Unimpressed with Animal Kingdom

[LittleMerman]

I pretty much feel the exact opposite of what you said but to each their own! Animal Kingdom is my 2nd fave WDW park after MK. It's beautiful, the theming is amazing, and it gives me a sense of adventure/exploring while also providing moments of leisure with serene scenery.

Pandora is my favorite "land" of any park I've ever been to. It's pretty, creative, and I love the attractions and food. Neither one of the rides are boring to me. I appreciate them even more after seeing Avatar.

I do love the food in AK. Like I said I like the food in Pandora, Flametree BBQ is good, Mr. Kamal's fries, Yak & Yeti. I haven't been to Tiffin's yet but I've heard it's great.

The animals are always really pretty. It's best to go on the safari early so you can see more animals.

The rides are a lot of fun - FOP is my favorite ride I've ever been on. Na'vi River Journey is really pretty and relaxing. The safari is one of a kind. Dinosaur and Everest are thrilling.

But right now there isn't a ton to do in AK bc the entertainment isn't happening. Finding Nemo and Lion King are great shows. I actually really loved Rivers of Light although it's not coming back. It's Tough To Be A Bug is there and it's cute.

I think it would be hard to fully experience and judge AK during Covid. A lot of the offerings aren't there right now and the hours are pretty short. Like I said, to each their own, but I had to defend AK a little haha. I do love it!

 

[aliceismad]

I see both as people who completely miss the point of Disney parks.

With Disney being so expensive, I can see why some people only use their hotels to sleep. (Especially at DLR where you're less likely to spend several days.) But for me personally, if I'm at a park open to close, that's gonna include a lot of sit-down meals/snacks/breaks. For me the ambiance of the parks has always been as much of a draw as the rides. Even as a kid. I don't understand the whole drink-around-the-world mentality either, but to each their own.

 

[Giss Neric]

I have neighbors who went there for the first time in 2019. I told them all about the park but not in detail. They love petting animals so I told them there was a section there called Affection Section in Rafiki's Planet Watch. They came back severely disappointed then I ended up finding out that they didn't even looked at the map. They just saw all the areas visible by guests and nothing else. They went to Dino Land and thought Dino Rama was the only one that had rides and Dinosaur was just an exhibit.

The one thing that struck a nerve in me was that they said there were no signs clearly understood by guests. The ride signs were too blended in that they didn't know if it was really an attraction. Also there were too many nooks and crannies in the park.

 

[harryk]

That sounds so typical. I've run into many people who only look at the surface and don't take the time to really look into what is around them. That is why there are 'guided tours' offered off of cruise ships. People need to be lead around to 'see everything', not just the shops.

 

[erasure fan1]

There's absolutely no chance. Assuming a pre/post COVID world where the shows are open, there's no way a person is doing every single attraction in a half-day.



Yeah, anything is a half-day park if you skip everything.

This has been the debate of ages with the animal kingdom. So much of this really depends on personal taste. No one is saying you can see everything the park offers in half a day. The argument with the animal kingdom is you shouldn't have to do every single everything to make it a full day. There is nothing wrong with something not being someones cup of tea. The park needs more rides, especially a couple more family friendly dark rides. Personally, I love the animal kingdom. I think it is the greatest themed park maybe in the world. And If it wants to lose its "half day" stigma though, it does need more rides. There shouldn't really be a wrong way to experience a park from a preference standpoint. There should be enough quantity and variety so someone can make a full day while not having to do some things they aren't that interested in or can't do.

 

[Weather_Lady]

There shouldn't be animals there at all, unless they decided to go there on their own. They serve dead animals in the restaurants. Makes no sense. Take a safari to see the wonder of animals, yet eat other animals for lunch and dinner. The last time I was there was in 2003 and I had an amazing time. I do want to return but I'd have to try to ignore some of the dumb decisions made there.

So by this logic, if the Animal Kingdom restaurants went vegan, the park could keep its animals, but not put any plants or trees on display.

 

[unmitigated disaster]

That sounds so typical. I've run into many people who only look at the surface and don't take the time to really look into what is around them. That is why there are 'guided tours' offered off of cruise ships. People need to be lead around to 'see everything', not just the shops.

I have never been on a vacation where there hasn't been some planning by someone. Going to Rome? Look at that guidebook. Have your heart set on seeing the David statue in Florence? You'll save time buying tickets ahead of time.

As for seeing animals, you think if you go to an actual wilderness area you'll see them everywhere? Nope.

 

[crawale]

As Shania Twain once said...That don't impress me much...

I was very disappointed in AK and the over all time I spent at the park. I am glad it took me 22 years to get here because honestly, it was not at all what I expected. There were not many animals, and not many rides. While Avatar was my favorite land, even the river ride was boring. The food was terrible! Not sure if it was because of covid changes or what but it was bad.

The good's were it was a beautiful park, a lot to visually see, but man, WHERE, ARE, THE, ANIMALS? Like, no where to be found.

I would say its a great park to walk around it and have a nice stroll, but as far as everything else, very boring and not worth the price...

Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone else had this similar experience? I've been to Disney like 15+ times...

Too many things are closed. Character meal at Tusker House was a great experience as was Lion King. Hardly anything open and I agree the animal safari has become short on animals. Disney needs to bring back more experiences and re-open more restaurants.

 

[jloucks]

The first time I visited, I too was a little underwhelmed, due in part because I have been a season pass holder for both the Dallas and Fort Worth Zoo (which are pretty amazing zoos). I can definitely see where the commenters are coming from when they say "half arsed zoo", which was my first impression as well. However that vibe quickly faded with the ultra-quality shows and amazing ambiance on display at AK. It is now a must see for my family when we visit DW. I suggest you give it another go and give it a chance to ooze it's quality all over you.

