Skipping Animal Kingdom

[DisneyMama409]

Im trying to plan my vacay and I was originally going to skip the Animal Kingdom altogether . The only draw to go to AK is to see the Lion King show. There are not alot of ride attractions for kids. It's more like a zoo. I was disappointed on my last visit there . Everything was so spread out and the show lines were sooooooooooooooo long that even when we stood for Nemo for 30 minutes in the blazing sun the CM came out and said everyone from this point should leave we wont make it in the building for the show .What do you think of Animal Kingdom ? Do you skip it or love it ? Im going in September so how should the crowds be or is there alot of school trips to the Animal Kingdom ? I really dont want to deal with long lines and crowds . I'll be going on a EMH day if I do go . It's just the way the schedule works out so far.

 

[FamilyShortyAJP]

We liked visiting Animal Kingdom for a morning and early afternoon and that was good enough for us. I liked it but it wasn't one we felt we needed to go back to a second time on our trip. We had a park hopper pass so we were able to go somewhere else later in the day. It's a park that closes early too on most days so that is good to know to plan - 6pm closing on most days I think.

We got there at park opening, entered through the Rain Forest Cafe to avoid the crowds at the main gate, and went straight for the Kilimanjaro Safaris. After that we put on our ponchos for the Kali River Rapids, then headed to Dinoland USA so some of the adults could do Dinosaur while I took my DD on the dinosaur ride that is like Dumbo several times without a wait. Next we did a Bugs Life, the Lion King Show and then breaked for lunch at Pizzafari. After that we did the trail with the hippo viewing and then took the train that is right there to Rafiki's Planet watch which was just OK. It was 2pm by then and we were ready for our mid-day nap\break back at the hotel so we left. We were happy with the day and happy we got on the rides we wanted with very little, if any, wait time. I don't know if it is true but I heard the Nemo show is the worst show of the park so we skipped it.

 

[walkdmc]

AK is my older son's favorite park (he's an anomaly). So, we CAN'T skip it. I actually liked it, a lot. I'm more into atmosphere than rides anyway so, I kinda like it. I know a lot of folks consider it a quick in and out, half-day park. Not us.

It just depends on what you like.

 

[walkdmc]

Wow, I just read the post above mine. I LOVED Nemo. Loved it. I thought it was fantastic, magical, and so on.

My kids hated it. They were so not impressed that they could "see the people holding the sticks". Ugh. Needless to say, I won't be spending money to take them to a Broadway show anytime soon!

(I once took my 13 yo niece to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Afterwards, she told me the movie was better. )

 

[DisneyMama409]

We liked visiting Animal Kingdom for a morning and early afternoon and that was good enough for us. I liked it but it wasn't one we felt we needed to go back to a second time on our trip. We had a park hopper pass so we were able to go somewhere else later in the day. It's a park that closes early too on most days so that is good to know to plan - 6pm closing on most days I think.

We got there at park opening, entered through the Rain Forest Cafe to avoid the crowds at the main gate, and went straight for the Kilimanjaro Safaris. After that we put on our ponchos for the Kali River Rapids, then headed to Dinoland USA so some of the adults could do Dinosaur while I took my DD on the dinosaur ride that is like Dumbo several times without a wait. Next we did a Bugs Life, the Lion King Show and then breaked for lunch at Pizzafari. After that we did the trail with the hippo viewing and then took the train that is right there to Rafiki's Planet watch which was just OK. It was 2pm by then and we were ready for our mid-day nap\break back at the hotel so we left. We were happy with the day and happy we got on the rides we wanted with very little, if any, wait time. I don't know if it is true but I heard the Nemo show is the worst show of the park so we skipped it.

Thanx for your review and telling me about Nemo! That's the line that was soooooooo long and still could'nt get in. I like your schedule. Do you mind if I mimic it a bit ? LOL I think with Animal Kingdom you need an exact schedule laid out to the T. I dont have park hoppers . I 'm just not interested in visiting several parks a day . Maybe if I was solo? But not with my two kiddos. One a day is plenty for us! I think Ill do something similar to your schedule and we'll head back to swim and eat at Downtown Disney for dinner . I had originally had another MK day planned but I realized I already have 3 MK days scheduled already and I would probaly get bored of MK . I guess ill add AK ....thanx for answering!

