Talk to me about Animal Kingdom

[msp2mco]

Since it sounds like you will be splitting up occasionally on this trip, I wouldn't rule out going to Rafiki's Planet Watch. My DS enjoyed the animals there, and it was a good break from the crowds. My DS also loved the Boneyard and the play structure that connected to it. Just a word of caution: it is easy to lose your child in the play structure, so be alert.

Your father may enjoy the queues for EE or the Safari even if he doesn't want to ride the ride.

We are also Flights of Wonder fans.

 

[stindall]

Honestly everything except Dinosaur is a must-do for me at AK. It's such a beautiful park and it's a shame most people over look it! I would check out a youtube on-ride video of Dinosaur and see if anyone in your party would like it. I thought it was terrifying and uncomfortable and I'll never get back on. Animal Kingdom also has some great food! Yak&Yeti quick service, Pizzfari and Flame Tree BBQ are all delicious! Make sure you really look at a lot of the theming, it's a beautifully detailed park!

 

[CraftyMommy]

I was rather bah humbug about AK and usually skipped it or spent very little time there. Then my son was born. When he was 6 he went on his first trip that he was old enough to remember things.

AK ended up being his favorite park. We ended up canceling plans to go back to MK and Epcot toward the end of the trip so we could spend more time at AK. I've grown to really appreciate AK after seeing the park through my son's eyes. He absolutely loved the dig site in Dinoland. Dinosaur was one of his favorite rides. He enjoyed riding the train and going to the petting zoo, but we all were bored with the inside conservation area. The jungle trek and expedition trail were blah, I'd skip it. My son loved Circle of Life and Nemo. We saw those shows over and over. And he said the Safari was one of his favorite rides also. He would ask to sit near the driver and would say some of the script along with our safari driver. We loved It's Tough To Be A Bug.

There is a place behind the Tree of Life, across the river from the tree. If you are facing the back of the tree there is a walkway between two lands. I don't have a map in front of me, so I'm not sure what the lands are called. But there is an area set up with drums. We took a long break there and relaxed while he played drums. A couple CM's walked up, stopped, and enjoyed the "concert" while he played the drums. He got a huge round of applause from the CM's when he was finished banging on the drums. It was a very magical moment.

Just leave yourself open to enjoying the park. You may rediscover it and find that you really enjoy several attractions.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

I cannot stress enough that you will want to do Kali as late in the day as possible. If you go back to your resort for an afternoon nap/rest, do Kali right before you go back. You will be completely drenched!!

Remember, Animal Kingdom is best seen on a slow stroll. It isn't a typical wait in line and do the rides type of park. You never know when you are going to miss spotting that special animal while going from ride to ride.

 

[TwoCortWort]

I am amazed at how many people dislike AK. I personally love this park and what it offers. I would say do it for sure. My niece experienced this as her first Disney park and its her favorite and it was everyone in my party's first time there and we made a full day of it. I love the safari ride and the rides they have there. There's so much to do and see just walking around, and maybe it's because I love just walking around and looking at things (I still see something new each time I go) around the park. We personally can make a full day there, but we have left earlier and gone over to DTD to finish off our day.

So in short yes I say do it.

 

[>Ash<]

Hi,

animal kingdom is one of my fave parks i love going so much to see and do but people overlook the beauty and animals within this park and just focus on the rides.

so here are some of my opinions for your upcoming trip.

well for your family I would look at reviews for tough to be a bug and for dinosaur. the 2 year old may find the tough to be a bug a little intimidating especially with Hopper interupting the show and the spiders coming from the roof it makes even some adults cower in their seats. it is fun but i have heard alot of kids scared.

same with Dinosaur, the tag line for the ride is "its fast, a blast and from the past" or somthing to that effect. basically you board a dark ride style vehicle which has enhanced movment to create the feel of very offroad terrain. the vehicle does throw you about and with the added noise and lighting effects with the giant animatronic dinos it does become quite a scary attraction for small children,

i would maybe advise riding alone first before you send your elderly family and child on the ride just to make sure it is somthing you want to do. i know my grandads heart would suffer on that ride lol

anyways that out the way lets get on witha ll the fun your gonna have at Animal Kingdom...

