Ok, need a little AK advice. The last time I went about 20 years ago AK was not there. So I have never been. Looking at the map and trying to loosely plan out our day....
The train that goes to Rafikis Planet Watch: is that section worth doing? I can't see anyone in our party being excited about the Habitat Habitat or Conservation Station. But I think DS would enjoy the petting zoo area. But is it really that much different than other petting zoos? It looks out of the way and like it would take up alot of time. If we have plenty of time that day, I will definitely make it, but if we are cutting things close, do you recommend we skip it?
AK is one of my favorite parks (okay, they're all my favorite parks)!
Here's a bit more info on taking the train:
The train ride can show some "behind the scenes" areas where animals are kept.
The walk up to the Conservation Station has animals, as well as an activity for kids (the name of the activity escapes me, but the kids get a membership like card and collect stamps; I'll have to check my May TR.).
There's usually a CM near the animals talking about them (just informative).
Inside Conservation Station, they can sometimes have animals out to learn more about and photo ops (we met an owl in 2010).
Inside, there could be characters (we've met Jiminy, Pocahontas, and Rafiki).
Inside, they have working vet labs (we saw a monkey getting a check-up last year).
They have several animals on display inside (reptiles and the like).
They have several viewing areas where you can watch them weigh food for animals (and ask questions).
The petting zoo is just a typical petting zoo. It's smelly and the animals are pretty much the same.
We spend less than an hour there.
We enjoy it, but not sure if we'll do it this trip. It's one of those, you never know what you'll see, experiences. If you have more questions, I'd be happy to answer, or another DISer can chime in with their experiences!
