An honest review of Animal Kingdom

[ajpa]

AK is also my least favorite park. I do like the Lion King show.
I can see how kids who like animals like it though.

 

[MissManda]

"My honest opinion" was meant to be just that. It's what I thought about our experience. I just thought that there are families like mine who might want to hear it. Not meant to be a knock on anyone who loves it.

Yes, but you made it sound like the only thing Animal Kingdom had to offer was the safari, EE, and Dinoland.

What about the Kali River Rapids and Dinosaur (which I don't really include in Dinoland) for rides. There are amazing shows -Festival of the Lion King, Nemo, and Flights of Wonder.

There is also Its Tough to be Bug (not sure if this really counts as a show or not).

On top of the Safari, there are nice walking trails to see even more animals. Yes, you can see them in a zoo, but its pretty neat to be able to see them in Disney as well.

For those who like characters there are meet and greets and a parade.

If you like AK or not, that's your opinion and no one can change that. I just think if you are going to come onto a message board and provide an "honest review" of a park then you should have a complete review that gives good and bad points, instead of just mentioning what you find is negative and leaving out half of what the park offers. To me, this didn't sound like an honest review. Sounds like you had a bad day and wanted to vent b/c you didn't like the park.

 

[Magic_Kingdom]

The family and I spent a day at Animal Kingdom in April. Just had to give some advice to other families deciding on which parks to visit.

We found Animal Kingdom crowded, spread out, and not laid out very well. (lots of walking to get from one side to the other), and quite frankly, boring. The safari is a cool concept, but let's be honest....I can do the drive thru safari near my home, see the same animals, not wait 45 mins, and have basically the same experience. Secondly, Expedition Everest. Plain and simple, it's a below average coaster with a huge Yeti that you don't even get a good look at if at all. Say what you want about theming...it IS very cool, but excitement? um....no. Dinoland? Feels like it was kind of just stuck in the park for ride count. Felt more like a county fair than Disney.

I'd recommend spending your $90 on Seaworld, seeing a few animals you can't see near home, and riding a couple of world class coasters.

My two cents.

I'm not a huge fan of Everest either but I think a huge part of that had to do with the fact that I've never actually saw the yetti

Dinoland isn't great either but I don't really mind since the dinosaur ride is amazing (imo)

I wasn't a fan of Rafiki's Planet Watch, I went to chance my luck of meeting Jiminy Cricket and was succesful!

I do like AK though as I love Dinosaur, The Lion King Show,Bugs Life etc and I always felt there are plenty of characters for meet and greet which is my fave thing to do in the parks.

Seaworld is out of the question for me though...I dislike that park so much that I now skip it when I go to Florida

 

[GadgetRick]

Yes, but you made it sound like the only thing Animal Kingdom had to offer was the safari, EE, and Dinoland.

What about the Kali River Rapids and Dinosaur (which I don't really include in Dinoland) for rides. There are amazing shows -Festival of the Lion King, Nemo, and Flights of Wonder.

There is also Its Tough to be Bug (not sure if this really counts as a show or not).

On top of the Safari, there are nice walking trails to see even more animals. Yes, you can see them in a zoo, but its pretty neat to be able to see them in Disney as well.

For those who like characters there are meet and greets and a parade.

If you like AK or not, that's your opinion and no one can change that. I just think if you are going to come onto a message board and provide an "honest review" of a park then you should have a complete review that gives good and bad points, instead of just mentioning what you find is negative and leaving out half of what the park offers. To me, this didn't sound like an honest review. Sounds like you had a bad day and wanted to vent b/c you didn't like the park.

Huh? Where does it say people have to provide positive and negative info when they decide to write their review? That's a new one on me...

And remember, to you--and others--the shows may be, "amazing," and some of the other attractions may be great and the walking trails may be great. However, for others (quite a few others judging from this thread), this is not the case.

We all like (and dislike) different things. If we all liked the same things, the world would be a very boring place...

 

[Eoywin]

For us, DAK is a half day park. We will probably skip it on future visits but we are making it a priority for our next trip because our DD loves animals.

The heat of the park really got to my DH when we went on our honeymoon. He was okay in the rest of the parks but he was covered in sweat after only a couple of hours in DAK and that was in the morning.

 

[allstonsmommy]

We also have a drive thru safari near our house but we still visit AK every visit. One of my boys is a breakfast person and he loves the character breakfast at Tusker House. We usually finish what we want to there by lunch or before. I agree that it is very spread out and that is a bit of a pain.

 

[Jennasis]

I love AK simply because it's another piece of the magical Disney puzzle. They have great rides, shows and the theming is wonderful. It's not necessarily my "least" favorite.

 

[scrapper2k]

It's interesting how different people have different taste. I loooove the AK. I think it's magical and would never miss a visit. Two families I've sent thought it was boring and a waste of time.

Edited to add that I love both musicals and have been known to tear up at the beginning of FOTLK and FN.

 

[Planogirl]

There's a good drive-thru safari to the south of Fort Worth but it's quite a drive and rather pricey. It's a riot when a giant ostrich stands in front of the car and doesn't want to move or when a giraffe tries to stick his head in the car (plus it does have cheetahs) but it's just not as comfy as the Disney safari. I'd rather let them do the driving.