over in Camp Mickey Minnie you have the lion king show, a fantastic festival feel with some light audience participation a real fun show, the show runs at half past every hour, i always heard their towards the end of the day, make sure you arrive on the hour and spend a bit of time before the show to see mickey and minnie before heading in to the show.

first thing to do at Animal kingdom if you are heading their early is killimunjaro safaris the animals seem more awake if you go first thing , they have just been fed and are wide awake and moving around to get the best pictures and get the most of your experience.

on my last trip it was quite cool and the lions were moving around alot, with the cooler air the animals wander more often.

after kilimunjaro i always chow down on a fruit pack from the african style market laid out. it contains strawberries, crackers and cheese and grapes. nice and refreshing.

i then head over to the treks, the treks arent that long in my opinion, me and my wife tend to get through them quite quickly, it depends how long you want to spend in the area.

in the asian trek you have tigers and the lovely bird house encllosure to see. in africa you have the meerkats, african cattle and the Gorilla enclosures.

near the expedition everest you have the Nemo Musical, a really fun musical version of the finding nemo story, complete with puppets and songs.
im sure heading out of the theatre you will be singing along with Crush and the gang.

Kali River Rapids, dont forget to store your eletronics in the lockers provided you will get wet, people from the bridges above can also shoot you with water jets now too. i would leave this ride as either the last ride of the day or the ride that you go on to cool down during the heat of the day. ive seen people wearing ponchos and they still get wet you cant escape that water lol

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Wow! Yall are so great! I'm really hoping that this is the trip that helps me get the magic behind Animal Kingdom. Love the advice and tips. Thank you very much.

 

[ZoZo]

Our two "must do's" are the Safari and the Festival of the Lion King.

I have never been able to talk DH into going to Flights of Wonder. What makes it a "must-do"?

They do a great job with this show. It's both entertaining and educational. Most of the birds are trained to go on and off stage by themselves; they're very well-trained. (It's very cool when they fly over your head!) The show has a very cute theme, too. I highly recommend it!

 

[Minerva Mouse]

Are you dead set on mornings at AK? I love AK in the afternoon, most people don't spend a full day at AK, and by mid to late afternoon the park is sometimes a ghost town. If you're going to see the animals, go in the morning. If you're going to ride rides, go late afternoon.

 

[paulakimtrac]

Hi,

animal kingdom is one of my fave parks i love going so much to see and do but people overlook the beauty and animals within this park and just focus on the rides.

so here are some of my opinions for your upcoming trip.

well for your family I would look at reviews for tough to be a bug and for dinosaur. the 2 year old may find the tough to be a bug a little intimidating especially with Hopper interupting the show and the spiders coming from the roof it makes even some adults cower in their seats. it is fun but i have heard alot of kids scared.

same with Dinosaur, the tag line for the ride is "its fast, a blast and from the past" or somthing to that effect. basically you board a dark ride style vehicle which has enhanced movment to create the feel of very offroad terrain. the vehicle does throw you about and with the added noise and lighting effects with the giant animatronic dinos it does become quite a scary attraction for small children,

i would maybe advise riding alone first before you send your elderly family and child on the ride just to make sure it is somthing you want to do. i know my grandads heart would suffer on that ride lol

anyways that out the way lets get on witha ll the fun your gonna have at Animal Kingdom...

over in Camp Mickey Minnie you have the lion king show, a fantastic festival feel with some light audience participation a real fun show, the show runs at half past every hour, i always heard their towards the end of the day, make sure you arrive on the hour and spend a bit of time before the show to see mickey and minnie before heading in to the show.

first thing to do at Animal kingdom if you are heading their early is killimunjaro safaris the animals seem more awake if you go first thing , they have just been fed and are wide awake and moving around to get the best pictures and get the most of your experience.

on my last trip it was quite cool and the lions were moving around alot, with the cooler air the animals wander more often.

after kilimunjaro i always chow down on a fruit pack from the african style market laid out. it contains strawberries, crackers and cheese and grapes. nice and refreshing.

i then head over to the treks, the treks arent that long in my opinion, me and my wife tend to get through them quite quickly, it depends how long you want to spend in the area.

in the asian trek you have tigers and the lovely bird house encllosure to see. in africa you have the meerkats, african cattle and the Gorilla enclosures.

near the expedition everest you have the Nemo Musical, a really fun musical version of the finding nemo story, complete with puppets and songs.
im sure heading out of the theatre you will be singing along with Crush and the gang.

