The Animal Kingdom Debate

[itchin2go]

What's wrong with being a zoo? I love good zoos and this one includes rides and shows and lots of other things that our local excellent zoo doesn't have.

I never get the comment that the park is "just a zoo". And?

I love our local zoo. It happens to be top-notch zoo, and we love to visit it.

Given how often we can visit it, we just wouldn't drive 2 days to visit a zoo ... any zoo.

Nothing against zoos, but when I'm using a Disney ticket, I'd rather not use it for a zoo.

That said, I think AK is more than a zoo, but the zoo-like aspects of it were just not very special to us, partially because we're not that wowed by zoo-like exhibits, having excellent ones at our disposal year-round.

So, if you lop of the zoo-like aspects of the park, it just didn't have enough to make it compelling to us. Maybe we didn't give it enough of a chance. But when you spend half the day somewhere and nothing wows you, it's (at least my) human nature to pack it in.

Funnily enough, I ADORED AKL. It's my favorite resort we've ever stayed at. I loved the animals outside our window and getting to watch them at different times of the day. Come to think of it, the one time we visited AK was when we stayed at AKL, so maybe we were spoiled to the animals at the resort.

 

[glamfish500]

Don't skip it if you have time for it. In fact, don't skip any park if you have time for all of them all, unless you've experienced it before and know you don't want to go back. The same goes for attractions, dining, or any other experience on property that you're interested in doing. Just because someone doesn't like it doesn't mean you won't. If you go to Animal Kingdom and find you aren't enjoying it, go back to your hotel early for a swim, hit Downtown Disney, take the time to visit another resort.

Personally, we have no problem spending a whole day at AK. We have plenty of time to hit all the rides at least once, see a show, and walk the animal trails. We're usually worn out before we're even done for the day. I think a lot of people who think AK is a half-day (or less) park don't take the time to enjoy everything that the park has to offer.

 

[mmbrad02]

We are of the nature, "When in Disney, do ALL of Disney". So we always go to Animal Kingdom, but so far, through adult eyes, I am still trying to find a way to love it. I almost thought about skipping it on our upcoming September trip, but now that our DD is 3 (will be a month shy of 4 on our trip) I am hoping that if I see it through the eyes of a child, I will love it more.

We are using it as a midweek park day, with the plans that it will be a short day and perhaps a day to enjoy the afternoon and evening at our resort pool, and maybe rest a little. We will see - we have no major plans so if it turns into a full day, then that is fine too.

I don't get the zoo comment because maybe we have just never found the right places, but we rarely see any animals there except for the safari ride. We did love Everest on our previous adult only trips, and the safari is nice too. We find enough there to keep ourselves entertained, but it's just not top of the list for us.

 

[itchin2go]

Well, eliminating Kali, Dinosaur, and Everest is taking out three of the biggest draws. Kind of like going to Epcot and not doing Test Track or Soarin'!

But there's also:

Festival of the Lion King
Flights of Wonder (Live bird show that is amazing and fun!)
Finding Nemo show
DiVine (if you've never seen her, it's soooo worth it!)
Boneyard (depending on ages of your children)
Wilderness Explorers game
Other nature trails
Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station
Tusker House for breakfast
Drummers and other performers in Africa

That's what I can think off of the top of my head!

I hear ya about the rides. I'm not one of the riders (scared of my own shadow ). I think they *thought* they were going to do Everest until they saw it. I read so many bad things about Dinosaur that I didn't even want to push it. I think Primeval Whirl was their favorite out of the few things they tried.

Tusker House for breakfast is about the only thing that interests me. We have an about-to-be-13-year-old so the little kid stuff is out. My husband has a thing about birds. Even at our local zoo, whenever we go into the bird house, they dive bomb him. It's the weirdest thing ... but given his experiences, there was no way I was going to get him to do the bird show.

The animal exhibits we saw were just ... ok.

I don't know ... we love Epcot and MK so much ... we just thought, "Why are we not THERE instead of HERE?". I'm sure others love AK that much. It just didn't do anything for us. To each their own.

Again, we adored AKL, so it's kind of strange, but I have no desire to go back to AK.

 

[DizDaD7]

Well, eliminating Kali, Dinosaur, and Everest is taking out three of the biggest draws. Kind of like going to Epcot and not doing Test Track or Soarin'!

But there's also:

Festival of the Lion King
Flights of Wonder (Live bird show that is amazing and fun!)
Finding Nemo show
DiVine (if you've never seen her, it's soooo worth it!)
Boneyard (depending on ages of your children)
Wilderness Explorers game
Other nature trails
Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station
Tusker House for breakfast
Drummers and other performers in Africa

That's what I can think off of the top of my head!

