Is Animal Kingdom worth it?

[bigredbill]

January will be our third trip to WDW. We have generally split our time between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood in the past. We will likely be in the parks four days this trip, and was expecting to stick to those three parks again, but am wondering if we should give AK a try. Omaha has one of the largest and best zoos in the country, so if I want to see an animal I can generally see one there. Is there much else to make me bypass one of the other parks?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[bigredcoach]

They have some fun rides there. The dinosaur ride and the everest are a lot of fun. If you have little kids go to camp minnie/mickey early and you can get a picture with a lot of characters. I like the park, but I don't think it is worth a one day visit. If you purchase a hopper then I would go, but if you are buying for one park a day it would be a short day for you.

 

[queendisney]

This is a Disney Park NOT just another Zoo...its been Disneyfied you MUST at least give it a go. The safari is fun to do as well as the rides mentioned by the PP. It's a Bugs Life is also worth doing. I don't think its an all day park either but if you have never done this park before on your previous trips I think you really should give it a go this time. Its a pretty park which has a completely different side to it then a zoo. Go on give it a go you must be a little bit curious.......

 

[Geomom]

We go to Animal Kingdom every 3 Disney trips. It's definitely worth going to at least once. For us, we love to see the shows. 'Festival of the Lion King Show' is located in the Camp Minnie/Mickey area--my Dad said that one show was worth the ticket price. It has singing, acrobatics, fire dancing, etc. I also like the 'Finding Nemo' show--it's a musical version of the movie.

 

[SCGDisney]

I agree with the others...worth going once, but I plan on skipping it next trip. It wasn't nearly as much fun for us as the other 3 parks.

 

[luckycharm19335]

I love the Animal Kingdom.
It makes for a nice not so hectic Park day.

 

[CCIntrigue]

Every time we've gone to AK it's been super crowded. Not into EE, just so-so on FOTLK. Definitely the 4th on our list of our parks to visit. Have a great trip!

 

[stpetedisneydad]

You should give it a try. It is definitly not our fav park as it doesn't take very many people to make it feel crowded due to it's narrow walkways but Everest is a good coaster. Dinosaur is a decent simulator ride though it does bounce you around a bit. Your younger kids would like Camp Minnie/Mickey and the Dino-rama area rides and bugs life 4D movie, adults like that one too. The safari is cool, think a land version of the jungle cruise except the animals are real and roaming free. It's not unheard of for the truck to have to stop because they're in the road and at times are within feet of the vehicle. One time we had 3 rhinos charging right next to the truck, very cool.

 

[wdwgirl03]

For me, the answer is a definite YES! I cannot imagine going to Disney World and skipping DAK. I love it there! It is a nice change of pace from the other parks plus it is beautiful. The safari, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest are must-dos! And for younger kids it's fun to see all the animals.

 

[luckycharm19335]

Don't forget Kahli River Rapids.
I love that one.

 

[danielle79]

Would not miss AK, we love it there! Fun rides, a lot of animals and tons of characters! My kids are 6,7 and 14 and all loved it!

 

[Skyw]

Love AK. But we rarely stay past 3pm. So you can hop to another park too.

 

[Nature Mom]

AK is our favorite park! We spend more time there than anywhere, especially when we are needing a quieter place to be for a while. It is beautifully themed park, I take so many pictures there. The shows are great, the characters are easy to meet. It is awesome for when you need a slower pace after an extra long EMH the night before. Since it always closes before dark, we get our second wind and hop somewhere else for a few more hours. DD has requested a few nights at AKL next trip, if that tells you how much she loves that park.

 

[angelmom27]

I agree you have to check it out. We love it too. The rides are fun, the shows, and the kids love the animals. I agree the rapids are awesome. I havent gotten to go on everest yet. thats just cause the line has been way too long. the kids were too young to go and hubby didnt want to. the last time i was there everest had just opened so it was very packed. definitely a park not worth missing. and it is nice cause it closes early so you can go back to the forts and rest or do some fun fort stuff.

 

[mikron]

We stayed once and it was ok. Not what we thought it would be and could't see the animals very well because our room was above the trees. AK is not close to everything as the other resorts.

 

[smacca1956]

Festival of the Lion King is a MUST SEE at Animal Kingdom! We were just there last week. What a great show that is! They have some great rides as well as the live animals. The baby gorilla was my favorite to see!

 

[MamaJessie]

Animal kingdom is a family favorite I could not imagine going to wdw and not going to AK. Give it a try

 

[Running_Bell]

We love Animal Kingdom... we usually choose it over the studios. My DD loves the raft ride and the safari. Of course a family favorite is the dinosaur ride. There are also some great walking trails. We live within 30 minutes of the Asheboro Zoo in NC.... and go there a lot but AK is a totally different experience... you could be in the park and just do rides and never see a "zoo" animal. It certainly doesn't feel like you are necessarily at a zoo. I would never think to compare it really. You have to try it.... the cool thing is that it closes somewhat early so you can plan something for the evening at a diff. park or DTD.

 

[retired and happy]

As you can see opinions are all over the map, expressions of personal choices. I do not care for AK (except for the high energy Lion King) nearly as much as EPCOT, but DW loves AK much more. We usually see a 1/2 day at EPCOT and a 1/2 day at AK, with AK first due to early closing. Then we spend parts of several days at MK and HS. We also make plenty of time to chill out at the Fort, whether sitting around outside or doing some looping. There's always something for everyone around WDW.

 

[TOGA]

My family and I liked Animal Kingdom and plan on going back. However, I will say that we take our time and really look at each display of animals and take in all there is to see. I can't tell you how many times we had to 'search' for the animal that was supposed to be in the habitat only to find it under a bush/leaf, in a crevice or somewhere not easily seen. Tons of people would rush up, see 'nothing' and run to the next pen. Our slow pace helped us enjoy this park....and Expedition Everest! My little girl screamed, well....like a little girl!