Animal Kingdom reviews

[V2000]

Hello

I have never been to Animal Kingdom. I'm not sure if I will be into it.

If I do go it will be half day. What's your recommendations or review?
What do you love? What shouldn't I miss?

 

[KeroKero]

It's our least favourite park.

We're 2 adults with no kids. Must do's for us include Expedition Everest, Finding Nemo The Musical, The Lion King show, Dinosaur and It's Tough to Be a Bug. We can complete all that usually before 1:00 if we're there at RD.

The Safari is great too, if you've never been. It's just not a must do for us every trip.

 

[kmv]

I really enjoy it, but it can easily be done in a half day.

My favorite show in all of WDW is The Nemo Musical. I also enjoy Expedition Everest and The Safari. All that can easily be done (and riding EE 5 times in a row at RD..at least last week when we were there) by lunch.

 

[mare1203]

Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks. It handles crowds well and has amazing details. It really depends on whether you are an "I only care about rides and attractions" person or you really want to experience the park. The theming in Asia and Africa are wonderful. Everest, Safari, Lion King Show are all not to be missed. I also like Dinosaur, Nemo, and the 2 trails (one in Africa, one in Asia). It takes some time, but Rafiki's Planet Watch goes into detail about how they care for the animals and they also do surgeries and other tests on animals throughout the week. Fun to see and learn about.

Honestly, I would watch the overlooked Animal Kingdom episodes of the Dis Unplugged. You can find it on YouTube. It's about 2 hours in total, but they go over the details of the whole park and it really gives you an appreciation of the park.

People think this is a 1/2 day park, but you could easily spend the whole day there. I would find it way easier to spend a whole day here than at Hollywood Studios. I think there is something for everyone to enjoy. Not in any way like any zoo you have ever been to. Flame Tree BBQ is my favorite CS in any park.

 

[Disfan1968]

If you are a rope dropper AK can be done in half a day I suppose. Otherwise, I don't know, our style is just not to go commando on the parks. We go at a pretty leisurely pace through the parks, enjoy looking at all sorts of things in addition to the rides.

Nemo and LK are great shows.

For Food: Flame Tree BBQ is good QS. I also like Pizzafari pretty well, but I am a pizza junkie. Tuskar House is a great TS buffet.

We easily put in a whole day here. Keep in mind though, a day here is shorter than a day elsewhere. Our "day" runs like 10-6.

 

[Disfan1968]

Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks. It handles crowds well and has amazing details. It really depends on whether you are an "I only care about rides and attractions" person or you really want to experience the park.

LOL Hey I was just saying something similar!

 

[mcconnellfam96]

Our family's review would be similar to PP's. Out of the four park, AK ranks as #4 for us. BUT ~ there is still a lot of fun to be had there! We also use this as a short park day for us. Our typical AK looks like this:

1. Expedition Everest (2-3 times)
2. Kali River Rapids
3. DINOSAUR!
4. Primeval Whirl
5. Finding Nemo Musical or Lion King Show (alternate each trip)
6. Kilamanjaro Safari (every other trip)
7. Character Outpost Meet & Greet (every other trip)
8. Tusker House Safari Breakfast
9. Its a Bug's Life!

We always hit AK on an AM EMH Day and can accomplish all of this and be leaving the park by about 2 p.m.

 

[DizDaD7]

It's an often overlooked park...People either skip it, or 1/2 day it, but there are so many hidden gems here to discover.

Easily spend a day here.

Besides what the pp stated, you all have Birds flights of wonder show, the train ride to conservation station, and affection section. Also over here you have Maharaja jungle trek,&Pangani exploration trail. You Alzo have Kali river rapids, primeval whirl, and carnival games/fossil fun games. Also if you have kids there's the huge playground that is a blast for them in the boneyard.

Also there's a lot of neat places to eat QS here too. Or Tusker House character meal for breakfast. This is one of the best of any character meals on property. There's also rain forest cafe, or just a short bus ride to AKL and there are 4 excellent restaurants there.......

