Animal kingdom?

[Twhitty]

This year we are thinking of cutting AK from our vacation and adding an extra day at EPcot. We will be staying 7 nights 6 days and we are going to MK 3 days, HS 1 and we are thinking Epcot 2 days. We will be traveling with a 9 yo daughter, almost 3 yo son and a 9 mo son. My 9 yo is the only one tall enough to ride expedition Everest and Kali rapids, and none of them show interest in the shows, so festival of the lion king and memo show are out. I would hate to the in that park primarily for Kilimanjaro safari. What are some of your opinions?

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I don't know if they have Camp Mickey still set up, but I think that was the best place to get pics with Mickey and the gang, hit it first thing when the park opens and you won't have any wait(people head to the Lion King Show anyway). Now if your not planning on doing a park hopper I can see where you would consider dropping AK as I have the same set up as you 7 nights but only 6 days in the park for a planned trip with my wife and our almost 4 yo and 6 mo old baby. I do think the kids could get a kick out of seeing the animals though like the large fruit bats and tigers, especially if you make the trip out there after doing MK and HS, it could be a nice break from hitting tons of rides.

 

[melflip8]

I would maybe do the opposite and cut HS and put in AK...but not sure how into Disney Junior and Toy Story your kids are, plus Star Wars, but I would think that they would love seeing the animals as well. :/

 

[Figgy1]

That's a tough call because I always do 3 MK and 3 EPCOT days that being said I would keep both AK and DHS I think if you can get your dd to try a show she might surprise you, you can spend a bit of time just exploring the trails. There is quite a bit to do there Divine, Flights of Wonder KS Dinosaur. That being said you know your children best!

 

[copcarguyp71]

We always upgrade to park hopper so that we can freestyle. If one park is not working out for us on a particular day then off to another park we go. I was never one to say what and how many days in each park so we just head where the mood takes us...

 

[SAV]

AK is my favorite, so I will never miss it. We did it twice last trip.

That said, if you are really doing this for the kids, then 3 days at Epcot for the little ones like that seems a bit too much. And seems a bit repetitive to me. At least AK is something different to tour and look at. Heck, they may actually love the shows if you give them a chance to try them. They are both visually stimulating at the least. You could always save that one for the last day on your ticket and upgrade it to a hopper mid day if you really feel that you have completed the whole park and wanted to go to another. That would be the cheapest since it would only be a one day upgrade to a hopper and would give you freedom to make a choice at that time.

 

[Susan Savia]

We've done Animal Kingdom top to bottom many times, but in the past few years we find ourselves going into the park at rope drop, riding the Safari, over to Dinosaur for a few rides and out of the park by 11:00. There is so much more to do at MK and Epcot.

 

[jenluvswdw]

That is a tough call. My kids love watching the animals. There are so many surprises at AK. My 13 year old is still excited about going to Rafiki's Planet watch. However, if your children are not into animals then skip it. If you can not decide just wait till you have been to the all the other parks and if you think you saw everything at EPCOT go to AK instead. Sometimes it is too hard to decide before you go because you never know....

 

[BigRedDad]

Too difficult to answer for your family. My daughter tolerates Epcot, but would prefer to stay at the pool than go to Epcot. She loves AK with the rides, shows, activities, and animals. Every family is different. Heck, some families go there to stay at the hotels only. I don't know why because there are resorts 10x better for half the price. Why not try a waterpark for one of the days?

 

[littleroo]

We are probably either skipping Ak this year or just going for a few hours and we are going for 10 days. We spend 3 days in Epcot, 2 days in HS, 2 days in MK and we pool it and dtd it for 2 days. AK, besides Festival of the Lion King and it is Tough to Be a bug, just doesn't do it for us.

 

[zurgandfriend]

WE usually do 1 day at Animal Kingdom opening to mid afternnoon each trip. We see our favorites and depart.

 

[Figgy1]

I like AK after about 3 because the crowds have thinned!

 

[taz0162]

my kids DD 18 mo and DS 4-1/2 y loved Animal Kingdom. My son was bored at Epcot (except for the Seas which he loved and Test track was down for the morning he would have been able to ride it). As for world showcase he just saw it as a trip to the mall instead of a culturally diverse experience.

 

[Bparso87]

Get a one day park hopper and do both

 

[RedDad]

We typically only do a half day at AK, and that's really only for the shows. My wife and 3 yo daughter love the Nemo and Lion King shows. If we had to cut a day at any park it would definitely be AK.

Are you doing park hoppers? We're staying for the same number of days in June and are planning to spend our AK and DHS evenings at Epcot, since we're usually done with those parks by early afternoon.

 

[popcenturylover]

If I had to cut out a park from one of our trips it would definitely be AK!

 

[The MadHatter]

i usually do a half day in animal kingdom although to see everything it really is a full day park. i say go in the morning and if by lunch you are over it you can leave.

 

[93boomer]

We always get phoppers so we can do all we want in a park then leave. We like the quiet spots and looking at the animals. It is kind of a good break mid-week to get away from all the noise and busyness. Plus, my DH loves Everest so we cannot cut it out completely ever!!

 

[Figgy1]

We always get phoppers so we can do all we want in a park then leave. We like the quiet spots and looking at the animals. It is kind of a good break mid-week to get away from all the noise and busyness. Plus, my DH loves Everest so we cannot cut it out completely ever!!

When it's hot Kali is good for a time or 2 just to cool off! It gives me a second wind to finish the day! I almost forgot It's Tough to Be A Bug my ds and I always see it together and laugh the whole time!!

 

[93boomer]

When it's hot Kali is good for a time or 2 just to cool off! It gives me a second wind to finish the day! I almost forgot It's Tough to Be A Bug my ds and I always see it together and laugh the whole time!!

Agreed! There is so much more to AK than some people think. It is a nice, relaxing park to cool down since there are a lot more shady spots over there than some of the parks. Tough to be a bug creeps me out! I can't go in there any more!! LOL