Animal Kingdom ain't so good.

[JoshuaShaw]

I don't expect to change your mind, but just wanted to say that not everyone agrees.

I like the uniqueness of AK and to call any Disney park an "amusement" park is just blasphemy IMO! Six Flags or Cedar Point are amusement parks. Disney parks are theme parks and AK is very well themed IMO - it has some of the most incredible detail that most casual visitors seem to overlook.

Not to nitpick, but Six Flags is a theme park...

 

[michelle06]

We LOVE AK. We may get why some people dont like it, but we love it. We always take two days for the park. My daughter love animals. If we go in summer we always try to visit on a rainy day when because the park is almost empty and the animals are out. We had done the Wild Safary Trek and it was great.

How is it being wet all day and the weather being humid? I would think that would be miserable. However, this is an idea to consider. AK is the only park I haven't been to, and I would not have considered going to this park on a rainy day.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

This is a great book for fans and also maybe for naysayers who want to like the park more but just don't get it.

I have the entire series of these books and really enjoyed each of them. I will have to get them out for a refresher before our upcoming trip. It's been two years since our last major trip to WDW and I'm beginning to feel like a newbie again!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Not to nitpick, but Six Flags is a theme park...

What is their theming? The ones I visited were themed to be an amusement park.

 

[Leota]

Not to nitpick, but Six Flags is a theme park...

No, no it's not. It's an Amusement Park.

Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens are Theme Parks - there is a distinct theme & story they wish to immerse guests in. There are Attractions, Shows, Restaurants & Shops all designed to enhance the theme & the story. The whole design of the park, down to the trash cans, is the "set" for the story

Six Flags, you go wait in a generic line for a non-themed coaster or other ride. There is no theme, no story, no immersive experience. It's just a park full of rides. Some of them are great rides, but they're still just rides - not attractions.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

No, no it's not. It's an Amusement Park.

Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens are Theme Parks - there is a distinct theme & story they wish to immerse guests in. There are Attractions, Shows, Restaurants & Shops all designed to enhance the theme & the story. The whole design of the park, down to the trash cans, is the "set" for the story

Six Flags, you go wait in a generic line for a non-themed coaster or other ride. There is no theme, no story, no immersive experience. It's just a park full of rides. Some of them are great rides, but they're still just rides - not attractions.

Six Flags cracks me up. Well the one in NJ specifically...Great Adventure. they do try for a theme....there is some jungle stuff around Kingda Ka......there is some frontier type stuff around the log flume and Runaway Train and so on but it just so lame.... Busch Gardens Williamsburgh is better...pretty good IMO....

but in any event.....compare that to the thought behind WDW as articulated by the late John Hench (lifted from an article on MousePlanet):

John Hench:

"Well, this theme show idea really works at both the conscious and the subconscious levels in the guest's mind. There are a number of things that happen to them which they may very well remember…a ride…a personal contact with an employee…a lunch…a particular show…or any one of dozens of others. But equally important, if not more so, is the sum total of all the thousands of little details of which the guests are never quite fully aware…details working at the subliminal level.

“Take Cinderella Castle, for instance. Most people walk up to this point and take a picture. In fact, more pictures are probably taken right here of that castle than anything else perhaps in the world. But if you walked up and asked a guest WHY he likes the castle…WHY is it worth photographing?… He could never tell you. He'd probably stammer out something like 'Because it's just beautiful.' And yet, when he gets back home and shows his pictures, the feeling will never be the same that he experiences simply standing here.

“The fact is, as we stand here right now, there are literally hundreds of stimuli etching an impression…and an experience in our minds through every one of our senses. Probably the most conscious and obvious stimulus is visual…we are looking at that castle and we think it is beautiful. Yet consider the factors that are playing on our sense of vision.…the colors…the lighting, the shapes and designs. There is a static nature about the castle structure itself that makes you think its been standing there for centuries. And yet there is motion…the motion of those flags, and the trees around us made by the wind. The movement of people, vehicles and boats, water, balloons, horses, and the white clouds passing by overhead.

