Don't hate on AK - It's GREAT!

[tinkerbell_S]

I don't understand why so many people are down on AK. Seriously people! ... it's Disney Theming at it's best! I love that park! I spend a whole day there everytime I go! Rides, shows, just walking around - all the animals! It's incredible! Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical are just amazing! All you have to remember is it feels hotter than the other parks because of all the plants etc. - so dress appropriately!

This is my shout-out to AK - I love it there! :sohappy:

 

[SAV]

Totally Agree - 100%. It is one of my favorites and isn't all about rides and running through it. We always find that we spend a full day and could spend more.

 

[ddbowdoin]

its a nuance park, you walk in with a macro lens and you could spend hours... its seriously great

 

[Rowdy]

I agree. But, that being said it is my least favorite of the Disney Parks. But that's like saying Chocolate cake is my least favorite cake. It's still cake, and awesome.

 

[ToTBellHop]

It has great theming and some great attractions--just not enough of them.

I do think it could benefit greatly from 3 things:

1) More dining options
2) an attraction like Kim Possible or Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
3) some sort of nighttime entertainment

Those three things would make the park a "full-day" park for a reasonable amount of money. No Na'vi required. Granted more rides are always welcome, but I think those three things would provide the infrastructure required to have a true, full-day Disney theme park experience.

 

[Philhar-Fanatic]

We LOVE AK too! I just did a similar thread a few days ago. From the rides, to the scenery, to the food, we love the emerssive yet laid back feeling of the AK!!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I don't understand why so many people are down on AK. Seriously people! ... it's Disney Theming at it's best! I love that park! I spend a whole day there everytime I go! Rides, shows, just walking around - all the animals! It's incredible! Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical are just amazing! All you have to remember is it feels hotter than the other parks because of all the plants etc. - so dress appropriately!

This is my shout-out to AK - I love it there! :sohappy:

There are a thousand things 'wrong' with AK. Throughout, I can't help but think of things that have not been build, or have been underbuild, or sometimes overbuild.
But at least the park gives the impression that they tried. It feels like a labor of love, more than a product of marketeering. That has got to count for something.

Me I love the park too, warts and faults and all. :wave:

 

[Silver Figment]

Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks too. I don't feel like it's a half day park; i usually spend at least 1 full day there, if not more.

 

[Captain Chaos]

DAK is a great park... Probably now my favorite of the 4 WDW parks... I posted this two years ago on another site, and I am now sharing it here... Of course, this was before Avatar was announced... And yes, the Disco Yeti does bother me!!!

Animal Kingdon is fastly becoming my favorite theme park in Walt Disney World... While I enjoy all the parks, there is something about Animal Kingdom that grips me... What exactly is it about Animal Kingdom that I love so much??? I am not sure... Maybe it is the theme... Maybe it is the story... Maybe it is the scenary... Maybe it is the attention to detail the Imagineers put in designing the park... Maybe, it is the fact that it is a different kind of theme park that I like so much...

When Animal Kingdom first opened, I admit, I hated it... I felt the park was too big, too spaced out... Too much walking had to be done, which tired you out too fast, especially in the hot Florida summer sun... There were not enough ride, not enough to do.. Animal Kingdom was, in the beginning, nothing but a half day park, and really, a waste of a day... In my opinion...

But now, I can spend the entire day in Animal Kingdom... I can spend half the morning just walking around taking in the scenary, exploring Discovery trails... I can spend a lot of time in the queues, checking out the artifacts, and piecing together the story the Imagineers are trying to tell with the attraction... When I walk through Africa, I feel like I am actually transported to a real African village, waiting to take a real life African safari... Exiting Africa and entering Asia, I am transported to the Asian continent; where I can explore the Asian forests and jungles, see the animals in person that call Asia their home, and where I can climb to the top of Mount Everest and encounter the mythical yeti... I can travel over a billion years back in time and visit the age of the dinosaurs, and become sidetracked by a hokey road side carnival that is grossly out place and extremely tack, yet very fun at the same time... And then finally, over to a desert oasis, where we find out how tough it is to be a bug, and where the Tree of Life inspires us to respect and appreciate all forms life, whether human or animal or otherwise...

Sure, Animal Kingdom is not a complete theme park, not by any Disney theme park standard... But, what the park lacks in rides it makes up for in theme, in detail.. There are plenty of hidden trails for you to explore... There is plenty to see and more to do than one might think... Would Beastly Kingdomme have solved this issue??? Don't know, and we never will, so ther really is no sense dwelling on it.... Would a new land help out?? Well, it cannot hurt... The Austrialian Outback or even Mysterious Island complete with Tokyo DisneySea's Journey to the Center of the Earth attraction will do wonders for Animal Kingdom... But, again, no sense dwelling on something that is not here... Let's just appreciate what we do have, and enjoy Animal Kingdom for what it is... A theme park wonder and an Imagineering triumph...

