Skipping Animal Kingdom?

[rachelfran]

i'm going in august with my extended family - they are planning to go to AK but i hadn't included it in my itinerary - we've never been and it just doesn't seem like something that would appeal to me ... my daughter is 12 and she's been reading travel books like crazy and never mentioned it .. i also have a three year old but he doesn't have an opinion

we have limited time and funds so i figured we'd do the other parks plus a water park plus the 12 yr old will got to disneyquest w/her dad....

is this okay? am i really missing something...
the rest of the gang is going to AK - they have a 7, 9 & 10 yr old, but i have no qualms about not going w/them... unless i'm really missing out...

thanks!

 

[SnackyStacky]

I would say that the Animal Kingdom is definitely a must see! If you have time, and days on your park hoppers that will let you see it, you should definitely go!

Having said that however - you will NOT see everything in one trip. If that means focusing more on the other three and saving Animal Kingdom for another time, then definitely skip Animal Kingdom this time around.

I know that answer probably ISN'T an answer and doesn't help you too much, so let me try it this way.

The Animal Kingdom - as much as it tries not to be, is a zoo. It's a zoo with some rides. Granted it is a zoo done in Disney style - no detail is spared, and everything is absolutely breathtaking. But the fact remains that it is still a zoo.

If your family is the type that loves rides - you can skip this park this trip. The only true RIDES are the Safari, Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, and Kali River Rapids. Everything else is either edutainment, or a show.

If your family likes shows - you would DEFINITELY be missing out. The Festival of the Lion King is regarded by many on the DIS as the best theatrical show on property. They also have Flights of Wonder, Pocahontas, and Tarzan.

If your family is into the zoo/animal experience, you CAN'T miss this park. TONS of animals, and I haven't seen any habitats that are this impressive anywhere.

In the end - if I ABSOLUTELY had to skip a park, I would skip Animal Kingdom before I'd skip any of the other three.

 

[Lovetherodent]

If you're going to skip one, this is the one to skip. I went in 1999, wasn't impressed, skipped it in 2003, and went back this year. Dinosaur and Tough to be a Bug are fun, but I wasn't that impressed with anything else. I LOVE zoos and go often, and AK isn't really anything like a zoo.

 

[kbkids]

We usually only go once every three trips. I love Festival of the Lion King!! The rest of the shows don't appeal to me, and I've seen them - won't do them again. The only rides we do are Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur, and Tough to Be a Bug (oops, that's another show). Our kids (and your 3 year old would love this) like the Boneyard - big huge playground, but Honey I Shrunk the Kids at MGM is a similar concept. So, in a nutshell, if you don't really have the time or the funds for it, don't sweat it, you're not missing much. When we do go, we're usually in and out in 2 hours.

 

[kaylajr]

Well it depend on your families tastes

we go every trip and it is one of our favorite parks

couldn't imagine skipping it

if i HAD to skip a park it would be MGM

 

[Sinclare]

It really depends on 2 things:
1: AK is a different "kind" of park. It doesn't have the rush here, rush there, ben on this ride mentality. It's more laid back. If you aren't the kind of person who can step back and smell the roses so to speak then it might be better avoided. Just don't go with the standard park touring attitude; stroll around and do things that look interesting to you.

2: You HAVE to know how to "do" the parks. My son and I went last MNSSHP and loved the park so when we got back I told my sister. Well she was down for a short trip in the spring and went...she hated it and I couldn't figure out why. Well when we went back this summer I took her myself and discovered why. First off I waited till Thursday, went in reasonably early (not exactly opening but around 10am). Well, I kept hearing things all day like "this is nice, it was so crowded when I was here", "wow, we had to wait in line for 1 1/2 hours to get our food at the flame tree and this time it only took us 5 minutes", "I didn't know about these back path areas where you could sit and watch the character boat go by while you eat", "we only rode dinosaur last time cause the lines were so long", "I didn't get to see the tigers last time"...etc...

That day I took here we did ITTBAB, Dinosaur, Kali, ate at the flame tree, walked through the animal/bats/tiger/bird paths, let the kids trade pins, and were on a bus heading to MK by 12:30 (she didn't have enough days on her hopper for a whole day at each park so I had to split them up a bit), and never got in a hurry.



Moral of the story: Have a little common sense, don't go on overly crowded days, go early, understand it's a different kind of park, stroll, ride, enjoy, and don't get in a hurry (your on vacation, not working).

 

[mickeymousefan]

Honestly, if it doesnt appeal to you at this time, and you will be going back soon, you could skip it. Last year we skipped MGM and I am looking forward to going there most on our January trip because it will be almost 6 years since I have been there.

I personally love AK and so do my kids that are big animal lovers. I couldnt skip it. If I had to skip one this trip, it would be Epcot.
But to each his own.

