Animal Kingdom Help

[ILvRbnHd]

I have plans to take my family to Animal Kingdom the day after we do our MVMCP (december 9th)...

can anyone help me out and tell me if it will be worth it to go in December... i am a florida resident so to me it does get cold in december here.. so it brings me to question the fact if most of the animals will be out or not.. since my ds loooooove animals i want him to be able to see them all ...

and if it is still recommended for december can anyone give me tips on which places to call to make reservations for Lunch and Dinner at in AK... we want to do sit downs at both times...

thanks for all and any help!!!! cant wait to hear the suggestions..

 

[mandy200587]

I think there is only one table service in the whole park and that's Rainforest Cafe.

 

[TinkerTracy]

I've gone in December and yes the animals are out! But do the Safari in the Morning they are more active.
As for food, there really aren't that many places to eat a real mean...There's the rainforest cafe, and pizzafari but pizzafari isn't like fancy or anything.
You should deffinatly go to Animal Kingdom it's lots of fun you'll have a great time!

 

[MJMcBride]

It may be cold for you but its not for tropical animals (no offense). In fact, the animals tend to be a lot more active away from the serious heat. I have been a tour guide for the Bronx Zoo for over 15 years and by the far best time to see animals active is Spring and Fall. So, Dec. is one of the best times for animal watching at DAK.

I know you want to do sit downs but frankly DAK has in my opinion the best two counter service places in WDW, the Flame Tree BBQ and the Tusker House are great.

The only thing you might want to avoid (if the weather is too cold for you) is the soaking you could get from the Kali River Rapids. To me, the ride is mediocre and you do get soaked.

 

[Laurajean1014]

The above poster is correct. The colder the better for the animals. They will be more active.

The only table service is the Donald Restaurant and Rain Forest just outside of AK.

 

[ILvRbnHd]

thank you everyone for your replies... we all are not so educated on ak since its fairly new for us (dh is fl born and bred) we were away with the military when it opened ....... for the safari is it a ride like thing where first come first serve or do you make reservations for it? sorry for sounding dumb but like i said AK is still new for us...
that is awesome the animals prefer the cold.. i always had assumed they were more better off being in some "warm feel" (sorry to me december dosent even qualify for warm lol)

thank you for the info on the eating... i know we wont do rainforest we did it in nashville and it wasnt all that great unless the orlando one is totally diff...

thanks again and keep more advice coming those who have it i love it!

 

[LISAMWDW]

The animals are always out. Disney behind the scenes you know!

Currently there is no sit downs in AK. One is being planned for Asia. There is a Rain Forest Cafe just outside the gate. However, AK has some very very good counterservices: Tusker House and Flame Tree. I personally love Flame Tree!

 

[indigoxtreme]

The safari is a ride with large jeep type vehicles that hold many people. Have the camera ready. The Tusker house is a counter service rest and has inside seating. The food is really good here. Also the flame tree BBQ is good but has outdoor seating. Check out the menus at allears

here is the link for animal kingdom
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#ak

 

[MJMcBride]

plus the safari is one of my favorites in WDW. But again I'm an zoo fan.

 

[mandy200587]

I've never ate the nashville one but I wasn't to impressed with the AK one either. I would have rather done restorauntarous.

 

[Mariposa]

Another suggestion on dinner.. Since AK closes early (at 5:00 except during the busiest times of the year) you could make an ADR (reservation) at Boma which is at the very nearby Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a very yummy buffet at an extremely pretty hotel, a great combination. The food is African inspired, with plenty of safe choices for pickier eaters (and with your standard kid's fare, too).

 

[danny1649]

Many have given you some great information,for lunch I would go to Flame Tree BBQ it is not sit down but cs with great food and very nice nice big and laid back seating area.

 

[ILvRbnHd]

i think i am def going to try that flametree bbq for lunch.... and try for boma for dinner since the park closes early... reading the boards more and more now ive heard a lot of good stuff about Boma... and thanks to INDIGOEXTREME for the all ears link... i tried searches before i posted the original msg and most links i had didnt work or were from like when AK first opened.. for some reason the waltdisneyworld.com link never gets me anywhere it always says internal service error with a bunch of weird numbers...

 

[CindyAnn]

If you're determined to have two sit down meals, I'd suggest Donald's Breakfastasaurus for as late a breakfast as you can make an ADR for (character breakfast buffet with Donald Duck and others), and then head to Boma (yum!) for dinner at Animal Kingdom Lodge, as Mariposa suggested. For counter service, we really like Tusker House at AK, in case you're looking for a lunch at a more traditional time.

Cheers,

 

[erinch]

another vote to go to Boma after AK closes. Since you will see animals and there are other activities at AKL, it's sort of like extending your "africa experience." Since there's a lot of food at Boma, I'd go for a lighter, early lunch at Flame Tree or Tusker.

There's a wonderful playground for kids in AK called "The Boneyard." It's too hot much of the summer to spend time in, but during December, it would be a good place to run off some steam.

You'll have a wonderful time.