Animal Kingdom needs love

[evilqueenmindy]

I love Animal Kingdom, but I do feel like my expectations on what will happen at a day at AK are way different than a day at another park. At the other parks, its all about getting from attraction to attraction, and at Animal Kingdom, I feel like its more about wandering around, finding cool things, and the attractions are kind of a backseat.
If you are a person that is super into details, it is fantastic. The village of Harambe looks incredible, right down to the gnarled up power lines and signage. I was at first underwhelmed by DinoWorld until I learned backstory on it, which makes me love it. I think Dinosaur is a super fun ride, and I even like the carnival stuff because my nephew likes them.
I love love looooove the two walking trails. These usually eat up a lot of the day for me.
Everest is a great attraction from queue to finish.
The shows are decent (I HATED Nemo, but I really dig the Lion King show and could watch it every visit)
and the MOST underrated part of a trip to Animal Kingdom. . .Safari Amber Ale. I'm not a big beer person, but it is fantastic and you can only get it at Animal Kingdom.

 

[AngiTN]

This thread is breaking my heart. The first time I walked through Maharajah Jungle Trek, I cried! The bamboo softly swaying and sounding like a beautiful wind chime . . . So peaceful . . .

You AK haters - I have two words for you . . . Dawa Bar!!!!

Or 4 words, Dole Whip with Rum!

 

[kollerbear]

My family loves PW too! It's pure fun and I get such hilarious pictures of everyone when we go down the hills!

Yes! PW is just like the teacups-- you can get AMAZING on-ride pictures!

 

[PirateD]

AK gets lots of love from our family!! It was our 2nd favorite park this past trip. We were sadly disappointed in EP which used to be our #2, but AK exceeded our expectations. We were there for Christmas Eve and loved the enthusiasm of the CMs. They were so festive and welcoming. We always enjoy Kali, KS, and EE. PW is a favorite as well. We had a great day and found that we enjoyed slowing down and going at a more leisurely pace. It really is one of my favorite Disney memories.

 

[kimmyg26]

I love AK. It's our second favorite park. FOTLK is amazing. It is one we never miss. We often see it twice.
The safari is the most amazing experience. We try to do it more than once at different times of day because you just never know what animals will be around.
I enjoy strolling through Harambe and taking in the sights and sounds.

Everest
Safari
FOTLK
Nemo
Tough to be a bug
Dinosaur
Planet watch

While we love it, I certainly understand that everyone has different tastes and expectations while on vacation. Maybe it can just be a half day park for you. Then use that time to enjoy the pool at your resort and relax.

 

[anniemae]

It's a half day park for us. We like it, but we go in the summer so it is so blazingly hot that we skip the trails. I think I would die in that heat walking the trails. We did the trails during a November trip and liked them, but in the scorching summer heat, not so much. We like the safari, dinosaur, and my kids like primeval whirl. We also love to eat at Yak and Yeti, its a must do every trip! In Aug we tried to do Tough to be a bug, but they evacuated it as soon as we got in due to technical difficulties and it never reopened while we were there that day.

Looking forward to the new Pandora stuff.

 

[mamamelody2]

We only made it 1/2 day last month. It was just SO HOT. I wanted to stay into the evening, but everybody (including me) was just done. The kids especially (there were 13 of us, 6 kids) were over it. We didn't even look at the animals, because it is so hot in those trails, it seems like there's no breeze and we just couldn't face it.
I really would like to go just DH and I when it's 80 degrees or less.

 

[memo10]

AK is my least favorite park for two reason's. There isn't enough shade or indoor space to escape the heat and the sidewalks. AK is the newest park so why did they do such an awful job with the the people flow here?!

Such beautiful atmosphere yet I can't see any of it because I spend my time dodging people, scooters and strollers. The worst scooter collision I ever saw happened because a family decided to stop and gather mid-sidewalk at a very narrow portion of the walkway forcing everyone around them single file left of right and a scooter hit someone in the back of the ankle. The way the guy went down I think he had his Achilles tendon torn.

