Reluctantly joining the "I hate Animal Kingdom" club...

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

Is the lack (or extremely minimal use) of air conditioning at AK meant to remind us of Africa and Asia, or is it just to compound the overwhelming humidity and add to our discomfort? There's nothing quite like "ducking into" a shop for a brief respite from the heat and only to find it as bad as the outdoors. Sorry, AK lovers - there's no way to love THAT aspect of the park.

 

[WDWguru]

The Safari is literally back-jarring and nearly impossible to capture pictures.

Impossible to capture pictures?! Really?! I beg to differ...

... and these are all just from my last two trips. A liberally edited selection of my favorites from the same two trips are in this gallery: click here

 

[EnnEss]

Is the lack (or extremely minimal use) of air conditioning at AK meant to remind us of Africa and Asia, or is it just to compound the overwhelming humidity and add to our discomfort? There's nothing quite like "ducking into" a shop for a brief respite from the heat and only to find it as bad as the outdoors. Sorry, AK lovers - there's no way to love THAT aspect of the park.

I don't notice it. I know everyone who says its hot feels that way, but its not an issue for me in the slightest. Im from west coast of Canada, so its not even like im used to the heat. Every park feels the same to me heat wise. Its not like I'm hanging out in stores for air conditioning or anything. There are a lot of trees and bushes at AK that give a bunch of shade. Is the sun somehow hotter at AK? There definately is less pavement there than other parks, so I never understood this argument.

 

[bucky1023]

I have to agree with some of the other posters... AK is super hot for me. I have been there in the summer as well as fall and both times it felt much hotter in that park as compared to any other.

That is the #1 reason why I'm not crazy about AK.

 

[tar heel]

We used to go to WDW every summer and had a couple of pretty bad visits to AK in the sweltering heat. Ultimately, we found that we spent about the same amount of time there as we did in Fantasyland -- half a day at most. On our two most recent trips, however, we got to visit in October and December, and we liked it! Everest and Nemo (both new to us) are top notch and the new Tusker House is one of the best in-park restaurants in Disney.

I'm not sure about going back there in July, but then, after visiting in December, I'm not sure about going back to Disney in July!

 

[sarcasticblonde]

While I don't hate AK, I can tell you that it is only a half day park at best for us. We never spend a full day there.

What we usually do is only go there on EMH nights. We'll arrive around 4pm and ride Dinosaur, EE and Primeval Whirl. People start to thin out around 6ish and we ride EE like 10 times in a row. We don't really care for any of the other rides or shows.

And honestly, I've never found evening EMH at AK to be crowded. In fact, its pretty bare when we are there.

 

[Tortuga Joy]

First of all it's NATAZU!!! AK can be great and relaxing if you plan right and treat it like you would the other parks. Don't try to get it all in in one day! You would never think of doing MK in one day, why cram AK in one day. No, there are not the same number of "attractions" here than in the others, but they are nice and different. The problem with FOTLK is that it lets a mass number of people out through a small walkway. So...either hang and wait until the crowd thins or get out early.
I actually like AK, and find its difference refreshing. That's whats great about Disney - alot to do for different likes/dislikes.
Don't give up just yet, maybe if you go and just do your fav's until lunch - have a nice lunch at Rainforest Cafe - then head back to your hotel you'll not find it so frustrating.

I don't normally post but had to agree with this. We toured AK in '05 and totally decided there was not much to it and did not go back in '06 . However, we decided on our 12/07 trip to try again and oh how we loved it ! Mind you, this was during December so the crowds and weather were perfect . We went back twice more during that week just to slow things down and really explore and now we can't wait to do that again. It really is wonderful so I'd suggest to give it another chance.

 

[hildarumpole]

We were just talking about AK vs Seaworld at our house. We only have the time (and $$$) to do one of them. We did AK 3 years ago May and didn't find it terribly crowded or hot--but EE wasn't there yet.

What do those of you who have been to both suggest for an early Dec visit?

We did both last year and preferred SeaWorld over AK. The shows are awesome, it's not claustrophobic and hot, it's easy to navigate, and my kids loved being able to touch and feed the sea life. If you have young kids, there are a bunch of great rides in Shamu's playground. DH appreciated the free beer in the Hospitality pavillion. We spent 2 days there, because they were offering a 2nd visit for free if you went back within 7 days of the 1st visit. We plan on going again during our next Disney trip.

