Help me enjoy AK more

[JaimeK]

I'm just not "getting" this park I think.

The Dino area - I get that it's supposed to be like a carnival, but carnivals are awful. I don't really like the Dinosaur ride either.
Everest - yes awesome.
FotLK - also awesome.
Safari - it was OK. I think after having season passes to a big zoo for 5 years I'm all zoo'd out.
Trails - I've never done them. Again, with the all zoo'd out.
Flights of wonder - a happy surprise, we really enjoyed it. But it's closed during our upcoming trip (so is the Boneyard unfortunately)

And it just always feels so HOT in this park.

We'll still go since our upcoming trip is 7 days. But other than Everest, Lion King, Nemo and maybe some wilderness explorer badges, I feel like there's not much for us to do.

But then I see people here who say they LOVE it, what am I missing?

 

[Pkltm]

We love animal Kingdom, we too have been local zoo pass holders for years, we do not do the trails but still do the safari, we have had some pretty amazing experiences like a giraffic jam, won't see that at the zoo.

We enjoy the Dinosaur Ride but not the carnival stuff, shows are fun, love Everest and Kali River Rapids. I also have to visit Baloo each time and we enjoy all the shops.

 

[jim o'reilly]

i agree, we were finding there was nothing to do after seeing animals and doing some rides. we were done at 2:30pm. maybe a good day to hit the pool after completing AK. I liked the Bug's Life (It's tough to be a bug). but that was only a 10 minute show. Maharajah/Pangani were cool too but unfortunately, Kali Rapids was closed last week for refurbishments.

 

[alliecat523]

We've actually stopped going to AK on all our recent trips. Even Everest isn't much of a draw to get us there.

 

[Pinkos]

We LOVE ak!!! But there is not a zoo anywhere near us so the animals play a big part in this. We could easily spend 2 days there in a 7 day trip. With all the walking trails and taking time to see the animals and rafikis planet watch .... Then to find time for the rides and the shows ... We have been 3 times and have yet been able to see nemo. Hoping to see it this upcoming trip.

If it doesn't work for your family, but u still want to do a few things, why don't u use it as a rest day? Sleep in. Make some FP for the things u enough for late morning early afternoon, and then relax back at your resort after?

 

[cmarsh31]

Compared to the Bronx Zoo we find most of it to be meh as well. My DH would prefer to skip it entirely (he & DS don't do roller coasters at all and DD is TERRIFIED/traumatized by Dinosaur) so we do a half-day, hit Lion King and the Safari, and head out - if we go.

 

[belle1528]

How old are your kids?? We are a family that LOVES AK! The safari and jungle trek tours never get old for us... We love seeing the animals! Everest is my 6 year olds favorite ride in all 4 parks the lion king show is really great. It's tough to be a big show is cute. It's a great park to try and see some characters, lines aren't usually too crazy, I'm
Honestly not sure what or where characters are right now though with the new changes coming. Tusker House character breakfast was really good and a lot of fun! If it's warm enough Kali River Rapids is fun, I would fp that though, it's not worth waiting in a long line! The train ride to rafiki's planet, we were able to watch them do some procedures on a cheetah last time we were there, my kids thought that was really neat! If you're not into doing everything, pick the few things you enjoy or want to try and use the rest of the day to relax and hang out at the pool

 

[subtchr]

You mention that you do like FoLK and Nemo, which are the two best musical shows on property. I try to see them both every visit.

I love the theming and design of the entire park. I notice small details, and I could spend an hour just walking around the trails below the Tree of Life to see the carvings.

I really enjoy the Harambe Marketplace area. Again, small details. And very good, unusual foods to try.

Be sure to catch DiVine on a visit. She is a gorgeous performance artist.

I hope you have a great visit!

 

[Sona99]

I'm with you. Ak is last on our list. Our upcoming trip we're not going at all.

 

[patster734]

DW and I used to skip AK, but we visited last March and rode EE which we liked a lot. Now, we try to visit AK once each trip even if it is for a 1/2 day for EE, Dinosaur, and Safari. We might also try seeing Nemo and FOTLK on our next trip.

 

[loves to dive]

I don't think of it as a zoo, I always try to go to zoos in every city I visit so I've been to the biggys, but still enjoy AK. The trails are so well themed that I could spend all day just relaxing on those, they aren't as hot as the rest of the park since they are well shaded. I do skip the bat cave, cause ewwww bats and go real fast through the bird part cause my brother's used to like to chase me and put the pet birds they had tangled up in my hair. I don't even go to Dino land, I have no little ones and while Dinosaur is fun, my son (grown) has back problems and it's just too jerky for him. It's one of those parks you really have to go slow and take your time and look, look real close. You'd be surprised how much there is to see if you just stop and look. I love to watch the street performers, I just make sure we stand far enough away that there is no chance we are going to get pulled in. I'm a master scuba diver and see fish in their natural habitat all the time but you can bet I don't skip going to the living seas at Epcot, so just because you go to a zoo all the time, don't rule it out.

