The Animal Kingdom Debate

[grizzy77]

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.

Nailed it.

 

[amg35]

Love it. My favorite park.

The whole place feels like you are on an expedition in Raiders of The Lost Ark or you are Lara Croft in the game Tomb Raider. A total adventure!

Theming is so intricate and beautiful, the rides and animals are almost afterthoughts for me. (almost, but not quite )

 

[RustManFan]

We love Animal Kingdom! Of course most members of my family are into the animals and not any thrill rides. Also my favorite park to talk to a cast member and those on the trails seem to have more time for this then in the other parks.

Epcot has moved down to second on my list after AK!

 

[L&Lfan]

It's our least favorite too. Just not enough attractions, imo. Last month we were there 8 days and only did one day at AK. We did enjoy dinner at Tusker House, though.
Our only must-dos there are the safari, Everest and Dinosaur.

 

[rotlex]

Posted earlier here stating AK is our family's favorite park.

I always love reading the AK threads, as I find it amazing how many people make it a half day, or no day at all park, stating there is not enough to do. Don't get me wrong, I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I can't help but think the folks in that group really don't get what the park is supposed to be. Are they expecting another Magic Kingdom with tons of rides?

If you "stop and smell the roses" so to speak, I think many people will begin to realize what a magnificent park Animal Kingdom is. The sights and sounds alone can keep you busy for a full day without ever stepping foot on an attraction. I liken it to visiting a foreign land. I visit all the shops, talk with the locals, sample the foods etc. Not to mention, being an avid photographer, you could spend days taking some of the coolest pictures you'll ever take. Everything from landscapes, to of course animals, to even simple things like signs and buildings.

Again, I know everyone sees things differently, but I think if you don't look at Animal Kingdom as a zoo, or a standard theme park, you can walk away with a much greater appreciation for it.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Our family likes the park. You received a lot of feedback and comments already; I will just say and echo this.....Animal Kingdom is not a zoo.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

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.

See, for me it's the ONLY one of those 7 I'd fork over $95 to see

 

[Paradise18]

AK is my favourite park. So many details to see and for me, a very relaxing park.

 

[nkereina]

Just to echo some others, if you're expecting it to be zoo-like, you'll be sorely disappointed. There are not animal exhibits, per se. There's only a few places to actually view the animals (a few spots on the trails and the safari). Other than that, it's attractions and shows. I think the park is beautiful and the attention to detail surpasses the other parks IMO, but it is definitely a half day park for us. Granted, we are two adults. We always do Everest more than once, Safari, Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Flights of Wonder show, and breakfast at Tusker House. We also stroll the trails and choose to skip Rafiki's Planet Watch. Sometimes we'll get lunch at Flame Tree. Not much else for us there, but we do visit once a trip. I think it's worth a shot, at least once, especially if you have a park hopper.

 

[qckslvr]

estherhead: How would you rate the Columbus Zoo Africa section relative to Kilamanjaro Safaris at AK? We were just at the Columbus Zoo and although we didn't get to see the "Cheetah Run", I thought that the new Africa section of the park was very well done (almost like the Serengeti). I always thought that AK was the most "realistic" until I saw the Columbus Zoo. Columbus Zoo is $14 per adult and $8 per child as a point of comparison (discount tickets from Kroger supermarket).

 

[ciera321]

Love it......close to being my favorite Disney park.
It is beautiful, well themed.....and definitely NOT just a zoo!
We always spend time there.

This exactly! To each his own, that's why they have so many different things to do and laces to eat.....everyone has their own views on things!

 

[LJSquishy]

AK is absolutely stunning. It's incredible. It's the best themed park in my opinion, it just blew me away when I set foot inside. There are not a lot of rides there like what MK has, but there is a lot to look at and do. Every last detail is beautiful at Animal Kingdom and we really felt like we were in a different world.

It was the first park we went to after arriving at 6:30am on an overnight flight from WA to FL. We were exhausted but excited to be there so after a short nap in our room, we made it to AK shortly after rope drop. We walked around a bit before riding anything, and all of a sudden a tree woman crept out of the greenery on stilts! She was gorgeous and mysterious and we were in awe! She posed for a few minutes, then crept back into the greenery and blended back in. I just can't believe they thought to do things like that...just amazing! The rides there are fun, one of our favorite meals was at Yak & Yeti (table service), and I loved the safari. It's nothing like a zoo, I promise!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

estherhead: How would you rate the Columbus Zoo Africa section relative to Kilamanjaro Safaris at AK? We were just at the Columbus Zoo and although we didn't get to see the "Cheetah Run", I thought that the new Africa section of the park was very well done (almost like the Serengeti). I always thought that AK was the most "realistic" until I saw the Columbus Zoo. Columbus Zoo is $14 per adult and $8 per child as a point of comparison (discount tickets from Kroger supermarket).