It's basically up to you but I know I've been to this park 10 or more times and we always seem to find something new or different.

 

[songkat]

This past January's trip found me visiting AK for the first time ever. I'd always overlooked it as "just a zoo with a safari ride", but now I'm sorry I didn't go sooner. I absolutely loved what I did see.

What did I see? The safari ride, tough to be a bug, the Maharaja jungle trek, Pangani exploration trail, and just walked around a bit observing the animals. We had lunch at Yak & Yeti and loved it.

Next time, I'll see a lot more of it. I will not be skipping this one anymore, that's for sure.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

It's easily my least favorite park. My family does a half day there every two or three trips, but that's it. A lot of people say that they love the ambiance and all that, but I just don't care for it. And I say this as a person who loves taking in everything at the other parks. I love the rides, but also insist on scheduling some ride-free time to take in all the details at the other three parks. Animal Kingdom does very little for me. They have so few animals that I am interested in seeing, outside of the safari. Therefore, I do recommend the safari. Expedition Everest is a lot of fun, as well. Festival of the Lion King is a fantastic show, so we make sure to do that when we go, as well. Other than that, nothing is a real "must do" for us. Sometimes we do Dinosaur, Pangani, and Maharaja Jungle Trek. Restaurantosaurus is our favorite counter service place here. Honestly, though, I'd rather spend my time at the other parks and visit the Dallas or Fort Worth zoo when I'm home.

 

[acwsmom]

It's one of my favorite parks just because it's so beautiful... but we still only manage to spend a day there. We always have to ride EE, the Safari ride, see Nemo and the Lion King show. Love Flame Tree BBQ too! But above all, my favorite thing to do is just to explore the little trail that runs next to the Tree of Life and get to see all of the animal carvings up close. It's amazing!

 

[MannyB]

To each their own, but for us it is our 2nd Favorite park only behind Magic Kingdom because we love animals and prefer more thrilling rides. AK probably has "exciting" rides then any other Disney Park. It may not be the best for small children but it is more modern and fun than say Epcot (Least favorite by far) and much better themed than Hollywood Studios

Our Personal Must Do List:
Exciting Rides:
Killimanjaro Safaris- You get to see awesome animals up close and personal. Much better than a zoo because you literally may have giraffes, rhinos, and ostriches literally blocking your way and less than 5 feet from you.

Expedition Everest- The best coaster at Disney hands down. Beautifully themed and exciting and different than most coasters out there.

Kali River Rapids- To be honest a bit of a disappointment but it is great on a hot day and it is fun. Just don't expect some life changing thrill ride and enjoy it for what it is

Primeval Whirl- Not for everyone but we like it. A different variation of a coaster. Not the best themed ride, but good for laughs and rarely too crowded. Dont do if you suffer form motion sickness

Dinosaur- Not a big fan personally



Shows.. Something AK Excels at:
Festival of the Lion King- Newly re-opened..used to be a ton of fun with great music and perfomers
Finding Nemo- Beautifully done and interesting
Flights of Wonder- Highly underrated attraction. Bird show. Surprisingly a highlight.
It's Tough to Be a Bug- We love this..but some people hate it if they are easily scared or have bug phobias. 3D show w/ animatronics and special surprises.

Animals:
ON top of all this there are animal viewing areas throughout the park from giant catfish, to monkeys, to trails where you can say Tigers, etc. The theming for Asia and Africa are beautiful as well.

 

[V2000]

Wow guys thanks for the input!

It looks like it's worth going to at least once.

I would be interested in River rapids, Lion King and Nemo show, safari, and expedition everest.

Also thank you for the food suggestions. Flame tree BBQ sounds good.

 

[OB1]

A lot of great responses already. I am in the Favorites group, and am ready to hang with some of the folks that have posted. Now that Lion King is back, they have the 2 best shows on property.

AK is a park of discovery. As stated above, it is not just about how many rides you can jump to. Because of the discovery aspect, it is a slower park. This is perfect for a 3rd day after 2 hectic days of ride filled parks. Check out the trails, watch the animals, and look up, down, and over. There are so many details. We have sat at strange areas to just watch animals for 20-30 minutes, and seen some crazy behaviors.

