Animal Kingdom Needs Attention

[TwilightZone]

Ooh, shooting personal insults at someone for stating an opinion, eh? That's quite the rebuttal. But hey, live and let live, ya know - I can play too! If some people are really that impressed by meh "atmospheric" landscaping, a lame animated video of the shadow of a non-animated AA on which the Microsoft logo occasionally appears, a fake bird on a stick, and a roller coaster that OMG GOES BACKWARD REAL FAST, then more power to ya. But I won't apologize for having high standards regarding attractions in a park that charges as much as WDW does. Go ahead and drool over the landscaping or whatever. But may I point out that the Yeti figure is the CLIMAX of the Everest ride, that it is the story element the whole ride revolves around, including and especially the queue, and it is basically the whole ride's reason for being.

If you're willing to settle for less, then you're the reason Iger has been able to cut corners and raise prices. Enjoy, suckers!

1. No one is insulting you.
2. Why are you being so defensive? It's a ride, not something uber important in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Scrooged]

This thread:

 

[erasure fan1]

Okay I'm sorry but this blabber about the Yeti is getting old. The Yeti not working at the end of Everest hardly effects the experience as a whole.

While the ride is still a fun ride and a good experience with disco yeti in all its B-mode glory. That AA was dang impressive when it worked. I get a lot of people probably never even noticed it. But saying it hardly effects the experience is pretty opinion based. If I had never seen it working, I'd agree with you. And since the majority of people now fall into that category because it hasn't worked for so long, Disney will probably never fix it. I think a lot of us just want them to do something better than a strobe light. Disney is supposed to have the best creative minds around, so there is no excuse to just let it sit.

 

[justintheharris]

While the ride is still a fun ride and a good experience with disco yeti in all its B-mode glory. That AA was dang impressive when it worked. I get a lot of people probably never even noticed it. But saying it hardly effects the experience is pretty opinion based. If I had never seen it working, I'd agree with you. And since the majority of people now fall into that category because it hasn't worked for so long, Disney will probably never fix it. I think a lot of us just want them to do something better than a strobe light. Disney is supposed to have the best creative minds around, so there is no excuse to just let it sit.

I agree it should be fixed but should that reaaaally be prioritized over say, building 6 new attractions?

 

[erasure fan1]

I agree it should be fixed but should that reaaaally be prioritized over say, building 6 new attractions?

Well it really doesn't need to be prioritized. At this point come up with a solution that isn't poor show. We aren't getting full yeti swinging at the cars. So just come up with a Bmode that at least shows off the yeti a bit.

 

[Damon7777]

I agree it should be fixed but should that reaaaally be prioritized over say, building 6 new attractions?

No, it should not.

But just curious
(1)is there anyone around here suggesting such an outlandish trade or was that just a 'strawman' for you to set ablaze ??

(2) what's with the presumption that if you fix Yeti, then you can't add another attraction......as if Disney is not allowed to do both.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

It is the best park at WDW. Far superior in many ways to its sisters

100% on the $$$$

 

[Paper straw fan]

As far as Dino-Rama, isn’t that area supposed to give off the look of “old time county fair”? That was the idea for it to look that way!

Now, it could stand to have ANY shade. I avoid it like the plague during the summer when the sun isn’t in the clouds. But hey, for all the talk over how WDW does IP’s to death, it’s nice that there’s one area that isn’t “The good Dinosaur’s fun time fair” or whatever.

AK got Pandora in the past couple years, so now it’s kind of going to the back of the line for a while as far as attention it gets.

In a way though, I’m fine with the animals there not being subject to even more big, loud rides and firework shows. Many days there, the highlight of the day is seeing an animal up close I don’t normally see, a tiger up near the glass (awake) or an elephant playing in the pond right by the safari- something I’m not getting from the Inside Out Feelings Simulator 9000.

The dining options here too are also 100x better than ‘we got nuggets, burgers, and salad...PICK ONE AND MOVE ON’ options at nearly every MK eatery that doesn’t require require reservations to eat grey laxative mousse.

With the Yeti....sigh...this to me is like the people who spend a 12hour day at MK, and when their view for the parade isn’t perfectly unimpeded and Mickey doesn’t get down off the float to pose with sweet baby Brayden, sign his autograph book and give the family stock tips, then “their whole day is ruined!” It was a kinda neat prop that still registered to me for like 0.2 seconds, because, you know, I’m riding a roller coaster. It’s like when one of the 13 O’clock clocks in ToT isn’t working..oh well I’m still on a giant drop ride giving me aerial views of the park while hurling me up and down.

