Worst Things About Animal Kingdom?

[tinderbox]

Almost no shady spots or places to sit for a few minutes to relax.

 

[Rob Huff]

My wife, kiddos, and I absolutely love AK. It's my wife's favorite park and probably second for me. We love the feel, we love the energy, and the park has a disproportionate share of our favorite attractions.

As for the negatives, there are only two items for me:

1. Dinoland. Ugh. It's the only area in a Disney park that doesn't feel at all like Disney to me. Our kids like Triceratop Spin but that's all we do there because I want to get out of Dinoland as quickly as possible each time we enter. I'm sure that replacing a fully functional area of a park is very low on management's to-do list, but man, I sure wish they would do something with that area that would be even vaguely on par with Pandora, Africa, or Asia.
2. Bus-only Transit. So much of my enjoyment of our WDW trips comes from not driving a car and not even riding in one. Still, it's much more special to travel by boat or monorail than it is by bus. We've stayed at all types of resorts at WDW and by far the best trips feature minimal transit on roads. For example, when we stay at the Poly, we'll take boat/monorail to MK, monorail to/from EPCOT, and often walk from EPCOT to DHS after having taken the monorail to EPCOT. AK, unfortunately, always requires transit on a road. That doesn't bother me a tremendous amount when traveling from the MK area or Crescent Lake resorts, but we've stayed at the AKL twice and it really bugged me that I had to take a bus to the AK from the AKL. That just feels wrong.

 

[BrianL]

That's because the AK layout is complex. I was required to know where everything was both onstage and backstage at WDW and AK was by far the hardest to memorize. Below is the special abbreviated map that I used showing just the paths and major locations. As complicated as it may look, it helped me tremendously.

One thing for me about AK is that I don't "get lost" per say and I understand how to navigate the park, however I have no bearings when there and I picture it in my head wrong. Like, I picture Dinoland as "upside down" compared to how it really is, like I don't see DINOSAUR at the Southern point like it actually is. I get a bit turned around in that area.

 

[DisHmsklMom]

Dinoland
Lack of inside slow ride for families (Could the dinosaurs from Epcot come here please for an inside walk through or educational ride?)
Uneven terrain with small pathways

 

[jbish]

Another vote for Dinoland. There isn't much to draw me to it. I get that it has a neat backstory - but that doesn't translate to most guest and it just seems like a cheap carnival. I haven't been on Dinosaur in a really long time and it just seems like it's too much of a hassle to get to for the one ride (which is, I guess, another vote for the lack of alternate routes without having to backtrack).

 

[TheConsciousness]

Crazy lack of shade, so hot!
Dinoland, time for a revamp of that spot!
FoP wait times.
Difficulty traversing successfully. Seems like the only park that isn't super-liberal with their amount of signage.

 

[DisneyFive]

One thing for me about AK is that I don't "get lost" per say and I understand how to navigate the park, however I have no bearings when there and I picture it in my head wrong. Like, I picture Dinoland as "upside down" compared to how it really is, like I don't see DINOSAUR at the Southern point like it actually is. I get a bit turned around in that area.

I agree 100%. The dinoland/dinosaur area is the only area in all the parks where I can get confused of where I'm at. I too, picture it somewhere else in "my minds map", especially when heading from the Nemo area towards the park exit.

Dan

 

[DisneyFive]

AK has been an interesting park for us. It went from being #2 on our list after our first visit (MK has always been #1), to 4th. The first trip we were awed by the theming (except Dinoland )throughout the park and the immersive experience the park offers. However, it boils down to lack of repeat factor. People talk about HS (or at least used to) as a 1/2 day park. If there was ever a 1/2 day park, it's AK IMO. We love the Avatar area now, but even with that addition it's still our least fav. (that's not to say we don't enjoy it though, far from it)

Dan

 

[wendlle]

The only thing I don't like about AK is all the people who say it's a "half day park"
You gotta be kidding me!
We spend 4-5 full days there each trip and we still haven't seen it all.

 

[Lilbunnyk]

Not many rides for kids.

 

[GeneralTso]

Dinoland. We never go near it after seeing it once.

And I swear, it's hotter at AK. It just is.

 

[BrianL]

So much hate for Dinoland. I'll stick up for it as I appreciate what's going on there. It could use a little "plussing" but I still like it.

 

[mckennarose]

Dinoland, with the exception of Dinosaur. It reminds me of a county fair.

 

[TheRealTeal]

I am a little upset that the easy going ambience will soon be replaced by the mad dash to SWworld, but that's it

? Star Wars shouldn't have any impact on Animal Kingdom at all. It's in a different park.

 

[Shughart]

The heat/humidity/lack of available shade/breeze.

I don't like AK though, and so far we don't have a park day planned for if for our 2019 December trip. We have access to zoos when we want to go to them.

 

[ChrisFL]

Until Pandora opened, I really didn't like spending time in this park. I have GREAT respect for Joe Rohde and what he's done, however sometimes I feel like he took too many familiar elements of a theme park out (even level, wide walkways, easy navigation, etc.) for the more authentic experience.

When it first opened, I compared it often to Busch Gardens Tampa, which admittedly since I've been visiting for 30+ years at that point, I had a soft spot for. Yes, Busch Gardens wasn't as highly themed, but I felt the animal exhibits were more accessible and there were more activities to do. Both have navigation issues and are large parks though.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Another poster touched on my #1, it's the entrance. Seems more congested than other parks, and once your inside you can go to the left of the trees to see more trees, or to the right of some trees to see more trees. Traffic flow could be better with a direct path to/from dinoland.

The lack of an exciting night show-although I've seen an update is coming.

Maybe another ride or 2 as opposed to "attractions".

The bird show is abysmal.

A walking path from AKL to the park.

That's it-not much to complain about. It's our favorite overall park.

 

[chicagoshannon]

The missing story line on the Safari including the effects on the rickety bridge.

The discontinued boat ride on the river.

Also the UP bird show is pretty bad.

 

[Twitterpaited]

The off-the-rack section of Dinoland. I like Dinosaur! and The Dig, but not the Hester and Chester part - it is such a let down.

The pathways are quite narrow and make it feel much more crowded.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

It is always so hot there. We always think that the vegetation will offer some coolness compared to world showcase, but it always feels hotter.