Animal Kingdom or not? That is the question...

[Jen07030]

Our family of 4 have visited Disney World every year for the past 5 years but we have yet to check out Animal Kingdom. My boys are 6 and 5. They don't really like "thrill rides" - we don't do TOT, Space Mountain,Splash Mountain, etc.
We are going back to DW in November for 6 nights and i'm trying to figure out if this is the year we finally give Animal Kingdom a try. My youngest enjoys going to the zoo but the oldest one doesn't really care either way.
Should we give it a go this year? Please let me know if it's worth it. We don't have park hoppers so this will be our only park that day. My understanding of the park is that it's very big/spread out, has some thrill rides and a few shows. Thanks for any advice!

 

[TWK]

Yes! We love animal kingdom, my kids love animals though.... they have the Wilderness Explorers "game" and my girls just loved doing it, they were so proud when they got all the stickers. We do 2 days at AK, I don't know how so many people skip it.

 

[dlavender]

If you feel you need a "rest" day, I'd do it. We found that after about 5 hours we ran out of things to do with the little ones. We loved the shows, and felt it was worth it as a slower paced day. I would never pay a 1 day ticket price to go, but as part of MYW, it has value.

 

[gap2368]

I would go there is a lot todo there between looking at the animals and there are very good show like the lion king its tuff to be a bug . if they have the night times show up that could be really fun you can take an afternoon break at your hotel then head back for the evening the safari is fun I would go I think you will enjoy it just know there are not a lot of rides there but triceratops spin ( it is like dumbo) and maybe primeval world ( it is a small roller coaster next to triceratops and you can see the whole ride)

 

[Jen07030]

If you feel you need a "rest" day, I'd do it. We found that after about 5 hours we ran out of things to do with the little ones. We loved the shows, and felt it was worth it as a slower paced day. I would never pay a 1 day ticket price to go, but as part of MYW, it has value.

Interesting. That's exactly how i view it - rest day. We never plan rest days (maybe i should) but we just go, go, go. I'm thinking about planning AK on day in which we'll go to Disney Springs at night. I just wish they had a bus that takes you to DS right from AK - i don't think that's the case though. Which is a whole other post i guess - i find that bizarre!

 

[Jen07030]

I would go there is a lot todo there between looking at the animals and there are very good show like the lion king its tuff to be a bug . if they have the night times show up that could be really fun you can take an afternoon break at your hotel then head back for the evening the safari is fun I would go I think you will enjoy it just know there are not a lot of rides there but triceratops spin ( it is like dumbo) and maybe primeval world ( it is a small roller coaster next to triceratops and you can see the whole ride)

What is the evening safari? Excuse my ignorance - i really don't know anything about this land. Do you go out on a bus and look at the animals?

 

[gap2368]

Interesting. That's exactly how i view it - rest day. We never plan rest days (maybe i should) but we just go, go, go. I'm thinking about planning AK on day in which we'll go to Disney Springs at night. I just wish they had a bus that takes you to DS right from AK - i don't think that's the case though. Which is a whole other post i guess - i find that bizarre!

you could go and get what ever buss comes first for a hotel ( some of the hotels are worth walking around to see anyways) then hope on a bus to DS or you can take a taxi straight there.

 

[Jen07030]

you could go and get what ever buss comes first for a hotel ( some of the hotels are worth walking around to see anyways) then hope on a bus to DS or you can take a taxi straight there.

haha - why didn't i think of a taxi? thank you!

 

[Hootch]

I think Animal Kingdom is worth visiting with your kids' ages. The safari should be fun, Flights of Wonder, Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King shows are all worthwhile. When my kids were younger, we would walk around the Tree of Life identifying the different animals embedded in the tree. There is a kids area in Dinoland that has a Dumbo type ride and a Crazy Mouse ride. There is also The Boneyard play area for kids. And I agree with TWK on the Wilderness Explorer game. Kids really seem to like it.

 

[Kittyoko]

Since you're there for a week, I would recommend trying out AK. While it has some animals, it doesn't feel at all like a zoo. The Finding Nemo musical show is wonderful! If you sit in the rows near the front of the stage, that is where the bubbles fall. I haven't watched the Lion King show myself, but I heard that it's great too. I definitely recommend the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. The last time we went, giraffes were literally next to us on the shuttle. They actually stopped traffic because they were so close! I actually find AK to be a nice break from all of those long lines for the rides at other parks.

 

[Tucker24]

Do the boys like shows? Without shows or thrill rides it is not worth it. We tried it on our last trip and it was a complete waste of a day. I felt it was like our zoo at home. I would pass since there are so many fun things to do in the other parks or even resorts

 

[BrianL]

What is the evening safari? Excuse my ignorance - i really don't know anything about this land. Do you go out on a bus and look at the animals?

Kilimanjaro Safaris is a ride at Animal Kingdom and one of the main draws. You board an open truck (the truck is like a bus in that it seats several rows, but the sides are open with a canopy overhead) that takes you through the savannah area to view the animals. The "Evening Safari" is a new offering now that AK is staying open later. It's the same ride basically but with lighting effects to simulate sunset and I think some different animals to see.