“Look up at the top of the castle. At the base of the highest tower are a series of tremendously detailed gargoyles which you can barely see from the ground. And yet they are also part of our 'magic formula.' They are part of a thousand little tiny details we are looking at right now but don't consciously perceive. Individually they are nothing. Collectively, they add up to a visual experience that the guest can't find anywhere else.

“Now consider what is happening at this moment to our sense of hearing. As we stand here, we are hearing something that the best stereo or quad system in the world can't duplicate. We are hearing an ever-changing background: music, the sounds of waterfalls, horses' hooves, bells, a marching band, popcorn popping, and even the familiar crowd murmur that we usually sort of consciously tune out.

“Think about the sense of touch…inanimate objects like this rockwork…animate objects like that horse pulling that trolley car. Or those Fantasyland characters in the castle's forecourt. Those things are not projected film—they are real. If you close your eyes, you can reach out and touch them…feel them.

“Those flowers aren't plastic…you can smell them. That popcorn…you can go over and taste it.

“Think about it carefully. As we stand here and look at that castle, every one of our senses are coming into play. This is total involvement. You can never capture this moment and take it home with you in a camera or tape recorder. You can only take this experience home in your mind. Now, multiply this moment by an entire day…by a week…by a thousand other different experiences…and you start to get some idea of the Disney theme show.

“Of course, there are some limits to how far you can go in a theme experience. We don't want to add smoke to the fire effects in the Pirates of the Caribbean…that would be a negative stimulus. In our jungle we keep the real insects to a minimum. In Frontierland, we could be more authentic by making dirt streets, eliminating air conditioning in the buildings and replacing restrooms with outhouses. How many medieval castles ever had piped-in music or drinking fountains with chilled water? Frankly, if we created a totally perfect, authentic themed experience where we had complete realism, it would probably be ghastly for contemporary people living here in the 1970s.

“What we create is a 'Disney Realism,' sort of Utopian in nature, where we carefully program out all the negative, unwanted elements and program in the positive elements. In fact we even go beyond realism in some cases to make a better show. Don't forget, people are coming here to be entertained…it is a show, you know. We create a world they can escape to…to enjoy for a few brief moments…a world that is the way they would like to think it would be.

“The Jungle Cruise is a good example of what I'm talking about. It began in 1955 as an adaptation from our True Life Adventure films. We created an attraction where all the things that you might see on a jungle river journey actually do happen. The truth of the matter is, you could probably spend two years on a real journey like that before you'd see everything.

“Later, in selected Jungle Cruise scenes, we further enhanced the entertainment value by adding a touch of fantasy here and there. Take the elephant bathing pool, for example. Our guests know that real elephants wouldn't lurk under the water and then rise up to squirt the boat. And they know a real herd of elephants wouldn't be quite so happy with a strange boat in their midst. Real elephants would have either retreated defensively into the jungle or smashed the boat to pieces. But again, we've programmed Utopian realism, added a touch of fun and fantasy and the guests love it.

“Interestingly, for all its success, the Disney theme show is quite a fragile thing. It just takes one contradiction…one out of place stimulus to negate a particular moment's experience. Take that street car conductor's costume away and put him in double knit slacks and a golf shirt.…replace that old Gay Nineties melody with a rock number…replace the themed merchandise with digital clock radios and electric hair dryers…tack up a felt-tip drawn paper sign that says 'Keep Out'…place a touch of astro turf here…add a surly employee there…it really doesn't take much to upset it all.

“What's our success formula? Well, it's attention to infinite detail…the little things, the minor picky points that other companies just don't want to take the time, the money, the effort, to do right. As far as our Disney organization is concerned…it's the only way we've ever done it…it's been our success formula in the past and it will be applied to our future projects, as well. We'll probably still be explaining this to outsiders at the end of our next two decades in this business."

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Six Flags IS a theme park, even if it isn't as high a quality one as the Disney parks.

The theme, initially, was right there in the title: Six Flags. The initial park, Six Flags Over Texas, was themed around the six flags that had, at one time, flown over the state of Texas and thus had several themed sections (or lands) around the park, i.e. Spain, Mexico, Confederacy, U.S.A, France, etc. (In fact, Disneyland essentially created the theme park and any park that has designated "lands" would also fall under the theme park moniker). As the Six Flags brand grew, obviously the theme changed as well and once Warner Bros. bought the park, the theme became Warner Bros., hence the Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes and DC comics-themed areas, rides, and walk-around characters.