• The safari is usually best when it is not too hot in the day - so early.
• Kali River is great when you are ready to cool off (and get soaked)
• Different types of food at Flame Tree (my fav) and Yak & Yeti. Tusker House is a good buffet with African inspired food.
• Shops are definitely different than other parks
• Some good entertainment by Tusker House and near Pizzafari
• You should walk in each of the counter service restaurants - they are filled with details.

.

Thats enough from me. As you can see, another fan

 

[carly3592]

I love Animal Kingdom, but if I could only visit 3 of the 4 WDW parks, AK would be the first on the chopping block. That said, the theming is beautiful and I always have a great time there. It even has a couple of my favorite rides in all of WDW (Dinosaur and Everest). It can definitely be done in a half day, even during peak season if you're smart about planning. But you can also find ways to fill an entire day if you discover what this park has to offer.

Definitely get there as soon as you can in the morning and try to get on Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing, especially if it's gonna be hot out- once that Florida sun is in full blaze, the animals won't be as 'out and about' in my experience. And you cannot miss Festival of the Lion King.

The last couple of times I've been to AK I've been done by 3 or 4 in the afternoon (that even included repeating some rides!), which gave me plenty of time to hop to another park in the evening, return to the resort and relax or go to Downtown

 

[ArwenMarie]

I love AK, probably my favorite park. If a park gets cut, it's DHS.

 

[DizzDoll]

I just may be the Animal Kingdom Queen here. We spend more time here than at DHS and MK. To us, this is THE park. The theming is spectacular. In our opinion, to get the most out of the park, slow your pace down a bit, and LOOK around you. You'll find all kinds of wonderful things to see. If you look down, you'll find some cool Hidden Mickeys. Look up to find the coke bottle conduit. Take your time wandering through the animal displays on your way to the Tree of Life on Discovery Island. These displays require you to spend a few minutes and look for the animal. Some don't come out during the mornings, or the heat of the afternoon, but if ye seek, ye shall find. Wander over to see the iguanas and the scarlet macaws. Wander the other side and find the tortoise, and other goodies. Look at the detailing on the structures. Find the Hidden Mickey on the Tree of Life. Enjoy the shows, especially Flights of Wonder and Festival of the Lion King. Enjoy the theming for EE and Kali. Ride the safari more than once. Done right, this is a stellar park, one that definitely needs to have its flavor savored.

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

I have only been to AK once, and that was during our trip last summer. I would say it's my least fave, BUT it's worth going to. We had an early ADR for Tusker House and were done eating right after rope drop. I wouldn't say there's a ton to do there so it's definitely not an all day park. But even being there at RD we stayed until around 3 pm.

 

[V2000]

Find the Hidden Mickey on the Tree of Life. Enjoy the shows, especially Flights of Wonder and Festival of the Lion King. Enjoy the theming for EE and Kali. Ride the safari more than once. Done right, this is a stellar park, one that definitely needs to have its flavor savored.

Thank you! What is the Flights of Wonder?

 

[hooch11bear]

Animal Kingdom is one of our favorites!! We usually head straight to the Safari and then make our way over to Expedition Everest. Hopefully on the way we'll see Devine, because I love to see her on our walk over there!! I try to fit in all of the shows, Finding Nemo, Festival of the Lion King and Flights of Wonder. We love walking around the two different trails to see all of the different animals, Maharaja Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest Trail. We always stop by the Dawa Bar to have a drink and watch the Tam Tam drummers in Africa. I could go on and on. We will be going to Animal Kingdom twice on our upcoming trip so that we can fit everything in and take our time looking around the park.

Also, allowing time to see the shows will give you some time to rest. The heat can get pretty intense at this park. Two of the three shows are indoors so that will give you some time to cool off too. If you are looking for a TS restaurant, we have really enjoyed our meals at Yak & Yeti.