Animal Kingdom Park...is it worth it?

[julie1072]

Ok, we plan on going as a famiily of four in April. Our daughters are 10 and 14. We did not go to AK in 2011 when we were there, I'm not sure why. DH and I went in 1998 on our homeymoon, and that was it.

We will not have park hopper passes, so I am wondering if we should bother, or go to another park that we know we love. I thought we could perhaps go there on our arrival day, as we won't feel like doing a long day on the first day. We have 5 days, so plan on doing MK twice, then HS and Epcot just once each.

I would love to see the tree again, I thought it was pretty amazing the last time I saw it, but I'm wondering if the girls will be bored. Our youngest does love animals, especially elephants. I'm not sure if there are any elephants there?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[Robo]

DAK is our second-favorite WDW park.
Right behind MK.

Yes, there are elephants.
Quite a few.

 

[alicat8]

It's got a lot more than just the tree-awesome rides, shows, food. Animal exhibits are amazing.

 

[Lisaloo]

We wouldn't miss it. But we also wouldn't miss any of the other parks, they all have so much to offer. My kids (12,14,15 and 17) all love AK for different reasons. I love it because it is beautifully themed.

 

[AuroraRora]

I couldn't imagine missing AK. The safari (definitely plenty elephants to be seen), FOTLK, we love Flights of Wonder too, riding Everest and then all the walking trails too. It's tied for my favorite park with MK

 

[emsstacey]

It's my dd's favorite park (10, 13). We love the rides and we love the animals. In fact, we spent two days there last time and still missed a lot of the shows. We can't wait to go back!

 

[Disneylover99]

AK was my least favourite park until this past trip.
Somehow, I fell in love with it! I don't even know why.
I would definitely go if I were you....EE, Dinosaur, River Rapids, Kilamanjaro Safari, Birds of Wonder Show, Festival of the Lion King.....tons to do!

 

[North of Mouse]

Ok, we plan on going as a famiily of four in April. Our daughters are 10 and 14. We did not go to AK in 2011 when we were there, I'm not sure why. DH and I went in 1998 on our homeymoon, and that was it.

We will not have park hopper passes, so I am wondering if we should bother, or go to another park that we know we love. I thought we could perhaps go there on our arrival day, as we won't feel like doing a long day on the first day. We have 5 days, so plan on doing MK twice, then HS and Epcot just once each.

I would love to see the tree again, I thought it was pretty amazing the last time I saw it, but I'm wondering if the girls will be bored. Our youngest does love animals, especially elephants. I'm not sure if there are any elephants there?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

All the parks are worth going to, but seems AK and DHS are my least favorite ones. They are both half day parks for me with exception of Fantasmic at night. I could never stay all day at AK, whereas dh could, so it's definitely a personal decision and your girls will not know until they experience it, so I would plan for a day there. We never miss the Nemo Musical and the Festival of the Lion King shows. We always have hoppers so don't feel we have to spend the complete day at any one park at a time.

 

[melana]

AK is my favorite!! This trip we are going to try to make it there twice. Have park hopper so thinking of doing it two mornings. Love the Safari!! I wouldn't miss it!!

 

[clayfolks]

Like Robo, AK is our second favorite park right now. The shows are truly wonderful, the architectural details are spectacular, and rides are nothing to sneeze at!!

 

[DWillowBay]

It's just a beautiful park. ....and peaceful. There are lots of great rides and shows, but still it carries a peaceful quality that the other 3 do not.

 

[kydisneyfans]

AK is my wife's favorite park.
It has quickly moved up to second place to me. There is a great combination of rides, shows, and exhibits.

Epcot and HS have become stale, the same thing over and over. AK has variety.

We can't do AK in a full day. It's almost gone to a day and a half a park for us.

 

[nene0182]

AK is my wife's favorite park.
It has quickly moved up to second place to me. There is a great combination of rides, shows, and exhibits.

Epcot and HS have become stale, the same thing over and over. AK has variety.

We can't do AK in a full day. It's almost gone to a day and a half a park for us.

This is exactly how we feel in our house. We love AK and always go twice every trip.

 

[loves to dive]

Would not skip it, if it's been years since you've been you might be surprised all there is to do there. People will tell you it a half day park but it is what you make of it and it closes at 5 or 6 so you aren't going to be there late either way. For me, MK is a half day park, it's all in what you want but I think you should try it again and let you girls decide if they like it.

 

[ciera321]

We also love AK. I can't imagine going to DW and NOT going. As others have stated, the shows are great, the food is wonderful, the attractions are a lot of fun!!! I'm always amazed when people say they're going to skip it or that it's their least favorite park. I know everyone has different likes and dislikes, but with so much to offer, AK is a great park!!!!

 

[MataHari22]

Also my second favorite park (MK is first).

Festival of the Lion King is my favorite show in WDW. In addition to the things people already said, I just love the theming and architecture of AK and all the little details. The leaf prints, tracks and "fossils" in the paths as you walk, the attention to detail in the buildings. All the foliage, and huge bamboo, trees and flowers..... So much to take in. I always stay from open to close.

 

[GPC0321]

I haven't been since just after it opened, but in planning for my upcoming trip I can already tell that AK has much more that I'm interested in than HS. I'm not even planning on doing the big rides there (Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur), but the safari, the shows, the trails and treks, and lunch will all combine to make a pretty full day I think.

I think of Animal Kingdom as like the most amazing zoo ever with rides, shows, and restaurants. And Disney characters. LOL.

Now Hollywood Studios? Meh.
With 5 days and no hoppers I'd do 2 MK, 2 Epcot, and 1 AK. But that's just me.

 

[worm761]

I would only suggest skipping Animal Kingdom if you hate animals. Seriously, it's a great park. This is one of those parks where you need to go slow and take in the detail. It's amazing. The animals are so much fun to watch. Rafiki's Planet Watch or Conservation Station (I can never remember what they are calling it these days) is a fun experience. You take the train out and get to see the pens where they house the animals. There are animal trails out there. You can see where they do medical procedures on the animals. We got to witness an x ray of a tiny bird once. They used a mammogram machine. AK is one of those parks that you wander and definitely talk to the animal keepers and CMs. We met a very lovely young lady from South Africa on the trail after Kilamonjaro Safari. She made a bracelet from beads and twine for DD and taught my son a game. Mancala I think. Not really sure as it has been years.

Can you tell my family loves it? Visually it is stunning. My daughter loves all things animals so this quickly became her favorite park. I'm pretty sure it is DH's too. Mine is MK but I still love AK too.

Oh, and if your kids are younger or young at heart, there is the Wilderness challenge thing.

 

[rt3773]

I have just returned from a trip with just my husband and I....I can honestly say that several things at AK were at the top of my list of things we did/saw all week. First, the attention to details in the countries is amazing. Make sure you slow down to check out the details. Also, the safari is different every time you go--so I would encourage you to do it multiple times. Each tour guide is different also, so you learn different things. We did it 3 times in one day and we did it a 4th time on another day and each time we saw something different. Your kids will see black rhinos and white rhinos, as well as other endangered animals....and if you are lucky right now there is a baby white rhino!!
We went to Rafikis Planet Watch and I saw a Colobus Monkey getting a hysterectomy!! May not be for some people, but I found it very interesting. The vet as well as the handler spoke to us and explained what had transpired. I hear it is best to visit there in the morning b/c that is usually when the vets work on the animals.
Then my fav....the baby gorillas. OMG!!! I could have sat and watched the two 1 yr old gorillas all day! They were so cute and fun.
Oh and the 4D movie is the best there!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd skip ALL the rest before I'd even consider skipping AK.