Animal Kingdom a major Flop!

[mickeysgirl17]

In no way is AK a flop. I think the park is very interesting. There is so much detail that is in that park, that I don't think a lot of people really notice. Since we go to Disney so much, we now like to take it slow and really stop and smell the roses and AK is one of those parks that you really need to do that inorder to really appreciate it. Sure my kids love going on the rides and the rides that they only want to go on is KS, Kali, EE, and PW. We also love going to Camp Mickey's to see FOTLK, the show there never gets old....love those acrobatic monkeys . And of course we can spend hours on end at Rafiki's Planet Watch....we especially love watching the veterinarians take care of the sick and injured animals....that whole area is just fascinating to us.

That's exactly what I'm saying. You really need to slow down and appreciate all the little things in this park. Festival of the lion king is amazing. Love it!

 

[DisneyBelle27]

If you're looking to really appreciate AK (it's my favorite park!) I recommend reading up on it before you go. Then you'll know all the little hidden details to look for! I personally enjoy "The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom" and "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" (which is great for reading about hidden gems in all the parks)! There's also a special that airs periodically on the Travel Channel that is solely about Animal Kingdom!

 

[BumpkinsOwner]

I'm not so crazy about ak ether it plain and boring! WDW needs to make more rides for ak!
it's just plain wrong to call WDW "the happiest place on earth"
when one of there main parks is as boring as a plain brick wall!

although Everest is one of my favorite rides because
well duh it's awesome!
dinosaur is cool and fun.

and on a hot muggy day there is nothing like a big splash on Krr to keep you nice and cool!

 

[jordancej]

That's ok if you think its a "Flop", cause that means one less person in the park!!! This is my favorite park actually, too all the neat nooks and crannies, to the theming, to the shows and the rides, to Flame Tree BBQ, i could go on and on!!!! .... its just my private oasis!!

 

[jade1]

AK has 13 attractions
Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: It's Tough to Be a Bug, Kali River Rapids Asia, Kilimanjaro Safaris

Epcot has 17 attractions
Spaceship Earth, Soarin', Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Test Track, Mission:Space, Maelstrom

Disney's Hollywood Studios has 16 attractions.
Beauty and the Beast, The Great Movie Ride, Muppet Vision 3D, Rock n' Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Voyage of the Little Mermaid

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

Everyone is different, but when we remove what we avoid-we end up with the list above. So for attractions only for us:

AK......7

EPCOT.6

DHS....7

 

[Clifton]

I loved AK, it actually my fav out of the 4 parks since i'm into animals and rides, Busch Gardens alongside. The theming really takes me away from the outside world. I do agree the carnival area in DinoLand U.S.A. is out of place.

 

[honeydiane1953]

Here again is a HOT TOPIC. I detest AK. Only go for Nemo and Circle of Life. This topic reminds me of REFILLABLE MUGS. Yet another mess of a subject.

 

[Disney Hev]

hey

AK isn't about the rides at all. If they didn't put rides in it will still be fantastic.

If you don't like AK then what is the point of going there because if you look bored then you will put everyone else down.

Come on, have a bit more Disney spirit and don't just go there for the rides - go there for the experience and atmosphere.

Hev
xxx

 

[michelleiada]

The only thing that I agree on with the original poster of this thread, is that primeval whirl area of AK is very non-Disney or imho, has a tackey amusement park feel to it. I think it was a mistake adding that area to this beautifully themed park. Disney can do so much better than that!

 

[DOOM1001]

The only thing that I agree on with the original poster of this thread, is that primeval whirl area of AK is very non-Disney or imho, has a tackey amusement park feel to it. I think it was a mistake adding that area to this beautifully themed park. Disney can do so much better than that!

