When planning your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, it’s easy to forget about the little details. The thought and excitement of what you’re going to do during your day at the park can easily overshadow how your day is actually going to start. Before you even enter the theme park, you have to first consider how you’re going to get there. If you’re driving, you’re going to need to take it a step further and think about parking.
In this article, I will be providing you with a full guide on Animal Kingdom parking. If you plan on driving to Animal Kingdom, keep reading!
I’ll fill you in on everything you need to know to ensure that your time at Animal Kingdom is the only wild part of your day, not your parking experience.
Planning a Disney World Vacation?
Get exclusive access to prices on hotel & tickets just for Mickey Visit subscribers. Don't miss our travel hacks newsletter!
Discount Disney World Tickets
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Walt Disney World discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World experts take care of all your dining reservations, Genie+ reservations, and more! This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free!
Find discount Walt Disney World tickets here!
Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer low deposit fees and layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.
Parking at Animal Kingdom
While the Animal Kingdom theme park has specific park hours, the Animal Kingdom parking lot does not have specific hours. Therefore, there isn't a set time that Guests are able to start entering the parking lot. That being said, the parking lot generally opens up about 60 minutes before the park opens for the day.
The Animal Kingdom parking lot is located right next to the park entrance. To get there, you’ll want to route your GPS to the Animal Kingdom Toll Plaza.
Animal Kingdom Toll Plaza Address: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park Toll Plaza, Osceola Pkwy, Kissimmee, FL 34747
At the toll plaza, you will let the Cast Member know which type of parking you want and pay your parking fee. You will then be directed to the appropriate parking location.
Different Animal Kingdom Parking Types & Prices
There are four different types of Animal Kingdom parking: Standard Parking, Medical Parking, Preferred Parking, and Oversized Vehicle Parking.
Animal Kingdom Parking Types
- Standard Parking $30 – Standard Parking is the base level form of Animal Kingdom parking. This level of parking is available for standard sized vehicles (cars, SUVs, minivans, pickup trucks, etc.) and motorcycles. While motorcycles are categorized as Standard Parking, there is a separate section in the Animal Kingdom parking lot that’s specifically reserved for motorcycles. Motorcyclists will be directed to the correct parking area with the help of signs and Cast Members.
- Medical Parking $30 – Medical Parking is the designated area in the Animal Kingdom parking lot for Guests with disabilities. To park in the Medical Parking area, a valid disability parking permit is required.
- Preferred Parking $45, $50, $55 – Preferred Parking is an upgrade option from the standard Animal Kingdom parking. Rather than parking in the regular spots of the parking lot, those with Preferred Parking will park in a designated area that is closer to the theme park entrance. This is the closest level of parking after Medical Parking. Prices for Preferred Parking are seasonal and vary depending on the date. Just like Standard Parking, Preferred Parking is for standard sized vehicles and motorcycles only.
- Oversized Vehicle Parking $35 – As the name suggests, Oversized Vehicle Parking is for oversized vehicles. Vehicles that would be considered oversized are shuttles, limos, camper trailers, RVs, buses, or tractor trailers.
When you pay for your Animal Kingdom parking, that not only grants you access to the Animal Kingdom parking lot, but the other theme park lots as well. If you're Park Hopping, when you head to your next park, you won't have to pay to park again.
Charging Electric Vehicles at Animal Kingdom
The Animal Kingdom parking lot is also equipped for Guests who drive electric cars. However, spaces are extremely limited. In the Animal Kingdom parking lot, there are 4 ChargePoint charging stations. These spaces are located in the front of the lot in the Medical Parking area and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to your parking fee, you will also need to pay to utilize these charging stations. To pay, you will need a credit card or a pre-ordered ChargePoint card. ChargePoint cards can be pre-ordered at chargepoint.com.
The cost to use one of the ChargePoint charging stations in the Animal Kingdom parking lot is $0.35 per kilowatt (minimum service of $1.50). Once your vehicle’s battery is fully charged, charging will stop and you will receive a “ping” from ChargePoint to alert you.
These Guests Park at Animal Kingdom For FREE
If you are a Guest that’s staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you will be able to park your car in the Animal Kingdom parking lot for free. Make sure that you have a MagicBand, room key card, or your My Disney Experience app ready to scan at the Animal Kingdom Toll Plaza to prove the validity of your stay.
Walt Disney World Annual Passholders can also park for free at Animal Kingdom. In order to park for free, Passholders will need to present their Annual Pass and Photo ID at the Animal Kingdom Toll Plaza.
The free parking that Hotel Guests and Annual Passholders receive is Standard Parking. However, if they would like to upgrade to Preferred Parking, they can! In order to upgrade, the difference between the Standard Parking price and Preferred Parking price must be paid ($15-$25 per day).
Is Preferred Animal Kingdom Parking Worth It?