FWIW I appreciate the OP’s hot take though. No hate from me on it

 

[Tom Morrow]

As far as Dino-Rama, isn’t that area supposed to give off the look of “old time county fair”? That was the idea for it to look that way!

Now, it could stand to have ANY shade. I avoid it like the plague during the summer when the sun isn’t in the clouds. But hey, for all the talk over how WDW does IP’s to death, it’s nice that there’s one area that isn’t “The good Dinosaur’s fun time fair” or whatever.

Making the theme "barebones and tacky" is sort of a cop-out to just create something on the cheap. What we have is something that looks exactly like a carnival. Compare this to, say, Storybook Circus, which doesn't look cheap and tacky even though actual circuses are/were. I agree though, it is, at least, nice to have another thing that has it's own elaborate backstory not tied to IP.

 

[justintheharris]

No, it should not.

But just curious
(1)is there anyone around here suggesting such an outlandish trade or was that just a 'strawman' for you to set ablaze ??

(2) what's with the presumption that if you fix Yeti, then you can't add another attraction......as if Disney is not allowed to do both.

Well it’s more about Disney being preoccupied with other things. If Disney World had fewer upcoming attractions, I may have a stronger feeling about the yeti. But Disney doesn’t seem like they’re being lazy in regards to construction right now.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

To say the Yeti is inconsequential to Everest is akin to saying the final drop at Splash is inconsequential. Both may only last the blink of an eye, but they are the climax of the ride.

Certainly, the highly praised Rhohdhe designed Everest around an encounter with the Yeti, who moves, scares you, teaches you to fear and respect the mountain. It is the point, the story.

 

[Epcot_Imagineer]

Unpopular opinion moving yeti did and does not add much to Everest. If video tells the truth, you only saw it move for five seconds anyways.

I completely understand where you're coming from, I have ridden EE recently and am still thoroughly impressed with the attraction as a whole. The theming is great and the coaster itself is really enjoyable; the yeti seemingly still okay for what it provides.

With that said, riding the coaster with A-mode yeti is an incredible experience which makes a light and day difference that people who've only experienced B-mode can't really see. After being hyped up by advertisements and a silly little flash game Disney marketing threw together when it first opened, I was so excited to ride. When I saw that A-mode yeti I was legitimately scared for those few seconds. The way the AA is positioned and moving it legitimately felt that if I raised my hand I could touch its paw. Though it is only visible for a couple seconds, it is incredible to experience. The fact that they have allowed the attraction to remain open for a decade without the star moment is disappointing, because millions of people will never get that incredible experience.

 

[Chef Mickey]

AK has lots of shade. Nice on a hot day. And, ummm….yeah, that's pretty much it.

And if AK is a joke (notazoo!), Everest is a farce. Why some people rave about it is beyond me. Huge broken animatronic, remember? True, it's a fitting and horrendously expensive memorial to Robert Iger's oblivious greed and contempt for park guests, but it's an affront to the quality standards of Walt Disney. When I pay so much to visit a theme park, I can understand rides being down for needed refurbs and upgrades, but one remaining broken, yet running, for years because of corporate incompetence and indifference is, well, abominable. Damned if I'll ever ride Everest again. I bet Universal wouldn't neglect an attraction like this. Pitiful. Frankly, AK could shut down altogether and I wouldn't miss it. There are great zoos out there that eclipse it in terms of guest experience and are much cheaper (sometimes free). Pandora? PUH-LEEZE. Standing in line in a queue that features a giant blue kitty cat in a jar of formaldehyde (well, that's what it looks like) isn't worth the time or sore feet. Ick.

Everest is an incredible attraction with a major flaw in the finale. Iger also had nothing to do with this attraction, but remains the person to be blamed for it not being fixed.

Iger would never have the ambition to build something like Everest in the first place. The fact the Yeti hasn't been fixed isn't the attraction's fault; it's the people who run the parks now we should blame.

Even with the Yeti, Everest is still the best attraction built in the last 15 years at Disney...including FOP.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I know, I know.. this post is surely going to ruffle some feathers, pardon my pun.

