Animal Kingdom a major Flop!

[kaytieeldr]

Was that seriously the basis for this post? So that some Disney executive would see it and invest millions into the AK? Do you think this is the first AK post like this on these boards?

More importantly - does the quoted poster think a forum post is the most effective way to get the attention of Disney executives and ImaginEars? Wouldn't a direct e-mail or letter make more sense?

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Well, while Disney does read message boards, I can guarantee you that the imagineers put a ton of effort and research into the park as it stands today.

Look up any of the stuff Joe Rohde did for the AK and it becomes pretty clear how much of a work of love it was for them.

 

[diskids2]

Disney spent more time and money on that park than any other, and if people weren't so focused on rides-rides-rides, if-it's-not-a-ride-it's-not-worth-doing, they'd see that. It's a discovery park--the point is to discover it, not run straight from A to B to C and ignore everything in between.

Did you happen to notice that there are thousands of hand-carved and hand-painted folk-art animals imported from Oaxaca all over Discovery Island? Did you read the jukebox in Restaurantosaurus? Did you try to figure out what the underlying theme is to every building in Discovery Island? Read the informational signs in the queue to Expedition Everest? Do you like bats? Because if you do, it's almost a shame--the alternate pathway through Maharajah Jungle Trek is too brilliant to miss.

If you're determined to hate it already, then I won't tell you the brilliant and hilarious backstory to Dinoland USA, but surely even you noticed that the giant yellow cartoon-like Cementosaurus is meant to be a satire of the detailed, museum-quality brontosaurus skeleton that stands at the other entrance?

I actually never noticed any of this and am happy you pointed it out. We ususally zip through AK in about 3/4 of a day....we love it...but after we have done EE, Dino, Kali, Safari, Bugs life, and Lion King we pretty much get out.....I may just add some more time on my itinerary this time around.....Thanks for posting this!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Animal Kingdom needs some major help. There are only 5 attractions that have general appeal to everyone. Expedition Everest, It’s Tough to be a Bug, Kilimanjaro Safari, The Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. 2 of its major attractions: Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids are not good at all. Dinosaur is okay the first time you ride it, though gets old, very old after that. Kili River Rapids is horrible. Very few like to get completely drenched on a ride. Even without the drenching, it’s just not that good of a ride. The County Fair Area – Triceratops spin etc. are the most un-Disney like attractions in all of WDW. Disney did nothing, but add new attractions without spending money. Disney needs to spend some major bucks on this park not only adding, but re-imagineering a large number of the existing attractions.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. AK is a lot of peoples favorite park. Maybe you didn't spend enough time there. I don't know and although it wouldn't hurt to add some more stuff, it doesn't need "major help" as you say.

Yes, those are the 5 biggest draws of the park, but there are a lot of other great attractions.
In the summer, Kali river rapids is a big draw as the ride brings some relief to the horrible summer heat.

Maybe when you went, you rushed and didn't enjoy all the details that the imagineers put into the park. AK is not a park to just rush in and do the thrill rides. It is a park to slow down in and appreciate in all the small details.

The animals are a nice addition too but you will only enjoy them if you stay a while and watch them.

I don't see what is wrong with triceratop spin. It is not less "disney" than dumbo or aladdin's carpets. It is exactly where it belongs as it goes with the dinoland theme.

I'm not surprised that you will get flamed here as many people love this park including me, and I didn't read the whole thread so I don't know if you did state whether or not you spent a little or a lot of time there, but clearly you didn't slow down and enjoy what this park has to offer.

 

[Disneybabe84]

it's always okay to hope...

Yes, way off-topic. i also believe that the living seas is now far better than it was originally, and soarin' is a fantastic addition to the land. I would like to see them replace the universe of energy completely.

agreed!!!!

