Animal Kingdom

[azcavalier]

Agreed with all of the posters on this thread. I feel like i've been defending AK on Intercot for years...

If all you're interested in is big rides, then, yeah, you could get bored quick. Though EE and Kilimanjaro Safaris are two of the best attractions in all of WDW.

We love Finding Nemo: The Musical and the Flights of Wonder show as well. It's Tough To Be A Bug is great, and I love the queue for it...the Tree of Life is fantastic.

The thing about AK that I love, like others have said, is the detail. If you've never been to a Third World country, you may not even realize it...but Harambe is so well done that the first time I walked through it, it was the closest i'd felt to what it was like being in Guatemala since I left there in 1994 (minus the garbage).

There just so much to see, if you slow down and look around. Take the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Wander the trails. Stop to think about what it took to create this park....they basically had to *grow* the park from nothing. And the planning that went into what they had to grow and where to keep the animals happy and healthy. It's truly an amazing park.

[Princess'Mom]

I totally agree. I think folks that find this, or any of the Parks boring aren't truly taking the time to "see" them.

But, hey, please avoid AK if it's boring . . . .I really am okay with that!!

Ditto! More room for the AK lovers! DD & I spent a lot of time at AK last trip. We LOVE it! The little details make it so special. I've spent some time in the Orient, the details are AK eerily good!

[Mrs Bus Driver]

I am not sure if I like or dislike this park. Unfortunately I have never gone with anyone willing to explore the park with me. On our next trip I plan to go alone to Ak. I would really like to walk the trails. However could due without the carnie games, they did the same thing at DCA. Didn't go over there either. I understand if you are just going for the rides it isn't worth it. It seems to be a place to take your time and explore. Anyway I'll bring my camera and explore.

[azcavalier]

I am not sure if I like or dislike this park. Unfortunately I have never gone with anyone willing to explore the park with me. On our next trip I plan to go alone to Ak. I would really like to walk the trails. However could due without the carnie games, they did the same thing at DCA. Didn't go over there either.

You know, we actually really like Dino-Rama. It's got a great playground for our little kids, and the Primeval Hurl (that's what we call it) is a good time. I like the feel of the roadside carnival. We like to play the games with the kids, as someone always wins. We usually spend a fair bit of time there, especially with the smaller kids as we're waiting for the older members of our group to get off of Dinosaur or EE.

[#1donaldfan]

Agreed with all of the posters on this thread. I feel like i've been defending AK on Intercot for years...

If all you're interested in is big rides, then, yeah, you could get bored quick. Though EE and Kilimanjaro Safaris are two of the best attractions in all of WDW.

We love Finding Nemo: The Musical and the Flights of Wonder show as well. It's Tough To Be A Bug is great, and I love the queue for it...the Tree of Life is fantastic.

The thing about AK that I love, like others have said, is the detail. If you've never been to a Third World country, you may not even realize it...but Harambe is so well done that the first time I walked through it, it was the closest i'd felt to what it was like being in Guatemala since I left there in 1994 (minus the garbage).

There just so much to see, if you slow down and look around. Take the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Wander the trails. Stop to think about what it took to create this park....they basically had to *grow* the park from nothing. And the planning that went into what they had to grow and where to keep the animals happy and healthy. It's truly an amazing park.

....EXACTLY why I love it !! The Tusker House area reminds me of the main gate at Clark Air Base in the Phillippines, at least until Mt. Pinatubo erupted and destroyed a lot of it !! I was there !! fun times....anyway, AK has so much to offer, hot or not, rainy or dry....

[Dulcee]

I could spend half a day just walking the Tiger and Gorilla trails. The last time we were there I got caught up in an hour long conversation with one of the bat keepers. And I've been known to get in line for Bug's life just to get up close and explore the carvings on the tree of life. So no, I don't find the park boring.

AK seems to appeal to those who enjoy slowing down and getting away from some of the traditional bustle of a theme park.

