Animal Kingdom

[Angelsandrainbows]

We are taking our DDs who will be 8 and 2 at the time w travel. I was wondering if we should skip animal kingdom, it seems like there isnt much there. Or would the Wilderness Explorers game that is suppose to bring you through the park involved enough to keep them happy all day?

 

[Mikie]

I love that park! But I hesitate to tell anyone to definitely see it, because it seems to be a real love-it-or-leave-it park. I think it's beautiful! There is "less" there, but I like having a park day that's a little more reasonably paced. My kids are the type who can get interested in a small thing, or a game, or something in nature and want yo check it out for an hour or more. We love the atmosphere of the park and shows like Festival of the Lion King (re opening very soon!), the Birds of prey show (forget it's name). Love the safari ride, and Expedition Everest was a favorite in all parks for my DD9 and myself.

I recommended a neighbor go to AK and the dad and son who both are go-go, video game lovin', "where's the next ride?, what's next I've been standing still 90 seconds I'm bored!" Kind of people - they were really disappointed.

I say if you have at least 2MK days, 1 DHS (I like this park, but if I had to, I'd skip it over AK) and 1-2 Epcot and still have room, I'd never suggest skipping AK.

 

[JenLynn]

The first time I went to Animal Kingdom (before my children were born) I didnt like it at all ... it was hot and there didnt seem like there was much to do.

Then I went back after I had my children .... we have gone many times (starting going since my son was 1 and he is now 16). It became one of our favorite parks! My children always loved the animals (the safari was a fave). It is now a "sure thing" for us. The Lion King show was amazing. The Flights of Wonder show is surprisingly entertaining. My children always loved Dinoland. I have always loved the ambiance of the park and have enjoyed some really yummy food there. [I did make the mistake of taking my son to "It's tough to be a bug" when he was 3 years old ... and it was too intense for him..... he still wont go back!]

BUT ... it totally is a love-it or hate-it kinda park.

 

[LetsDoDisney!]

AK is by far my DH's favorite park! We all love it, and usually spend more than one day there.

The Lion King show is amazing, as is the Flights of Wonder show. Lots of animals on the trails, and your little one can pet the goats at Rafiki's Planet Watch after a ride on the train. The safari and the food are awesome, we always get some glazed pecans and watch Devine if we can find her!

We would skip Epcot or DHS before skipping DAK. Much more laid back atmosphere than MK or DHS, no rushing around as long as you have a plan for the shows.

 

[disneybliss2]

We really like AK. In fact, it's my daughter's favorite park. She's 11 now, and it's been her favorite park since she was 5. There's so much to do, and we've never even done the Wilderness Explorer game. I do hear a lot of people here on the boards either love it or it's just ok and only allocate a half day to that park. I think it's at least worth going to form your own opinion. Before our first trip, I thought my kids would love DHS the most based on what I read ahead of time. It was our least favorite park. You really won't know about a park/attraction/restaurant until you try it. I suggest going. Hopefully, you'll be pleasantly surprised. If nothing else, be rest assured that there's plenty to do there.

 

[vtownpatty]

We never skip it, but that is usually our shorter day in the parks ( easier to do since we usually go in December when they close at 5). We normally do AK all day then go to downtown Disney for shopping and dinner.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[sethschroeder]

Not sure if 8 is too old but I know that in the dinoland area you can even dig for dinosaur bones...? AK is "short" on things to do but I would still think it could fill up a 8 hour park day if you hit most of the rides and see the shows.

If your going to be at Disney more than 4-5 days I would say hit it for sure. I would think of it as a 1/2 day in the park followed by a late afternoon/evening in another park like Epcot or MK.

Rafikis could take you a good 2 hours alone by the time you ride the train out and back followed by looking around, chatting with the vets (anyone can ask them questions and they might be doing surgery), as well as petting animals. You get a nice safari ride with no fences between you and the animals so it feels like you are right in the middle of it.

 

[Chuckers]

To me, AK is a totally under-rated park. Yes, it's not chock full of rides, but it is a beautiful park. The Finding Nemo show will be great for kids. Depending on when you are going, Festival of the Lion King may be down while they work on moving the theater as they make way for Avatar land.

I do find it a perfect half+ day park so I can go back to the hotel and nap before a different park at night.

 

[Retro Magic]

There is far less to do at Epcot, if you ask me.

Animal Kingdom to me is the absolute most beautiful park of them all. It's a very special park that sets itself apart from the others. One day at AK is not enough for me. Though I know I am in the minority it seems....

 

[nat8199]

Animal Kingdom is a 2-Day park for my family. My kids absolutely love the safari and train/conservation station. Exploring the animal trails is awesome. On our last trip we spent two open to close days and didn't even make it to Nemo, Flights of Wonder, or the bone yard. I cannot wait to try them next year!

We skipped DHS last trip and I am considering skipping it again on our upcoming trip. We do three MK, two AK, and one EP.

 

[DJWMom]

AK is a favourite in our house. We're doing two days there on our next trip! I feel there is a lot to do there, and I like the slower pace. It's almost like a rest day within a park day. My family loves the safari, the jungle trek, Kali river rapids and EE some of which get done more than once in a day. Strolling through the park at a leisurely pace and checking out the amazing theming doesn't bore my boys (9,8,7) at all. The Wilderness Explorers thing was a huge hit with my kids last year! We had fun running around filling it out. I'm sure they'll do it again this year.


AK is either a love it or leave park. So it's hard to advise someone on whether to visit it or not.