 

[taswira]

First of all it's NATAZU!!!

True, they say that in commercials, but OFFICIALLY the "park" IS an AZA accredited ZOO. That means they must abide by AZA requirements to maintain their accreditation.

The park was initially build to showcase the animals and Disney's wildlife conservation efforts, with minimal attractions (rides and shows). Because attendance was generally low, they continued to add more and more attractions. Since the opening of Everest, the massive crowds and strollers have made getting around this park/zoo pure misery at times. Several posters have it pegged - - It was simply bad planning of the layout and no foresight of future crowds. Maybe they should have used San Diego Wild Animal Park as an example for their "paths." As for the humidity - This IS Florida! The high crowds combined with all those moisture-holding plants and our usual humidity equals maximum sweat!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Didn't read all the responses, so I hope I am not repeating anyone, but I too have negative feelings on the AK. As far as traffic-my little girl, who was 4 when we went in Jan (&she's really little) was knocked down and hurt. We didn't get the stroller right off because last time it was sooooo hard to get through the crowds with, so she just was carried, or held our hand. Well, we are walking along and someone behind us kinda shoved into her and knocked her down flat and she was just screaming and crying-scraped up both arms, wrists, and knees. Did any one stop and apologize-NO!!!! Just sort of looked at her like whatever, and kept on walking! There always seems to be more people than room, it's always extaordinarily hot, and it rains, or sprinkles on us every time we go.So, the AK gets our vote for least favorite park!!

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

awww, see, I love Animal Kingdom. Yes, it is hot. Yes, it is crowded, but so is every other park at Disney. Honestly, the crowds have never really bothered me that much there. Maybe we have always gone when crowds were low, who knows? I just know that my family loves that park and we look forward to going there.

 

[PiperMickey]

I have to grudgingly agree with the OP and many here. I just returned on Sunday and AK on the previous Friday was just as many describe here. Hot and crowded.
Now, my family doesn't help because the would prefer to relax in the morning(and I refuse to spend a vacation yelling at them) so we don't get there until 10:45. But on a crowd day that was thought to be a '5' and AK being the best park to visit, it was tough just to get around.

It also appeared that there were a large number of school trips, judging from the large # of groups with bright matching tee shirts.

Maybe I'll get there early some day, or EMH.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Didn't read all the posts, but I love AK. Of course we do go during nonpeak months, mostly November and this past trip December, so both the heat and the crowds were not bad IMO. I think the atmosphere alone and just walking around the trails and seeing the animals is worth it. BUT I really love the safari, EE, TTBaB and even bouncy Dinosaur. The kids like Primevil hurl. Anyway, I am a supporter, but know that many do not like it.

We were a little sad this last trip to get to FoLK and not be able to get in. It was our own fault in a way for not going early enough, with the minimal crowd, I felt 40 minutes was plenty. They told my Mom, who uses an ECV, if she could walk to the entry, there were seats. She cannot walk distances like that. If we would have thought about it, we could have let her drive it in and get the seat and one of us could have removed it and walked in, but didn't think of it. Oh well, there is always next year.

 

[TSMAMI]

I have to say we skip this park every trip. We went once and it was a nightmare. The park itself is beautiful, but for some reason it just feels hotter there than anywhere else, it was croweded and the walk to get from point a to point b was seemed to last forever.....If I get to go back sometime in Novemeber, I might think about trying it again but not in July...

 

[Davey-D-99]

We just returned from our first WDW family vacation...Went to AK last Wednesday, didn't notice that it was hotter or more crowded than any of the other parks? Kids loved Dinosaur, EE, KSafari, It's TTBaB movie, Kali Rapids was really refreshing...

However, we all thought that the train ride that drops you at the Rafiki area where you can brush some dirty little goats was really, really dumb. My kids are still laughing about how stupid that was.

It's definitely not like the MK for fun and attractions but we enjoyed it.

 

[PamNC]

My goodness! I would have never thought there would be such a "club."

We LOVE Animal Kingdom, and not just Everest and the Safari. It's a true adventure - and it's an amazing feat by the Imagineers. I think it's a true miracle!! We frequent AK on our visits - and I can't get enough! We love walking through the trails and taking photographs of the beautiful animals. Not to mention, the shows - my goodness - Festival of the Lion King, Nemo the Musical and the Flights of Wonder Show. The Safari is the closest I'll probably ever come to a true African safari. I love the whole message of Animal Kingdom. I think, no I KNOW, Walt would be proud!

