Animal Kingdom opinions

[kimberlym4]

Those who have been - what is your opinion of Animal Kingdom? We are trying to do 4 days of parks but I'm considering skipping AK and doing MK and/or MGM a second time. Would we be making a mistake by missing AK. Don't flame me but I get the impression it's much like a zoo, which we can do here at home.
Thanks guys.

 

[AJKMOM]

I never thought it was a zoo, in fact the motto is "nautazoo" or something like that. We like it, not love it. The "Festival of the Lion King" is one of the best shows in WDW. The safari ride is good, "Its Tough to be a Bug" is a great 3-D movie experience. The Dinosaur ride is pretty good.

We have never been on the water ride, but others like it. We always spend 1/2 day there, and now that Expedition Everest will be open, that's another reason to go. If you get park hoppers, you can go there early and then hop to another park in the afternoon or evening. AK is a park we visit each trip for our favorites, but don't spend a day there.

 

[makinorlando]

AK is so not a zoo. There are great shows (IMHO "The Festival of the Lion King" is one of the best of the best, some fun rides and I love the parade!. It is a beautiful park. You can see animals on the safari, and there is a "petting zoo" type area at Rafiki's Planet Watch, Pangani Forest Trail is a great place to see gorillas up close. The train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch is a good way to spend the time you need to "kill" waiting for your Safari Fastpass time. My DD loves Dinoland, and playing in the Boneyard playground. We don't make as many trips to AK since it closes early, and many times we make late afternoon/evening visits, but once we get there we have a blast!!! I think it is worth your time!! Again - MHO!!

We are trying to do 4 days of parks but I'm considering skipping AK and doing MK and/or MGM a second time. we can do here at home. .

As another poster said, with a Park hopper you can spend a few hours at AK early in the day, and still have plenty of time to visit MK or MGM as well.

The Tree of Life

 

[Nicolepa]

We love AK, but it is not a full day. We always get to the parks around 10-11, and we are always done by 4. We go take a nap and then go to whatever park is open the lateset.

 

[the kabuki]

No, no, no, don't miss AK. It's a terrific park, not like a typical zoo at all.
Think about it, this is Disney we're talking about, would they do anything typical??

Yes, it can be done in one day, but then it all depends on how much you're willing to discover. It's not a park to rush through or you'll miss so much of the little things.

allearsnet says it best :

Some say Animal Kingdom is only a half day park and not worth the price of admission. I disagree, yet there is a fair group of visitors that feel that way. I tend to think those are the folks who run from attraction to attraction, with the sole purpose of checking off what they have done and to hurry and get to what is left. By doing so, you'll miss much of what Animal Kingdom is about.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

By all means, I would skip AK for a second day at MK. This would be a good choice if you are not hopping. The wild card in the equation is EE. I would imagine it is well worth a look.

 

[ajleone]

I'm not much of an animal person, but there is a ton to see and do- it just doesn't intrest me for the most part- as such AK is a 1/2 day park to me. That being said I love the safari , Kali river rapids is a blast , and I got to do AP preview of EE and its one of the most incredible coasters I've been on. Oh and its really nothing like a zoo.

 

[Disney Girlie-Wirlie]

Those who have been - what is your opinion of Animal Kingdom? We are trying to do 4 days of parks but I'm considering skipping AK and doing MK and/or MGM a second time. Would we be making a mistake by missing AK. Don't flame me but I get the impression it's much like a zoo, which we can do here at home.
Thanks guys.

Oh, I LOVE the Animal Kingdom! I can't wait till they expand it a little more but I certianly recommend seeing it.
The Jammin Jungle Parade is my favorite daytime parade. And you can't skip Kilamnajaro Safari-it's a surreal experience. Also like the Kali River Rapids, It's Tough to be a Bug, and I've heard Festival of the Lion King and Expedition Everest are must see's.
But I do agree that you wouldn't need a whole day there- in fact it's not even an option! That park closes much earlier than the others, so when we go we spend the morning there, stay for the parade at 4:30 and then head to another park, or do whatever you want with the rest of your day. But if you want to do Mk or MGM a 2nd time, you can definitely do one of those 2 parks a 2nd time on the same day you go to AK,easliy.

 

[88Keys]

It's gorgeous....I think it is easily a full day (esp if you do Conservation Station). Out of 6 days, we spend 1 and 1/2 days there -- so much to absorb.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

AK is one of our favorite parks. Our kids also love going and have fun trying to find all the different animals they have. I would definately recommend going to the park and not skipping it.

