The Animal Kingdom Debate

[asmit4]

I have done AK 4 times. Expedition Everest and Dinosaur were good rides, and It's Tough to Be Bug is a cute show. Flame Tree Barbecue is the best counter service meal I've had anywhere in WDW. The atmosphere and theming are beautiful. All of that being said, I'm afraid I fall into the "it's an expensive zoo" camp. (AK lovers, go ahead and throw rotten tomatoes now). Beyond what I mentioned above, nothing really captivated me. I take the stop-and-smell-the roses approach and am not a thrill ride junkie or someone who needs to be constantly entertained or stimulated, so I don't think that's the issue. It's just not my thing. I'm an animal lover, but it bores me. I like zoos, but I can see one at home.

With 5 days in WDW, I'd recommend stopping over at AK for a half day, and, if you end up loving it, stay the whole day. If you don't love it, you've only wasted a half day and you can spend the evening in another park. Then at least you've done it and know for next time,

I could easily spend 5 days splitting time between MK and Epcot and never get bored. It's all about what interests you. I hope your trip is great, whatever you decide to do!

Been to AK 3 times and just can't get into it. We go for the safari and leave.

 

[BiggFam8]

My DW and I have 6 children and we all love the AK. The unofficial motto there is "notazoo" because it is really not a zoo and has some very unique attractions not found in any other park. Definitely worth the time.

 

[bweagle]

My kids are 8 & 10. We've spent 2 days at AK on each of our past few trips.....1 day just wasn't enough. This gives us time to enjoy the details of the parks, reride favorites and not feel rushed. My son says it's his favorite park.

 

[katt789]

It is definitely not just a zoo!!

It's actually my second fave park!!

There's SO much to do, and it's such a well detailed and amazing park to experience! There's all the wildlife trails to explore, the safari, Everest is my fave coaster, the dinoland area is super cute for kids, and even those kids at heart (although the dinosaur ride is dark and scary...lol)

Finding Nemo is an amazing show, as is Festival of the Lion King! I could watch it all day!! There's so much talent, singers, dancers, puppeters, etc in each show that those alone are worth going over to AK for a day!

The counter service & sit down resutrants are all amazing with tons of great options for everyone!

 

[TwoMisfits]

It's the zoo meets Broadway...if you like shows (Nemo, Lion King, and even Tough to be a Bug), you'll love the park. If you love animals (the safari, the walking trails, Rafiki's train and planet watch, the bird show), you'll love the park. If you come to Disney to ride rides, it's woefully deficient for your $100 ticket. You have 2 roller coasters (one thrill and one spin), one dark moving ride (Dinosaur)...and that's really it (yes, there are some random tots' rides, but they'll be at your local zoo, too).

Now, I enjoy AK, but only as part of a multi-day ticket (ie - less than $100) - I think Nemo is almost as good as a Broadway show and Lion King is and has also been fun to watch (especially the monkeys and fire guy), so I go for the shows - once is always enough per trip b/c the shows don't really become more magical with repeat viewings (in fact, I'm hoping the Hamarambe Nights show becomes a rotating show for your park $ b/c Lion King is starting to feel devalued to me - not that I don't still love it, but it doesn't make me open my wallet and say "wow, I'm so happy I spent X $ to come here today" - getting a new show might, even if it switches on and off in the same theater each day). While there, I also hit the safari, the 2 coasters, Dinosaur, and Tough to Be a Bug (which I think is genius - no idea why it gets so much hate - it's hilarious, cool, and appealing to all ages, especially those who hate bugs, like me...I also get food, although when Tusker House was a CS, THAT was when the food was truly awesome in that park - it has gone a little downhill...

If I had to pay a straight $100/person, I would not go. I can see Broadway shows for that price or less now, and they are much longer and more appealing (since there's no traipsing around in Florida heat and humidity waiting in lines). But at the price point I go (I think $40-50/person/day at my ticket length), I find it worthwhile. As someone broke down price and attractions, if I stay under $10/MAJOR attraction, I will go.

 

[>Ash<]

Hi O.P

This park is no way just a zoo! There are animals but they are cleverly placed and all the Animal Cast Members are very very knowledgeable about the animals.

other than the animals they have 2 of the best shows on property in my opinion,

1) The Festival Of The Lion King, its a family friendly show where Simba and pals invite you to partake in the Festival Of The Lion King where dancers, acrobats, fire jugglers help tell the story of the Lion king with everyones favoriate due Timon & Pumba.

