Who's done the Animal Kingdom tour?

[pixiechick77]

Hello fellow DISer's....my mom and I are going to the world in about a week and a half. I have been thinking about something special that we can do and thought of a tour. We have done the Keys to the Kingdom tour and loved it so I though of trying the one on Animal Kingdom. Has anyone done this tour and if so what are your thoughts? It's $65 each so I want to be sure it is worth it...any thoughts would be great!


Pixie chick

 

[two-foxes]

We did it twice, we liked it so much. The first time, in 2001, we had some inexperience college interns leading the tour, but it was still so interesting. In 2002, they had a retired teacher, who was great, lead the tour. They focus quite a bit on Disneys contribution to the conservation movement (almost like a commercial if you ask me!) But we got to go into the elephant barn, meet a new giraffe and we got to pet a baby white rhino. You learn specifics about each breed, as well. They also have a bit at the end where they have a CM will bring a critter to speak about and we were able to handle a mini-alligator. I opted out. All in all, you learn about the creation of AK, all the CM professionals from botanists to vets that it takes to keep the park looking perfect and running smoothly, and again, Disneys role in the conservation movement. I would give it a shot! It is truely a great behind the scenes tour!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Is that the Backstage Magic tour? I think Animal Kingdom has 2 tours-one "on stage" (Wild by Design) and one behind the scenes. I've never done either one, but would love to do one.

 

[TammiMcMan]

DH and I did the behind the scenes tour at AK last January. It was great. There was a small group, I believe 10 of us and it was lead by a retired school teacher. We met up at the entrance to AK at about 8:00am. Normally this is a walking tour, but it was only about 40 degrees that morning, so we got to ride in a van. We were able to check out the elephants, the black rhino and a giraffe. We also saw the food preparation area and that was pretty amazing. Got a behind the scenes look at conservation station and took a little break for drinks and snacks while we watched a video and met a baby alligator close up. Our guide also brought us on the Kilimanjaro tour. We had a vehicle all to ourselves and he shut off the Disney voice over and gave us some inside knowledge about the animals and their environment. It was a great tour.

 

[webmomom]

We have done both tours and they are both great. We have done the the backstage tour and wild by design. Actually we have done the backstage tour twice. the first time is was totally walking and now they have a van for you. We also had a retired teacher. There is nothing more I can say about this tour that has not been covered. The other tour is in the front of AK and you wear head set. The tour director has a microphone and can tell you things as you walk, so you don't have to be right up by him all of the time. I wish they would do this with all of the tours. We were one of the first to take this tour when it opened and it was great. It would be a hard decission to make.

 

[diswedwish]

We did Backstage Safari in Jan. and loved it. The retired school teacher's name is Paul and he is simply the best. The only difference between our tour and the ones written about previously is that we got to handle - okay just touch - lol - a snake instead of an alligator. If you love animals you'll love the tour. Have a great trip

 

[disney queen]

ooohhhh this sounds great!! we are booked on the backstage safari for mid-august. thanks for the reviews!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Can someone tell me where I sign up and how far in advance? Also, is there an age restriction on this tour? $65 doesn't seem bad at all--approx how long is it?

With all the questions maybe someone could just direct me to a Disney link.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I've done the Backstage Safari- lots of fun! I'm pretty sure the age restriction is 16. If you have an AP, you can get a discount on the tour! (There may be some other discounts available as well, ask when you book!)

 

[krafty]

To book, call 407-WDW-TOUR. You can book as soon as you like, and we got a discount (15 or 20%, can't remember which) when we used our Disney Visa card to book the tour.

Also note that you're not guaranteed to see any animals on the Backstage Safari tour. You may or may not, but don't go expecting to see lots of critters.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Thanks! I think I read somewhere that as a DVC member I get some sort of discount. I just hope there's not age restriction because I think it would be a great educational program for my children.