 

[nilla]

Since two of the things I most love at AK are the gorillas and Dinosaur, I probably can't be of assistance here. It sounds like AK is, at best, a half day park for you.

 

[DSLRuser]

you have to "stop and smell the roses".

Get out of the mindset of being there to enjoy "rides". Instead, go deep and look fr details most people miss. Take your time on the trails instead of quickly walking from point A to B.

In the Dino area, be a kid. Play some carnival games. I know it is expensive, but when the entire family plays, you have a good shot at someone winning.

 

[buzznina]

We really like AK because it does not take all day, we use it as a buffer between the late nights at MK and EPCOT. We do like EE, DW and DDs love the Nemo show and others. We liked the safari ride better when they made it an adventure to find the poachers We also agree with taking our time to see a lot of the areas. We no longer like to rush around, we have found it so much better when we do take our time.

 

[MomofKatie]

If you are close to a zoo at home and aren't into the animal trails, safari, and other animal experiences, you might just be one of those families that doesn't enjoy AK. That is okay! Nobody said everyone is required to love every park at WDW. Maybe just go for 1/2 a day every other trip or so to ride a few rides, then hit another park or Disney Springs.

Personally, we love AK. We live over 2 hours away from any zoo, so we really love spending a lot of time enjoying the trails, exhibits, Planet Watch section, and Safari. We also enjoy the shows, rides, and ITTBAB. I really like the Dinoland section, but I know a lot of folks don't- we usually head there first thing in the morning and spend a few hours riding the rides and just hanging out. In fact, we really love that AK is the park where we slow down and just soak in the atmosphere. We really enjoy just strolling around the different sections, grabbing fun snacks, and noticing the great theming and architecture.

Once the new evening show starts, it will be a great full day and night park for us! We are looking forward to Avatarland, too.

 

[dreamerbaby98]

We really do love Animal Kingdom. And I agree with other posters that it is a park not to be rushed around in from point a to b. We like to take this park day to take our time walking around looking a the little things. Sure we get the big rides in first thing like EE then have fast passes for them later and in the meantime we wander around and look at everything. If you stop on a bridge and look over the side you will see all kinds of things that are set up to make it feel like you are actually in that country. Like boats on the water. A group of stones all put together so that once you look at them they make a Dragon. We were just there last week and made sure we stayed one day for the late closing of 8 pm. It was awesome to just walk around in the dark with nobody in the park really. And ridien EE in the dark was a totally new experience. We rode it 2 times in a row pretty much walk on and I could nto do it anymore. And if you have never eaten at Yak and Yeti you are missing somehtingin our opinion. I think it just comes down to whether you are in the park just for the thrills or are you there to enjoy some time to have some thrills and spend a relaxful day also. It just comes down to personal preference.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I was with you for the longest time. Animal Kingdom was easily both my and my husband's least favorite park and it wasn't even close. If we went for a 9 day trip, we'd maybe spend a half a day there... maybe. Usually just skipped it. To us, the zoo part wasn't as good as any of the local zoos and the theme park part wasn't as good as the other parks at Disney. That said, we are both slowly learning to appreciate it more.

We don't go into Animal Kingdom with the same mentality that we enter into the other parks. We look at it as a low key day where we will be touring much more relaxed than we do for the other three (this is not to say that we run around like crazies at the other parks- we love how we tour those places, as well) and won't be spending as much time there. We hit rope drop and head to Everest first and then the safari. I love the queue for Everest. In my opinion, it at Tower of Terror do the best job of really immersing you in the story. So, on both of those rides,the experience starts as soon as we enter the queue. We don't look at the safari as a drive-thru zoo, either. I look at it a ride kind of like The Jungle Cruise but with real animals. For me, it's less about the animals I see (because, again, I can see those animals 30 minutes up the road at the local zoo) and enjoy our guide, the scenery, and those around me. I really love when they turn on the music as we enter the elephant area. We always get a FP for both EE and the safari for the afternoon, as well. We walk very slowly in this park (kind of like how we tour World Showcase) to try and soak up the atmosphere. Like the other parks, especially MK and DHS, there are little hidden gems everywhere.

I like dining here, as well. I absolutely hated Tusker House for breakfast. It felt rushed, our poor server was completely overwhelmed so we got mostly ignored, and the food was nothing to write home about. The lunch, though, was a whole different ballgame. I love going to places like Tusker House and Boma because I can try a new food without having to fully commit, you know? At Sanaa (which I do like), if I try something new and dislike it, I either have to suck it up or be hungry. Tusker House lets me try all different kinds of foods and I liked just about everything they served.

Festival of the Lion King is great, as you said, so I won't go into detail about that. I also completely get where you are coming from with Chester and Hester's carnival. It's weird. Carnivals, to me, are where you go to throw up and have your wallet stolen. But I found myself really enjoying the area our trip before last. We played the midway games and had a blast. It's amazing how much more fun it is when you don't have a creepy carnival worker yelling at you to come throw your money away. We even won a stuffed animal. And, while I can't really explain it, my family and I love eating at Restaurantasaurus.