2) Nemo The Musical - all the songs were inspired by the movie and writtern specifically for this show, they could easily extend the show and have this run on broadway, it is very good and the cast members are very talented.

other than the shows, you also have a 3d Show,

Its Tough To Be A Bug - Flick and all his friends help the humans or "Honorary Bugs" about how tough it truely is to be a bug. its a very good 4D show which has animatronics, seat effects and fog and water. if you have children who arent fond of dark enviroments and or maybe scared by effects in the show i would recommend an adult view the show on youtube in advance of your visit to see if you feel your children may be able to appreciate the show.

another attraction at AK is Dinosaur,
Dinosaur has some excellent animtronics but is very dark, very bumpy and very intense.
i would deffinently recommend an adult ride the ride prior to taking small children who meet the height requirment as this ride is very intense.
but it is an amazing ride.



The Park in general is very hot due to all the plantlife in the park, i would recommend visiting this park on days with morning magic hours as the animals during the warmer parts ofthe day do go inside or into shade

the safarri is very good at rope drop as the animals are more active as its cooler.

stay hydrated! this park is very nice and pretty but very humid, we often take breaks to hydrate at AK

i hope the above is helpful and can persuade people to visit the Animal Kingdom

 

[MrsDuck]

We LOVE AK! Definitely worth a full day if you've never been.

 

[gericoronado]

Animal Kingdom is a treasure. Absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous sights and sounds. Fantastic way to explore and appreciate nature and our animal brothers and sisters. Plus, it's got some of the most entertaining and detailed attractions in all of WDW.

Perfectly stated.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

I love it and highly recommend it to anyone going to Orlando. Once you accept that it's less ride-centric than the other parks, a lot of fun can be had.

 

[csmith041177]

My family really enjoys it. Is is a much more "relaxing" park in my opinion because it is made to be strolled through and explored. We always spend at least 1 full day there.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Well Animal Kingdom is Nahtazu.

I really like the park. It's very well designed and has some very awesome theming. The Up!/Wilderness Explorers stuff is great. The nature walks are very cool. Love Everest and the safari, I think the FotLK is simply the best show in any of the parks (Yes I like it better than the Nemo show which is also in AK.)

That said ..
o The park is unfinished. And not in the Walt "always updating always changing" way.
o A whole "land" was left out of building, Mythic Creatures. You can see bits of it though the park, the Dragon in the Logo, Unicorn parking lot, the Dragon head under/next to the bridge.
o The number of hands-on up close animal interactions is limited.
o Two major attractions are broken, EE and Kali. EE the Yeti hasn't worked right since the first year of operation. Kali is super short because it wasn't built as designed.
o The park is huge. And because the theming a lot of the paths meander, and are uneven. So lots of walking and you'll be tired.

We did one and a half days there on our end of June trip. First time. I have to say it is the best themed park. The details everywhere are just incredible! That said, it was the hardest to tolerate because it is the most hot and humid of all the parks and has the least amount air conditioned opportunities. We did everything except taking the train out to the animal station. Otherwise, we did all the walks, shows and rides. Oh, and as two adults we didn't feel the fossil dig was appropriate. It seemed like that was just for children so we didn't go in there. I really liked that park but couldn't take that much heat for that long. Even many of the stores were hot! It would be wonderful during a cooler time of the year.

Animal Kingdom is my least favorite park but that said it is definately worth a morning with lunch at Flame Tree Barbeque.

What should be the best place to meander around and look at the sites, because of the paths, turns out to be the worst. Such a huge amount of land yet it is always described as the most crowded feeling. That is because the sidewalks narrow too often and randomly and for all practical purposes a sidewalk is only as wide as its most narrow spot. So with families that must walk 5 across and don't let you pass, my family ends up walking single file past them. It is very hard to navigate with a stroller. The wide sidewalk at World Showcase is the complete polar opposite, which may be why that is my favorite part of the world. It does a much better job at handling crowds and there is always a shop to duck in and cool down.

However, we always get there at rope drop and see what we want, lunch and do something else in the afternoon.

 

[estherhead]

As stated above AK is not just a zoo. However I like zoos and don't know why it would be dismissed even if it was just another zoo. Disney has mini golf and a bowling alley and a fancy arcade (DisneyQuest) but they make them Disney-fied and that kicks it up a notch.

We live near the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and it is always in the top ten zoos in the nation. We pretty much go every year. The animals interact and it's beautiful and peaceful. And kids love it.

Animal Kingdom is just like that only so much bigger. And with way, way cooler shows. And amazing rides.

Because it doesn't have nighttime shows (currently) it has always been our short day park. We can accomplish what we want by 3:00 when we get there at rope drop. But it has my favorite show (Lion King) one of my favorite rides (Expedition Everest) and one of my favorite character dining experiences (Tusker House). In addition to that it is absolutely gorgeous, has fun animal education for kids (Wilderness Explorer), and tons of other really enjoyable things. Plus, it has zoo animals. And zookeepers to tell you about the animals who are often from the countries that the animals are from.