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

I liked Animal Kingdom and wish I had planned more than 1 day there. My kids enjoyed it a lot too, they made me chuckle when they observed that AK didn't smell like the zoo....must be that Disney magic! I also loved the Nemo show, actually, I liked it better than the Lion King one.

 

[stitch09]

i, personally, would NEVER consider skipping AK! i absolutely love it!

 

[dd50]

We went to AK last year for the first time and none of us really liked it. We will go back this year for a few hours only because we have hoppers and my kids want to ride Dinosaur as they didn't last year.

I live southwest of there and that park was so hot that I couldn't stand it and we had a 8:15 ressie at Tusker House so we were there early.

 

[kkrisland]

We were not too big on AK the first couple of trips, but we've grown to really like it. There are so many neat spots to sit and eat and soak up the atmosphere. Our kids LOVE Kali River Rapids and we've seen the Lion King show several times. There are some great places to meet characters and the Safari ride is different every time we ride. We see different animals and enjoy different guides. The walking trails are beautiful too. We never thought we'd take the time to do those - we can be pretty fast-paced - but they are really nice. We usually skip the parade and ride rides then. We've seen the parade a couple of times and it hasn't changed, so...

AK is definitely worth doing. Like the others said, have a plan and pick what you want to do most. Our kids even love Dinosaur and the playground is one of their favorite things to do! It's a beautiful park overall and we've even enjoyed being there on a rainy day. We were going to get wet anyway on the river rapids! Nemo is a good show. We've done it, so we don't feel the need to see it every trip.

 

[grandmadebby]

AK seems to be my families meltdown day. Doesn't matter when we schedule it on the trip it is the day the kids act up, Grandpa goes back to the room, and someone in our group always get sick there. I think because of all the foliage the air does not move well and it just gets more uncomfortable then the rest of the parks. This trip we are skipping it altogether, even though I would love to see Festival of the Lion King.

AK has some fabulous shows but other than Mount Everest we don't ride alot there. Kali River gets us to wet, Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl are to jerky (bad back), and triecatoric Top is just Dumbo with Dinosaurs. It would be the easiest park for us to skip.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We LOVE Ak and always plan 2 days there! It's especially great riding EE at night!

 

[tnkr mom]

anyone remember the old in room promos......NOT-A-ZOO!

My DS LOVES AK, and we do not skip - I will admit it is not my fav park and there are not as many rides for kids as other parks but there is something for everyone there. Just take the time to relax and see it, enjoy

 

[PrincessMama605]

My dd (4) loves AK, but she is really into animals. We always ride the safari as early as we can or last thing before the park closes. If you have time, head over to Conservation Station early, before it gets too hot and crowded. They have petting zoo type area, and you can see where they take care of the animals, plus meet some characters. My dd also loves Dinoland, especially the Boneyard. The Lion King show is worth watching, and so is Flights of Wonder. I really like Nemo, but you could skip it unless your kids are older. There is usually a long wait and it's a long show. I love AK for the atmosphere, I think the theming is the best of all the parks.

 

[happybratpack]

I read this a lot on here, AK being "just a zoo" and not having enough attractions. If you really get into AK there's a ton to see and do. The atmosphere and theming is incredible. Sure, it's not the MK with one attraction right next to another, but it's not meant to be that way either.

We never skip it, but yes, we do enjoy it more in the Winter when it's not blistering hot.

 

[jacksg@l]

Only going back this year to catch rides we missed two years ago -EE, KRR, and Dinosaur. Teenagers get restless here, and I am glad for park hopper.