There's no denying that Six Flags, and various other theme parks, pale heartily in comparison to Disney. Disney was the first and still the best when it comes to theme parks, but to deny that such parks are classified as theme parks is just ignorant. Just because a theme isn't as well-done or overt as it clearly is in Disney doesn't mean it isn't present.

It's a moot point anyway, as these days the language has evolved such that theme park and amusement park tend to be fairly interchangeable. To quibble over the terms is pure semantics and a bit of a fool's errand.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Me? I like AK, but I enjoy it differently. For instance, I don't rush at AK. It's too frustrating. I walk slowly and leisurely. I will eventually get to the rides that I like, but I can't get to them in a hurry.

I try to see something that I've never seen before while there. AK is a huge park, so I try to take it all in. I don't do my favorites and leave. I take plenty of pictures.

Personally, I like all the parks. I mean, ALL (US/IOA, Six Flags, etc.) My DW is funny, though. She told me that she doesn't like EPCOT. She doesn't like it at all! But she likes Coral Reef, so we gotta go at least once!

 

[kitnrose99]

Mikeandreneeplusfive, thank you for posting that look into the reason disney feels the way it does. I'm one of the minority who ranks AK as the best of the four parks, followed by Epcot and then MK. Since Disneyland was my first park, MK just feels like a thin copy of a fantastic original. It's the exact things that AK haters hate that I love the most. I LOVE that it's not a ride park - I love wandering and walking the trails and seeing all the amazing details and shopping and stopping to watch the animals with no pressure to get in yet another ride line. I love that there's no straight lines from point a to b so you're forced to meander. I love all the greenery and the feeling I'm visiting some lost corners of the world. I even love the over-the-top cheese of dinoland! But I'm selfishly glad others don't see the same magic I do. I like my AK uncrowded and populated only with other wanderers, not doers!

 

[sydneysmom]

I already gave my opinion that we love AK, but when I keep reading, it's just sad.... the OP doesn't like AK. why they felt like they had to broadcast this for attention, is beyond me, but they did. Okay, you think it sucks. Don't go back then. Not a big deal.

Some people feel like they need to rip something down, shred it, and insult it. What's the value of that? Does it make you feel better ? Or if someone calls Six Flags a "theme park", no need to tear them down. And by the way, if you go to Six Flags website, they are selling "Six Flags Theme Park Season Passes".....so don't tell them that they're not a theme park because they obviously don't know yet.....

But can't everyone just show a little acceptance for someone else's opinion without being mean or argumentative ? The OP is obviously looking for attention....otherwise you wouldn't start a thread w/ "animal kingdom ain't so good". Just because you don't like it, it doesn't make it suck. You don't like it. Okay, we got it.

There's a certain beauty in the quiet of AK. Not everything needs to be crazy busy or fast or dangerous. sometimes, the beauty of your surroundings are more than enough for entertainment.

Now, I'm sure I'll get slammed, but you know what ? that's life on the Dis.

 

[skier_pete]

Posted to AK's defense enough that all I'll say is - our family spends 2 days there and is our DD favorite park. That, and if you don't get it, don't go, thanks we like it when your not there.

 

[CTH3]

...the animal kingdom kind of...well....sucks.

To those who read the last post first, I'll save you twenty minutes:

Some people agree with the OP's assessment. Some people do not.

That's it.

By the way, I've been talking it over with my family, and we all agree...cauliflower kind of...well...sucks.

We knew you were wondering how we felt about this.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

To those who read the last post first, I'll save you twenty minutes:

Some people agree with the OP's assessment. Some people do not.

That's it.

By the way, I've been talking it over with my family, and we all agree...cauliflower kind of...well...sucks.

We knew you were wondering how we felt about this.

even creamed cauliflower???

what about if you smother it in cheese?

 

[Nancyg56]

Boy this speaks volumes...you were there until 4pm......

Why? My family never lasts longer than 4 PM in any of the parks. We generally head back to the resort and back out again for dinner and perhaps back to another park.