Yup..What she. Said......And don't forget, soon to be Avatarland...which will be amazing.They're going to be adding features to keep guests here until dark.. light shows n stuff.

The food here is different and unique, and Tusker House is 1 of the best breakfast buffets out there too.

 

[itchin2go]

Yup..What she. Said......And don't forget, soon to be Avatarland...which will be amazing.They're going to be adding features to keep guests here until dark.. light shows n stuff.

The food here is different and unique, and Tusker House is 1 of the best breakfast buffets out there too.

The food is the only thing that gets me! I'm vegetarian and there's so many choices at AK. I had even thought that if they extended Harambe nights through the fall, we might book that one night. The food looked amazing, and that is right up our alley.

I do look forward to seeing what Avatar land will be like, so maybe we'll make a return trip then.

 

[dawnhaze]

I enjoy AK a lot and spend a full day there on every Disney trip I take, and I can and do take day trips the Bronx Zoo on public transit. I don't find them to be similar experiences at all.

AK's animal trails are themed much differently and more elaborately than anything at any zoo I've been to. The safari ride also isn't like anything at most zoos, and I like to do it once at rope drop and once in the afternoon to see how the animals act differently throughout the day.

All three shows that AK are great, in my opinion - Flights of Wonder is a lot of fun, Festival of the Lion King is fantastic, and I love the puppetry in Finding Nemo. The Nemo venue is indoors, I'm pretty sure the new FotLK venue is too, and the FoW venue is covered and shaded - so they're all pretty comfortable to attend, and can eat up a pretty good chunk of your day.

Everest is a great moderate-thrill roller coaster if you have anyone in your party who enjoys thrill rides. There's a single rider line if your whole party doesn't want to ride, too! Some of the other rides/attractions are fun depending on the audience - Dinosaur is jerky and it and Tough To Be A Bug scare some kids, Kali River Rapids tends to get you very very wet, Primeval Whirl's spinning makes some people feel sick. But I like all of them except Kali - I'm not a water person!

Flame Tree BBQ is a pretty good QS dining option. Tusker House is a fun breakfast. I've heard good things about the Yak & Yeti table service but never been there myself. And I like to end an AK day with a bus ride over to AKL to eat at Boma, Sanaa, or Jiko.

 

[lustergirl]

We love AK and make it there more than once. I divide the park up usually in two days. Hit the left first with the attractions and hit the right on the next day we visit. Truth be told though I have never spent a full day there though. Not my style of touring. Does anyone know when the parade will be in function? I think the parade at AK is the best

Next trip I think I am going to try Tusker House for breakfast? Any thoughts?

 

[lustergirl]

I enjoy AK a lot and spend a full day there on every Disney trip I take, and I can and do take day trips the Bronx Zoo on public transit. I don't find them to be similar experiences at all.

AK's animal trails are themed much differently and more elaborately than anything at any zoo I've been to. The safari ride also isn't like anything at most zoos, and I like to do it once at rope drop and once in the afternoon to see how the animals act differently throughout the day.

All three shows that AK are great, in my opinion - Flights of Wonder is a lot of fun, Festival of the Lion King is fantastic, and I love the puppetry in Finding Nemo. The Nemo venue is indoors, I'm pretty sure the new FotLK venue is too, and the FoW venue is covered and shaded - so they're all pretty comfortable to attend, and can eat up a pretty good chunk of your day.

Everest is a great moderate-thrill roller coaster if you have anyone in your party who enjoys thrill rides. There's a single rider line if your whole party doesn't want to ride, too! Some of the other rides/attractions are fun depending on the audience - Dinosaur is jerky and it and Tough To Be A Bug scare some kids, Kali River Rapids tends to get you very very wet, Primeval Whirl's spinning makes some people feel sick. But I like all of them except Kali - I'm not a water person!

Flame Tree BBQ is a pretty good QS dining option. Tusker House is a fun breakfast. I've heard good things about the Yak & Yeti table service but never been there myself. And I like to end an AK day with a bus ride over to AKL to eat at Boma, Sanaa, or Jiko.