Since Preferred Parking costs more, many Guests wonder if it’s worth it. Is the convenience of parking at the front of the Animal Kingdom parking lot worth the additional cost of $15-$25? For other parks, specifically Magic Kingdom, I would say without a doubt that Preferred Parking is worth it. However, it’s harder for me to say that Preferred Parking is worth it at Animal Kingdom.
Since the entire parking lot is located right in front of the park and doesn’t require additional traveling, none of the spots are extremely far away. You may have a few minute walk from your vehicle if you end up in a spot that’s farther away, but the distance isn’t outrageous.
Additionally, there are trams at the Animal Kingdom parking lot. These trams help relieve Guests from walking to and from the parking spaces that are a bit further out. Because of this, it’s hard to encourage Guests to pay more money in order to park in Preferred Parking when they could use the tram to get to the front of the park for free.
Remembering Where You Parked
The Standard Parking area in the Animal Kingdom parking lot is divided into six sections. These sections are Peacock, Giraffe, Unicorn, Dinosaur, Butterfly, and Yeti. When you arrive at the Animal Kingdom parking lot, you won’t be able to pick which section you park in. You will be directed to your parking space by a Cast Member.
Oftentimes, when you first arrive, it may slip your mind to take note of where you park. Then, after having a full day of fun, you walk out into a sea of cars and have no idea where you parked. There are ways to avoid this!
One common method is to take a picture of the sign for the section that you parked in. Again, you will either be in the Peacock, Giraffe, Unicorn, Dinosaur, Butterfly, or Yeti section. Each of these sections will be marked with signs. The sign will have a silhouette image of the animal, the name of the animal, as well as the row numbers. This is a quick and easy way to keep track of where you parked without having to rely on your memory. However, there’s now a more technologically advanced way to do this!
Animal Kingdom Car Locator
With the Car Locator service on the My Disney Experience app, you’ll be able to mark the exact location of your car. By using Location Services, you’ll be able to easily save the details of your parking spot right to your app.
How to Use Car Locator
- After parking your vehicle, open the My Disney Experience app and go to Car Locator. This can be found on the home screen or by going to the menu (☰).
- You will then manually enter your parking information. If Location Services are enabled, Car Locator will help fill in the necessary information. You can then head into Animal Kingdom and enjoy your day!
- When you’re ready to go back to your car, open the My Disney Experience app and select Car Locator to receive your parking information. If you have notifications enabled, you will also receive reminders about your parking location.
Plan Your Disney World Vacation Today!
Be sure to subscribe to our FREE Mickey Visit newsletter for tips and tricks to help plan your next Disney trip. We provide the lowest Disney World ticket prices anywhere and give advice on how to make the most out of your Disney World vacation. We also give tips on the best food, drinks, and desserts you can find throughout Disney World property. For more resources related to planning your vacation and getting the most out of your visit to the parks, check out these other resources:
- Animal Kingdom Dining Guide Overview – Best Restaurants, Snacks, Quick Options
- Does Animal Kingdom Have Fireworks? Night Shows Overview
- Animal Kingdom 1 Day Itinerary: Must Do Attractions, Shows, Restaurants
- Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Rides – Ranking & Strategy 2024
- Disney World Hotels Reviews 2024: Pros + Cons of Every Walt Disney World Hotel
Frequently Asked Questions
For a standard car or motorcycle, parking at Animal Kingdom is $30 per day. Preferred parking at Animal Kingdom for a car or motorcycle is $45, $50, or $55 per day. Oversized vehicle parking at Animal Kingdom is $35 per day. A shuttle, limo, camper trailer, RV, bus, and tractor trailer are all considered oversized.
Standard parking at Animal Kingdom is included at no additional charge for Guests of Walt Disney World hotels. If Hotel Guests would like to upgrade to preferred parking at Animal Kingdom, they may do so at an additional charge of $15-$25 per day.
Animal Kingdom is not far from the parking lot. The parking lot and park are located right next to each other. The walk from your vehicle to the park entrance will be no longer than a couple minutes.
If you wish to arrive early to park at Animal Kingdom, you can do so about an hour before the park opens. Park hours vary, so make sure you check the hours for the day of your visit.
Preferred parking at Animal Kingdom is only worth it if you have a reason that you need or want to be as close to the entrance as possible. Otherwise, preferred parking at Animal Kingdom isn’t overly valuable. Animal Kingdom connects directly with the parking lot and the walk is not too far from any given direction. There are also trams circulating in the parking lot. If you happen to be farther back in the lot and don't want to walk, you can always take the tram to and from the park entrance.
Planning a Disney Vacation? Get Exclusive Discounts + Free Bonuses
In addition to exclusive discounts for Mickey Visit subscribers, get our free planning printable and guide to make your life SO much easier.