I would agree that the Primeval area is a bit tacky,but I still do enjoy riding the coaster.I think the problem with AK is that it's different from the other Disney parks.The whole Natahzu thing is for the most part true,it's not a zoo but you still get the feeling that it is a zoo.Let me give you an example when you walk in, that whole entrance just has a zoo feel to it,and I know many people like zoos but a lot others have a zoo very close,like I do as it's about 3-4 miles away and I like going there but don't love it.I think Disney would have been better to have built a village with shopping for the entrance of AK.It would have made for a better entrance and add something that AK lacks compared to the other parks,stores.MK has Main Street,DHS has a pretty good selection in Hollywood Blvd,EPCOT doesn't have it at the front of the park but the huge Mousegear store and World Showcase make up for it.At least for me the entrance of AK lacks and doesn't have the whole Disney feel like the other parks.I don't think AK will ever be my favorite or one of my favorites as it already has rides that I do love like Everest,Dinosaur,Kali,but I just don't favor the theme and feel it could have been done better.Maybe a complete redesign ala California Adventure is in order,just kidding AK fans!!

 

[Bullseye]

If you're looking to really appreciate AK (it's my favorite park!) I recommend reading up on it before you go. Then you'll know all the little hidden details to look for! I personally enjoy "The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom" and "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" (which is great for reading about hidden gems in all the parks)! There's also a special that airs periodically on the Travel Channel that is solely about Animal Kingdom!

You know Belle, as I have been following this thread the last few days, I have been thinking I should do exactly that! Read up about the park. I knew nothing of that background story about Dinoland or some of the other hidden tips others have shared on this thread. It's fascinating how much some people know about Disney and more so that Disney takes the time to build in all these details behind what we see.

 

[PolynesianLily]

It took me a while to realize this, but disney is not all about the rides. I understand what the OP is trying to say, but instead of focusing on the rides, why not take a step back and focus on the theming of the park. It is honestly AMAZING.

This trip to WDW, I'm not going to focus on going on rides, but taking in the parks as a whole.

 

[appletini]

My family could easily spend 2 or 3 days at AK and still want more. There's just TOO much to do there. Anilmals, animals, animals. The rides are a nice addition but it's all about the animals.

 

[honeydiane1953]

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.

YOU are so correct. Ak imo is a major flop. Disney gouges us again with this one. I looove going to WDW but DETEST AK. NEMO and CIRCLE OF LIFE is the only thing good there. That park is HOT and closes early and takes too long to even get there.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

YOU are so correct. Ak imo is a major flop. Disney gouges us again with this one. I looove going to WDW but DETEST AK. NEMO and CIRCLE OF LIFE is the only thing good there. That park is HOT and closes early and takes too long to even get there.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but "Disney gouges us once again" seems like an inaccurate assessment. The park is rich in detail and not done on the cheap (with the exception of offtheshelf rides in Chester and Hester's area), and for those who care to find and explore the beauty and detail, "gouging" is a poor choice of words.

Also, nobody is forcing you to go to the AK if you "DETEST" it, your ticket is worth the same no matter which park you visit.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Here again is a HOT TOPIC. I detest AK. Only go for Nemo and Circle of Life. This topic reminds me of REFILLABLE MUGS. Yet another mess of a subject.

YOU are so correct. Ak imo is a major flop. Disney gouges us again with this one. I looove going to WDW but DETEST AK. NEMO and CIRCLE OF LIFE is the only thing good there. That park is HOT and closes early and takes too long to even get there.

Not sure why you are saying the circle of life is in Ak when it is in Epcot in the land pavilion. This goes to show you don't know much about AK at all. In fact that's probly why you call it a flop. You obviously don't know much about the park and have not given it a chance at all or spent much time there or you would know this.

AK has to close early because of the animals and I don't think it takes any longer to get there than most places on disney property.

And what is wrong with refillable mugs?

 

[jade1]

YOU are so correct. Ak imo is a major flop. Disney gouges us again with this one. I looove going to WDW but DETEST AK. NEMO and CIRCLE OF LIFE is the only thing good there. That park is HOT and closes early and takes too long to even get there.

Cant agree, its our last choice as well but to be this close to EPCOT and DHS, as well as so far ahead of US and IOA etc, along with the short hours and location you point out-pretty successfull. If they ever do add a night show and level the playing field, it will obviously pass DHS and EPCOT. But why would they, since it is about the same without it and much shorter hours.