 

[Disneybabe84]

I'm so sorry you feel this way. I have to agree with those that say Animal Kingdom is all about discovery, scenery, and the animals; hence the name Animal Kingdom. I enjoy it as much as I do the other parks, as there is always something to explore every single time I visit. The architecture is suburb, and a you can tell a lot of thought went into this park. I appreciate that and all the hard work, effort and time that has been put into this park. It really shows.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I forgot to add in....regarding all the posts about how AK is so hot in the summer....I read in a guidebook (can't remember which as I've ready like 12 disney guidebooks) that AK is actually hotter than the other parks. It is not the same temperature as everywhere else. If you really think about it, the lush vegetation and the way the AK is constructed will make this park hotter. Like a previous poster said, its just a few degrees (like 3-5 degrees hotter).

 

[cigar95]

One of the almost-unanimous comments in this thread has been that Dino-rama (the "county fair" section) isn't popular. Part of the reason for that is missing the theme, and part of that is Disney's not having done a good enough job of pulling off that theme.

Dino-rama was supposed to be a take-off on the tacky, kitschy, roadside amusement parks of the 50s and 60s. That's why we get the carnival games, the blacktop surface, and the generally unsophisticated attractions.

Unfortunately (personal viewpoint here), it comes off too much like an *actual* roadside amusement park, rather than a clever take-off. I'm not sure what the solution would be, but I will say that the tackiness that people object to is, at least in part, intentional.

Bad decision to put it there? Hard to say. What it replaced was a much-smaller educational exhibit, so if there's a loss involved, it's mostly the opportunity cost of what *could have been* done in that area.

As for the whole notion that AK is a flop - others have said it well. For those who like lots of high-profile attractions, AK isn't going to be for you. But there are indeed also lots of us who really like it for what it is, rather than dislike it for not being something it isn't trying to be.

My personal favorite thing in all of AK is watching the anteater. Raise your hand if you've ever stopped and seen the anteater. Now keep it up if you've watched for more than 30 seconds. If your hand is down, check her out next time. (Actually there are now two - one male, one female, so you might be seeing "him".)

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Animal Kingdom needs some major help. There are only 5 attractions that have general appeal to everyone. Expedition Everest, It’s Tough to be a Bug, Kilimanjaro Safari, The Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. 2 of its major attractions: Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids are not good at all. Dinosaur is okay the first time you ride it, though gets old, very old after that. Kili River Rapids is horrible. Very few like to get completely drenched on a ride. Even without the drenching, it’s just not that good of a ride. The County Fair Area – Triceratops spin etc. are the most un-Disney like attractions in all of WDW. Disney did nothing, but add new attractions without spending money. Disney needs to spend some major bucks on this park not only adding, but re-imagineering a large number of the existing attractions.

Sorry that you feel that way about AK, however what is your definition of "general appeal to everyone"? There is no way a family with children under 48" can enjoy Expedition Everest.

If you are going to be far, AK should be compared attraction to attraction to other parks. So here you go:

AK has 13 attractions
(Conservation Station, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: The Musical , Flights of Wonder, It's Tough to Be a Bug, Kali River Rapids Asia, Kilimanjaro Safaris
Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin)

MK has 31 attractions
(Astro Orbiter, Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Carousel of Progress, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Country Bear Jamboree, Dream Along with Mickey, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square Riverboat,
Mad Tea Party, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Peter Pan's Flight,
Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Space Mountain,
Splash Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape!, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Tom Sawyer Island, Tomorrowland Speedway, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Walt Disney World Railroad)

Epcot has 17 attractions
(Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Living with the Land, The Circle of Life, Soarin', Journey into your Imagination, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Test Track, Mission:Space, Innoventions, O Canada, Impressions de France, The American Adventure, Wonders of China, Maelstrom, Gran Fiesta Tour, Ellen's Energy Adventure)

Disney's Hollywood Studios has 16 attractions.
(American Idol Experience, Beauty and the Beast, The Great Movie Ride, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Lights, Motors, Action!, Magic of Disney Animation, Muppet Vision 3D, One Man's Dream, Playhouse Disney Live, Rock n' Roller Coaster, Sounds Dangerous, Star Tours, Backlot Tour, Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Voyage of the Little Mermaid)

So in reality...AK is only a few attractions short of DHS & Epcot.