 

[_caleb]

Too many things are closed. Character meal at Tusker House was a great experience as was Lion King. Hardly anything open and I agree the animal safari has become short on animals. Disney needs to bring back more experiences and re-open more restaurants.

Perhaps after the global pandemic.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Perhaps after the global pandemic.

It's been in all the papers.

 

[Parker in NYC]

I love AK. For now, at least pre-Zootopia, it remains the most authentic. Make of that word what you will.

 

[LittleMerman]

With Disney being so expensive, I can see why some people only use their hotels to sleep. (Especially at DLR where you're less likely to spend several days.) But for me personally, if I'm at a park open to close, that's gonna include a lot of sit-down meals/snacks/breaks. For me the ambiance of the parks has always been as much of a draw as the rides. Even as a kid. I don't understand the whole drink-around-the-world mentality either, but to each their own.

I agree, I love at least one sit-down meal a day as a time to relax and enjoy atmosphere. Being waited on and enjoying an alcoholic drink feels so nice after being so exhausted and rushing around. My Disney park style is to go rope drop to close and do as much possible in the day, so a nice long break is very fun!

 

[SteveAZee]

It's been in all the papers.

What are these things you call 'papers'?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

What are these things you call 'papers'?

It's like the Internet for senior citizens, only it doesn't move.

 

[UNCgolf]

This has been the debate of ages with the animal kingdom. So much of this really depends on personal taste. No one is saying you can see everything the park offers in half a day. The argument with the animal kingdom is you shouldn't have to do every single everything to make it a full day. There is nothing wrong with something not being someones cup of tea. The park needs more rides, especially a couple more family friendly dark rides. Personally, I love the animal kingdom. I think it is the greatest themed park maybe in the world. And If it wants to lose its "half day" stigma though, it does need more rides. There shouldn't really be a wrong way to experience a park from a preference standpoint. There should be enough quantity and variety so someone can make a full day while not having to do some things they aren't that interested in or can't do.

Yeah, but with that argument, Hollywood Studios is definitely a half-day park too -- probably even moreso than Animal Kingdom. There are more attractions at DHS, but there's basically nothing else there at all other than a bit of stuff in Galaxy's Edge.

For me personally DHS is absolutely a half-day park. There is no way I could spend a full day there without being bored out of my mind; I can generally do everything I care about doing in that park in 4-5 hours. But I can understand how it could be a full day park for some people if they actually like all of the attractions (I only think about half are worth waiting in any kind of line for) and are really impressed with Galaxy's Edge.

 

[UNCgolf]

The first time I visited, I too was a little underwhelmed, due in part because I have been a season pass holder for both the Dallas and Fort Worth Zoo (which are pretty amazing zoos). I can definitely see where the commenters are coming from when they say "half arsed zoo", which was my first impression as well. However that vibe quickly faded with the ultra-quality shows and amazing ambiance on display at AK. It is now a must see for my family when we visit DW. I suggest you give it another go and give it a chance to ooze it's quality all over you.

I think part of the problem there (and it may not be a problem with the Dallas and/or Fort Worth Zoos) is that a lot of people are used to zoos where the animal habitats are tiny. That makes the animals easy to see because there's really nowhere for them to go. That might be nice for visitors, but it's pretty terrible for the animals.

I was spoiled by growing up next to the NC Zoo, which is one of the largest (it may be the largest) in the world and has massive habitats for most of the animals. I'm used to sometimes only getting a glimpse of something pretty far away and actually prefer it to zoos where the animals are right in your face all the time because of the small habitats, so that aspect of AK didn't bother me at all (and actually improved it).

 

[erasure fan1]

Yeah, but with that argument, Hollywood Studios is definitely a half-day park too -- probably even moreso than Animal Kingdom. There are more attractions at DHS, but there's basically nothing else there at all other than a bit of stuff in Galaxy's Edge.

For me personally DHS is absolutely a half-day park. There is no way I could spend a full day there without being bored out of my mind; I can generally do everything I care about doing in that park in 4-5 hours. But I can understand how it could be a full day park for some people if they actually like all of the attractions (I only think about half are worth waiting in any kind of line for) and are really impressed with Galaxy's Edge.

Agreed, the studios is in the same position as animal kingdom. I've always said that. There are plenty who give the same, "if it only takes you half the day, you're doing it wrong!" speech when this subject comes up about the studios as well. Either park can be a bell to bell if you do everything. I just don't think that should be how it is.

 

[UNCgolf]

Agreed, the studios is in the same position as animal kingdom. I've always said that. There are plenty who give the same, "if it only takes you half the day, you're doing it wrong!" speech when this subject comes up about the studios as well. Either park can be a bell to bell if you do everything. I just don't think that should be how it is.

Animal Kingdom is more like EPCOT (especially original EPCOT; less so current EPCOT) in that a big part of it does not center around rides. EPCOT certainly had more attractions than AK at its height, and AK absolutely needs some more stuff (it's still probably my favorite park on property right now despite that), but I think they revolve(d) around a similar idea of exploration and seeing things that aren't necessarily attractions for which you have to wait in line.

DHS is more like the MK, just with about a third as much stuff to do (and that might be generous). Regardless, they definitely both need more. I just worry that whatever they decide to do next for AK is actually going to make the park worse -- I don't really trust the current Disney team to maintain that park's integrity going forward.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Welllllll? We went here once, in many trips, for one ride.
No plans to go back on future trips.