Animal Kingdom NEEDS attention and is currently the weakest of the 4 parks.
Wait! Before you curse my name and type away every reason as to why i'm wrong, hear me out..

EPCOT is currently slated to get all this cool new stuff, plus a renovated Spaceship Earth, plus Ratatouille, GotG RollerCoaster, a new fireworks show, then TT 2.0, Frozen, etc.. those are fairly new. You may not agree with some / all of the changes, but at least it's getting some TLC.

Disney's Hollywood Studios future is looking very promising, with the addition(s) of Toy Story Land and SW:GE, now ToT is finally getting a refurb, MMRR is coming.. RnR needs nothing. I would recommend another thing or two be done but this park is undoubtedly getting some TLC.

Disney's Magic Kingdom has Tron coming up, and uh.. well, this park could probably use some love too in the form of some desperately needed refurbishments and a proper replacement for Stitch's Great Escape.

Then we have Disney's Animal Kingdom. Dinosaur is a sad, pathetic experience with a barely functional Carnotaurus "chasing" you around a barely lit attraction in a fairly poorly themed land. But at least it functions, compared to the yeti that isn't half as good looking as Harold over at Disneyland. A beautifully made attraction which is falling flat on it's face with a hairband shrine and some vibration-heavy trains / broken effects. So now what? Let's go to the best thing ever made, Avatar Land, where FoP graces you with it's 300+ minute daily wait.. I blame this on the lack of rides at the park in general. Rafiki's Planet Watch Train is, what, seasonal now? Really? At least we can enjoy some cringe worthy character acting at UP! A great Bird Adventure (DISCLAIMER: Aneeka has a beautiful heart and was wonderful to watch, but what the Flick is with the additions of Doug and Russell?

Hey, AK has some amazing things to it. The themeing really is great on an overall level, and it has some offerings i'm particularly fond of such as ITTBAB, NRJ, um.. animals and Kilimanjaro Safari.

Maybe i'm missing the whole point here. This park is all about nature, which is certainly unique. But let's be real.. the attractions aren't well maintained and IMO, the three other parks are getting more attention then DAK. So what's going on?

Please Note: I'm not much of a show watcher, so I did miss out on Lion King, Nemo.

Until Star Wars Opens, they address the issues in Toy Story Land, and the construction ends in general, AK is not currently the weakest park.

Same goes for EPCOT. None of that stuff exists yet, so currently is the wrong word. EPCOT has TONS of outdated attractions, shows, abandoned buildings, and maintenance/decor issues.

Both EPCOT and DHS are currently weaker the AK, which just got Pandora, has the best show on property, and is the most beautiful park.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Neither Nemo or The Lion King is an hour long. Nemo is approx 45 minutes. Lion King is barely a half hour. Not knowing this suggests to me that you’ve never given AK much of a chance to begin with.

The Lion King is an excellent show... this is coming from someone who isn’t even a fan of the movie. You’re missing out. It’s one of the best across all the parks. As for Nemo, more kid geared, but I think it’s cute to watch once or twice. I find it a bit hypocritical that you’re criticizing AK but aren’t given these two attractions a chance, particularly one that is one of the most popular in the park [Again, Lion King.]

Regarding Dinosaur, you state your opinion like it’s fact. I’ve been on Indy in DL. I’ve been on Dinosaur. I probably like Indy better overall but that doesn’t negate that I enjoy Dinosaur. I’m not sure what you have against the Carnatorous but it’s worked just fine every time I’ve been on it. I don’t mind the simple AAs either for some of the dinosaurs. If I did, I should/would probably hate most AAs in the MK too. Peter Pan moving his head ain’t all that. Neither is a ghostly bride moving back and forth.

Dinosaur is a fun fast paced slightly scary ride. I love when there are kids in my car because their reactions are always great. I don’t mind that it’s dark because uh...it’s supposed to be nighttime. It creates a great atmosphere to my eyes. You seem to think it’s dim because the imagineers were lazy. I doubt it.

I’ll agree that Chester & Hester’s can go the way of the dinosaur. Definitely an area that needs a revamp.

So, in conclusion, I won’t totally disagree with you that AK could use some work. A few more headliner attractions would never hurt any of the parks. AK just got a new immersive land with two new rides. I can understand and respect that Disney is going to focus on the other parks for a little while because of it. IMO, Epcot is the park most in need of some upgrades, particularly Future World. So I’m glad it’s getting some love vs more at AK.