Now I can relate: Boma is a great option at AKL

 

[StitchBuddy]

My family loves AK!!! To me a zoo is just animals and that's it. AK is much more!! To be honest, the first time we weren't impressed. That's because we went about it all wrong. You have to have a plan when going there or you just bounce from atraction to attraction which wastes a lot of time and wears you out, you won't get a lot done that way or enjoy it. Be sure to make use of the FP+ and rope drop. (That's with every park.) We missed things like the Lion King Show and the Tarzan Show (replaced with something else now). I can easily spend a whole day there. The safari ride is awesome when it rains, because the animals become more active. Hope you enjoy it!!

 

[pwdebbie]

My husband and I consider AK a half day park -- FOUR half days that is. We visit the park at least four different times when we are there. The change in the animals' activity between morning, noon, and closing makes the Safari a different experience every time. And if you can get there on a rainy day, or just after a good rain, you will see a lot of activity.

The park is very immersive -- so much to absorb. Just walk around and take note of everything. Get a Hidden Mickey book to help you notice all the details in the park. Look down at the ground you are walking on and note how even the walkways are themed for each area. Look up and note the details on the buildings, sign posts, and even in the trees.

This park is NOT about attractions. People are so geared to being entertained quickly that they miss out on all that AK really holds. Don't rush through the Oasis -- it is much more than a way to get from one place to the other. Take in the trails around the Tree of Life. There are several, not just the one that has the sign. The others are "hidden" -- the whole idea was for people to explore, walk down paths that don't look like they go anywhere. I've been told that children tend to find these trails better than adults. All kinds of animals can be seen on the trails and it is a great way to get away from the crowds. AK is a park to be explored. Do that, and you will find yourself loving every minute there and wanting more time.

I'm one that is hoping Avatarland (or whatever the newest name is, Pandora?) will not ruin the park. I wish they would have put it somewhere else. So much has been said in the past about needing to keep the animals in an environment as close to their reality as possible. How is having a section open at night with lights and noise and smells going to enhance the natural environment for the elephants and giraffes and lions? Oops, I guess I better get off my soapbox!

 

[Gottahavemorecowbell]

We started going to WDW once per year and that has been bumped up to twice per year recently. We haven't come close to skipping AK yet. Granted, we only do one day there each trip but it is definitely worthwhile. Those who dismiss AK as "just a zoo" are really short changing the park IMO.

 

[Jennasis]

We love Animal Kingdom. I feel like I can really slow down at that park and just take it all in at a nice relaxed pace. So much to see and enjoy.

 

[isaboo]

I would really like to go back to AK sometime during a cooler month...we are always there in the summer and it is HOT!!! Normally heat doesn't bother me (I'm from Houston) but for some reason AK just feels the hottest. We're skipping it this trip. My kids just prefer the other parks.

 

[TinkerTracy]

I truly think AK is an amazing park and that it's filled with things to do. To me DHS has become a 1/2 day park, but I could do a full day at AK. There are tons of areas to explore in front of the Tree of Life and there are animals to see there (kangaroos, otters, etc). Also I could ride the Safari all day! It's fun to do one safari in the morning and then another before the park closes! There are some great places to eat around AK as well! I love Yak & Yeti, and next trip I will be trying Tusker House! I think there is so much to see and do! Love it!

 

[TinkerTracy]

I would really like to go back to AK sometime during a cooler month...we are always there in the summer and it is HOT!!! Normally heat doesn't bother me (I'm from Houston) but for some reason AK just feels the hottest. We're skipping it this trip. My kids just prefer the other parks.

This is so true! AK always feels 1000 degrees hotter than any other park! I have been to WDW in pretty much every month of the year and it is a lot more enjoyable in the cooler months. I love the park regardless.

 

[OKW Lover]

We love Animal Kingdom. I feel like I can really slow down at that park and just take it all in at a nice relaxed pace. So much to see and enjoy.

Good point! So many people seem to rush from one place to another they blow right past some of the special little things that are so abundant in this park.

 

[smashing]

This was our favourite park. The atmosphere is so inviting and intriguing!!! I didn't feel rushed or overwhelmed and we enjoyed the dat so much. We are planning our second trip and are so excited to see AK again

 

[JoeA]

AK is our Fav as well. We love to walk around and enjoy the theming and enjoy the rides. We always do Everest, Kali, Bugs, Dinosaur and the safari.

And Yak and Yeti has never been skipped! Can you say Big Bamboo?!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Shh.....

Just let the "we must race from ride to ride group" continue to bad mouth it. then those of us who know the secret can continue to enjoy the park.

(Just kidding, but I do think that's the problem. If all you want to do is race from ride to ride then it's not going to work for you. It's a "stop and smell the roses" kind of park and I do love it!)