Not to derail this thread too much, but I'd love to hear more about this exhibit!

 

[Nwall81]

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.

Wasn't aware the Columbus Zoo was so highly ranked.. we will have to come sometime. We are up near Cleveland, oH

 

[jeffbear]

I really like Animal Kingdom, and really like the fact that I don't end up touring it as a full day park. We tend to go to WDW for a full week and by the time we work our way to Animal Kingdom, a nice short day and a trip to the resort pool or a boat rental or something in the afternoon starts to sound really, really appealing.

 

[Kristina4109]

We spent two nearly full days in AK on our last trip. Finding Nemo: The Musical and Festival of the Lion King are probably my two favorite stage shows anywhere on property.

You probably will never see a zoo that is as lavishly landscaped and beautifully themed as AK. The Safaris give you a chance to see some magnificent animals in a way where you never feel like you are separated from them.

 

[estherhead]

Sorry, I was working and the like and didn't get a chance to reply. The last time we went was in May and Africa wasn't fully opened, sadly it opened the week after we were there . That being said it's gorgeous and themed very nicely from what I did see. It's really about the animals. My next door neighbor went with his two young girls and LOVED it. He said you are so close to the animals and the human eating area overlooks the lions so you really get a chance to see them even when they are lounging.

It's like the savannah and you can feed giraffes. And you can watch Cheetahs actually run. And all over the Columbus zoo are zookeepers who tell you the coolest information and stories. And they are really good about showing you baby animals. We've never been and not seen a baby something. This year we saw penguins nesting which I've never seen before. Last year was the cutest baby gorilla you've ever seen with it's mommy and daddy.

But there isn't the Safari. You're forced to WALK to see the animals. Shocking, I know. There is a safari type tour at The Wilds which is owned by the Columbus Zoo and about an hour away. In some ways it's cooler than KS but they cage off their dangerous animals so I still like AK better.

The biggest difference between the Columbus Zoo (which you should all go to, by the way) and Animal Kingdom is everything that isn't zoo. Which is, what?, 90% of the park that you can walk around?

For example here are things the Columbus Zoo doesn't have:

• Character interactions
• Really cool dining options (seriously, we often pack our lunch)
• Roller Coasters
• Shows (the zoo has one small theater)
• Water rides (Columbus Zoo has a water park called Zoombezi Bay. It's fun but not themed and seperate)
• The Tree of Life

At the Columbus Zoo the animals have great habitats but what you are walking around on is not themed cement.

Hopefully this has clarified my earlier post. Zoos are awesome. Animal Kingdom is a super awesome zoo. AND an amusement park.

And the Columbus Zoo is my favorite zoo I've ever been to (and yes I've been to more zoos than just AK and Columbus.)

If you hate zoos and you don't like the Lion King or Finding Nemo or Bug's Life, you may not like Animal Kingdom.

And I'm sorry I haven't been to Africa section yet at Columbus. It's on my soon to do list!

 

[claryche]

We aren't huge zoo fans, in fact my DH really doesn't like them at all. But it never stopped us from going to AK. We only do one day there, but it is always a great day. Of course there are the great rides. My fav EE and my DH's is KRR. We love all the shows and the safari ride is great. It doesn't feel like a zoo to me at all. In fact for our upcoming trip I was thinking about only doing 3 parks, but I wasn't going to cut out AK, I was going to cut out Epcot. But don't flame me, we are going to do Epcot. I'm just saying that I would pick AK over Epcot.

 

[Kimi313]

Love love love AK! As others have said it is quickly becoming my favorite park. The rides, atmosphere, music, shops, etc etc etc. Love it!

 

[RllngRckBrw]

Not our fav park by any means. If you want to "run through" the park and d the headliners it is a half day park. If you want to slow down and enjoy the park it fills a full day. The hard part for us is shifting gears after we have been running all morning to avoid lines.

For us it is not our fav park but it does have some our fav attractions. Safari, FOTLK,Nemo, Everest, and Dinosaur are not to be missed. That being said, we typically go for a minimum of 7 days (our next trip is 9) and we only dedicate one to AK.