If we've never been to Animal Kingdom do you recommend setting aside all day?

[Ready to go in Ok]

Just going to put my 2 cents in. I did not care for this park at all. It felt a lot like a glorified zoo to me. However, the rest of my family LOVED it. My DD's spent an hour with the naked mole rats! So like a good mom, I sat on the bench and let them spend as much time as they wanted. Even for them though, 3/4 of a day is about max. The Safari was fun though, I would definitely recommend that.

 

[TimothyG]

I can't even stay more than a half of a day. This park also closes a lot earlier than the other parks. For example, in the summer it isn't uncommon that this park close around 5-6 PM. Magic Kingdom may be open until 11 PM!

 

[missypie]

To me, it sounds like you'd have to spend most of a day there IF you want to see the shows. Even if you go at a non-crowded time, the shows are only offered when they are offered, so you can't just "walk" onto those.

We had heard that Walt Disney Studios at DLP was a half day park. We were there last year and almost everything was walk on, but we still couldn't see every single show before closing time.

One of my DDs is a huge animal lover, and my DH never met a show he didn't want to see. My plan is to spend one full day (at least until the parade), then another day, at least for the morning, to be able to spend time seeing animals.

Steve Soars' web site http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm give the times of the various shows. What is up is this week but it will give you an idea of what is done when.

 

[DisneyJules]

It really depends on the person. I went to AK for the first time this last year and didn't stay more than half a day, I was a little bored and not incredibly impressed with the park. But my cousin and his wife went for the first time a few months ago and absolutely loved it! So it really depends, I'd say play things by ear.

 

[marriedmarylander]

Does anyone have pictures of Animal Kingdom?

 

[MrShiny]

My youngest daughter loves animals, so we easily spend all day at AK (and this is with only doing about 1 show per trip and the kids not riding the thrill rides!).

If you attack it commando style, you can breeze through it (which is a pity). It's a park to wander and discover (too bad they blocked the secret paths around the tree!).

I'd say if you could easily spend a day in a major zoo, you could spend a day here. They do not have the number of exhibits of a major zoo, but the rides and shos make up for that time wise.

We even like to start with breakfast at Boma in AKL, wander there a while and then head to the park.

 

[crazyj4488]

That made me sooo angry when they blocked all the secret paths in AK. My favorite part of each morning at AK is slowly walking through the trails near the park entrance and looking at everything...sooo nice and relaxing....a great departure from the Disney norm.

 

[tifandjim]

My opinion - HECK NO!!! Get there at opening time, tour the park efficiently at a semi-leisurely pace and you will find yourself ready to leave no later than Noon or 1PM.

-J

I agree with this post! We got there at opening and took our time around the park and were ready to leave around Noon. We loved the safari and Dinosaur rides, but it was just not a park we wanted to spend much of our "precious WDW time" in...

 

[Leota]

We usually spend several partial days at AK. It is very hot in there. A CM told me it is due to all the vegetation. It cuts down on the airflow & increases the humidity. I'd guess a good 10º hotter in there than anywhere else.

When it first opened, we just went & hit the big attractions - The Safari, Dinosaur (then Countdown) Tough to be a Bug etc.... We didn't get it.
The next time, we started doing some shows & it started to pull us in - Then we started slowing down & really looking & noticing all the flora & fauna & rich details.....Now we love it. Last Oct. was a short trip & I didn't have much time for any of the parks, but I made sure I at least stopped in AK for a quick walk & lunch. (BTW, AK has the best counter service food in WDW IMHO)

As far as Tarzan - I don't miss it, but then again, I am partial to muscle bound men prancing about in loincloths Tarzan is one HOT attraction all on his own.

 

[newholidayx2]

at least one full day especially if youve never been before
Its one of our favorite parks - take time to notice the little things

 

[Tiggerrox]

DW & I spent four hours or so but didnt make it to Asia to see the tigers or Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade.But since we are staying at the AKL in 23 days , I am sure we'll catch it this time.
Get there early and take your time touring.Dont forget to meet Guitar Dan near Camp Mickey after the Festival of the Lion King(bring your camcorder).

 

[patsal]

Personally it takes us a whole day, but we do break it up into two days because it gets really hot in the summer. My DD 9 is an animal lover--she is fascinated with all of the species and how and why they do things. That said, it does take a whole day for us, but the heat really gets to me so we break it up. If you really want to do and see everything there it will take a whole day--if you just want to hit a few rides and a show or two then plan for about 4 hours. There is no way to get through all the animal trails, conservation station and Rafiki's planet watch, all rides and all shows in just four hours even with fast pass.

 

[dcgrumpy]

We always spend the whole day and never see everything. But we'll sit and watch the gorillas for half an hour, take the kids to the petting zoo for awhile. the kids love the boneyard. We take our time there and move at a much more leisurely pace then the other parks.

 

[wkrider]

What we do on our AK day is this. We get there first thing in the morning and just take our time. If it takes all day that is fine. If we get done and have time left in the day we can go anywhere for the rest of the time. Generally we head to DTD or MK to finish the day of right. HAVE A GREAT TIME.

We have also gotten there a couple hours before closing. This is cool because the animals are active due to the fact that they get fed around closing time...5pm.

 

[GoofyBanker]

Thanks everyone. There is a lot we want to do since we haven't been.

Safari (a must of course)
Dinosaur
Conservation Station
Exploration Trail
Lion King
Flights of Wonder
The Rapids Ride
Tough to be a Bug (it's a 3-d cartoonish thing right?)

Plus if I like safari enough I might go twice

I suppose this will take at least until mid-afternoon huh?

Parade isn't important but if we happen to be there we'll watch.

A friend told me to skip Tarzan show so I guess we won't bother with it.

I think the Tarzan show is pretty good, a bit corny but my 5 yr old DD and 11 yr old DS love it! And as far as some of the posters saying this park is hot, I don't agree, at least when comparing to Epcot with no shade cover and all concrete. AK has alot of shaded areas and cool spots to relax under. Also the Jammin Jungle parade is a must see, especially if you have children, by far the most interactive parade at WDW and possibly the most colorful. I believe AK is the best park at Disney, just my opinion