I think in my post that I said that: It's tough to be a bug, Lion King and Finding Nemo are some of the ONLY attractions WORTH doing and they're NOT rides.

That means WDW has a total of 77 attractions.

Ok, so going off of THIS statement, look at all the attractions above in BLUE...those are NOT rides either....there are 35 non-ride attractions. That is 45%. AND I didn't list playgrounds or character greetings which are technically attractions as well.

Also, the bolded attractions above are those that can be enjoyed by everyone (no height requirements) AND are actual rides. That is 25. Only 32% of WDW attractions hold "general appeal for everyone."

Did I mention that it's the only park that truly feels hotter than Hades during the summer.

It has been covered in this thread that AK was designed to be hotter, as part of the immersive experience of feeling that you are truly transported to a foreign country. Air conditioning isn't exactly prevalent in Africa and Asia, at least not the areas depicted by Animal Kingdom.

I wonder how many of these slow down and enjoy the beauty people are locals (200 mile radius), annual pass holders, or multi time per year travelers?

While I am an AP holder and a multiple times per year visitor, I took my best friend to WDW for the very first time in May 09. She is 23 and was wowed by the details of AK. We spent more time observing our surroundings and people watching, stopping to catch our breath, etc. than we did at "attractions" and she said AK was her favorite park.

All Soaked Up? Wow, I never thought about it that way. May be the next time we go to WDW, every morning before we go to the parks, I'll just take my shower with my clothes on and just enjoy the feeling of walking around all day all soaked up.

There is no need to be rude, all it is going to get you is rudeness back.

Yes, your absolutely right. Flop is a little harsh. It has gotten some attention though. I would more truthfully say that it has fallen way too short of Disney standards.

How so? You have said this without offering any explaination as to why you think this.

So if I would have said that AK was just OK, though needed a little work, do you think I would have gotten the responses I got with this one? There's no doubt that Disney watches these boards and with the responses that I completely expected, Disney also sees the passion that its loyal fans have for the park. I hope that Disney also sees and knows that its work is not nearly done and much more needs to be done to make the park the quality that we all know and expect from Disney.

Do you honestly believe that WDW executives and imagineers are going to change AK based on the ideas of one poster on the DISboards?

Okay, out of the 1250 people who view this board on a regular basis, the 125 people who like the park have come out of the wood work. G R E A T.

Wow, you are just looking for an argument. And btw, there are more than 250,000 people who view these boards.

 

[Tinkerbell3014]

I have to say that me and my family love AK. We love to walk the trails and see all there is to discover.

 

[X_Mickeys_Pal_X]

I love Animl kingdom how it is , it has brilliant attractions and although it may not be the largest in quantity for attractions doesnt mean its a bad park.

Animal kingdom is built to entertain and to showcase the wonder of nature , the animals make enough for the day. I also think its nice to have a day were you can just walk around and take it a bit easier.

Im not going to questino anyones opinion as it is what you think , but to be honest i think this park is fine as it is

 

[bicker]

I think it is always best to discount some of the sentiment you see here on the DIS. We're far more often excessively "purist" than the typical guest, and impose expectations for which there is really no reasonable basis. The fact that Disney leaves some attraction area in place, as it is, despite some general sentiment against what they're doing there, among online curmudgeons, is probably pretty sound basis for saying that the criticisms are unfounded, rather than what they're criticizing is objectively wrong or bad. Disney is just about the best in the world at determining what is and is not going to appeal to enough guests to justify the existence of a specific attraction area -- their actions are far better indicators of what is the right thing to do than our grumblings.

