Animal Kingdom for young kids

[CamAnd]

Hi,

We've never been to Animal Kingdom and wondered if my almost 5 year old and 6 year old would have lots to do and enjoy that park. DS loves dinosaurs and we saw there was the "Dinosaur" ride. He'll probably reach height requirement by then( 40"). But is it still too rough or mature for an almost 5 year old.

Then I've also heard about one of the main attractions , Kilamanjaro Safari is only really good to do early morning when the animals are out. Then the rest of the day you can't see much animals due to heat/sun?

So my question is, will they really enjoy this park and have lots to do? We've taken them to Magic Kingdom and MGM (+ off site Sea World)when we go down for a week since there's plenty of entertainment for preschool age.

 

[disney_family_1247]

Whoever told you that you have to ride the safari first thing in the morning to see animals is WRONG! We've never ridden it early in the morning and we've always seen tons of animals! In September, we rode after lunch. There were four giraffes (with a baby) right next to the road, the male lion was standing on his rock closest to the road and roaring a bit, and the other animals were everywhere (hippos, rhinos, zebras, crocodiles, elephants, etc.)

There are lots of great things to enjoy at AK for little kids. Mine are 7, 4, and 1, and even the baby had a great time . Here are some of my picks for you:

The Festival of the Lion King is an amazing show for everyone, and they get the audience involved (without embarrassing you).

The Pocahontas show is aimed a younger kids and has real animals on stage with P.

It's Tough to Be a Bug is a 3D movie based on A Bug's Life and very cute.

Do the walking trails in Africa and Asia. They are beautiful and full of animals (gorillas and tigers for example). My kids adore them.

Kali River Rapids is a raft ride. My kids are scared of even the small drop in Pirates of the Carribean, but they love this ride. It has a 38" or 39" height requirement. You will get wet.

In Dinoland, there's a ride just like Dumbo, but it's triceratops instead. There's a great playground too. We took our kids on Dinosaur for the first time on this past trip. They said it was the worst thing they ever went on . It was too dark, too loud, and too bumpy. They were also scared of the giant dino trying to eat them, but I think the other stuff scared them more. I guess it depends on your kids temperments.

Take the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch too. It had interactive things for the kids, a petting zoo, and really cool exhibits inside.

I hope this helps!

 

[rt2dz]

A lot of people are going to tell you to skip it, but I am not one of them. I enjoy this park. DH enjoys this park. DS3 enjoys this park. DS6 absolutely loves this park--it's his favorite.

The first time we went we planned on only spending 1/2 day there; everything I read on the DIS told me it was a 1/2 day park. The Unofficial Guide said it was basically a 1/2 day park. DH and I were joking that people who can do AK in 1/2 day don't know what they are doing. There is soooo much going on. You do have to enjoy a zoo. If going to the zoo is torture for you, you probably won't enjoy AK. It's a park full of subtlities. There is a lot to see, if not necessarily a lot to do.

Kilamanjaro Safari is best before noon or later in the evening, but we've gone in the middle of the day and that is when if we had stuck our hand out of the ride (we didn't) we could have touched a rhino. It was also the best view we ever had of the lions. There are no absolutes.

Dinosaur is enjoyed by DS6. He's been going on it since he was 3. Just try and stop him! But, I do know that most littler kids won't enjoy it. There is Dumbo type ride with Tricertops. And the playground there is fantastic. It's a great place to take a break and let kids dig for dinosaur bones.

There are other things there too. The Lion King show shouldn't be missed; it's wonderful. It kept my very busy then 15 month old mesmorized. DS6 has loved it at every age since 3. The parade is one of the better parades imo--and easier to see! There's more, but you get the idea.

My advice is, go. Plan at least 1/2 day. See and experience for yourself, then decide.

 

[CamAnd]

Dinosaur is enjoyed by DS6. He's been going on it since he was 3. Just try and stop him! But, I do know that most littler kids won't enjoy it. There is Dumbo type ride with Tricertops. And the playground there is fantastic. It's a great place to take a break and let kids dig for dinosaur bones.

My advice is, go. Plan at least 1/2 day. See and experience for yourself, then decide.

My DS is a dinosaur fanatic and I think he'll be more amazed than scared if he did the Dinosaur ride. We viewed a clip of the ride from disney website and he got excited.

 

[CamAnd]

Thanks so much for your perspective disney family 1247! It does sound like there will be a lot of fun for my kids' age range. The animals on the walking trails would appeal to DH since he loves walking & being active.

 

[BelleRocks]

Back from an October trip with me, hubby, and DD8. We did the Safari late morning (about 11-1200) We did have a rather long wait, but we saw SO MANY animals and very close. DD8 loved it. Dinosaur was not NOT her favorite ride, due to the dinosaurs kind of lunging at you. She wasn't traumatized but did cover her face toward the end. It was one of my favorites though! Daughter did love EVEREST however, which just goes to show, you never know.

Her favorite thing I think was the Boneyard play area. She loved just playing and digging.

We made AK one of our "sleep-in" days, and I really would like to have more time when we go again. We could have "explored" much more, and DD8 was definitely interested.

 

[esk]

A few years ago, they had an animatronic dinosaur that walked along the road in the Dino area....DS (4 at the time) absolutely LOVED that.