If you think of the wide expanse of the walkway in WS and how everyone walks 5 across in both directions what were they thinking making things 5 across total in spots. This is very difficult to navigate with a double stroller.

All that land and still Africa is so crowded at all times. You can't sit and enjoy the atmosphere at all.

I agree wholeheartedly with this! I think these are also the two reasons I'm not an AK fan.

 

[DekrRini]

We are also Animal Kingdom fans. It's my favorite, even over MK. We can spend hours watching the antics of the animals on the trails. I could skip the rides and still have a full day at AK. Pandora is just going to take it from a 2 day to a 3 day park for us

ETA - Reading through most of the comments on those that don't care for it and none mention the animals. Do you all ignore them? Animals are never the same, ever. It's always different. I guess if you go to AK and skip the animals then no, there isn't much left and I can see how you wouldn't like it. But it is called Animal Kingdom so yeah, check out the animals and it may well change your views some. And if you aren't in to animals then it probably is worth skipping. AK is not about the rides. They are secondary

And the shows! Has some of the best shows outside of Broadway. Lion King can bring me to tears every time I watch it. The aerial work amazes me. And the bird show is another favorite. DH never wants to skip it. Again, with animals as the feature act it means it's never the same, those darn things are anything but predicable.

I agree with all this. If you're after thrill rides, then AK isn't for you. I go for the ambiance and the animals. I'll ride safari multiple times a day because it's literally never the same thing twice. Animals wander around and drivers point out different things. I even love Dinoland because it reminds me of my childhood and the county fairs I went to every year.

Everyone's enjoyment of the parks comes from different things. I can't do roller coasters any more so MK doesn't hold as much appeal as the other parks. It has great themeing, but I never feel that I can just slow down and enjoy it because it feels like everyone is in such a hurry that I'll get run over. When I've tried to slow down and walk to the far side of the walkways, I still get rude comments and dirty looks from those behind me. Just not fun. AK and Epcot are expected to be at a slower pace and I've never gotten the same frentic vibe at DHS as I get at MK. Everyone's taste is different, neither is right or wrong, just different.

 

[richkaryn]

AK has always been our least favorite park....usually a half day or less for us. This trip we went since we hadn't the last couple of trips. DS(8) decided he wanted to do the Wilderness Explorer book-- to the point he didn't want to ride any rides...we insisted on getting a few in (EE, KS, and we hadn't done It's Tough to be a Bug since his first trip 5 years ago, so we squeezed it in too.) We then snagged a walk up at Yak & Yeti since we've never eaten there (never stay in AK long enough). We were staying at AKL the 2nd half of our split stay, so it was easy to head over in the mornings. We went back the next morning and rode EE again first, then spent a few hours doing several more WE activities (He did 22 out of 31 in the 2 mornings) before leaving after lunch. Still didn't do a full day at a time, and only a few attractions, but we liked AK better than we had last several trips (and will repeat Yak & Yeti in the future). However, I don't see it ever being a full day park for us.

 

[VACamm]

We love AK and ALWAYS spend at least half a day in the park. Our favorite attractions in the park are:

Festival of the Lion King.... spectacular!!
Expedition Everest .... what a rush!
The new Nomad Bar is unbelievable! Seriously... go check it out!!!
The Jungle Trek is so amazing ... take your time and enjoy the animals and scenery!

 

[richkaryn]

AK was never meant to be an amusement park that was ride centric, it's all about the animals and learning about them. Like all the parks it has it's highs and lows and it requires one to slow down and actually appreciate the little things. I love stopping in all the nooks and hideaways that have viewing areas. Nomad Lounge has become my favorite place in WDW,, seriously so relaxing. I go to AK 2 or 3 times a trip and just wander around.

We slowed down in all the parks on this past trip (DS's 5th in 5 years) and for that we were able to take in more of the little things, and we did walk a way liking AK more than we ever have, though it's still our least favorite. Staying at AKL the last half of our trip and getting upgraded to a Savannah View room may have helped this perspective as well.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Honestly, if anywhere needs love right now, it's Epcot. You have 3 attractions everyone wants onto, some other stuff that is showing age but is still popular, then tons of empty space.

