom which means a much shorter walk to/from your car all day.
While Preferred Parking is going to be more expensive than standard parking, the Animal Kingdom parking lot is massive, so having that parking spot closer to the main entrance is going to feel extra after a long day at the park!
Despite having quite a large parking lot, but we typically have never felt the need to upgrade to Preferred Parking at Animal Kingdom, so we don't find Preferred Parking to be worth the price here.
While the walk always looks daunting, it seems to go by quite fast, but Preferred Parking is always worth considering for those who want to walk as little as possible.
How Much Does Parking Cost at Animal Kingdom?
Standard parking at Animal Kingdom is currently $25 per day for cars and motorcycles.
Oversized vehicles such as RV's or busses are $30 per day.
Preferred Parking is between $45-$50 per day and depends on the day and season you're visiting (weekends and holidays tend to be most expensive).
What Parking Section Is Best?
Preferred Parking is always going to be your best bet in getting closest to the entrance of Animal Kingdom, but if you don't want to splurge for Preferred than the Unicorn and Peacock parking sections are best.
While Unicorn and Peacock parking sections are closest to Animal Kingdom's entrance, you typically aren't going to be able to choose where you'd like to park your car and will need to follow the directions of Disney cast members.
However, if multiple routes are open (typically in the evenings), giving you the option to choose where to park then we'd recommend heading to the Peacock or Unicorn sections.
NOTE: The Medical Parking Lot is technically the closest lot to the entrance of Animal Kingdom, but this lot is only accessible to those with disabled persons parking permits.
Is Electric Vehicle Charing Available?
Yes, EV charging is available at Animal Kingdom!
As of now there are only 4 EV charging spaces available in the Medical Lot.
While the Medical Parking Lot is typically reserved for those with special parking permits for health conditions, EV's are able to park at and use these charging spaces without any additional parking permits.
We're hopping to see an expansion of EV charging spots at Animal Kingdom begin soon!
Animal Kingdom Parking Discounts!
There are a few ways to get free parking at Animal Kingdom, with the the best perks on Animal Kingdom parking given to Walt Disney World Annual Passholders.
Annual Passholders get free standard parking at any Disney World theme park - this offer is valid for everyone riding in the same vehicle as the Annual Passholder regardless of the ticket types everyone else may have.
Walt Disney Resort Hotel guests also get free parking for at Disney theme parks for the days they are staying on Disney property.
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