Is Rafiki's Planet Watch worth the time?

[slickpoetry]

I understand there's a petting zoo and some exhibits on conservation. Right now I have it penciled in for the afternoon, but this is on the last day of our 5-day trip and we might actually cut our day in AK short if we are too exhausted to continue. Is cutting it from our day something we'd regret?

 

[danny1649]

I don't think so , if you go when worn out = bad experience. If you are rested and feet are not killing you = great experience. That is the way I see it others may disagree , you may disagree. I am just sharing my thoughts subject and they are not carved in stone. Have a great visit and I hope your family enjoys WDW to the max.

 

[Grumpy247365]

In my opinion, yes. There are some great learning exhibits there and I love the petting area. It's not top of my list, but it's definitely worth checking out.

 

[Mainemama]

Are there kids in your party? Do they have an interest in animals? My kids love it... We saw a frog biopsy and a fish eye removal last trip. timing the procedures can be luck/tricky. If I was Without kids, I would skip it, but after skipping it our first 2 trips, we will go every time with kids. My ODD does have specific interest in veterinary science, though, so we are likely the target audience!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think if you or your kids are interested in the topic it is probably very cool. But we do not enjoy it.

 

[Sheilaras]

The Wilderness Explorers have several badges out there and my kids (5, 8, 10 twins, 13) all did them. Plus, Chip and Dale were there!

 

[aVASTGrl]

I enjoy it, I think the train ride over is pretty neat, and if you're lucky enough to catch a medical procedure, it's downright awesome! But only go if you feel like you have the downtime. If you feel like you'd be missing out on something else, skipping it won't destroy your trip.

 

[DrewT]

Went last week with my grand children age 5 and 2 an was pleasantly surprised. Kids enjoyed the petting zoo and exhibits. Vet was doing a procedure on a turtle that was was rescued and telling the people watching about it and a little later someone else brought out a monitor lizard and gave a talk on it, both were pretty interesting. Got pictures with Chip and Dale and Rafiki with almost no waiting. We spent about an hour and it was a nice break in the middle of the day.

 

[Disneylover99]

We finally went to Rafiki's Planet Watch in August for the first time, after multiple trips to AK. We loved it! We couldn't believe we had never made time for this in the past.

 

[ColoradoDis]

We're trying it in a couple of weeks for the first time - can't wait to see what we've been missing.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

I felt like it took too much time out of our day and was not a specifically unique experience. I'm glad we checked it out once, but we won't go again.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

If you feel up to it, it's a cute little area to wander around in.

If you're too tired, you're honestly not missing anything but a glorified petting zoo and some demonstrations you can probably see at a local zoo.

 

[MYD714]

It's a must-do for me, but I do hate having to take the train out there. I find that it's a nice air conditioned breaking even I reach the final destination.

The things I love most about it:
1. Sounds of the Rainforest: these sound booths are so relaxing. I do multiple times in a row when we visit. It's one of my favorite things in the park.
2. Animal demonstrations: I love that they showcase specific animals and let kids interact with them.
3. Character Meet-n-Greets with Rafiki and Chip & Dale
4. Live Medical Procedures: I've only lucked out with this once when we got to see two ducks get check ups. It was great.

And it's so nice that it's worth repeating....it's a nice air conditioned break.

 

[texasroni75]

You could always just ride the little train there and back without doing the whole conservation trail, exhibits and petting zoo area. That's my plan for our next trip. DS(4) goes to the zoo and animal sanctuary regularly near our home, and is a little too young to "get" the conservation stuff so we'll just be riding the train. I will say, though that my other kids LOVED the exhibits when they were between ages 6 and 10 or so.

 

[Jennytoon]

Yes, in my opinion, it is worth your time. Yes, in my opinion it is more worth of your time than some other things you might spend time on in the parks.

However, in my opinion, you should always bear in mind that you just can't see everything. And in my opinion, if your party has had it and is done and cranky, there is nothing in the parks that is worth your time. If you are on the borderline about how much is left in your tank, I say go. But if you are done -- it won't matter how cool it is.

 

[msmama]

It's our number 2 must do at AK after the Safari.

We love the train ride. If you wait a bit at the train station, and let everyone walk down the path (not long, just like a minute or 2), it's like you're alone in the park! Everyone rushes over there, it seems like, but we just stroll and enjoy the peacefulness. We watch butterflies.

I think they usually plan the veterinary procedures for the morning so unless there is an emergency or things run late, you probably won't see anything in the afternoon.

Sometimes my son and I stand in the entrance of the building (out of the way) and play I spy/20 questions at the big animal mural.

So, I think of it as a relaxing place. If you're more of a go-go-go tourer, you may not like it.

 

[GreatLakes]

If you like animals and have the time it is worth the trip up. It is something I think you should do at least once and decide for yourself.

We don't do it every trip but always enjoy it when we do.

 

[Joltin Joe IV]

Not a must-do for me. But I like it very much! When we went in July of this year, we accidentally timed it perfectly that we were there for the closing of the area. All of the sheep (or are they goats?) know what time they are supposed to go back in their enclosure for dinner and the evening. When they saw that the keeper was doing his daily close-down routine, they all started lining up to get through the gate and then scattered perfectly into their respective cubicles -- really a spectacle!

 

[melana]

We went once. It was enough for us. It's not on our list of mus-dos anymore. It was nice but not something to spend a lot of time at.

 

[Mousetopia]

You could always just ride the little train there and back without doing the whole conservation trail, exhibits and petting zoo area. That's my plan for our next trip. DS(4) goes to the zoo and animal sanctuary regularly near our home, and is a little too young to "get" the conservation stuff so we'll just be riding the train. I will say, though that my other kids LOVED the exhibits when they were between ages 6 and 10 or so.

If you have done the rest I highly suggest the Rainforest sound booth...IT IS AWESOME...did I mention AWESOME??? Where else could you have
a panther sneak up behind you and breathe in your ear ..you can almost feet it. This one thing alone makes the pilgrimage worth it for me!