Animal Kingdom needs love

[iceternal]

We should talk more about animal kingdom ...

People seem to complain all the time about Hollywood studios and Epcot but I think Animal Kingdom is the worst offender in WDW.

Seriously I don't know what's going on but the park is a shameful husk right now .

If it wasn't for the animal expositions I couldn't stay in the park for more than a morning right now . Once you've done Kali and Everest , your day is basically over. First timers can push it to the late afternoon but not much more.

Animal is the biggest disappointment of my trip. No rivers of light , no Dinosaur , half working shows...

I did It's tough to be a bug today ... And half the effects were not working where my family and I were sitting. No water effect , no sting in the back , no cockroaches under our seats , and the villain was cross eyed ( don't remember his name).

Pandora is not going to be enough to make it a full park. It will definitely help. But as long as Dinoland remains this shameful area ...

I don't get how you can mess up dinosaurs so much . So many possibilities ... In such a beautifully themed park and that is the best they could do ?

The Fun fair zone needs to be destroyed ASAP.


So many people seem focused on Epcot right now ... When it still has a bunch of good rides. And as long as it has the world showcase , it will remain amazing.

 

[Amanda Hall]

Wow - so much Animal Kingdom hate. We LOVE it. I mean, it's gorgeous. The amount of detail everywhere is just stunning to me. I consider it more of a soak in the atmosphere park. A place to explore. I adore all of the dancing and mini street shows. Lion King is great! The animal trails are gorgeous, again with the detailed setting. Some unique food options, Mickey and Minnie together and those adorable outfits, flights of wonder and so on. I even appreciate the kitsch of DinoLand, although not the fair games. We are going at the beginning of December and are hoping ROL will be ready. We are also excited too see the night time Carnivale and Tree of Life awakening. Once Pandora is done I am not sure how we will fit it all in in 1 day ! I think they are indeed giving it some love. It's just taking time. Too much time I agree. Even so though I think there is much to be enjoyed. I guess it would be disappointing from a rides perspective.

 

[lustergirl]

TOTALLY DISAGREE. Animal Kingdom is my second favorite park. I can easily spend a whole day there. They have the best show on property: Lion King.

 

[yulilin3]

It sounds like you don't like shows too much. To me AK has the best show on property, FOTLK, Finding Nemo is pretty good too. The safari is always fun and you can learn a lo about other cultures just by watching the street performers or taking time to talk to the representatives from different countries

 

[NuJoy]

Animal Kingdom needs love
((( I love you Animal Kingdom))) Hope that helps.

 

[iceternal]

It sounds like you don't like shows too much. To me AK has the best show on property, FOTLK, Finding Nemo is pretty good too. The safari is always fun and you can learn a lo about other cultures just by watching the street performers or taking time to talk to the representatives from different countries

No I like shows once in a while but they're not really repeatable though .

And the park lacks maintenance .

 

[yulilin3]

No I like shows once in a while but they're not really repeatable though .

And the park lacks maintenance .

yeah, it's a matter of preference. I love FoTLK and watch every time I go to AK, and I go quiet a lot. As for maintenance that could be argued for all the parks, you just happen to go to ITTBAB on an off day

 

[Satchmo128]

We see FotLK and Finding Nemo every trip. And we discovered Flights of Wonder a few years ago, so that is usually on our itinerary as well. Expedition Everest is my favorite ride in all of WDW, so I could easily spend a chunk of time there (or come back to it multiple times during the day). So many walking trails and a relaxed pace!! And KS is fun and every ride is different. AK is my favorite park.

We have never been a fan of the Dinosaur attraction or that carnival-themed area, so hearing that it is closed for refurb doesn't bother me too much. ITTBAB is icky, that was a one and done.

 

[AquaDame]

We love AK and never see the shows or do ITTBAB. Rarely go to conservation station. I am fond of zoos so there is that... we spend a good chunk of time doing the trails and do Safari 2x, Everest a few too.

 

[snowybelle]

I love (!!!) Animal Kingdom! My second favorite park as well. Absolutely beautiful. Love the details, love the Tree of Life. Finding Nemo and FOTLK are both excellent! Everest is my favorite coaster EVER. It's too bad that Rivers of Light has had so many obstacles, and that Dinosaur has been closed for so long, but I do think this park that is already beautiful is on the cusp of becoming absolutely incredible.

P.S. Also had dinner at Tiffins a few weeks ago. AWESOME.

 

[NuJoy]

When I first started going to Disney, AK was my least favorite park as well. However, I think it's one of those things that you discover has more layers to peel back the more you explore it. It really has a lot to hold my interest now and I'm excited about the additions being added at this time and those to come. The new Nomad Lounge offers a beautiful oasis in the middle of the day to relax a bit and then continue the tour into the evening. I'm really learning to appreciate AK more and more.

