For all its positives, DAK still has a pretty mediocre ride roster outside Pandora. Really only four rides. Three of which have limited audience. Everest as a coaster, Dinosaur and Kali for sucking and being very bumpy and the other getting you soaking wet.
This right here. It's a combination of the limited number of worthwhile "ride"-type attractions at DAK, the hype about "something new and big," and of course Pandora being superb quality.
Parenthetically, I've never understood the dislike for Dinosaur. I know it's no Indiana Jones (though as Martin says, it should be appreciated on its own merits, rather than compared just because we theme park fans know it's the same ride system), it would have been much better with the original budget (also something we only consider because we're theme park fans with inside knowledge), and there are often maintenance issues - but if you judge it on its own merits without comparing it to IJA just because of the ride system, or comparing it to concept art/plans for the higher-budget version, it's hard for me to see how anyone would reach the conclusion that it's not a great attraction. I first went on it before IJA and without any prior knowledge, and it blew me away - the detail, the animatronics, the thrills, the exciting pace, pretty much everything.
Also, 100% agreed on Kali. It would be a nice c-ticket attraction if there weren't an ever-present risk of getting absolutely soaked to the bone and walking around in stinky sneakers the rest of the day. It wouldn't really take anything away from they experience if they toned down the splash a bit (and I think that's technically feasible). Otherwise, the wetness-level really removes it from the park's already-limited roster a lot of the time (e.g., imagine if Splash Mountain got you that wet).
