Animal Kingdom: do you love or hate it and what would you do to improve it

[bruin1344]

I posted this before, here and elsewhere, I think I need to post it again:

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 there really is no sense dwelling on it.... Would a new land help out?? Well, it cannot hurt... The Australian 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...

Well said although I still like MK and Epcot better. I think a couple of dark rides may help.

[Terra]

day at the park (but really, who spends an ENTIRE day at any of the parks!)

Say what???

**Raises hand** EPCOT, I could be there from open to close! Same with MK, especially with my sons!! Now Disney Studios, is another story. I don't care for much of it

[darthmacho]

Good questions!

Do you like or dislike going to AK ? LOVE IT!

Do you feel that the park is a 'zoo' ? No, but I like zoos, so if I did think that, I'd still love AK.

Is it worth the money to go there ? Absolutely. I spent TWO days there last trip.

What would you do to improve this park? I think I'd add more live animal attractions, perhaps Australia, which would include emus, kangaroos, crocodiles, and of course, Koalas.

[snowflakegirl]

DH and I *love* AK. We easily can be there open to close and could probably spend another day there as well. This last trip we took a behind the scenes tour first thing in the morning (started just a little before opening), stayed at the park til 5:00, and then were back bright and early the next morning to a pre park opening breakfast and stayed til 1:00. While there are certainly zoo aspects to AK, I've always thought it's more than just a zoo. Although I enjoy zoos, so I'd still like AK even if it was. I have always thought of it as a true theme park because of it's incredible detail and theming. I definitely think it's worth the money to visit. To improve the park I would add another land (although I am not loving the idea of an Avatar theme). Perhaps Australia with it's multitude of environments and animals or South America.

[larjani]

Love / Hate are strong opinions. We just skip it. We prefer to do Epcot twice.

[quack arf squeak]

Some people spend two days at AK? I just don't get it.

[snowflakegirl]

*(but really, who spends an ENTIRE day at any of the parks!)

**Raises hand** EPCOT, I could be there from open to close! Same with MK, especially with my sons!! Now Disney Studios, is another story. I don't care for much of it

Me, too. In fact I can usually do two full days at Epcot and at least one full day at MK. I do an open to close at AK each trip, too. DHS has become a half day park for me. I usually end that day at Epcot.

[gueli]

Some people spend two days at AK? I just don't get it.

That is the beauty of this...you do not have to get it.

Simply put, there apparently are a number of people who enjoy AK. I love seeing all the reasons why.

For those who do not like it, it is apparent that they choose to spend their time elsewhere or only spend a short visit to this park.

No matter what though, as long as you & yours are happy with how you spend your time at WDW...ITS ALL GOOD

Thanks again to all who have commented.

I like the idea of Australian animals more so then those from south America...


We each march to our own beat...

[MouseHouser]

Love it. We always start out with Festival of the Lion King, which picks up everyone's spirits. Soon to follow is Kilamanjaro Safari.

I do miss the tumblers in Harambe, but that outdoor bar is still always a fun location to sip a beer. In general, we find the setting of the park enchanting and would hate to ever miss it on a given trip.

[tjstrike]

We're not in the "love it" camp but we don't skip it. I also agree that if it weren't for places like AK, there are species that would be extinct that are now thriving today.

[NJGIRL]

I love the park and all the details. I have no problem spending a full day in there and I don't ride Everest or visit Dino Land.

Sadly, I have to see during Icot meets now as my husband is in the "does not like animals in captivity" camp.

I'm with your husband on this Patricia. I have struggled with this ever since the park opened.

I do enjoy the park and love the animals, but in my mind it is part zoo and part theme park.

I don't think that the animals are mistreated but behind the scenes they operate like any other zoo and that is what bothers me. Without getting into a debate on zoos...when animals are no longer useful zoos get rid of them and that's where a lot of the problem lies.

And we do spend the whole day there.

[darthmacho]

Some people spend two days at AK? I just don't get it.

Well, we DID have the luxury of a 14 day trip, so we spent multiple days at ALL the parks, including TWO at Animal Kingdom. Want to know how?

On our first day at AK, we did Asia in the morning and Dinoland in the afternoon, after a lunch at Yak & Yeti. My kids love Kali and Everest, and I love Maharajah, and Dinosaur, so we did each multiple times until we were satisfied.

On our second day, we had breakfast at Tusker House, and then spent all morning in Africa and Discovery Island.We took our time and really savored the attractions. After riding Dinosaur again, and turkey legs for lunch, we rode Everest a few more times for the kids. We left mid-afternoon to explore the AKL and have dinner at Boma.

If money was no object, I'd do this every trip!

[MOJoe]

Animal Kingdom. Hmmmmm. I don't hate it. But i find it hard to love it.
It is such a different type of park from the other 3. It is very zoo like. But you can't classify it as just a zoo. It has some fantastic attractions. As was said earlier, the live entertainment is the best of any park. And our disney trips would not be complete without a visit to Everest, Tough to be a Bug, Flame Tree BBQ and the Safari at a minimum. I really enjoy these attractions and others, but i still find it hard to love AK. Why?

DisneyFreak may have shed some light on this. AK feels different because it is different. This park practically demands that i slow down. From the moment i enter AK, the park is trying to tell me to relax. But normally i refuse to listen, and race off to get fastpasses like i would at MK or HS. When i do this, I feel i am missing the point. And so, rarely do i enjoy AK as much as i could or should.

It's hard to change my behavior. My family likes to hit our favorites and parkhop to some other place. So our touring style doesn't lend itself well to the needs of the Animal Kingdom. Maybe sometime soon i can get my family to slow down and enjoy all this park has to offer.