Last thoughts... as someone who has experienced the Yeti moving and disco Yeti, it honestly doesn’t bother me that much. You see it for all of three seconds and I don’t let it ruin my Everest experience or let it take away from a really amazingly built ride. And the average guest probably doesn’t know that it ever moved. Seems to me that people enjoy it still.

As someone who has experienced the Yeti and Harold, with acknowledgement that again, opinion is subjective, not fact...I felt the Matterhorn, while cute, felt as old as it looks. That also includes Harold. Perhaps that’s sacrilege to some on the board but I wasn’t that impressed and only felt a need to ride it once. Your mileage obviously varies

Well friend, let me do my best.

--I stated I was not a show watcher, so as long as I was in the ballpark i'll categorize a 45 minute show the same as an hour long show. You are correct in that I did not do my research here. I don't like to consider shows as attractions, but I'll give it a chance on my next visit if they capture the true spirit of AK. I should probably apologize for missing Nemo and Lion King.
--Dinosaur was a bad experience, I didn't really see anything and was expecting more. Perhaps that was my fault, NRJ was our first ride on that day and Dinosaur was second. Dinosaur had no projections whatsoever, dimmed lighting all around, and I would say probably a small majority of the dinosaurs were moving - the rest were static. No running Carnotaurus on our visit. What really gets me is everyone sticking up for Dinosaur.. I mean seriously, would you really contest to Disney giving this ride the treatment it deserves? To be on par with Indiana Jones Adventure or Jurassic Park River Ride?
--I didn't do Chester and Hester my head was pounding after Everest & Dino. This was the first time we did these rides so the surprise of it all probably made me just a little woozy.
--I agree that Yeti doesn't do much to the experience, but it looks terrible with the disco light.. way to cheapen a million+ dollar effect. At the very least I would personally prefer solid lighting.
--Disney AK is a very unique park, I don't dislike it I just think it needs love. Some would argue the other 3 parks are getting it to be on the same level as AK: i'd argue the 3 parks are getting attention while AK remains static.

I'm sure you all know, when I compare Yeti to Harold, i'm comparing Yeti to this version of Harold and not the pre-diamond celebration version.. which I still love too lol.

Until Star Wars Opens, they address the issues in Toy Story Land, and the construction ends in general, AK is not currently the weakest park.

Same goes for EPCOT. None of that stuff exists yet, so currently is the wrong word. EPCOT has TONS of outdated attractions, shows, abandoned buildings, and maintenance/decor issues.

Both EPCOT and DHS are currently weaker the AK, which just got Pandora, has the best show on property, and is the most beautiful park.

I would argue that it has the weakest future, seeing the only new thing new that we know is Pandora. I'm not knocking AK for that but I will knock AK for the lack of love their current rides outside of Pandora are getting.

DHS was my favorite park, which is unpopular opinion but I say so because it reminds me of a time when DCA was actually good. And ToT / RnR / MMRR is coming / Slinky Dog / Muppet Vision 3D. MV3D and ToT had my heart at DCA, it's great to see them reside in the same park again.

EPCOT is getting some TLC to the core.

 

[networkpro]

Well friend, let me do my best.

I'll agree that Animal Kingdom is lacking in rides, but it wasn't built as a ride centric park. I would argue that it's more an observational park that experiential. Maybe that's where the disconnect is coming from, expectations based on marketing verses operational implementation.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I'm sure future plans are in the works OP.

 

[WondersOfLife]

AK is fine. The only problems over there--

Dinosaur running carnotaurus not working.
Hair bands on Everest.
and the Up! bird show script.

 

[Hockey89]

It's my second favorite park. Epcot is a shell right now. HS has two rides worth anything currently. I have zero interest in Star Wars but maybe it will add something....

Magic Kingdom is still number one.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

I'll agree that Animal Kingdom is lacking in rides, but it wasn't built as a ride centric park. I would argue that it's more an observational park that experiential. Maybe that's where the disconnect is coming from, expectations based on marketing verses operational implementation.

Absolutely, fantastic point.

I like to say AK is a zoo at it's core (duh) - a Disney zoo with some heavily themed attractions. The problem is that the main attractions are somewhat neglected IMO. Thank goodness the animals aren't lol.

Unfortunately, I just feel like I could point more negatives out in this park than I could any other one. That doesn't conclude AK is a bad park by any means.