Poll: Do you 'skip' Animal Kingdom on trips?

[CarolA]

I love AK. If I skip something it will either be MGM or MK (GASP!)

However, if you hit AK at 100 miles an hour, race thur looking for thrills and treat it like MK, you will be disappointed. This is a SLOW down and take it in park

I am amazed that people go and don't ride the Safari. Unless you are really wealthy this is probably as close as you will ever get to an African Safari. I have NEVER come off that ride not smiling (and I think the poacher line is really hokey, but... the animals!!!) On my last ride the lion was pacing and roaring at the antelopes just on the other side of the road!

 

[beattyfamily]

We've skipped AK before and I'm sure we will again.

We tried it in 1998, it's opening year, and our first WDW trip, for 5 minutes...our DD age 2 fell asleep the moment we got there and it was pouring rain so we took a picture in front of the tree and then left.

Then we skipped it on our next 2 trips in 2000 and 2001. We tried it again in 2002 and 2003.

We go if we have time on the trip or if we're going with friends or family who have never been. We usually go there for the safari, the Lion King show, and for Dinoland (Primevil Whirl). That's about it.

In 2002 we tried the Tarzan show for the first (and last )time and didn't like it.

In 2003 we tried the Pochahontas (sp?) show for the first (and last) time and didn't like it. We also tried "It's Tough to be a Bug" for the first time and my 7 year old was horrified and we, thankfully, didn't bring our 4 year old to see it as she would have flipped!

We're going again in August and I was planning on skipping it but my younger sister and her DD are coming along so we may spend half a day there.

Then we're going again in October and we were going to skip it then too but we invited friends who have never been to WDW so we'll probably spend another half day there so they have a chance to experience it.

We also tried the parade for the first time this past December and I wasn't impressed.

Sorry, but it's just not for us. On the other hand, we love MK and MGM. Next would be Epcot, then AK. If I had to choose, I'd choose to go to the Universal parks before both AK and Epcot. I know, how could I but it's true!

To each his own, I guess.

 

[jann1033]

this is my new favorite park...I think you really need to take time though to enjoy it and the fun isn't "ready made" so it might not appeal as much to some..probably more a "thinker's" park like epcot in that if you just want to be strictly entertained you might not find as much to do here and could do it in a day or less...we spent 2 full days and still needed another morning to see everything as we missed 1 show and didn't go on the rapids ride . Like some of the others posted except for tot, and rnr most of mgm could be left out or done ever so often...once you've been to the attractions like Indy 2 times the "thrill"/ interest is gone imo.

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by disney4us2002
We will skip AK next time. I don't believe I have a 'mindset' but we didn't find it that interesting. The only thing I truly would enjoy seeing again is the ITTBAB. We aren't big animal lovers and didn't actually see many on our safari ride anyway.

we did notice a big difference of the amount of animals early and in the afternoon..saw everything early, one giraff ( sorry that is not spelled right) so close we actually could have easily touched it (sooo tempting , how many times can you touch a giraff but we were good and resisted) and ababy elelphant acting like... a baby, running and playing... so cute! but afternoon didn't even see the lions or the baby.

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by ironz
I'm with many of the above posters, I would skip MGM over AK...well, as long as I could just ride RNR and TT real quick and then leave!
Billmel...don't know if you and your hubby like adult beverages, buy you could hang out at the Dawa Bar in Africa, watch the limbo dancers, watch the parade, and have a lovely day! That was my new discovery this past trip! We just chilled out...no rushing, no worries.
And for you ladies out there who appreciate a nice-looking muscle man, Tarzan does Rock! heehee!!
Festival of the Lion King is also great. And...be sure and look for Devine! We saw her last trip...weird, but very cool!

cheers!

the drummers were fantastic also, both the guy in africa across from the bar and a band ( not sure exactly what country they are actually from as we saw them "cheering" on the marathon runners)

 

[wilderness01]

We did not like AK when it first opened. It was mass confusion, hot, crowded, etc. Now that it has been open several years and the kinks have been worked out, WE LOVE IT! It is a definite for us every trip.

 

[DisneyBabe04]

Skipping the AK is like missing a huge chunk WDW! Not only is AK very cultural it is also fun for the whole family! There is a lot to do at AK and it is totally different than any other WDW parks! Personally, my dad and I love it and I think you will enjoy it!


Have a great time!

 

[old lost boy]

We usually go for at least five days so we hit all the parks but Animal Kingdom is my least favorite. It's Tough To Be A Bug is a must do but beyond that it gets iffy. Sometimes the animals are out and active sometimes they're not. Lots of walking if its hot. I get a little claustophobic there too. The paths seem smaller than the other parks and closed in.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Skip AK? No way! I love to just walk around there. Last time I went, I went on KS once and walked around the rest of the time. Disney's attention to detail impresses me in AK far beyond any other park. However, we're Empty-Nesters, so just 2 of us. I admit that if I had a stroller to push or little ones looking for rides, AK probably wouldn't be for me!