Kali River Rapids, dont forget to store your eletronics in the lockers provided you will get wet, people from the bridges above can also shoot you with water jets now too. i would leave this ride as either the last ride of the day or the ride that you go on to cool down during the heat of the day. ive seen people wearing ponchos and they still get wet you cant escape that water lol

How about Affection Section area for toddlers??? Do you like it?

 

[kevdo]

How about Affection Section area for toddlers??? Do you like it?

It's basically a standard-issue petting zoo (hope you love goats!).

 

[nkereina]

It's basically a standard-issue petting zoo (hope you love goats!).

This. All goats. I would definitely skip Rafiki's Planet Watch. We spent a good deal of time waiting for the train, it was very hot, and we were disappointed when we got there. Not a ton to see, IMO.

 

[MJMcBride]

You can head over to www.jamboeveryone.com for more info.

We love the Animal Kingdom. Make sure you save time for the animal trails. It has my favorite attraction in Kilimanjaro safari and the best show in WDW with Festival of the Lion King

 

[married2mm]

ak is my dh's favourite park. he especially loves the tigers and the gorillas.

the whole park is wonderful,both relaxing and thrilling in equal measures.

the only thing i don't like is the nemo show, however many do.

 

[allstonsmommy]

Animal Kingdom is our least favorite park also. We usually do Breakfast with Donald before the park opens and then we are finished with everything we like to do by lunch time. We take a midday break and head to another park after.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I absolutely adore AK. Here's a blog article I wrote on it for the DIS:

http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/08/25/seeking-adventure-rediscovering-disneys-animal-kingdom-park/

 

[RCharnay]

Went with my 80 year old mom recently for Food and Wine and she asked to spend less time at Epcot and more days At AK. We did the safari twice, and walked the treks -especially the wonderful birds! She enjoyed Nemo and Flights of wonder, and we spent hours just wandering the trails and looking at the amazing animals. The CMs at AK really know their stuff and if you slow down and listen, they can teach you so much. and we did Festival/Lion King both days, too.

I agree with the comments regarding Rafikis Planet watch. It is mostly a place to pet goats. It is boring to most kids older than toddlers. The only time I've enjoyed the visit is one trip when they were doing a surgery. My premed son was able to describe some o what was happening and that was fascinating. I think I'll skip it next trip.

 

[ZoZo]

I would definitely skip Rafiki's Planet Watch. We spent a good deal of time waiting for the train, it was very hot, and we were disappointed when we got there. Not a ton to see, IMO.

Well, I disagree with this. I find Rafiki's Planet watch quite interesting. You can watch a veterinary procedure on an animal (through a viewing window. The often have an unusual "pettable" animal available for guest interaction (often a reptile, but sometimes other animals, too). They also have animal appearances (with their handlers) on a small stage by the petting area several times a day. I've seen lots of interesting animals there, such as a hedgehog, porcupine, several birds including owls, and other animals. The handlers answer questions from the crowd, and will stay after the show as long as there are guests asking questions.

I think one of the reasons lots of people list AK as their least favorite park is because they rush from thing to thing, and don't take the time to slow down and notice all of the cool things that are there. I can't tell you how many people I see walk right by something really interesting, like DeVine, without even noticing it's there. [I happen to volunteer at my local zoo, and am often found out on zoo grounds with amazing animals. It never ceases to surprise me that people walk right by me without even noticing whatever animal I'm holding, whether it's a huge Eurasian eagle owl, a beaver, an opossum, etc.] I wish more people would give AK a chance - it's so amazing if you take time to slow down and really see things.