However, AK hasn't been a big hit for us and we rarely go. We plan to go this year to visit a few favorites but it just doesn't do much overall for us.

 

[POB14]

Leaving actual opinions about AK aside, why does everyone who posts a negative review of anything always call it an "honest" review? Are positive reviews inherently dishonest?

 

[softballmom3]

We actually really like AK. We went there on Thanksgiving day (recommended by touringplans.com) and it wasn't crowded and was a nice, relaxing day. We did the safari twice and saw plenty of animals. Our CM actually stopped at the lion because he decided to get up move around look at us face on and roar---cm said this wasn't the norm so I felt like we got a treat.

I do think we can definitely do it 1/2 day though... I can spend the other 1/2 at DHS or our resort so love it .

 

[rentayenta]

We love AK. Something for everyone.

 

[andysomma1]

In my many trips to the world last year I only went to AK once, and fell in love. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE animals. I wanted to go back last time I was there but the rain was so bad I had to skip it. I will be back this week though and cannot wait to get to AK. Part of what I like about the park is how much Disney respects the animals. I also like the feeling of total immersion I get while in the park. I'm a teacher so maybe it's different for me but I really feel the Disney magic and respect for the land in AK.

 

[Melodious]

I enjoy AK but my mom absolutely hates it and is constantly trying to edge it out of our schedule However, I think she hates it because the first time that we went, it was Spring Break and it was hot and crowded and it was our first time so we didn't know our way around, and more importantly, my mom was carrying an across the body, shoulder bag that was stuffed to the gills and making her back hurt. She likes the rides, EE, Safari, Dinosaur, but she hates just being in AK after that, lol.

The theming is really great at AK, and I love the rides and shows, but I do agree that it is hotter (as many others posters have mentioned), feels spread out, and doesn't have many food options that I like. I do love the Anandapur Tea Company though. As someone commented at one point, there us tea drinkers in the USA don't have to feel like the redheaded stepchild of coffee drinkers (and I'm a redhead so I know )

 

[jenrose66]

The family and I spent a day at Animal Kingdom in April. Just had to give some advice to other families deciding on which parks to visit.

We found Animal Kingdom crowded, spread out, and not laid out very well. (lots of walking to get from one side to the other), and quite frankly, boring. The safari is a cool concept, but let's be honest....I can do the drive thru safari near my home, see the same animals, not wait 45 mins, and have basically the same experience. Secondly, Expedition Everest. Plain and simple, it's a below average coaster with a huge Yeti that you don't even get a good look at if at all. Say what you want about theming...it IS very cool, but excitement? um....no. Dinoland? Feels like it was kind of just stuck in the park for ride count. Felt more like a county fair than Disney.

I'd recommend spending your $90 on Seaworld, seeing a few animals you can't see near home, and riding a couple of world class coasters.

My two cents.

My DH has been to AK twice and he doesn't really like it either. I enjoy it, but I really like to walk around and just take in the surroundings because it really is a beautiful park. When I took my DS last year he loved Dinoland and the digsite. He still talks about it and can't wait to go back. That's a really nice section for younger kids.

 

[Cee]

We always go to AK and spend a few hours. We love Dinosaur, EE, Festival of the Lion King, watching De-Vine, and the Nemo Musical. We can blast through these things and then leave feeling fulfilled. Tusker House also has a nice back patio that is tucked away for a nice sit down and adult beverage. For us, each park has something we love. But I will agree that AK takes us the least amount of time to enjoy them.....then back to Epcot!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

There isn't a lot of attractions outside of 4 or 5 rides and a few shows. It's really mostly just a zoo, and outside of the safari, I have a better zoo 50 miles down the road.

We still go (especially for Evereset, Safari, Kali, Primeval Whirl, and frozen chai), but we only spend one day at Animal Kingdom.

 

[dkeysor42]

Whew, I certainly hit a nerve with this post. I did not call anyone dishonest, nor do I think my opinion is the absolute truth. I don't dispute that plenty of people love AK. I was only stating how I honestly felt about the park. Don't read too much into it everyone. My trip to Disney is over, and thus I will retire from these forums. A bit of advice for those trolling year round....It's a silly theme park. Don't take things so seriously.

 

[Bellamouse]

.It's a silly theme park. Don't take things so seriously.

I think it's a little more than that - why would so many people spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars to go to "just a silly theme park"? DH just got offered discounted tickets to Six Flags near us by his company. $28 each. I won't even spend that much on Six Flags. Now THAT's a silly theme park.....

 

[BlovesC]

A bit of advice for those trolling year round....It's a silly theme park. Don't take things so seriously.

If it was "just a silly theme park" to most of us, do you think this forum would even exist? Obviously, it means more to most here than that. And I don't think anyone this thread was "trolling" you by responding. No one was telling you, explicitly, that you were wrong. A lot of folks just added their own two cents and thoughts, like you were doing...I'm not sure why that bothers you enough to send you away from the boards entirely, but that's your decision. But you created an entire thread to give a negative opinion...that typically serves as an attempt to stir up controversy. I've been posting here for four years but I've never once created a thread to say "You know what? I dislike DHS!" (which I do), because I don't see the point in grabbing attention by trying to tell people they have terrible taste. But then, that's probably why I've been posting here for years and have a relatively low post count.