 

[Granny]

We visit AK on every trip, but we will admit that it's our least favorite park. For one thing, it is so darn hot in the summer there when we vacation. Okay, World Showcase is hot too, but all of AK is brutal it seems!!

We go for a half day, getting there at noon. And we always enjoy it, but don't feel the need to go back after that.

On the other hand, we love Busch Gardens and always make the trip over there whenever we vacation in Orlando.

 

[eelderm1]

We would never skip Animal Kingdom, my son can't get enough of Dinosaur! I agree with a previous poster that it may be more of a thinkers park like Epcot which is also one that we never skip! Animal Kingdom and Epcot are also nice parks to just take it easy and take in all your surroundings. Of course we never skip Magic Kingdom either. The only one we even consider skipping is MGM.

 

[auntkelly]

We love AK and would never skip it! Dinasour is one of our favorite rides, and we love ITTTBAB. The Lion King show is great fun, with lots of audience participation. We enjoy just strolling around and soaking up the atmosphere. Our two visits to AK have both been in November, when the weather is nice and cool. I've heard it gets very hot at AK in the summer and maybe we wouldn't like it quite as much then.

 

[ZachnElli]

Yeah, we're skipping it this trip. Just not our favorite park. It's always hot and crowded and I end up with a grumpy group. Not worth it. I'd rather see my gang happy! We have an excellent zoo and can see the animals here. Just our opinion.

 

[Kaycee]

We skipped AK on our last trip. It was just DH and I, and we were taking a shorter than normal trip. When we were deciding our must-sees and what we could live without, AK lost the vote.

When our kids are with us, we always go to AK for breakfast at Donald's (our favorite character meal) but even then AK is only a half-day if that. We love animals, so we enjoy the Safari and walking along the trails. And I enjoy shopping at AK, lots of unique stuff there. But that's about it for us. We've been to ITTB twice, and after the last time, DH and younger DS said they didn't want to go on it anymore - they're both wigged out by the sting at the end. None of us enjoyed Dinosaur the first trip, thought it was too jerky, so we haven't gone on it again. We don't like wet rides so Kali is out. And we don't enjoy shows in any of the parks.

My sons used to love hanging out at the digsite after breakfast, but they're too old for that now. So, after breakfast and the safari, we'll stroll around the trails a bit and head to another park well before lunch next trip.

 

[Karibeth19]

We will probably skip AK next time we go also. We went for the first time last Feb. and again two weeks ago, and both times we went there on our La Nouba day, and didn't stay past 2:00. I did enjoy it a lot; the safari was wonderful, and my husband and I loved the Lion King and Tarzan shows, while my daughter was thrilled with the Pocahontas show. She also enjoyed the Exploration Trail, because she got to see a real naked mole rat (she's a huge Kim Possible fan). Some things, we either didn't do because DD was too scared (we made her go on Dinosaur the first trip, and we felt like horrible parents for days afterwards!), the weather was too cool (Kali), or we just weren't interested (Dinoland and Conservation Station). Like I said, I do enjoy the park, but for me it's kind of a "been there, done that, no real hurry to do it again" place. I did it a couple of times, had fun, but would rather have the extra time to spend at one of the other parks on our next trip. The AK Lodge, however, is a different story...

 

[il-gander]

We could never skip Animal Kingdom. We spent an entire day there last June (first trip) from open until they kicked us out at the end of the day, and didn't see nearly everything. We didn't even get to either the Tarzan or Lion King shows! We truly enjoyed taking the time to really observe all of the details, environment, and animals. We didn't even find it as hot as most do...

If we had to skip a park, it would be MGM without any question. In fact, I think I'll have a hard time getting DH there next trip at all! We loved Star Tours and Fantasmic and the Star Wars characters (we were there for Star Wars weekends), but the rest was just OK compared to the other 3 parks.

Carla

 

[PamNC]

We love the AK! I wouldn't skip it for the world!

PamNC

 

[Armadillo4]

Nope, I have never skipped AK.

However, during my first ever trip to WDW, I skipped MK (!!!!). It was a really short trip (4 days, a business trip) and I get to go to DL in Anaheim all the time. So...I figured I'd best get to the other 3 parks that are as different from DL as possible. It did feel weird, not getting to MK (didn't ride a monorail, never saw the castle), but seeing the other 3 parks for the first time was awesome. And I LOVE AK!!!!!

 

[Kristi1357]

Dh and I aren't really "animal" people. We usually don't go to AK on our trips. We did go last year since my 4 yr. old niece was with us, but skipped it this year. I guess it's just not really our thing!

 

[stinkerbelle]

wow - I guess us that love AK loveit for the same reasons!

seriously - DH and I can be the ones found watching a gorilla play with a blanket or bale of hay for 20 minutes. Or just stare at a sleeping tiger.

and for those that don't enjoy it...oh well - to each their own I guess.

but I do have to say it one more time.

It's NAHTAZU!!!!