Worth going to Animal Kingdom with a toddler?

[moose81]

We have a trip in 2 weeks and it will be my 2 year old's first visit to Disney. I loved AK pre-kid but I'm wondering if it's worth it with a toddler. I am also pregnant so I'm not planning on going on Kilimanjaro safari (which is one of the only rides my daughter could go on).

We will be there for 5 full days so we definitely have time to do it but I am torn. Thoughts?

 

[ktlm]

It depends on the toddler. We have a really good zoo at home, and DD enjoyed our zoo, so I figured she would love AK. When we took DD to AK on her first WDW trip at age 2, she hated it. After about an hour all she did was beg to go to MK or EPCOT. Her position basically boiled down to: we can go to the zoo at home, so why on earth would I want to be here looking at the same animals when I could be at another park where there are princesses and rides. She wanted Princesses, not animals. DD is 10 now, and AK is still by far her least favorite park. I like AK a lot more than she does. If you don't have a decent zoo at home and your 2 year old likes animals, the 2 year old may love AK.

 

[Sevey13]

Whether it is worth it is totally up to you.

 

[dlavender]

Not much to do for a 2 year old.

I'd rather spend an extra day at MK. That allows you to take it a little slower.

 

[pa. dad]

The Kilimjaro Ride is not that rough or bumpy. There is a bridge that is a little bumpy but it's not that bad. I would understand the reluctance to do Everest or Primeval whirl or kali river rapids or dinosaur but I would consider the KIL safari ride as it is not that bad.
I would think your toddler would like the Lion King and nemo shows and probably the flights of wonder show too. The train ride to the Conservation station and the petting zoo might also be nice.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

There is always the boneyard with the slides and the digging, tricerotops spin, all the shows, and the safari, feeding the goats. My boys when they were that age loved AK. I will be pregnant this trip about 24 weeks and fully plan on going on the safari.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

Last summer when DS was 2 (almost 3), he was a little unimpressed by AK. We did the safari and it was the only ride he was genuinely bored on. He really enjoyed the Nemo musical and it may be worth it to go just to see that and maybe Festival of the Lion King. We also had a couple of fun character experiences at AK including Baloo/King Louis and Russel/Dug. Honestly, we only go about every 3-4 years so I have a hard time skipping any park, but I will say that DS was not particularly thrilled with AK and would have rather been at MK or EPCOT or maybe even HS because of Frozen Summer Fun last summer.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Not unless you want to go. Not much for a two year old there. You can see animals at a local zoo. Especially if the Safari is out. I would do an extra day at MK

 

[pa. dad]

There is always the boneyard with the slides and the digging, tricerotops spin, all the shows, and the safari, feeding the goats. My boys when they were that age loved AK. I will be pregnant this trip about 24 weeks and fully plan on going on the safari.

Let me add this- There is a little bump when you go over the bridge on the safari. For anyone who is pregnant , I would mention that to the safari driver and ask them if they could take that bump a little easy for you. Some drivers seem to like taking it a little harder than others.
There are several rides in the park that are much rougher that pregnant women should avoid.

 

[JimmyV]

You can see animals at a local zoo.

Why do folks assume this to be true? As far as I can tell, the OP did not reveal that she had a zoo near her. I know that we don't have anything near us that even comes close to approximating what we see on the Safari ride or the two walking trails.

When my daughter was 2, she loved the Pangani Forest Trail and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We spent a very long time observing gorillas, tigers, bats and meerkats. That experience alone made the day worth it. And no, there is no "local zoo" anywhere near me that has gorillas, tigers and meerkats. (We do have bats in our yard that she loves, but not the like the giant ones at AK!)

 

[pcoleman]

AK was my daughter's favorite when she was 2. She loved all the animals. At the bridge where you can get close up to several animals. She loved the tree and all the carvings. To this day it remains her favorite. No we didn't do many rides but it wasn't about that for us. It was about making magical memories in a magical place.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

Let me add this- There is a little bump when you go over the bridge on the safari. For anyone who is pregnant , I would mention that to the safari driver and ask them if they could take that bump a little easy for you. Some drivers seem to like taking it a little harder than others.
There are several rides in the park that are much rougher that pregnant women should avoid.

I've been there pregnant twice before already and we usually get instructed to sit in the front as it is less bumpy that in the back.

 

[Misha72683]

My 2.5 YO loved AK. He loved the animals, the Lion King show and the playground.

 

[kdka421]

My 2 cents...
I could almost have written your post! We will be there in 2 weeks for my 18 month daughter's first trip, and I'm pregnant as well (I'll be 20 weeks when we are there). I think Animal Kingdom will be one of the highlights of my daughter's trip, she loves everything about animals and birds. I think she will especially love: the safari, the different trails (gorillas, tigers, etc), Flights of Wonder show, the Lion King show, the "affection station" (petting zoo area)... As many of the previous posters have said, I am also planning on riding the safari with my my family, but of course it's your call whether you feel comfortable with that yourself.

 

[kwdw]

We have a trip in 2 weeks and it will be my 2 year old's first visit to Disney. I loved AK pre-kid but I'm wondering if it's worth it with a toddler. I am also pregnant so I'm not planning on going on Kilimanjaro safari (which is one of the only rides my daughter could go on).

We will be there for 5 full days so we definitely have time to do it but I am torn. Thoughts?

If you have park hoppers or need a shorter day one day - I would definitely go. Non-exhausted two year olds seem to like Festival of the Lion King, the train ride and petting zoo, boneyard, etc - and it's a good park for character interactions. And MOST 2 year olds are entertained by looking at animals for limited amount of time. My niece had a really good day at AK at 17 months. It was a shorter day for us - we started early, came back to the resort around 4 for a break (napping did not happen) - and then we went out to dinner - after dinner involved a monorail ride - which since we were riding the bus to park - the monorail was definitely cool and different for her. We picked that day to head to DTD (DS) after dinner - while she slept soundly in the stroller.

That said - you can easily spend three days in MK with a 2 year old - so you really just need to pick what YOU want. She's never going to know if you skip a park - for a first-timer two year - that's beyond her comprehension.

 

[mindeola]

We first took my niece at age 2 and she loved it!

 

[moose81]

Love hearing the different opinions! Thanks all for the info about the Safaris. I just saw the warning on the Disney site that said "Expectant mothers should not ride". It's been years since the last time I rode it and I forgot what it was like. Good to know that it is really not so bad.

Sounds weird but I'm not really sure if my toddler is into animals much these days. We prefer not to visit the zoo near us (it is sort of sad). She definitely loves princesses and Minnie so a third day at MK is a "safe" choice. We may just play it by ear. Thanks for your responses!

 

[Mickeycrocs]

We went with my son when he was 18 months he loved seeing all the animal's and was in awe at the lion king show, he went on the jungle safari too and loved it.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

If you skip it, you won't be missing much. We basically go for the Nemo musical and triceratop spin, feels like more trouble le than its worth sometimes

 

[JimmyV]

We prefer not to visit the zoo near us (it is sort of sad).

Fortunately, the habitats at Animal Kingdom are anything but. Here is a photo of part of the tiger habitat. (There is a tiger way in the back of the photo). But often the tigers get much closer to the viewing area, as seen in the second photo which is a closeup of the front/right part of the first.