Transportation and AK

[jazcatsnh]

Hi everyone. A question and an idea for Animal Kingdom. The transportation in that park is horrible. The lands are so seperated and the rides so far apart they need to do something to make it more attractive for the average person (i.e. not us fanatics). Here are my thoughts:

1) Has anyone heard if they are going to do anything with the river again? They have a big wide river that circles the area and is not used anymore. They should at least make this into a transportation area (think friendships maybe themed differently) to quickly or at least differently get you from land to land.

2) They have a useless railroad that goes from Africa to the conservation station. How about extending it all the way around (on the outside) of the park. It becomes transportation and a ride (it will overlook the safari areas etc. and stop at all areas as well as the proposed area for the missing land (Beastly Kingdom whatever).

Thoughts? I hear more people complaign that they waste a day walking as opposed to seeing things and I think just like in the MK they need something here. I mean even Epcot has the friendships to cut across the lake.

 

[Seano846]

The first thing they should do is extend the Monorail to the AK

 

[timoteo]

The river did have a ride! It was open for about a month then closed. If you view the making of Animal Kingdom video, which a nut like me has, you can see it operating. I have no information why it closed or what happened. The boats were very well themed to an african expedition. They had rust, supplies, cranky engines. There was a moving dinousaur on the shore during the ride. I saw one closed dock along the narrow path the connects Africa to Aisa across from ToL. Does anyone know what happened to these boats?

 

[jazcatsnh]

Yes it did have a river ride and it supposedly bombed (there is another boat dock just off the bridge when you enter the tree of life area). It wasn't a transportation megthod however but just did a complete circle (very slow from what a CM told me).

Hopefully the can rethink it as a way to get around.

 

[Seano846]

When we went to the AK during the first year of operation,that was the only attraction that consistantly had over a 3 hour wait each day.I do not remember the name though.

 

[WDW-Imagineer]

I like all three systems mentioned here. First expand the monorail, and then add a train and boat system.

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

extremely good thoughts of the transportation systems AK should have, Jaz!! I salute you!

I rode the river ride you all have mentioned. it had something to do with Radio Disney. I'm not sure on the exact name of it, but Radio Disney definately had something to do with it! i'll just be very blunt about my opinion on this ride....i think it sucked! it wasn't worth the wait (which for us was about 30min...we hit it at a good time, and thank God we did!!) it wasn't even worth a 5 min. wait! and was possibly worse than the remake of JIYI! you guys are right, it was well themed, and did kinda give you a nice view of the whole park...but Radio Disney just didn't fit at all!! the drivers of the boat didn't speak at all... it was all a recorded thing. and it was very slow going! a nice way to get away from the walking, at least. but that was all it was good for! i was glad to see it taken away, but sad to see the river and docks now abandoned....they best thing to do there is make a nice transportation thing out of it!!

 

[Goofster]

I'm sure someone on this board knows the whole story, but I think that there were many tries to save these boats. One time it was some regualr ride or something, another time it had something to do with Radio Disney, but eventually, the ships had to be docked.

 

[WDWFanatic]

This was the same boatride that had a dragon that would breathe fire right? I remember that it was the longest que line. I think all of the ideas you have are excellent. Too bad we couldnt bring back a safari skyway. you could get some execllent pics of the animals from above. The train should have been extended around the outside of the park for it to be put to better use. I think it would fit the entire theme perfectly.

 

[sillyspook13]

The boat ride was used for transportation when the park first opened. Once I was on a boat and the driver told jokes the whole time. He even had everybody throw their hands in the air and scream as if we were on Splash Mountain every time we went under a bridge.

The problem with the boat ride as tramsportation was that it was so slow. It took 15 minutes, not including wait time, to get somewhere that you could walk to in less than 5.