 

[Dragonrider1227]

It's not my favorite park but I enjoyed it greatly. Maybe it's because I didn't get to it exactly at opening time but I didn't do everything in the park XD I would love to see an Australia section too!
And yeah... I'll be skipping the "Navi land" >>

 

[Nero the dog]

I can spend the entire day in Animal Kingdom... I can spend half the morning just walking around taking in the scenary, exploring Discovery trails... I can spend a lot of time in the queues, checking out the artifacts, and piecing together the story the Imagineers are trying to tell with the attraction... When I walk through Africa, I feel like I am actually transported to a real African village, waiting to take a real life African safari... Exiting Africa and entering Asia, I am transported to the Asian continent; where I can explore the Asian forests and jungles, see the animals in person that call Asia their home, and where I can climb to the top of Mount Everest and encounter the mythical yeti... I can travel over a billion years back in time and visit the age of the dinosaurs, and become sidetracked by a hokey road side carnival that is grossly out place and extremely tack, yet very fun at the same time... And then finally, over to a desert oasis, where we find out how tough it is to be a bug, and where the Tree of Life inspires us to respect and appreciate all forms life, whether human or animal or otherwise...

Sure, Animal Kingdom is not a complete theme park, not by any Disney theme park standard... But, what the park lacks in rides it makes up for in theme, in detail.. There are plenty of hidden trails for you to explore... There is plenty to see and more to do than one might think... Would Beastly Kingdomme have solved this issue??? Don't know, and we never will, so ther really is no sense dwelling on it.... Would a new land help out?? Well, it cannot hurt... The Austrialian Outback or even Mysterious Island complete with Tokyo DisneySea's Journey to the Center of the Earth attraction will do wonders for Animal Kingdom... But, again, no sense dwelling on something that is not here... Let's just appreciate what we do have, and enjoy Animal Kingdom for what it is... A theme park wonder and an Imagineering triumph...

I love Animal Kingdom, I also love Epcot World Showcase. My dream theme park would be a combination of the 2. Where you could go from country to country, see some of their culture and history, then see the wildlife of that country in an area that resembles the real flora and fauna of that place.

 

[Choodles]

Best themed Disney park in the US. The only problem is it lacks attractions. I don't ride EE or KRR anymore so I do everything in like two hours now.

 

[danpam1024]

I don't understand why so many people are down on AK. Seriously people! ... it's Disney Theming at it's best! I love that park! I spend a whole day there everytime I go! Rides, shows, just walking around - all the animals! It's incredible! Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical are just amazing! All you have to remember is it feels hotter than the other parks because of all the plants etc. - so dress appropriately!

This is my shout-out to AK - I love it there! :sohappy:

Totally agree, we got there just as the park opened and stayed til close- still would have loved more time! Next vacation gets 2 whole days devoted to DAK. There's so much to do and see if you get to take your time.

 

[fractal]

We had a "free day" on our last trip and I asked my 10 year old which park she wanted to go to and she said Animal Kingdom - without much hesitation.

We love the park.

 

[LivinwtheLand]

Animal Kingdom is my current favorite park BECAUSE it is so big. You really feel the different lands and the Imagineers really went out of their way to do each land right. I LOVE Kilimanjaro Safari because EVERY time I ride it, it's a different experience. It's like a 21st century version of the Jungle Cruise. Each Safari leader has their personality intertwined with the script that is the ride, but it's left in their hands to present it their way. Additionally, each trek is going to be different. Sure, the lion and lioness will most likely be asleep on the ridge, but who knows if a giraffe will gallop in front of the truck, or a elephant will be spraying itself with water. Animal Kingdom has a freedom that sets itself apart. The animatronics that would be in other parks are living animals in Animal Kingdom and have the ability to change your experience every time. BTW.....The Yeti animatronic NEVER sold the Expedition Everest ride. It was a nice finish to the ride when it reached out for you as your train went by, but if that was the most exciting part of the ride for you, then you weren't paying attention to the rest of the ride. EASILY the best Disney World coaster.

 

[Captain Chaos]

We had a "free day" on our last trip and I asked my 10 year old which park she wanted to go to and she said Animal Kingdom - without much hesitation.

We love the park.

DAK would be my park choice too on a free day...

 

[cindyella]

My family loves it! It is my sons favorite park.. I tell him its because the were both born in 1998. We are there at least 5 times in our 8-10 days we are at WDW.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Still a great park. Might be #4 on many lists, but that isn't always a bad thing. I think they dropped the ball with the Avatar thing, it isn't even Disney for crying out loud. All of those ideas and they didn't even think about the Lion King?

Anyway, it is well themed. Definitely a full day park for us 9-6pm. Worth the trip. That Tree of Life, wow, you could spend an hour or two just looking at the detail

 

[cheezbat]

Why ever add anything else or build up DAK when it's perfect? :lookaroun (that's sure how some of you guys make this place sound!)

Sorry guys, I disagree with most of you. The park is themed greatly, but lacks much substance. It has a nice amount of zoo animals, but not as much as some of the bigger zoos, and it has some good rides, but not man rides, and also has some good shows, but could use more...not to mention food, and indoor attractions.
As long as there are tons of people spending crazy amounts of money and applauding Disney's cheapness, then they won't ever build it up to be the park it was meant to be. So many great concepts shelved just because they don't feel like spending the money...and what's the reason to spend if the park isn't losing attendance? Journey to the Center of the Earth, Beastly Kingdomme, the original Tiger River rapids concept, a version of Mystic Manor...all of these were concepts that could have been a part of this park...and could make it one of the best parks in the world.

I'm sorry, but I will stand firm in my stance until I see the love this park deserves.

 

[Mickey_777]

People don't hate, they love. They love so much that they want more. More attractions that is.