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

[gueli]

So in a different thread there was quite a bit of discussion on Animal Kingdom. It was pointed out that there are 'only 7 rides/attractions' , and that some felt for a theme park this was not worth spending a day on.

So I have some questions for you guys.

Do you like or dislike going to AK ?
Do you feel that the park is a 'zoo' ?
Is it worth the money to go there ?
What would you do to improve this park?

Now for me, I consider AK to be more of an animal preserve, done Disney style.
I like the place. For my family I enjoy going there.
As far as improvements - I would like to see some more rides, or an expansion.

So what do you think ?

[1DisneyNut]

I don't like it. In fact we have skipped it the last four years.

It does sort of feel like a glorified zoo. It often also smells like one which we don't like.

To improve it, I don't know. I really don't care if they do or not, I can live without it even being there.

[TheVBs]

We love it. We're usually there for two full days during each trip and never fit in everything we'd like to do. Now, I have to qualify that by saying that we are NOT early risers. Combine that with the fact that the park closes early and we're certainly not getting in as full a day there as we could. We also really slow down there, which is another factor. But, slowing down is one of the reasons it appeals to us. AK actually has 20 attractions (not just rides) and 17 shows, entertainment groups and meet & greets. But we don't rush around there, we take our time and soak in the atmosphere. Never thought of it as "just a zoo", there's way too much more to it that we personally take advantage of and enjoy.

[Pirate Granny]

It's my favorite park...and when and IF they do the expansion it'll be even better. I've never been there when it smelled, except if you take the train to the back area.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We love it but it is only a half day park to us. We like that because it frees up time to do other non park activities we want to do. I don't feel its a zoo, like others said more of an animal preserve with some attractions. I understand they are building a new Avatar section which should bring some new activities to the park. Not sure what else I would add, I like this park better than DHS that's for sure

[Melanie]

Natazu!

We enjoy AK. There are some real hidden gems there.

[faline]

We enjoy time spent at Animal Kingdom. There are facets of the space which are very much like a zoo - even if it is billed as NOT but there are other facets that are more akin to an amusement park such as Expedition:Everest and Dinosaur. The shows here, in my opinion, are the best on Disney property.

Sometimes we spend more time; sometimes less time in this park. Often, it depends upon the weather. We are inclined to spend less time during hot, humid days and more time when the weather is cooler.

[GMRO]

Natazu!

Funny, I remember that campaign...

I remember, still do, when we get to our resort I can't wait to put the Disney Must Do Infomercial channel on and just listen to it as we unpack and set up our room. Stacy or who ever is the spokes person for that show... I literally drive the wife crazy watching that channel like 100% of the time we are in the room. Just trying to not MISS anything!!!

NATAZU still sticks out in my mind as one of the most played ones.

DW and I really don't have much use for AK. Most of the time IF we go it's for a few hours to hit Dinosaur/Everest and maybe some food at the place on the left as you come over the bridge and see the TOL. That park for us just don't do it. I know kids love animals...but we just see it as blaaaa. We don't even ride the Safari these days. Early on we did maybe spend a 1/2 day there and we have done most...the water falls ride, the walks/tours etc and bugs life. And last visit we did take the train over to what we consider the lost area and saw the animal hospital and that was neat. Still not enough to draw us back on a regular basis or for multiple visits during our vacation.

Now if Avatar ever gets done-we may like AK more. For now it's not even a 1/2 day of enjoyment. I do like Everest but DW usually gets a headache from the backwards portion so we plan around that IF it happens.

It’s an early in the day park for us and that is about every 2 years worth of visits. May2014 would be 3 years - IF we don't go back to it.

Not sure what they can do to get my demographic - "DINK" to visit that park more.

We liked MK the most. But now-a-days EPCOT is the park we really like with DHS 3rd and AK just there for a taste at times. EPCOT - it's not even due to the adult beverages. I think the PACE you can set has a lot to do with it for us. AND not many crying kids and maybe a few less strollers too!!!

Good question!

[Mickey'sGirl]

None of us are fans. We don't like seeing animals in captivity (even in well loved Disney awesome preserve type captivity), and we aren't keen on "Shows". We do go about once every 2 or 3 years for our "It's Tough to be a Bug" fix. It's still one of my favourite anythings at Disney!

I think in terms of improvements, they need to add more amusement to the park. (Not for us, because our visit habits will not likely change), but to attract people who go to Theme parks looking for Amusement park type attractions.

[k10]

AK. Love it. Not excited for the Avatar expansion that is to come.

Me and my family actually love how fast you can get through this park. We love that it doesn't take a full day. So w/ the use of our Park Hoppers, we can go somewhere else at night.

I love the rides they do have. Dinosaur is my most favorite ride ever. I hope they never change it.