 

[indimom3]

I like reading threads like this because the passion people feel for AK here has convinced me to give the park another try. We were there for the first time this past December, and frankly, I would definitely say it was our least favorite park by a long shot. We went on our last day, Dec 21, and the Christmas crowds were starting to really fill up the parks. It was REALLY crowded, and the idea of lingering around staring at animals when you're being bumped, rushed, and your kids are being stepped on is just not appealing to me.
We enjoyed the safari, but didn't try the rapids because it was 55 degrees, and couldn't do EE because of our short ones. The train out to Rafiki was cool, and we did meet Pocohontas - but there were about 6 scared goats in the petting area. It was depressing, frankly. Those animals were sending clear "LEAVE ME ALONE" messages. I was not impressed by the husbandry.
The tree of life was super cool. And again, if it hadn't been so darned crowded, I would have enjoyed lingering in the various areas.
Dinoland? Don't even get me started on how appalled I was to see carnival hawkers at Disneyland. I got the theming. Oh, look they're going Retro. And then I thought, wait - they actually have these awful games here?! Two steps too far. I half expected to see a dancing bear show.
But hearing everyone talk about it - the shows and how their kids loved it, makes me want to give it another shot. I think we will go back next trip. The kids will want to ride the safari if nothing else. And the little one might sit through a show or two.
But we will definitely stay out of Dinoland.

 

[henrylovespooh]

Count me in as another AK lover. When I look at a visit to WDW, I figure Epcot and MK will be all out commando days with lots to do, but I look forward to wandering through AK at a slower pace to enjoy the day.

My kids love animals, so we walk the Pangani Forest Trail and the Mahajah Jungle Trek, as well as the area around the Tree of Life. We take the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch, love the Nemo show. I like the food there (Tusker House and Flame Tree BBQ) and the atmosphere, and so many helpful CMs who can talk about the animals.

 

[Cindylieu]

We went to DW Feb 2-13. We had TWO days in the AK and STILL did not see all we wanted to see. We had to rush through some of the places I wanted to linger. I wish we had THREE days there. It is second only to the magic Kingdom, in our family's opinion.

 

[Don Disney]

A couple of new things would be great,but we still enjoy AK!

 

[aurorae]

A couple of new things would be great,but we still enjoy AK!

One more Land in AK (which was the original plan) would make it much better. It would spread the crowd out more (assuming that the new land had some good attractions) and make it a full day park.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

If you want to see the shows, and parade, and ride the major attractions AND view the animals, it's more than a full day park.

I'm trying to figure out how to fit it all in!

 

[JennMouse32]

I loved Ak personally, and it was my first there, as well as my best friends first visit there, she loved it as well. As much as i would have LOVED to see the mythical area come to live at the park, im not disappointed at all in AK. Maybe in the near future they will expand AK and add what they had planned for AK in MYthical beasts. But as it is.. yes its hot.. but there is a reason for it, the heat in africa and asia are alot more humid than they are here, and the way disney does things is to completely emerge the guests in that area.. like they are really there, and that is just what they have done. Whether you have liked to or not.. that does not mean it doesnt mean disney standards..​

 

[Jennasis]

To the earlier poster who mentioned a backstory to Dinoland - I'd love to hear it!
I do agree that the carnival section is kind of out of place, and we don't usually spend much time there.
!

Ask and ye shall receive...

DinoLand U.S.A. originally started as a small highway town where an amateur fossil-hunter found some dinosaur bones in 1947. After contacting some scientist friends, they gathered their money together to purchase the site. Since then, scientist, volunteers and grad students have been living there trying to find answers about dinosaurs. The Dino Institute was founded and opened the site as a "fossil discover park". An old fishing lodge on the property became the Restaurantosaurus. Meanwhile, the Dino Institute discovered how to warp vehicles through time, and thus started doing time tours.

Chester and Hester, two locals, were determined to make a quick buck and converted their gas station into a fossil souvenir shop. Not to be out done by the Dino Institute, they created their own version of DINOSAUR named Primeval Whirl. They also added Triceratop Spin and the midway games.

It's from wikipedia and it's the abridged version, but Lou Mongello did a FANTASTIC piece on his podcast last year about the backstory of Dinoland and Chester and Hester's Dinorama.