[Arielfan98]

Yes, you're not the only one. In fact, the only reason I go is because I only go there once on every Disney trip to experience Expedition Everest a few times. Then I'll walk around the rest of the park to see some of the animals and go on KS. I do enjoy the fruit stand outside of KS, which I don't see often in any of the parks. Yak and Yeti was an all right restaurant, the rice was delicious, but I would of have rather have eaten at another park. AK is what it is. If you love animals, great, but if you're not into it you'll find AK just ok. I would, however, recommend going there once every Disney trip because it is a Disney park and it's only half a day.

[ThanxForNoticin]

AK is our favorite park. We find it relaxing, never the same twice, and we'll often be there for more than a day. And even though we love EE, we're far less worried about the traditional rides at the park than we are the overall theming and reason for the park. We are also fans of Tusker House and especially Y&Y.

That being said, I will tell you that we do not tend to go to Disney in the hottest months. I'm not sure I'd find AK as relaxing if it was 100 degrees out there!

[Stu29573]

I used to be pretty bleh about it until this past trip. Two things made a difference. First, our trip to WDW was a little longer than normal, so I didnt feel stressed out because my time at AK was taking time from a "better" park. Second, the extra time ( we actually had two days scheduled for AK) , allowed me to slow down and look at things through my wife's eyes ( shes the biggest animal lover ever) and all I can say is, "Wow! This is a pretty cool park!" The bottom line is that you have to slow down, not be stressed about running around and getting it all done, relax and enjoy. Its still not my favorite park, but it went from fourth to third...

[texas211]

Does anyone else find Animal Kingdom slightly boring? I enjoy the main attractions but I just feel as though after an hour or two I get bored.

I am open to suggestions of other rides/shows/ or attractions to try!

I couldnt agree more. Its a death march through the jungle ever time i go there. Give me another day of star tours or epcot. I get enough jungleon the jungle cruise or tiki room.

[Zawadi]

I could spend half a day just walking the Tiger and Gorilla trails.
...
So no, I don't find the park boring.

AK seems to appeal to those who enjoy slowing down and getting away from some of the traditional bustle of a theme park.

If you're an adrenalin junkie then you'll probably find DAK boring. We like thrill rides but find DAK a real lovely place to slow down and appreciate the detail that the ground keepers, animal welfare and imagineers have gone to.

Our only criticism is the blot on the landscape of the travelling fareground in Dinoland

[readytogo2]

I couldnt agree more. Its a death march through the jungle ever time i go there. Give me another day of star tours or epcot. I get enough jungleon the jungle cruise or tiki room.

i totally agree DW and i struggle to make this park for a half day

[missastrocat]

Those that have spoken up for AK have made me definitely looking forward to it on our upcoming trip. I liked the park okay, don't get me wrong. However, when I asked my DH where he wanted to go on our first full day and he said AK, I balked at him. How could he NOT choose MK or EPCOT (I blamed it on the fact he's never been)? We ended up compromising and are doing the morning/afternoon at AK and the evening at MK.
We are also spending another whole day there as well.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to let us non-AKers know what we were missing.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I posted on another site why DAK is Disney's best theme park... I'll find it and post it here too...

As promised:

Animal Kingdon is fastly becoming my favorite theme park in Walt Disney World... While I enjoy all the parks, there is something about Animal Kingdom that grips me... What exactly is it about Animal Kingdom that I love so much??? I am not sure... Maybe it is the theme... Maybe it is the story... Maybe it is the scenary... Maybe it is the attention to detail the Imagineers put in designing the park... Maybe, it is the fact that it is a different kind of theme park that I like so much...

When Animal Kingdom first opened, I admit, I hated it... I felt the park was too big, too spaced out... Too much walking had to be done, which tired you out too fast, especially in the hot Florida summer sun... There were not enough ride, not emough to do.. Animal Kingdom was, in the begnning, nothing but a half day park, and really, a waste of a day... In my opinion...