I can't tell you it is worth skipping any of the other parks because in my opinion, it isn't. However, it's not as bad as I used to think and will visit it usually once a trip. Next time you go for a long trip, take a full day and just be in the park. See how you feel about it then.

 

[disnut8]

To me, Animal Kingdom isn't just seeing animals or riding rides. My most pleasurable moments are walking along the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Sure - you can see tigers and other animals but take in the prayer cloths and the ruins and feel the power of the theming. I have to hold back so many time just looking at things that are not animals while others rush on by.

Or, taking the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch and the Conservation Station. Walking along the trail to the Station and seeing and looking at things to improve our yard at home (nope, never works but it's great to try). Then, getting to the Station and going inside and seeing the mural and the animal displays and learning about them. Watching the film when you first enter (it changes all the time and doesn't take more than twenty minutes in total and you can enter and leave at any time). Petting the goats and, if I'm lucky, the fuzzy pig (if those darn kids would leave him alone! )

Walking along the paths around the Tree of Life and taking in all the nature and quietness.

Watching the band perform in Africa and watching kids of all ages up and dancing around.

Talking to a Cast Member feeding the captive birds and telling us it's a chore keeping the native ibises away from the food because Disney doesn't want to feed native birds as the food they give to the captive birds isn't good for the native ones.

To me, Animal Kingdom is not a place to go if all you want are attractions. It's an experience.

 

[ArwenMarie]

If you're zoo-ed out, it makes total sense you're not into AK right now. I'm a big believer in skipping parks, or maybe I should say picking and choosing among the WDW and Uni parks . Maybe go spend a day at Universal instead. Especially since you have 7 park days.

 

[Bluegrrl]

OK, you are totally missing out on a great park. This park is our family's favorite park!! Here's some things that we LOVE (and dislike as well).

Wilderness Scout game is great. You get the little free books at the front and its filled with little games and learning things about the animals (and countries/people) in AK. You get stickers whenever you complete a task, like learning a word in Hindi, or learning about a hippo or bats. And the books are serious - it's hard to complete it all in one day. Lots of fun.

The animal trails are not to be missed. You get great views of tigers, okapi, even Komodo dragons. The dragons are really cool because not every zoo has them. Actually, there are lots of animals that zoos don't have there, just saying you "have a zoo nearby" isn't really, well, a justification because every zoo is different. And AK will soon have wild African dogs - a mega endangered species, as well as hyenas, on the safari soon. My husband and I go to lots of zoos, and have never seen African dogs. They are really really endangered (they aren't quite like dogs, and you need to see them.). Disney participates in lots of species breeding projects, and it's cool that they do that.

And as far as Komodos - not available to see at most zoos, and they are also seriously cool! They not only have a dirty dirty mouth, but also have venom that will kill you slowly, allowing them to track you as you die. Then they all gang up and rip you to shreds. How cool?! (ok, my cool may not be your cool, but must see the Komomdo to respect the largest lizard in the world. Think of it as the lion of the reptile world)

The one thing that might put you off on the African trail is the smell. The smell is not a dirty tourist, but rather the musk sent of the boy gorillas. It's their mating musk - they produce the scent to show all the girls how cool they are. And cool they are indeed because you can get great close looks of them in their habitats. It's hard to describe, but the gaze of a gorilla is just amazing. It makes you feel really really small!

Of course the rides are great. EE is fun, Dino is fun, and so on. The food is really good there, even if you are just going to the dino place.
But the decor of the dino place is really cool for a qs - just take a look around it! The deco at AK has a lot of thought put behind it - just stop and look around. The baby center (if you need it!) is one of the best. Large, clean, etc. I loved it with my LO.

Rafi's place is an often missed area, but you should make a stop. Not only does it show how they care for the animals, but they also have character M&Gs there, and they have a little petting area for domestic animals (sheep and the like) as well as some others (Llamas).

With the "carnival stuff" at Dinoland, it's actually pretty realistic. At dig sites, many times enterprising people would set up little attractions next door to the digsites. Very normal for this to happen.

But yes - if you haven't done the Trails, then you are missing out. And the bats are ADORABLE! They look like cats with wings. They are free flight in the enclosure, but cannot get anywhere near you. But cats with wings?!? Think of Toothless in Train your Dragon. That's what they are. CUTE!

GO GO GO! (and Yak and Yeti is owned by the Rainforest Cafe people.)

And I might mention that the CMs of the AK were some of the kindest ones I met. I was with my son one day - I am AP Florida holder, and we were on our own for a day. I was at Restrantsaours (can't spell!) and juggling a sleeping boy (2yrs) in my stroller plus trying to get drinks, find a table during a busy time and everything! A CM came up, asked if I needed a table - I said "yes!". She found one for me, and asked if I needed a drink and what type - brought me my drink, asked if there was anything else I needed, everything. She was super kind to me, even taking my tray from me and getting me settled. So - GO there and have fun!