As I've always said, combining an amusement park and a zoo was a stupid idea. The money that could be spent on new attractions is being soaked up maintaining the animals. That's why there are so few attractions at the park. If you want to go to a zoo, go to a zoo. People go there even though it's bad, because that's what you do when you go to Disney. You pay for it, so you go. AK has a captured audience. Most people spend less time there than other parks, however and for good reason. What's bad is that the other parks are more crowded because of it. With Disney's announcement of the future addition of Australia with Dauphin and Whale shows, the playing field might finally be leveled a little bit. The other parks might finally get a little bit of a reprieve. Even with that announcement, however AK still needs many, many more attractions, and not those low budget, cheesy carnival rides.

I totally disagree with you. AK is not a zoo IMO, bu that is not really what I want to discuss.

I like AK, I do not go every trip but make a point of spending at leat 1 day there most times. We do not need to go because we paid for tickets, there are 3 additional parks to choose from to spend that time. I never go anywhere just because it is there and would never waste valuable vacation time trailing around in a misery.

One of my favorite experiences in Disney took place on one of the animal trails. My DGD and I were meandering along enjoying the animals. We were alone because DD and DSIL had gone to EE and Kady would never go on that attraction. We took our time and it was so nice to just listen to a child's perspective concerning animals and animal welfare. I believe that Ak is one park that encourages a slower pace rather than the mad dash to hit all of the "best" attractions which can occur in the other three parks.

I think that disney has chosen to provide different experiences for their guests and that is one reason WDW is such a populay vacation destination. You do not like AK and that is fine, you have additional options to choose from. You can stay away and still get value from your ticket prices as Ak is not a mandatiry stop.

I think it is a little sad that some begrudge the time, effort and money that went into designing AK. One person's "BLAH" is a wonderful experience to another. Just as we are offered a choice of resort theming, we get to choose the experience in the Themem parks. Thank goodness all the resources are nto spent on thrill rides, my DGD hates them so we would not have gone back.

 

[hookedonears]

I don't think that the combination is such a bad idea but then I do like zoos. I think that if you're going to focus on animals then it's a good idea to have some and the safari is a successful way to feature them.

However, I do agree that the carnival area is a mess and I also think that Kali River Rapids is way too short. We're not much for shows and Expedition Everest is only OK so that doesn't really leave much.

I would like to see more trails and some good restaurants added. I also think that it's hotter there but of course some others don't agree.

We do like many of the attractions: The Safari, Everest, Bugs Life and the Lion King show. Unfortunately, that's about it for us. There's way too much walking for the few attractions that the park has to offer. There needs to be many, many more attractions. Not necessarily major attractions, small attractions would be fine, as long as there not as I said, the low budget variety of the County Fair. That place just doesn't belong and it's just low budget. Kali River is horrible to us. Everest is fun, but it's really a pretty slow roller coaster with the exception when it's going backwards in the dark. Dinosaur was fun the first time, but it got old quickly after that and for us it's only a place to kill time while we're waiting for our fast pass return for Everest. Also the walkways are extremely narrow and it's the hottest place on the face of the earth. We go in, do our 3, 4 or 5 things and leave. Less than a half day of attractions for a full day of walking.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I totally disagree with you. AK is not a zoo IMO, bu that is not really what I want to discuss.

I like AK, I do not go every trip but make a point of spending at leat 1 day there most times. We do not need to go because we paid for tickets, there are 3 additional parks to choose from to spend that time. I never go anywhere just because it is there and would never waste valuable vacation time trailing around in a misery.

One of my favorite experiences in Disney took place on one of the animal trails. My DGD and I were meandering along enjoying the animals. We were alone because DD and DSIL had gone to EE and Kady would never go on that attraction. We took our time and it was so nice to just listen to a child's perspective concerning animals and animal welfare. I believe that Ak is one park that encourages a slower pace rather than the mad dash to hit all of the "best" attractions which can occur in the other three parks.

I think that disney has chosen to provide different experiences for their guests and that is one reason WDW is such a populay vacation destination. You do not like AK and that is fine, you have additional options to choose from. You can stay away and still get value from your ticket prices as Ak is not a mandatiry stop.