But now, I can spend the entire day in Animal Kingdom... I can spend half the morning just walking around taking in the scenary, exploring Discovery trails... I can spend a lot of time in the queues, checking out the artifacts, and piecing together the story the Imagineers are trying to tell with the attraction... When I walk through Africa, I feel like I am atually transported to a real African village, waiting to take a real life African safari... Exiting Africa and entering Asia, I am transported to the Asian continent; where I can explore the Asian forests and jungles, see the animals in person that call Asia their home, and where I can climb to the top of Mount Everest and encounter the mythical yeti... I can travel over a billion years back in time and visit the age of the dinosaurs, and become sidetracked by a hokey road side carnival that is grossly out place and extremely tack, yet very fun at the same time... And then finally, over to a desert oasis, where we find out how tough it is to be a bug, and where the Tree of Life inspires us to respect and appreciate all forms life, whether human or animal or otherwise...

Sure, Animal Kingdom is not a complete theme park, not by any Disney theme park standard... But, what the park lacks in rides it makes up for in theme, in detail.. There are plenty of hidden trails for you to explore... There is plenty to see and more to do than one might think... Would Beastly Kingdomme have solved this issue??? Don't know, and we never will, so ther really is no sense dwelling on it.... Would a new land help out?? Well, it cannot hurt... The Austrialian Outback or even Mysterious Island complete with Tokyo DisneySea's Journey to the Center of the Earth attraction will do wonders for Animal Kingdom... But, again, no sense dwelling on something that is not here... Let's just appreciate what we do have, and enjoy Animal Kingdom for what it is... A theme park wonder and an Imagineering triumph...

[DisneyDawgette]

If you would have asked me two months ago, I would have told you that I don't like AK at all. Aside from EE, I could go a whole trip without even going!

However, we just went to Disney with our children's ministry and took the kids to MK and AK. And we had such a GREAT time at AK! The park was not terribly crowded despite it being June (except for at the FastPass machines...), the CMs were painfully nice- even for Disney employees, we rode everything multiple times, the park was super clean, FotLK was a major hit with our large group of kids and I loved that the show was so interactive, and the park even stayed open for an extra 30 minutes and we got to ride EE 4 times in a row! It was just a great experience, and even though it may still be the least developed park at Disney, I won't ever be able to separate my feelings from that trip from AK! Call me crazy, but I don't think I could honestly pick a least favorite park after my last trip!

[Fastpasssteve]

I do love Animal Kingdom, but not for it's attractions, per se. I love the attention to detail when designing each 'region.' I appreciate how the lighting and benches and trash cans are different in each different land. I also love gardening, so this is a wonderful place for me to visit.

It is difficult for some to get into the mindset to appreciate this park when the expectation set up for a visit to WDW can be so different: rides, rides, rides, funnel cake, rides...

I don't blame you.

[Snow's Mom]

Hot or not, I love AK. After a few days of animatronics, it's nice to see some real stuff! And it's just so pretty. We saw the parade for the first time last time, and we love taking pictures of DeVine.

Of course, whichever park is least crowded is my new favorite park...

[riley1129]

I will give all these suggestions a try once I go in may!

[Imalismom]

I really do not like AK and have successfully avoided that park for the last 5 years - now DH is insisting that we go to that park on the 8th August.... So... I am going, with a big smile on my face, but not in my heart....

[MouseHouser]

For me, while nothing tops Main Street USA and the castle, we still make it to AK every trip. And we always start with Festival fo the Lion King. If that doesn't get you smiling,...well, then read no further.

Kilimanjaro Safari, EE, Bug's Life -- even Tree of Life -- all good fun imo. Enjoying a beer and frecnch fries outside at Dawa Bar in Harambe and watching the East African Drummers and The Tumblers -- great atmosphere!

For us the vibe is different, and fairly authentic from what I understand. It rounds out the Disney experience.