 

[nkereina]

Well, I disagree with this. I find Rafiki's Planet watch quite interesting. You can watch a veterinary procedure on an animal (through a viewing window. The often have an unusual "pettable" animal available for guest interaction (often a reptile, but sometimes other animals, too). They also have animal appearances (with their handlers) on a small stage by the petting area several times a day. I've seen lots of interesting animals there, such as a hedgehog, porcupine, several birds including owls, and other animals. The handlers answer questions from the crowd, and will stay after the show as long as there are guests asking questions.

I see your point but for someone who's short on time and doesn't have an interest in AK to begin with, Rafiki's Planet Watch is a waste of time - time in this scenario would be better spent at shows and on attractions.

The veterinary procedures are typically done at certain times in the morning and are often hard to catch. We did catch one, but found it difficult to see anything with all the people standing around the animal in the operating room and also all the people standing at the glass. The animal that was out with a handler was a hawk of some type - nothing I couldn't have seen at my local zoo. In any event, I don't recommend it for the OP's scenario. If someone has a whole day or two to kill at AK, it would be worth it.

 

[Sphinx610]

Animal Kingdom has never really been my favorite park.

Prior to this trip, I hadn't been to AK either!

In fact, I usually skip it on my vacations just because I like the other 3 parks much more. This December, I am going to WDW with my husband, DD2, sister(30), mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather. They have put me in charge of planning the trip and have requested going to Animal Kingdom. We have two mornings where we are planning to go to Animal Kingdom.
Good call...Its not a full- day park in IMHO and it gets hot as...

Knowing this, what are you must dos and your skips? We are certainly planning on Expedition Everest (obviously not for the daughter or grandparents) and Kilimanjaro Safari.
LOVED LOVED Safari!!! Got fab pics and learned alot of stuff about exotic animals. Highly recommend but FastPass asap. We fastpassed it the minute we got there as we were there during high traffic time. Tip= if you sit in the back you can take pics out the rear of the vehicle with out the heads of others in your way. I'm so glad I lucked out but I'm sure you can ask to be sat in the back as they assign you a row.

My dad also wants to do Kali River Rapids, provided the weather is good.
Agree, watch forecast. We skipped bc we heard you get really wet and it was chilly!

Probably going to skip Rifiki's Planet Watch.
Rethink this... we did it and I am so glad we did! Very cute for your 2yo and you can meet Rafiki here. She may like the train ride here and back... my dd2 loved seeing the animal doctors too.

Would you do Maharaja Jungle Trek and Panjani Forest Exploration Trails?
Didn't make it over top Asia but did do Pagani and would say it was very intersting. Gorillas alone make it worth the time. So cute. And if you get to see the Hippos it is def worth it. Hippos are cool. lol

I think It's Tough to Be a Bug would be good for most, but think it might scare my 2-year-old.
Check it out before you go! Watch the youtube video and decide for yourself. I decided it was too intense for my dd2, but might not be for yours. You know your kid.

I think we want to do Festival of the Lion King. So so bummed we missed this... Many will want to do Dinosaur, as well.

So what would you do? What would you skip? What order do you think you would do everything in? Oh, and we have reservations at Tusker House for our second day at Animal Kingdom for 8:10 (park opens at 9).

I'd say do Tusker House, fast pass safari and go do the trail. Then you have had your breakfast, take your time on the trail and then mosey on back for your safari. I'd def check out Rafikis tho. Your dd2 might like the train ride back n forth and meeting Rafiki. Plus, there are animal encounters she may enjoy. I went with my in-laws and they liked it too. I'd stay there the first 1/2 day and make sure I get in all of africa and that part then move on to Dinosaur and all the next day. That way you go in and go to the left one day and then go to the right the next day. I'd think you'd cover the entire park in 2 mornings and get on everything you want. If you like desserts, try Kusafiri Cafe. White Choc Elephant Cupcakes are an experience in themselves! lol

Overall, enjoy your time with your familly!!!! =) Go with a loose plan and if it doesn't work out oh well. Its not worth stressing over... =)

That's my two cents! Enjoy!