 

[dg39]

AK is our least favorite park. We went a few times for The lion king show, a bugs life and the safari ride. I'm glad we went only to see what the park was all about. We now know that this park isn't for us. I think you should go at least one time. You may love it and like many others go every visit and really enjoy it.

 

[vicb]

AK is also my family's least fav park. We went the first two times at WDW but skipped it this year. We aren't going back to WDW until 2006 and plan to visit it then but skip DTD which didn't thrill us last trip.

My DS read about Lucky the dino robot and can't wait to see him and maybe (?) the new Everest thing will be open when we go.

 

[CarolinaBlue]

We went to AK for the first time on our trip in June. I was not impressed. I have seen more animals at the zoo. We were on one of the first safari rides and saw very few animals and when we did see an animal, our driver would speed away from them! My kids, who are big animal lovers, were very disappointed. We did enjoy Festival of the Lion King. Next time, we will skip this park and spend more time at MK and Epcot.

 

[goofy4tink]

We do like AK but it is a 1/2 day park for us. I don't think I've ever been there past 1:00!!! Hoping to catch the parade this year. The big problem with AK in August is the heat/humidity. The air just doesn't circulate that great in there and there aren't a lot of places you can duck into with a/c. If I had to miss a park this would be the one, but we always seem to manage one short visit each trip.

 

[magnumaid]

Hi Rachelfran

I'd skip AK too. The Lion King show is probably the best show at Disney IMHO, but it's not enough to keep AK from the bottom of my list.

You could see animals anytime at the Bronx zoo.

 

[ugadog99]

We LOVE AK! It is second only to MK in our opinion. Of course, we are big animal lovers, so I guess that helps. We can easily spend a full day at AK. I have two DD, ages 10 and 13. The 13 year old wants to be a zoologist and work at AK so that may have something to do with her loving the park so much. The 10 year old loves the "feel" of the park. It is much more relaxing than the other parks. We never have enough time at AK. We enjoy the Safari, Kali River Rapids, Tough to Be a Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Tarzan, and all the walking trails. My family would never let us skip AK.

 

[rachelfran]

thanks for all the well thought out responses - definitely seems the stats back skipping the park - however, it's good to know that it doesn't take a whole day... perhaps we'll be able to squeeze it in for a few hours in the morning and then go elsewhere -

i guess we'll have to discuss it further....

 

[caribear]

AK is one of our favorite parks, right behind MK! I love the relaxed atmosphere and the beautiful scenery. We never have enough time to see everything! Dinsosaur is one of my favorite rides...right behind Pirates of the Caribbean. There really is alot to see...not many "rides" but lots of "attractions." I know that my opinion is in the minority....but we love AK.


Cari

 

[paladin]

Another in the "I love AK" group. It is my favorite park - the atmosphere, the animals - I really enjoy it. But, each to their own (that's why they make ice cream in multiple flavors!)

 

[jordanyosh]

We love AK. As far as the Safari ride, it is definitely hit and miss as far as the animals go. However, it's really a great experience to have giraffes and a rhino walk right next to your vehicle.

AK has probably the most unique counter service restaurant, Tusker House. It serves grilled salmon, a grilled veggie sandwich(my favorite and I am not vegetarian), as well as the usual stuff.

As far as not being a zoo and there being better zoos out there. That's true. But the catch phrase of Animal Kingdom is "NahTaZu". Get it? Not A Zoo....Anyways it's diiferent than a zoo because Disney always tries to immerse you in the atmosphere as well...

I don't compare theme parks at WDW because they each have their own appeal. AK is about a 5 hour visit minimum and a full day if you reallly want to do everything.

Just do it.

 

[TN Traveler]

Here's another vote FOR Animal Kingdom. It's a park we would DEFINITELY NOT miss. We went for our first visit in early June and not really knowing much about it, went in w/an open mind. We loved ITTBAB, Kali, Dinosaur, and of course Festival of the Lion King. Everyone has always told me you had to do the Safari ride either early in the morning or late in the evening b/c the animals would be more active. We went around 2:30 and saw alot of movement. Granted probably not as much as at the other 2 times recommended but I thought it was very, very good. Love the Silver Backs. Perhaps b/c I am a major animal lover (1 dog, 3 cats, 18 goats, and 30 cows!) we really enjoyed it. If I had to skip one park between the top 4, I'd skip Epcot. I wasn't impressed w/it at all. Only 2 good rides and had to wait forever for them. I'd even skip one of the water parks before I skipped AK. But as someone else said everyone likes different things so go w/your gut! HAVE FUN!!

 

[airhead]

I can't imagine skipping this park.

 

[PatriciaH]

I love AK too but I love animals! As a mater of fact if I had to work in one of the parks I would choose AK! I just love the atmosphere.