Rank Amusement park Location Year Total attendance

1 Magic Kingdom 2008 17,063,000
2 Disneyland 2008 14,721,000
3 Tokyo 2008 14,293,000
4 Disneyland Paris 2008 12,688,000
5 Tokyo DisneySea 2008 12,498,000
6 Epcot 2008,...............................10,935,000 (29,959 guests per day)
7 Disney's Hollywood Studios 2008,....9,608,000 (26,323 guests per day)
8 Disney's Animal Kingdom 2008,........9,540,000 (26,137 guests per day)
9 Universal Studios Japan 2008 8,300,000
10 Everland Yongin, 2008 6,600,000
11 Universal Studios Florida 2008 6,231,000
12 SeaWorld Orlando 2008 5,926,000
13 Disney's California Adventure 5,566,000
14 Islands of Adventure 2008 5,297,000
15 Ocean Park Hong Kong 2008 5,030,000
16 Universal Studios Hollywood 2008 4,583,000
17 Hakkeijima Sea Paradise 2008 4,555,000
18 Hong Kong Disneyland 2007 4,500,000
19 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay 2007 4,410,000
20 Lotte World Seoul, 2008 4,236,000

 

[Planogirl]

I don't think that attendance really means much. I would guess that most people get several day passes and they are likely to visit all of the parks even if say MK is the focus. We always visit AK because it's good but I'm not if we would if we didn't have the multi-day passes.

It would be interesting to see 2009 numbers to see if DHS and AK have switched spots though.

 

[morethananyonex]

First of all, one of my pet peeves about anything (not just Disney) is when people voice their dislike for something, and other people claim they just must not understand it. Some people find it very, very hard to accept that people can simply dislike things, even when they understand them. In all fairness, this seems to be coming from both sides of the argument in this thread. Threads like this would not become so heated so fast if people would stop trying to prove other people's opinions wrong.

Anyways, IMO Animal Kingdom is the weakest park of the four, BUT it's still a Disney park and is far superior to the regular theme parks of the world. I think part of the problem for me atleast may be because it's the newest. MK, Epcot, and MGM (I refuse to call it DHS ) were all parks that I grew up with. Granted, I was only born in 1989, but the majority of my Disney childhood memories were at those three parks. I think such a huge aspect of the Disney appeal is nostalgia, which is why so many of us oppose change at the parks. For me atleast, Animal Kingdom doesn't have this going for it yet.

Secondly, as many people have mentioned, as much as they tried to force the "nahtazu" idea, it still is very much like a zoo, and people like me (who aren't interested in zoos) obviously aren't going to enjoy it as much as others.

The details at AK are extremely well done, but that's just not enough for me to push this park higher on my list. It doesn't mean I haven't noticed all the extra "non-attractions" around, but they just aren't my thing.

 

[DisCopper]

First of all, one of my pet peeves about anything (not just Disney) is when people voice their dislike for something, and other people claim they just must not understand it. Some people find it very, very hard to accept that people can simply dislike things, even when they understand them. In all fairness, this seems to be coming from both sides of the argument in this thread. Threads like this would not become so heated so fast if people would stop trying to prove other people's opinions wrong.

Anyways, IMO Animal Kingdom is the weakest park of the four, BUT it's still a Disney park and is far superior to the regular theme parks of the world. I think part of the problem for me atleast may be because it's the newest. MK, Epcot, and MGM (I refuse to call it DHS ) were all parks that I grew up with. Granted, I was only born in 1989, but the majority of my Disney childhood memories were at those three parks. I think such a huge aspect of the Disney appeal is nostalgia, which is why so many of us oppose change at the parks. For me atleast, Animal Kingdom doesn't have this going for it yet.

Secondly, as many people have mentioned, as much as they tried to force the "nahtazu" idea, it still is very much like a zoo, and people like me (who aren't interested in zoos) obviously aren't going to enjoy it as much as others.

The details at AK are extremely well done, but that's just not enough for me to push this park higher on my list. It doesn't mean I haven't noticed all the extra "non-attractions" around, but they just aren't my thing.

Well said.