To the original question, for me, the answer is always yes. AK is great, even if you exclude Expedition Everest and other thrill rides. Eat at Tusker House, see the shows, and take your time on the animal trails. Even if you only spend a half-day there, it's worth it.

 

[Jen07030]

Do the boys like shows? Without shows or thrill rides it is not worth it. We tried it on our last trip and it was a complete waste of a day. I felt it was like our zoo at home. I would pass since there are so many fun things to do in the other parks or even resorts

They do like shows - which is why i'm so torn. And the Safari seems different then just walking around a zoo looking at animals.

Kilimanjaro Safaris is a ride at Animal Kingdom and one of the main draws. You board an open truck (the truck is like a bus in that it seats several rows, but the sides are open with a canopy overhead) that takes you through the savannah area to view the animals. The "Evening Safari" is a new offering now that AK is staying open later. It's the same ride basically but with lighting effects to simulate sunset and I think some different animals to see.

To the original question, for me, the answer is always yes. AK is great, even if you exclude Expedition Everest and other thrill rides. Eat at Tusker House, see the shows, and take your time on the animal trails. Even if you only spend a half-day there, it's worth it.

Thank you - yes, this safari sounds great and i think my boys will enjoy it. I think i'm going to give AK a shot this year!

 

[Alesia]

Festival of the Lion King is the best show in WDW. It shouldn't be missed.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Interesting. That's exactly how i view it - rest day. We never plan rest days (maybe i should) but we just go, go, go. I'm thinking about planning AK on day in which we'll go to Disney Springs at night. I just wish they had a bus that takes you to DS right from AK - i don't think that's the case though. Which is a whole other post i guess - i find that bizarre!

This is off topic but I believe they do this so that people don't crowd Disney Springs (free) parking and then just take a bus to the park of their choice.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Our family of 4 have visited Disney World every year for the past 5 years but we have yet to check out Animal Kingdom. My boys are 6 and 5. They don't really like "thrill rides" - we don't do TOT, Space Mountain,Splash Mountain, etc.
We are going back to DW in November for 6 nights and i'm trying to figure out if this is the year we finally give Animal Kingdom a try. My youngest enjoys going to the zoo but the oldest one doesn't really care either way.
Should we give it a go this year? Please let me know if it's worth it. We don't have park hoppers so this will be our only park that day. My understanding of the park is that it's very big/spread out, has some thrill rides and a few shows. Thanks for any advice!

We skipped AK for four family trips to WDW, and finally decided to check it out on our most recent visit. We fell in love!

My kids were 8 and 10 during our visit and they had a great time. I agree it was a slower paced day, very serene and laid back. We found so much to do that we missed all of the shows and didn't have time to walk the trails in Asia! (We arrived at park opening.) My kids loved the Wilderness badge activities, Rafiki's Planet Watch with the petting zoo, and the much maligned Dino Land USA with playground and bone digging yard. We found the character interactions to be the best on WDW property and our character lunch at Tusker House was a winner for everyone in our party of 8. We will never skip Animal Kingdom again!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would highly recommend you go to AK with the age of your boys. It is much different from the other parks and really ideal for those who do not care for thrill rides. The rides they do have (with the exception of just a few) tend to be milder and the shows are great!! While we don't go to AK every year during our annual trips, we do enjoy it the years that we go!

 

[Vijoge]

We anticipate Animal Kingdom will be a big hit with our granddaughter's in January. DH and I both love AK, and our boys and other grandchildren have loved it, too.

 

[Jen07030]

This is off topic but I believe they do this so that people don't crowd Disney Springs (free) parking and then just take a bus to the park of their choice.

Well, yes - that makes complete sense then! Thank you!

 

[gap2368]

They do like shows - which is why i'm so torn. And the Safari seems different then just walking around a zoo looking at animals.

Thank you - yes, this safari sounds great and i think my boys will enjoy it. I think i'm going to give AK a shot this year!

yes I think the safari is a little different then walking around your zoo ( I only have a very small zoo where I am ) but you get to ride which is a nice break you have someone pointing out the animals and telling you stories about them and some other facts You can do it ore then one time and get a little different exsprince although some things will be the same ( so if you really liked it I would do it maybe a second time but no more the 2x in a day ) I am glade you are going I would leave your evening open so if you are really enjoying AK you could stay but have an idea of what to do if you find you are done and it is not that late ( like DS) November is a good time to visit as AK dose tend to be the hottest park so hopefully it will be a bit cooler for you to really enjoy the park.

I know you did not ask but I would look at FP the safari finding Nemo and the lion king ( if they are into show) also just like other parks you really do not need to book a FP for when park opens

I have heard different things about the safari that it is best to do first thing in the morning as the animals are out and moving more I have done it at different times and some times they are moving and some times they are just lying there, but I think when ever you do it you will enjoy it ( you may want to do this first thing in the morning and then have a FP for latter in the day, since you boys are not into thrill rides you really do not have a lot of FP option and in fact theres are not a lot of FP at AK)