 

[ZellyB]

Another AK lover here as well. It's a beautiful park and we always find plenty to do there to keep us busy.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

TOTALLY DISAGREE. Animal Kingdom is my second favorite park. I can easily spend a whole day there. They have the best show on property: Lion King.

Me too.

I love Animal Kingdom. Our family actually believed the "press" and avoided it through 2 trips. We were convinced it was a half day park and really not worth it.

Then we went. WOW. Like you, it is our second favorite park.

We plan on spending 2 days there on our next trip.

 

[BaymaxForever]

Just went to AK in September and loved it! I could easily spend 1 1/2-2 days there. However, it's probably my favorite park! I didn't notice any significant maintenance issues, either.
Maybe I just wasn't looking for them, either. Three years in between visits might shade them from me, though. So much detail to take in! We did It's tough to be a big with no technical issues. Dinosaur was down for maintenance, but that happens and my family was fine with it- I don't think we could have fit it in with everything else we did there.

 

[kollerbear]

I love AK but can understand OP's perspective. Everyone I've ever gone with is so let down by Kali. I like EE and KS and actually really like the dino land (including PW!!! My family are maybe the only ones in the world who love PW!) but coordinating around the shows is a pain. I am underwhelmed with them (except Flights...) and also don't find them very repeatable. I love the animal areas but its very annoying that the park pretty much has only 5 rides. (Including PW but not TS). I wish they had the Bugs land from CA adventure for my daughter, there are even fewer rides for a tiny kid. I don't like park experiences that are so heavily reliant on shows and scheduling around them, which is necessary at AK because you don't want to end up on the wrong side of the park 10m before Showtime. I hope Pandora is just the beginning. That they make Kali better (like Grizzly in CA? Fat chance though) and that they add more rides for everyone, even cheapo kiddie rides like Bugs Land in CA would help. (Great use of Dino Land: add shade, different dino theme overlay to kiddie ride structures, gut those terrible game booths? Even boardwalk style rides like swings or a Viking ship-style ride would be a fun addition.)

 

[saskdw]

We should talk more about animal kingdom ...

People seem to complain all the time about Hollywood studios and Epcot but I think Animal Kingdom is the worst offender in WDW.

Seriously I don't know what's going on but the park is a shameful husk right now .

If it wasn't for the animal expositions I couldn't stay in the park for more than a morning right now . Once you've done Kali and Everest , your day is basically over. First timers can push it to the late afternoon but not much more.

Animal is the biggest disappointment of my trip. No rivers of light , no Dinosaur , half working shows...

I did It's tough to be a bug today ... And half the effects were not working where my family and I were sitting. No water effect , no sting in the back , no cockroaches under our asses , and the villain was cross eyed ( don't remember his name).

Pandora is not going to be enough to make it a full park. It will definitely help. But as long as Dinoland remains this shameful area ...

I don't get how you can mess up dinosaurs so much . So many possibilities ... In such a beautifully themed park and that is the best they could do ?

The Fun fair zone needs to be destroyed ASAP.


So many people seem focused on Epcot right now ... When it still has a bunch of good rides. And as long as it has the world showcase , it will remain amazing.

Sorry....you're way off base.

AK is our favorite park. Stunningly beautiful. We plan are spending 3 park days there in December.

ROL we be ready to go soon. Dinosaur rehab done soon. Tree of Life done soon. Pandora is a game changer.

All but Pandora will be a go for our December trip. The safari we could ride all day. EE is our favorite ride at WDW.

 

[HopperFan]

I don't think that Animal Kingdom is the park for you.
Not everyone loves every park and that is okay.
I would give up that day and double a park you enjoy or travel over to the dark side and have some fun.

 

[yulilin3]

I don't think that Animal Kingdom is the park for you.
Not everyone loves every park and that is okay.
I would give up that day and double a park you enjoy or travel over to the dark side and have some fun.

what's the name of the villain in ITTBAB again?

 

[Anne5555]

I agree that it needs more. We love the Lion King show and the Nemo show, and my husband and son love Everest, but they are bored of the safari. Dinosaur was down on our recent trip. And the park is so HOT! Do they have any quick service restaurants for lunch with an indoor line to order food? The seating area with fans was not too bad, but waiting maybe 30 minutes to order quick service at Yak and Yeti was probably the hottest, most miserable line of my whole trip! That was probably the only point in our September trip when I was really just dripping with sweat. Other parks seem to have more places to cool down.

 

[yulilin3]

I agree that it needs more. We love the Lion King show and the Nemo show, and my husband and son love Everest, but they are bored of the safari. Dinosaur was down on our recent trip. And the park is so HOT! Do they have any quick service restaurants for lunch with an indoor line to order food? The seating area with fans was not too bad, but waiting maybe 30 minutes to order quick service at Yak and Yeti was probably the hottest, most miserable line of my whole trip! That was probably the only point in our September trip when I was really just dripping with sweat. Other parks seem to have more places to cool down.

Pizzafari and Restaurantosaurus