Safari ride at AK :(

yaya74

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
1,491
I rode the Safari ride at 5:30pm on the past Thursday. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The ride was similar and not better than the Safari ride at the Six Flags in Jackson NJ. The driver just drove along pointing out animals. That was it. Was my expectation too high??
 
Last edited:
I guess what Disney is attempting to do with the attraction is to more educate the guests on the animals. We go on this attraction each time at Disney World and we seem to pick up a new tidit or two about animals we have seen before. To us, the Safari isn't just to have animals pointed out to us, it's to learn about them. I think the Safari does a good job with that and the scenery is beautiful. So, if you just wanted animals to see, that's what you came back with so maybe skip this in the future.
 
Yes, if you think it was no better than what Six Flags Great Adventure (it's Jackson NJ) was, then I would say you had unrealistic expectations. Lived over 40 years near Great Adventure. The safari there is neat, but it's nothing mindblowing either. Disney has a very large plot of land where they keep a very wide variety of animals for people to see...hopefully up close. As the trucks roll by, often you'll get to see them closer than you would at your local zoo, and in an entirely different environment (in a zoo, you're typically looking at them in a small cage). What were you actually expecting?
 
Is the safari at Great Adventure as nice as DAK? Hmm. Might have to check that out someday. Last time I went in the 80s we had to ride through in our own car that had no A/C and monkeys were attacking our car as we were dying of heat lol
 

What were your expectations? I don't think there is much they can do to make a safari ride more exciting. Well, they used to have different elements, such as a bridge that would creak and moan when you went over it, but they stopped doing that. Just like they have gotten ride of the whole poaching theme. I'm not sure if it was from guests complaining, but they have taken all of the unique elements out.
 
Yes, if you think it was no better than what Six Flags Great Adventure (it's Jackson NJ) was, then I would say you had unrealistic expectations. Lived over 40 years near Great Adventure. The safari there is neat, but it's nothing mindblowing either. Disney has a very large plot of land where they keep a very wide variety of animals for people to see...hopefully up close. As the trucks roll by, often you'll get to see them closer than you would at your local zoo, and in an entirely different environment (in a zoo, you're typically looking at them in a small cage). What were you actually expecting?

First, thank you for pointing out its Jackson NJ. Still have FL on my mind. :) I was expecting more "ride" components, like a shaky bridge, bumpy ride or funny jokes from the driver, etc. Perhaps our timing was bad. We didn't see monkeys, hippo and lions. If we do go back, we will try a different timing, like early morning or late night.
 
I prefer the new format that focuses on the animals. I can only assume you would have liked the prior format at Disney. It was more of a ride that was themed around poachers trying to take a baby rhino and your safari was there to help. Very hokey and more of a distraction to me. Animals are what a safari is all about, not some Disney themed ride with hokey story line with animals being in a supporting role. My opinion!
 
The last time I went in May the shaky, creaky bridge was still there and the drivers I had were both fun while providing tidbits of information about the animals. For the first time in all the times I've ridden the safari, I actually saw three lions. Two were eyeing the grazing zebra with pedatory eyes, while the third was sleeping. :D Some animals, like the cheetahs, are just really hard to see and some just don't reveal themselves very often. One of the things I've noticed is that different animals come out at different times of day. I usually try to ride twice a day--once in the morning and once in the afternoon--just so I can see as many as possible. I've also noticed that some drivers are better than others, but that's no different than any of the other attractions with drivers.
 
Have you done the Maharajah Jungle Trek? I completely overlooked it before but after reading reviews and seeing pictures, it's on my to do list. Just thought you might like that more than the Safari. I thought it was better than the one in Six Flags but then again, I haven't been to Six Flags in years.
 
Sounds like you must have expected something they aren't offering. They can't control what animals you see, obviously. They are free to roam and do what they want, where they want and sometimes, they do nothing. It is what it is. Otherwise, all they do is drive around and point out the animals that are visible.

What were your expectations? I don't think there is much they can do to make a safari ride more exciting. Well, they used to have different elements, such as a bridge that would creak and moan when you went over it, but they stopped doing that. Just like they have gotten ride of the whole poaching theme. I'm not sure if it was from guests complaining, but they have taken all of the unique elements out.
The creaky bridge is still there if you do the daytime safari. They don't go on it at night
 
I haven't been on the safari at night, but I've done it in the morning, at dusk, and right after a refreshing rain. As the guide points out, the ride experience changes all the time and if you enjoy seeing the animals it is well worth repeating.

Of course, there is irony that the whole thing is cleverly fictionalized. The road was made artificially rough and jarring. The animals appear to be free to roam but are actually protected from each other by innovative landscaping trickery not visible to the guests (you wouldn't really want the lions going into the savannah section). And the guide never drops the pretense that you're actually in Africa.

They keep up the backstory that the whole thing is a "real" safari, but I've always been more interested in the real facts given by the guide than the fictional storyline elements. I mean, the creaky bridge is fun (Universal used to do this in Hollywood's tram tour too), but the poacher story felt a little wedged in there with the facts. If you love the theme-park elements, I can see how this ride could be disappointing.
 
Fans of CMs with hokey jokes should try the Jungle Cruise at MK. All the beasts are fake, but it's a true Disney classic attraction.:earsboy:
 
Yes, if you think it was no better than what Six Flags Great Adventure (it's Jackson NJ) was, then I would say you had unrealistic expectations. Lived over 40 years near Great Adventure. The safari there is neat, but it's nothing mindblowing either. Disney has a very large plot of land where they keep a very wide variety of animals for people to see...hopefully up close. As the trucks roll by, often you'll get to see them closer than you would at your local zoo, and in an entirely different environment (in a zoo, you're typically looking at them in a small cage). What were you actually expecting?

I think the one at Six Flags is very similar to Disney- to me it seems like it was designed to rival Disney, and in fact is quite a bit longer and with more variety of animals, although the theming at Disney is better with certain animals. You can also feed the giraffes at Six Flags, which my kids loved.
 
The Six Flags one opened in 1974. You used to drive your own car through until a few years ago though
 
The problem is the summer heat. KS is a much better attraction, with far more animals which are far more active, when it is cooler outside. When we go in September, we ride KS as soon as the park opens. By 11am, the animals are hiding from the heat.
 
Last time we did the drive through safari at Six Flags in NJ, monkeys ripped parts of our car off.

Kilimanjaro can be awesome of ho-hum depending on the driver and how many animals are out and what the animals are up to. Try riding another time.
 
The safari at six flags has been completely redesigned, you no longer drive your car through and it is no longer a seperate park. It is a truck like Disney, with a driver giving facts about the animals. There is also a halfway point where you can feed giraffes for an extra $5 per person. Six Flags designed it to be very similar to Disney and it is a great ride. My family loves it.
 

New Posts



Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE








DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top Bottom