 

[Duke&Tree]

DH and I really like AK, but we won't be bringing the girls on their first trip when they will be 6 and almost 4. Definitely too young for Dinosaur and EE. They would probably enjoy the Nemo, FOTLK, Rapids and Safari, but for their first trip, we plan on focusing on MK.

We'll bring them when they're a bit older and better able to appreciate it.

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

The AK is spread out--but there is a lot to do there, you might want to take a fresh look (esp if you travel in the cooler, offr season!)

My kids love:
the boneyard dino playground
the "dinosaur bones" you can dig up
Hester and chesters games (pricey, but easy to win)
the lion king show
its tough to be a bug
the safari ride

even though none of them are willing (or in some cases, tall enough) to go on the thrill rides, they found plenty to enjoy, and we go each trip. Right now, this is a half day park for us--we hit it either first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon to minimize crowds and wait times.

hope this helps

 

[TagsMissy]

We love it but we've never been there with any child under the age of 6 and under the height requirement so perhaps we have a different view of the park. We thoroughly enjoy the scenery there and the fact that it's more 'laid back' for the lack of a better word. If you don't have park hoppers and the park isn't for you don't feel that you need to visit... doesn't mean that in 3 or 4 years when you kids are larger you won't go there and enjoy it then better than you would now.

We are also a family that likes to educate the kids so we found going to AK a way to make education fun as it was in a theme park with animals and plants we'd not normally see here at home... My bro is a teacher so we put together a sheet of questions the kids had to answer about the animals but again the kids were all of reading age, etc. It was only about 10 or 15 questions and they each got a Mickey Head dipped ice cream when they finished... granted we had to help the youngest one but still it became a fun day plus educational. We only did the question sheet at AK one day so they weren't feeling like they were in school on vacation the whole trip

The youngest then did a show and tell on the question sheet at school one day... telling the kids about the animals etc she saw. We also got VIP family one day; we kept the certificate since the park was pretty quiet that day and thought it was cool... my brother made me a collage after we returned and I now have the VIP certificate plus photos up on my wall at home

Can;t see the certificate that well but here's a photo of it

 

[Pixie Princess]

I grew up near one of the top zoological parks in the country, and Animal Kingdom has that place beat any day of the week and twice on Sunday! We love AK. To me it is like Epcot, (Future World specifically) but with animals instead of technology. There is so much to learn! Kilimanjaro Safaris is the best attraction in all of WDW IMO. DD loves this park as well. Other than the Safari, we generally don't end up on too many rides.

Having said that, I know a number of people who feel AK it is basically a zoo with a cool rollercoaster. Which is fine.. to each his own. I think the question you have to answer is will you be able to enjoy the park knowing what you know now? The issues you had with the park will be no different this time around. The crowds may be lower since you're going in Sept, but the Nemo line will be long (always seems to be), and the attractions won't be different. If you think armed with this knowledge you'll be able to give the park a clean second chance then go for it. I gave the World Showcase a second chance after an awful first experience there, and now I love the place. Of course in that case I had Future World to fall back on if it didn't work out.

Tickets are too expensive to go back and do something that is going leave you disappointed and put a black mark on your trip. Critically evaluate your last experience and make your decision from there.

 

[SydneyFalco]

I actually liked it, a lot. I'm more into atmosphere than rides anyway

This goes for me and the wife, too. For us, Animal Kingdom is much more enveloping than DHS. But, like many others have said and will say, it comes down to personal preference.

When I returned to Disney World in 2007 after fifteen years off, the charm and earnest nature of Animal Kingdom was a pleasant surprise. DHS, formerly MGM, has seriously disappointed me as a late-teenager in 1990 or 1991, with its stingy, unambitious and consumerism-heavy take of a studio tour/Hollywood-themed park. And in 2007, despite the excellent addition of two great new thrill rides, I still found it cold and unimpressive. AK isn't cold and it takes its mission seriously, in the mould of EPCOT, so, like I said, a pleasant surprise. I'm sure for others it definitely lacks in "flash", though.

Also, nobody thinks of eating there and Yak And Yeti, the one time I had it, was delish and delightful.