But, that's what makes the world go around...different strokes for different folks.

PamNC

 

[snickerboo]

I have to say that I loved AK. The only thing I didn't like is Rafiki's Planet Watch/Affection Section (waiting for a train that takes you to a dusty pen of goats is not my idea of a good theme park attraction. WDW should get rid of it or have better animals out there). I have asked my dh about this, being that this is not the first time I've read from people thta they hate AK, and he said, "I would imagine those pathways in the back between Safari, KRR, and EE could be a nightmare if it was really busy."

 

[mickeysgirl17]

...if there is such a club?
We just returned from our 3rd trip to WDW yesterday. We had a great trip, however I think we all decided that we have no desire to EVER go back to Animal Kingdom. I just don't get that park!

On our 1st trip in '06, I was clueless. We went on an Early EMH day (1st mistake) just a week or two after Everest opened (2nd mistake) and it was so jam-packed that I was terrified of losing my kids all day long. I mean real fear.
By lunch time that day I was near tears, I was so frazzled. We left a short time later, and I swore that I would never go back.

Last year I had done enough research here and at TGM that I felt like I had a better handle on how do do AK, so I decided we'd give it another try. It was a better day, but still frustrating and exhausting for all of us.

This year, I debated and debated about just skipping it all together. I mean we do LOVE Everest and the Safari. So, we decided to go this past Wednesday. Within an hour, I was regretting that decision.

I swear to you, people enter that park and then lose their minds and all common sense. Tempers flare easily. its insane how far you have to walk to get anywhere. Its SOOOO hot, no matter what the actual temp is - I don't know how that works, but it does!

I saw one family send their little boy into the bushes near everest to pee! Seriously, we have BATHROOMS in the country....USE THEM! I'm not joking, this really happened!

I was pushed and shoved and nearly lost my kids trying to get into see FotLK and the Cast members were doing a piss-poor job of directing people to the seats. Getting into that area before the show was horrible as the entire pathway into Camp minnie-mickie was turned into a one way sea of people trying to get out after the last show. Really, where are the cast members directing traffic?

This park is WAY worse than any others for people just stopping dead in their tracks in the middle of the path to check their maps. I ran into so many people it wasn't even funny. I know its because it is so damn confusing to get around...but still, why can't people at least try to get over to the side of the road before coming to a complete standstill?

AK is a beautiful park, no doubt. I would love to be able to just wander the park and see the sights, but it is SO full of people all the time, you feel swept along by the waves of people and unable to smell the roses, if you will. The few animals we did manage to see on the Jungle trek - well, too many adults were trying to push their way into better viewing spots with absolutely no thought about the small kids that they might be blocking or stepping on.
Really folks, have you never been to a zoo before?

So, I think that I reluctantly have to say that we will not be going back to Animal Kingdom ever again. The magic is seriously lacking at that park for us...

It seems that you actually like AK, but you don't like the crowds and the way the CM's are handling the crowds.

I have only been to AK 1 day in my whole life. My experience was not bad, but I can see how crowds can make you worry about your kids and how small the pathways are in some areas of the park.

When I went, it was Dec. 8, 2006. That day it was actually freezing and we had sweaters on in AK although I always hear that it is hot in that park. It also was not very crowded and we didn't have any trouble except for Finding Nemo which just opened. The line was ridiculously long.

If you really don't like how it was all being handled, please write to disney. You can go to their website and click on contact us to complain. Maybe if enough people do it, they will fix the problem by training CM's better to direct people around and handle the crowds better.

 

[Belle72]

We were there last week and had a great time. We skipped it last year because the year before we were there Easter week and the crowds were indeed unbearable by 11:00- but so was MK. This time we ate at the Tusker House character breakfast- very very good, went on the safari at opening, watched Nemo- great show!!, DH and I child swapped for EE, then a quick trip to let the little ones ride Triceratop Spin and we left by late morning. So I agree the trails are crowded and the Conservation Station kinda weak but I think there are worthwhile attractions, and in the less crowded times the park is SO beautiful.

 

[Time Traveler]

I love AK, I think the main issue is that your visit is more effected by when you visit than any other park. That being due to weather (when its hot out, AK feels hotter ) and crowds. If you stay away from Spring Break and the Summer its generally pretty nice. Of course other holidays will be crowded but generally not as hot.