I think it is a little sad that some begrudge the time, effort and money that went into designing AK. One person's "BLAH" is a wonderful experience to another. Just as we are offered a choice of resort theming, we get to choose the experience in the Themem parks. Thank goodness all the resources are nto spent on thrill rides, my DGD hates them so we would not have gone back.

Well said!

BTW - I think the proper spelling of the bolding is "Nahtazu"!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Six Flags IS a theme park, even if it isn't as high a quality one as the Disney parks.

The theme, initially, was right there in the title: Six Flags. The initial park, Six Flags Over Texas, was themed around the six flags that had, at one time, flown over the state of Texas and thus had several themed sections (or lands) around the park, i.e. Spain, Mexico, Confederacy, U.S.A, France, etc. (In fact, Disneyland essentially created the theme park and any park that has designated "lands" would also fall under the theme park moniker). As the Six Flags brand grew, obviously the theme changed as well and once Warner Bros. bought the park, the theme became Warner Bros., hence the Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes and DC comics-themed areas, rides, and walk-around characters.

There's no denying that Six Flags, and various other theme parks, pale heartily in comparison to Disney. Disney was the first and still the best when it comes to theme parks, but to deny that such parks are classified as theme parks is just ignorant. Just because a theme isn't as well-done or overt as it clearly is in Disney doesn't mean it isn't present.

It's a moot point anyway, as these days the language has evolved such that theme park and amusement park tend to be fairly interchangeable. To quibble over the terms is pure semantics and a bit of a fool's errand.

I agree. It's a moot point, but I was just trying to point out that none of the Disney parks are "amusement" parks.

FWIW, my experience with Six Flags was the brief time they were in Denver. They bought a local cheesy amusement park "Elitch Gardens" and branded it with Six Flags. It had absolutely no theming. Perhaps their other parks have theming, but this was just a hodge podge of rides thrown together. Maybe that's why they pulled out of Denver a couple of years ago.

And, this discussion is distracting others from the AK bashing so let's keep discussing it ad naseum!

To those who read the last post first, I'll save you twenty minutes:

Some people agree with the OP's assessment. Some people do not.

That's it.

By the way, I've been talking it over with my family, and we all agree...cauliflower kind of...well...sucks.

We knew you were wondering how we felt about this.

Thanks! That was keeping me up at night wondering how you felt about cauliflower!

 

[JoshuaShaw]

And, this discussion is distracting others from the AK bashing so let's keep discussing it ad naseum!

I remember, maybe a decade or so back, when Time Warner was buying up independent amusement parks and re-branding them as Six Flags, without making any actual cosmetic changes. I can certainly see where, especially if that's one's only exposure, that would give the impression that Six Flags lacks a theme. Of the five (I think) Six Flags parks I've been to, they've all done a good job of having some sort of unifying theme, though when compared to Disney they were barely more than carnivals. That's a bit of an exteme comparison, but as my local Six Flags has gone down hill in more recent years, I've grown fairly bitter towards them. They keep attempting to appeal to families and the Disney crowd, but instead of amping their service and attractions up, they just kind of emulate Disney, but at a 30% effort. I caught a glimpse of their evening "Light parade" one year and was embarrassed for them. It was pathetic. But, they had a theme!

 

[Stinky_Pete]

How is it being wet all day and the weather being humid? I would think that would be miserable. However, this is an idea to consider. AK is the only park I haven't been to, and I would not have considered going to this park on a rainy day.

I don't like any Disney park when it's humid. But we did AK on a rainy day once and it was great! It seemed like we had the place to ourselves. And many of the animals like the rain and are more active when it rains. So if your planned AK day is rainy, grab your poncho and go!

Oh, and I guess if you don't appreciate what AK has to offer, then it would "suck" to you. Me? I appreciate the detailed theming, the attractions, the nature walks, the safari, the shows, etc. I don't care for that bug movie though. I do usually leave around 2 or so, but I do that at all the parks. Take a break at my resort, then out to another park that's open later (AK usually closes at 5 when I visit). But I often go to AK more than once per trip.

 

[TriSeb°o°]

AK is a must do for my family... beauty/fun/value are in the eye of the beholder