We like AK.....the parade is good, FOTLK is a great show and DS was mesmerized by the acrobats, likes the train to Rafiki's, likes the petting zoo, likes the safari (we've had best luck in the morning but whenever is fine) and we had to drag him kicking and screaming out of that playground. I think we're going to try Dinosaur this year (he's 6) but I hope there is a chicken exit.....


and apparently there is a Nemo show too this year?

You really should go. At least once to see.

 

[mamaminnie]

My DS is a dinosaur fanatic and I think he'll be more amazed than scared if he did the Dinosaur ride. We viewed a clip of the ride from disney website and he got excited.

I have to disagree here-- DInosaur is a very intense ride, jerky, fast, full of intense special effects. Not really appropriate for little kids, I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids get off it crying.

YMMV of course.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

AK has become my family's favorite WDW park!! We love the theming, performers, animals, shows, and attractions. The kids even enjoy wandering through the gift shops, noting all the details in the decorations.

Be sure to check out the 6 interactive learning centers sponsored by Family Fun and scattered throughout the park. After many, many trips to AK, our 2 younger children (dd4.5 and ds7) demanded that we stop at these spots during our July trip. Kids can pick up a special "passport" at any of the locations. After completing each of the 6 activities, the "Rangers" manning the posts stamp the booklets.

 

[Magpie]

We went in 2005 when my youngest was 7, and we couldn't get enough of this park. We stayed from opening to closing and still didn't see everything we wanted.

But I think that's because we took our time. The kids got the stamp books and searched out every little stop, played the games and collected all their stamps and talked to the CMs for a long time at each one. We almost didn't have time to make the last stop! We ran across the park, and luckily the CM we'd been talking to called ahead and they waited for us. Those little books are terrific souvenirs now.

We took forever on the trails and never did manage to see the Asia one. We kept stopping to talk to people.

We got to Kali River Rapids first thing in the morning and rode about seven times in a row before the crowds showed up. The kids wanted to move into the Boneyard and stay forever. And the petting zoo was another huge time eater! We hung out for ages after the bird show, just checking out the birds. We never did get to see all the shows! Or the parade!

So this year I'm making sure we've got at least a day and a half at AK. It's our second favorite park after Epcot. I think it's a fantastic place, but you can't go rushing in with the idea that it's all about rides. You've got to take your time and poke around, look at the sights and talk to people.

I think your little ones will have a terrific time!

 

[CamAnd]

Thanks everyone. With all the positive responses, how can we not go this year? We'll definitely try it for ourselves.
As far as the Dinosaur ride , I'm still on the fence about letting DS ride it. He saw the video clip of the ride and excitedly said"I want to go there!!!" One pp said their son has gone since age three(&loves it) and another poster said it's not appropriate for younger kids. Hmmm......

 

[Magpie]

Thanks everyone. With all the positive responses, how can we not go this year? We'll definitely try it for ourselves.
As far as the Dinosaur ride , I'm still on the fence about letting DS ride it. He saw the video clip of the ride and excitedly said"I want to go there!!!" One pp said their son has gone since age three(&loves it) and another poster said it's not appropriate for younger kids. Hmmm......

I think it really depends on your child! My kids are tough cookies, and wouldn't have had a problem with the ride when they were 5. I remember one Halloween haunted house when a teenager in a ghoul costume jumped out at my then-3yo son. He clenched his fists and hollered right in the ghoul's face, scaring the heck out of that poor teen!

Your son might love the ride, or he might be terrified. You're the best judge! You might ask yourself how he handles "haunted houses". How does he manage on other rides where things jump out at him? You might want to discuss how they make the robotic dinosaurs and such with your son before hand. Sometimes it helps kids to know that nothing's real.

 

[brandylouwho]

The first time we went we planned on only spending 1/2 day there; everything I read on the DIS told me it was a 1/2 day park. The Unofficial Guide said it was basically a 1/2 day park. DH and I were joking that people who can do AK in 1/2 day don't know what they are doing. There is soooo much going on. You do have to enjoy a zoo. If going to the zoo is torture for you, you probably won't enjoy AK. It's a park full of subtlities. There is a lot to see, if not necessarily a lot to do.

I agree. I have spent 2 full days there and still haven't done everything I want to do, much less everything there is to do. My 3 year old loves this park. The animals, Dinoland, the parade. The safari is a must and we all really enjoyed Finding Nemo the Musical this year (we were ages 4 mos to 61 years old). It was so visually appealing. The quality o this production actually ended up sort of ruining Go Diego Live for us...because Nemo was so much cooler, we kept comparing Deigo to it.

 

[crisi]

We love this park. The safari is different every time we've been on it - we usually go early, but that's been no guarentee of not having napping animals, and some of the times when we've missed early, we've had great rides.

Dinosaur was a lot scarier than I remembered it being - my eight year old daughter didn't like it. I'd see how he is holding up to other fairly intense experience....if he holds up well with them, go. If not - pass off Universe of Energy as "the Dinosaur ride." It is bumpy, it is dark, it is loud, Dinosaurs reach out and try and grab you, and you miss being wiped out by a meteor by a fraction of a second. All pretend of course, but not an "easy" ride.

(Tower or Terror is much less intense, so is Haunted Mansion, Splash Moutain, and even Space Mountain. Dinosaur is one of Disney's "misses" - too intense for many of the four year olds the theme appeals to - not enough of a thrill ride after you are ten to make up for what becomes a "lame" theme).