And the fact that it's such a short park, it's usually the park we hit again on our last day, to breeze through the good rides again before we have to head to the airport.

Lovin' AK for what it is.

[LVT]

A few cooling stations would be nice.
More benches to gaze from.
I love this park, the new showplace for Lion King will be nice.

[EJS-Houston]

I fall firmly in the "Love it" camp. It's easily the most scenically beautiful of the parks in my estimation, the rides ("Dinosaur," "Everest," Kali RR") are must-dos...Kilamanjaro Safari is also a must-do, and I love the Asian and African jungle trails. I wish it weren't necessary to keep animals in captivity like another poster here, but were it not for zoos, a lot of amazing animal species would be extinct. Places like Animal Kingdom and our country's first-rate zoos take great, loving care that the animals in their care lead happy lives in spacious, well-appointed environments, full of stimulation and activity and intra-species contact. I'm grateful for places like Animal Kingdom for what it does for its charges, and the opportunities it affords folks like me to encounter species I'll never see in the wild.

Not sure what I'd do to improve it. The pathways are awfully narrow and seem crowded no matter when you're there. But I can't imagine how you'd widen them without tearing everything up.

And I do wish they'd just go ahead and fix the damned Yeti already. I mean, c'mon. Enough is enough.

[Dulcee]

Do you like or dislike going to AK ?
We LOVE going to AK. Its one of my favorites and we usually spend 2 full days.

Do you feel that the park is a 'zoo' ?
While the park has aspects of a zoo it is so much more then just a zoo. Having worked in zoos and aquariums the park here is so well maintained. The habitats are some of the most advanced in the country. They also have well supported and established breeding programs of critically endangered groups. They are slowly becoming a serious player in the AZA world.

Is it worth the money to go there ?
Absolutely. T

What would you do to improve this park?
Any park could use growth and new attractions. I think Avatar with is message of conservation could be interesting. I'm withholding judgement until its really live.

[SBETigg]

I love it, my family loves it. It's still a relatively new park by Disney standards and we just find more and more to come back for every time. It's a park you can just hang out in and soak up the atmosphere without rushing from attraction to attraction.

We don't think in terms of "it's only a half day park" because we park hop and only spend half a day in each park per day, then repeat parks on other days. AK has gone from a park we would only visit once per stay to a park we'll go back to two or three times during our vacation.

Yes, I would love to see some expansion, but expansion in keeping with what we have now, more animal habitats, more spectacularly themes areas, more rides. I think the Avatar expansion isn't what's needed here. But add an Australia and put in some Aussie animals, or something along those lines.

[Patricia]

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.

[Dulcee]

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

I don't think I'll ever understand this camp... I mean I obviously don't support back yard zoos or the average person keeping a chimp. But animals bred in captivity are what allow us to understand what wild born populations need, they allow us to understand the physiology of the species, they teach kids and adults why its important to conserve animals and habitats and they allow for captive born and reintroduced endangered species.

There are several wild populations of previously wild-extinct species that are only in the wild now because of the work done by dedicated zoos and aquariums.

The real institutions do so much good.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I love it, my family loves it. It's still a relatively new park by Disney standards and we just find more and more to come back for every time. It's a park you can just hang out in and soak up the atmosphere without rushing from attraction to attraction.

We don't think in terms of "it's only a half day park" because we park hop and only spend half a day in each park per day, then repeat parks on other days. AK has gone from a park we would only visit once per stay to a park we'll go back to two or three times during our vacation.

Yes, I would love to see some expansion, but expansion in keeping with what we have now, more animal habitats, more spectacularly themes areas, more rides. I think the Avatar expansion isn't what's needed here. But add an Australia and put in some Aussie animals, or something along those lines.

Aussie theme would be great

[Aurora]

I always liked AK but as our trips have gotten shorter, it sometimes gets bumped off the list. I'm making sure we do it first on our next trip.

[IloveJack]

I used to think of AK as a half-day park, or if we only had 3 days, it got left out. But after giving it an actual try, we love it. We choose it over DHS, if the choice has to be made. I don't think of it as a zoo; there's way too many non-live-animal things to do. WDW tries hard to make sure that when you're in a park, you forget the real world, and I think this park does the best (except in CMM).

[LauraF]

We love AK and wouldn't miss it. Ever.
It's a different experience from the other parks, and that is why we appreciate it.

The only thing I would improve is the traffic pattern/crowd paths. As compared to other parks, there are less options to get around, so it always feels crowded. It also seems the paths are narrower, but that may be an optical illusion on my part with all the vegetation.

I like the spoke and hub design of both Epcot and MK, which allows us to navigate crowds, tour groups, parades, etc. I realize this may not be possible with the topography of the current park, but it's the one complaint my family always makes.