Water park or Animal Kingdom??

[V2000]

Hi there!

I have one day left to plan for our vacation in October! I am not sure which park I should choose so I am looking for any advice!

My husband and I are 33 years old and my daughter is 16. Should we plan a day at the water park or Animal Kingdom? Never been to either.
If we choose water park which one?

 

[gzmtlock]

Need to know more about your trip to offer good advice. How long are you staying? Do you have any "down" times, e.g. not in one of the big 4 parks? Are you commando-style, or more relaxed?

 

[DizzneyDi]

I think ultimately it comes down to personal preference. For myself there is no real choice--I don't really enjoy water parks but I do love animals, so I'm always going to pick AK. Then again, there are many people who judge a park by how many rides it has, and for them AK is a half day park. While I enjoy most of the rides, I also love the unique shows, the animal trails and the immersive atmosphere of AK. And if it's hot and you begin to wonder why you passed up the water park, there's always Kali River Rapids!

 

[Mikie]

I know many people love the water parks and many factors would affect your choice, BUT I would choose Animal Kingdom.
- We have traveled a few times in the fall and it is generally hot enough for water parks, but not always as hot as I'd like for that.
- If it's a question of adding a day to your park ticket, the water park option adds $60 ish and adding a park day is as low as $11 (depending on how long your base ticket already is).
- I like water slides and swimming, but to me, AK is so far different from anything I can do near home, whereas I can go to some pretty cool water parks close to home.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Since you haven't been to any of them, I would say Animal Kingdom is a must. Lots to see and do for a first timer. Don't miss Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur (unless you're prone to motion sickness), It's Tough to be a Bug, and Festival of the Lion King. Of course, lots of animals to see, too.

 

[Baptist]

I know many people love the water parks and many factors would affect your choice, BUT I would choose Animal Kingdom.
- We have traveled a few times in the fall and it is generally hot enough for water parks, but not always as hot as I'd like for that.
- If it's a question of adding a day to your park ticket, the water park option adds $60 ish and adding a park day is as low as $11 (depending on how long your base ticket already is).
- I like water slides and swimming, but to me, AK is so far different from anything I can do near home, whereas I can go to some pretty cool water parks close to home.

Same here. We live 3 hours from Wisconsin Dells (water park capital of the world). My vote is for AK. It's a quality park with a great roller coaster.

October can be hot in Orlando. If you need to cool off, Kali rapids is good.

 

[Cloudless Nights]

Animal Kingdom by far. It's easily our second favorite park after MK.

 

[disnut8]

What do you like more? Spending a day by the water or seeing animals in close natural surroundings? Plunging down slides and rafting around the entire water park or walking along and seeing animals that you might not see in a zoo?

There is "good" and "bad" to each situation but personally, I'd rather just go to Animal Kingdom since there are so many things there where you don't need a FastPass over a water park with the chair issues and all that. I'd rather be with the animals than with the humans.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

IMO AK has more unique things that can only be seen there than either of Disney's water parks - and I say that as a huge fan of both BB & TL. AK would get my vote.

 

[kmorey303]

Animal Kingdom, hands down! I'm a water park junkie, as in we go to the Dells yearly, but when it comes to disney I absolutely prefer AK!

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

I personally would go to AK over a waterpark, no contest. I love AK, but then I absolutely love plants and animals. It doesn't have as many rides as MK or Epcot, so if rides are all you care about, you may prefer the waterpark. Personally I love the lush landscaping and exotic scenery of AK, the superb shows (best in WDW, in my opinion), and of course the animals.

I like the waterparks too, and think they are great to put in the middle of a long trip. Makes a nice relaxing break from the regular parks. But I wouldn't do them instead of the regular parks on a short trip.

That's just me and my family - what's best for you depends on what you guys enjoy most.

 

[V2000]

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are going on a short 4 day trip. MK, EPCOT, spending the day at Downtown Disney, and choosing either AK or waterpark. I have been to DW twice and both times skipped out on the waterparks and AK.

I am not too found of zoos but maybe AK is a different experience I am missing out on. Not sure.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I am not too found of zoos but maybe AK is a different experience I am missing out on. Not sure.

Aside from having animals, Animal Kingdom is nothing like a zoo. In fact, that was a big part of their marketing campaign at one time.

Nahtazu! http://vimeo.com/25256194

 

[Satchmo128]

Three amazing shows at Animal Kingdom!!

- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo
- Flights of Wonder

LOVE LOVE LOVE all of them. Plus, Expedition Everest is my favorite ride in all of WDW. Kilimanjaro Safaris is different every time you ride it (since the animals can be anywhere). So many walking trails and hidden spots. Love Animal Kingdom.

 

[MinnieGi]

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are going on a short 4 day trip. MK, EPCOT, spending the day at Downtown Disney, and choosing either AK or waterpark. I have been to DW twice and both times skipped out on the waterparks and AK.

I am not too found of zoos but maybe AK is a different experience I am missing out on. Not sure.

Definitely not a zoo!! Our family loves AK, Expedition Everest if our favorite ride and Lion King is our favorite show. Flame Tree BBQ is our favorite counter service... you get the idea. Now we do enjoy looking at all the animals and riding the safari but that is not the whole experience at AK.

I personally would not choose to spend a day at Downtown Disney, but that is just me. I would trade that day in for the water park especially if it is really hot!!

 

[niffer5150]

AK is one of my least favorite parks and i'd still go there over a water park. the water parks are neat and all but i can't imagine passing up AK for one. we do a water park when we're doing a half day thing, like DTD or an extra half day at epcot.

 

[ZoZo]

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are going on a short 4 day trip. MK, EPCOT, spending the day at Downtown Disney, and choosing either AK or waterpark. I have been to DW twice and both times skipped out on the waterparks and AK.

I am not too found of zoos but maybe AK is a different experience I am missing out on. Not sure.

Give AK a try! It's so much more than a traditional zoo.

And I notice that you plan to spend a day at DTD. Not that you asked for advice on that, but DTD is mostly shopping and restaurants. To me, it's enough to fill a couple of hours, but not a whole day. Perhaps you could go to AK first thing in the morning, enjoy the park through the afternoon, then go to DTD after AK closes? AK usually closes early (they "put the animals to bed" at dusk) so there's definitely time to enjoy both AK and DTD in the same day.

Just sayin'!

 

[avic77]

AK since October weather can be iffy for waterparks. Also as stated by PP the cost is much higher to add water park rather then another park day.

 

[Delirium]

Easy. Animal Kingdom. I'll stop short of stating it's our favorite park, because that will always be MK, but we find that we regularly enjoy our days at AK more than Epcot or Hollywood Studios. And, it has very little to do with the animals (though the Safari is fantastic)

AK has a variety of activities, a beautiful setting, it's not nearly as crowded as the other parks if you go on a recommended day, and it's just overall a more relaxing experience than any of the other parks. The only downside is that when we go in October, it ususally has early closing hours, which is a shame because the park can be spectacular when it's dark.

 

[LovemesomeDW]

AK all the way!