 

[bicker]

AK is our favorite park, for many of the reasons already stated. Don't miss it!

​

 

[dolphindan1]

dont miss the best show and best parade in all of Disney....

 

[kdibattista]

We absolutely LOVE Animal Kingdom (we also normally stay at AKL) but I will say that I would never be able to spend a whole day there. It gets extremely hot and humid by noon. We normally go when it first opens and stay for a couple of hours followed by lunch at Rainforest Cafe. We usually spend the rest of that day either relaxing or Disney Quest or something.

It is definitely worth doing in my opinion but it's not for everyone.

 

[njchris]

If you get park hoppers, you can do AK and then go to another park!

Also, you'll be missing this if you don't go:

 

[pepe of ohio]

We usually skip AK, been there before, Safari is nice and so is Kali Rapids but the park is so spread out, hard to navigate and narrow walkways. On our few attempts just too confining and very crowded. Lines for the popular rides are extensive and FP, with the layout of the park, makes for alot of walking back and forth. I can imagine the line either regular or FP for Everest!

We just skip the park and the lodge and extra days in MK are always the best, and our children are all grown up and gone.

 

[SusanWasHere]

if you have a park hopper, just go for the morning. hit a couple of the good shows, a ride here or there and then hit another park. i went in december and wasn't all that impressed - and i'm a disney fanatic! it is very beautiful and interesting, but there is a LOAD of walking, stuff very spread apart, and very hilly/narrow/etc. i saw a lot of kids having meltdowns the day i was there - and it wasn't hot or any thing. so if you have strollers - be very prepared for cardio! def not a full day thing. but like i said, if you have a hopper, then stop by for a bit. have a great trip!

 

[JRawkSteady]

AK is not a zoo! They have 3 shows: Festival of the Lion King (Amazing!), Flights of Wonder, and Pocahontas and her Forest Friends. Plus they have It's Tough To Be A Bug 4-D attraction, the wonderful Kilimanjaro Safari (where the animals are right there in front of you!), Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest! (there's Chester and Hesters, a dinky carnival-type attraction, but it needs to be removed. It doesn't fit in with the theming and Primeval Whirl is dangerous. Let's pretend those don't exist.)

They also have this great attraction: Rafiki's Planet Watch or Conservation Station that educates you about the environment and dangers of pollution. There's also a puppet show and Cast Members who usually have some sort of domesticated animals for the kids to play with. (snake, ferret, etc...) Oh yeah, and a small petting zoo!

Yes there are a few walking trails to see animals, but they are all fun and interesting! Some have games for the kids to play within the trail.

And let's not forget the live performers! They are all great! From dancers to African Drummers to Asian contortionists to musicians to human vines, this place is just amazing!!! And never forget the wonderful savannah and the beautiful sights!

 

[eeyoregirl]

AK is hot... but very much worth a look. We usually do AK in the morning. Don't miss the safari and the exploration trails. DD6 loves "It's Tough to be a Bug!" and the Festival of the Lion King show. While we do not spend a whole day at the AK, we enjoy it early in the day. Get FP, hit the highlights, and go. In my opinion, it's SO much more than a zoo. Have fun whatever you decide!

 

[MommyPoppins]

Animal Kingdom is my DH and my favorite park! It has such a relaxing atmosphere and some really run rides! We only ever go to MGM for a few hours because it's just not for us. Most things there aren't worth repeating, IMO. Animal Kingdom is nothing like a zoo, I have never gotten that feeling before. The trails that you take to see the animals are so beautiful that it's almost worth walking them even if there were no animals to see. Dinosaur, Safari, Kali and now EE are awesome rides and makes it even better! Oh yeah I forgot TTBAB is the BEST! Plus there are shows and you can just spends hours walking around and enjoying the sites. We can't wait to go back in May!

Oh yeah and we actually find it to be the coolest of all the parks, temp. wise. There are fans EVERYWHERE, some of the misting and everything is wonderfully shaded, unlike the other parks where mostly the only shaded areas are smoking sections. True there aren't a lot of AC rides/shows, but it is very tollerable and we always go in Sept. Of course we are Fl. residents and used to the heat.

 

[trene]

We loved AK!! You can not miss it for ever reason stated above and more! A definite must see!!!