For me (and not everyone in my family agrees) it is way more Disney than Hollywood Studios because it is themed beyond themed and absolutely immerses you. All the queues are beautiful.

I could go on. But it's on my do not miss list.

 

[rotlex]

Family of 4 here. Me, wife and two kids 12 and 6. AK is our favorite park.

It is not a zoo. It's an amazingly themed park. The only Disney Park that to me, truly takes you out of Florida, and into the lands it is representing. It's gorgeous. Has some of the best rides on property, and is SO much more than a zoo. Yeah, it has animals. They also happen to be in some of the best habitats you will ever see. The best Disney shows on property, Festival of the Lion King and Nemo are also there. Food choices are fantastic, from counter to table, and well, to be honest, I'd rather spend my time there than at the Magic Kingdom. It's a park I can enjoy just walking around in, and spend at least 2 full days each trip doing so.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We did one and a half days there on our end of June trip. First time. I have to say it is the best themed park. The details everywhere are just incredible! That said, it was the hardest to tolerate because it is the most hot and humid of all the parks and has the least amount air conditioned opportunities. We did everything except taking the train out to the animal station. Otherwise, we did all the walks, shows and rides. Oh, and as two adults we didn't feel the fossil dig was appropriate. It seemed like that was just for children so we didn't go in there. I really liked that park but couldn't take that much heat for that long. Even many of the stores were hot! It would be wonderful during a cooler time of the year.

It's 100% better in the cooler months, like January or February. I won't go near it in the hotter months.

 

[SandiR]

AK ties with MK as my favorite parks. We love Kali River Rapids, Everest, Killmanjaro Safari, It's Tough to be a Bug, Lion King, and Dinosaur - especially. Primeval Wheel and the walk-through trails are also fun. We're not into Nemo, but younger kiddies would probably love it.

I would never book a Disney trip and skip AK. In fact, I can't imagine a trip that skipped any of the parks - including the water parks!

 

[disney meema]

We love animal kingdom and it certainly not a zoo or at least not like any zoo I've been too lol San Diego Zoo is a zoo but animal kingdom is a savannah with animals, a park with fabulous rides and excellent theatrical shows all with the magic theming only disney can do : )
To me personally it's not a disney world trip unless you see all 4 parks since that's what makes it disney world ... the unique differences at each park make it so special and memorable

 

[DisUniversal]

I'm among those (the minority I guess) who feel it is somewhat of an overpriced zoo. If you're spending 4 or more days at Disney World, it's worth visiting as the price of a multi-day ticket brings it down to a somewhat fair price. It is not close to being worth $95 for a single day visit however. Hopefully Avatar land will help change that.

Out of the 7 major theme parks in the Orlando area, it is easily my least favorite.

 

[GWhitten98]

The last trip we did a full day at AK(10-5) and honestly could have done a second day. I think with small kids, it just takes longer to get through the park since it is pretty spread out. Plus the shorter park hours also plays into how much you can get done. This time we have one day planned again, with the option of another partial day if needed.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I really enjoy Animal Kingdom. It's a whole different feel from the regular theme parks. I wouldn't consider it a zoo. I enjoy riding the safari there and just walking around and enjoying all the different areas. It's not a go go go thrill seeking constantly be busy kind of park like MK. It's not meant to be. I think it gets so much hate because people are looking for it to be a jungle themed 6 flags or something and it just isn't. I think it's a beautiful, more slow paced, relaxing park.

 

[grizzy77]

We went a few years ago and have never gone back. There just isn't much for our boys to do.

I think it's largely based on the makeup of your family. Ours were 2 and 5 and enjoy rides.

I will say it's by far the prettiest and best themed of the parks. That will only go so far when you're forking over hundreds just to get in the door.

Our 5 was brave enough to do Everest, but just once. The boneyard and playground is good for 30-45min. He really wanted to ride Primeval Whirl but it has a huge 48" requirement. Why you'd stick a ride with the highest height requirement in Orlando in the kid's area is beyond me.

All that was left were the rapids (blink and it's over), triceratops spin (fun), Bug's life movie, Dinosaur ride (dark and scary for some young ones), Kilimanjaro (nice experience), and the animal train (kids thought it was OK).

Our kids ranked it as their least favorite.

Their ranking

MK
Legoland
Universal & IOA
Fun Spot (go karts)
Busch Gardens
DHS
Epcot
AK

We only go to MK, Legoland, and Fun Spot on our trips now.

As I said, it's beautiful, but just not much to do when compared to the price (value isn't there for us).