I told my husband that my $$ is on Future World starting to get changed and/or ripped up once Pandora and/or Toy Story Land open, but probably commence before SW Land opens. I think once Pandora is up and running and RoL is showing, they'll be willing to start a new major project. Epcot needs it.

I'm sure the freak outs when Spaceship Earth goes for refurb will be epic.

 

[jennyl772003]

My families enjoyment is 100% impacted by the temperature. We historically go in the summer. AK feels 20 degrees hotter than anywhere else on property. The foliage traps in the heat and humidity and prevents breezes. The misters just make it muggier. There is nowhere to escape the heat. Please, someone explain to me why all of the stores insist on having all of the doors open so that the temp inside is only a degree or 2 cooler than outside? And I wish there were more (any??) CS with indoor seating. Because of the heat, the meandering pathways become an annoyance and not an ambiance enhancer. It becomes a half day park for us due to health reasons; we become so overheated that we feel unwell.

HOWEVER we love this park when it is not oppressively hot. It does have lovely theming, we enjoy looking at the animals and we enjoy the attractions. So, I do feel like the park needs love. This park would be so much better if there were more ways to escape the heat.

 

[AngiTN]

My families enjoyment is 100% impacted by the temperature. We historically go in the summer. AK feels 20 degrees hotter than anywhere else on property. The foliage traps in the heat and humidity and prevents breezes. The misters just make it muggier. There is nowhere to escape the heat. Please, someone explain to me why all of the stores insist on having all of the doors open so that the temp inside is only a degree or 2 cooler than outside? And I wish there were more (any??) CS with indoor seating. Because of the heat, the meandering pathways become an annoyance and not an ambiance enhancer. It becomes a half day park for us due to health reasons; we become so overheated that we feel unwell.

HOWEVER we love this park when it is not oppressively hot. It does have lovely theming, we enjoy looking at the animals and we enjoy the attractions. So, I do feel like the park needs love. This park would be so much better if there were more ways to escape the heat.

So strange but we find 100% the opposite. We only go in the summer and DH can't handle heat at all either. The foliage and shade makes it feel 20 degrees cooler. Epcot is the one that is 20 degrees hotter to us, with all that concrete heating from below and the sun from above. But we live in a mountain with lots of shade, in the south with lots of humidity so maybe we are just used to it? We are not used to the concrete and sun beating down

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

AK is our least fav park - we have skipped it a few years. It's always way too hot and there just isn't enough to do for us. I enjoy the safari and the Lion King show but for us it's only a 1/2 day park at best.

 

[jennyl772003]

So strange but we find 100% the opposite. We only go in the summer and DH can't handle heat at all either. The foliage and shade makes it feel 20 degrees cooler. Epcot is the one that is 20 degrees hotter to us, with all that concrete heating from below and the sun from above. But we live in a mountain with lots of shade, in the south with lots of humidity so maybe we are just used to it? We are not used to the concrete and sun beating down

We are from the north, so perhaps that is the reason our perceptions differ. I do find Epcot to be pretty hot (second place after AK), but I feel there are more places to escape the heat compared to AK.

 

[epcotty]

We find AK to be hotter. I wonder which is more common, finding AK or EP to be hotter. I wonder if ROL will be up and running by beginning of next year or not. We still like the shows (I still call FOTLK Feast of the Lion King) and some of the rides. But it needs to be helped less gradually than it is and later hours again

 

[Angry Duck]

Animal Kingdom was my family's "last day park" because it was a half day park. But lately it grown on us, and we are going to start spending more time there!

 

[Micca]

1/2 day park for us, and that 1/2 is more than likely going to be at day's end if the park is open late. Not a hater, it's a beautifully themed park we just prefer the other parks more. Maybe Pandora and ROL will change that? Time will tell.