 

[Disfan1968]

Threads are now confirming that Festival of the Lion King reopens on June 1. Definitely check that out. It's amazing and I am sure it's new home will be spectacular!

 

[ifjf414]

The last time we went my kids were 3 and 6. We were there for 6 days and did 1 day at AK. It was by far our least favorite day. In hindsight we wished that we had stayed at the hotel pool instead.

It was at the end of our trip, so we may have been too worn out to enjoy it. This time we are going to try it at the beginning (2nd day). If it were up to me we would never go back, but the kids want to try again.

My biggest complaints about the park are
1) it's very spread out so you do more walking
2) there are NO must-do rides or attractions
3) the CM's are the worst of all the parks (much less friendly/cheerful/helpful than at MK)

I think you should try everything once. Clearly there are people that love the park. Worse case scenario is that you don't like it and leave early.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Really look into it and see if there's more than you think. A lot of people--not saying you!--think, "Oh, it's a zoo. We have zoos at home". But there really is sooo much more than that.

Shows -- Lion King is amazing, Flights of Wonder is much better than you might expect, Nemo is great for little ones.

Rides -- the safari, Triceratops spin, train to Rafiki's. Not sure about your 2-year old, but the older one might enjoy Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Tough to be a Bug.

Entertainment - Some of the performers--drummers, dancers--are amazing. Definitely find DeVine if you can! Wilderness Explorers will take you all over the park.

Then there are characters to meet, animal trails that are beautiful. There really is a lot to do!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

AK is by far my DH's favorite park! We all love it, and usually spend more than one day there.

The Lion King show is amazing, as is the Flights of Wonder show. Lots of animals on the trails, and your little one can pet the goats at Rafiki's Planet Watch after a ride on the train. The safari and the food are awesome, we always get some glazed pecans and watch Devine if we can find her!

We would skip Epcot or DHS before skipping DAK. Much more laid back atmosphere than MK or DHS, no rushing around as long as you have a plan for the shows.

ditto!!

Also we loved doing the Wilderness Explorer activities - that's me (in my 40's and DD age 13 at the time). We had a blast! Love Love Love AK !!

 

[ksrogers]

Does anyone have a link or more inforamtion on the Wilderness Explorer program. My kids are 4 and 6 and love explorer and I have never heard of this before.

 

[sugarnspicex4]

2) there are NO must-do rides or attractions

You said your kids were 3 and 6 when you last went to AK, perhaps you will feel differently when the kids are older. My family LOVES Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.... definitely must-dos for us!

 

[kaybird]

Does anyone have a link or more inforamtion on the Wilderness Explorer program. My kids are 4 and 6 and love explorer and I have never heard of this before.

It is a great program, based on Russel's character in UP! There are some 30+ stations around AK that you can learn about animals, culture, etc, and get a sticker for each one in your Wilderness explorer book. This is free, and a SUPER way to add to my already favorite park!.

Wilderness Explorers Link

 

[michelle06]

We had people tell us AK was "a glorified zoo". Well, we were going for 5 days and wanted lots of MK time, so we did 3 days at MK, 1 day at EP and 1 day at HS. The next time we went, we decided to try AK. We went from open - parade (about 4pm). We left knowing we would come back for another day, but we only saw about 1/2 the park. We loved it. We saw and took time to see the animals, met characters, saw FOTLK, did the Safari, It's Tough to be a Bug, had a caricature made, did some of the games and activities along the routes, saw some streetmosphere, traded pins, and had lunch. We stayed for the parade, but it got rained out. We were there 7 hours and still didn't do anything in Dinoland, Asia, or Rafiki's Planet Watch. And Dino and Rafiki are definitely kids areas. So, yes, I think AK has plenty to do for both kids and adults. We all loved it and plan to spend 2 days there this upcoming trip. Disappointed that the parade will be gone, because I never got to see it. And now that there is the Wilderness Explorers to do, I'm sure we will easily fill our time.
I still can't figure out why others find this a half day park. However, I suppose once you've been there, you can narrow down what you like and skip the rest. But if you haven't been, I would think you could find plenty to do. Do your research and find out when there are street performances. See Divine and the music in Africa.

 

[Jfsag123]

The last time we went my kids were 3 and 6. We were there for 6 days and did 1 day at AK. It was by far our least favorite day. In hindsight we wished that we had stayed at the hotel pool instead.

It was at the end of our trip, so we may have been too worn out to enjoy it. This time we are going to try it at the beginning (2nd day). If it were up to me we would never go back, but the kids want to try again.

My biggest complaints about the park are
1) it's very spread out so you do more walking
2) there are NO must-do rides or attractions
3) the CM's are the worst of all the parks (much less friendly/cheerful/helpful than at MK)

I think you should try everything once. Clearly there are people that love the park. Worse case scenario is that you don't like it and leave early.

That's my 2 cents.

This was our experience exactly. And maybe not coincidentally, our kids are the same age. We are now debating whether to do a half day there on arrival day next time or to skip it entirely. DH and I did not enjoy it at all and, while the kids had a good time, my DD is saying she'd rather explore our resort on arrival day than go to AK.

We also hit AK at the end of our trip and I think this was part of the problem. If you're unsure of whether or not your family will like AK, I would recommend hitting it earlier in your trip. It felt pretty anti-climactic for us after having visited all of the other parks. I wonder if we would have enjoyed it more if we had seen it at the beginning, which is part of why we're considering giving it another shot on arrival day.