Unimpressed with Animal Kingdom

[GS3rd]

As Shania Twain once said...That don't impress me much...

I was very disappointed in AK and the over all time I spent at the park. I am glad it took me 22 years to get here because honestly, it was not at all what I expected. There were not many animals, and not many rides. While Avatar was my favorite land, even the river ride was boring. The food was terrible! Not sure if it was because of covid changes or what but it was bad.

The good's were it was a beautiful park, a lot to visually see, but man, WHERE, ARE, THE, ANIMALS? Like, no where to be found.

I would say its a great park to walk around it and have a nice stroll, but as far as everything else, very boring and not worth the price...

Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone else had this similar experience? I've been to Disney like 15+ times...

 

[epcotisbest]

As Shania Twain once said...That don't impress me much...

I was very disappointed in AK and the over all time I spent at the park. I am glad it took me 22 years to get here because honestly, it was not at all what I expected. There were not many animals, and not many rides. While Avatar was my favorite land, even the river ride was boring. The food was terrible! Not sure if it was because of covid changes or what but it was bad.

The good's were it was a beautiful park, a lot to visually see, but man, WHERE, ARE, THE, ANIMALS? Like, no where to be found.

I would say its a great park to walk around it and have a nice stroll, but as far as everything else, very boring and not worth the price...

Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone else had this similar experience? I've been to Disney like 15+ times...

If it is boring and not worth the price for you, then there is no reason to ever return. For us, it is one of the most visually stunning, intellectually stimulating experiences in all of Florida. Lots of animals, great food and entertainment and much more. Sorry you did not enjoy it. I guess that is why there are four parks, something for everyone.

 

[noodles]

My favorite park.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

WHERE, ARE, THE, ANIMALS? Like, no where to be found.

DAK is an acquired taste for me. It took me some getting used to, now its one of my favourite areas of WDW.

I too think there is a distinct lack of animals. The Oasis is lush but empty. So nobody does what the area wants the entering guest to learn: slow down and look. Discovery Island has more encounters with toon than live animals. The Trek looks like the Yeti ate all the wildlife for his afternoon snack. At Dinoland, even the animal sculptures are painted pink, hidden or inaccessible.

 

[ShrunkenHead89]

Man that's surprising, granted I haven't been since COVID (going back Sunday). Did you go on the wildlife trails? I feel like the food is better than MK and HS. And the rides are better than Epcot. It might be my favorite park overall honestly.

 

[WondersOfLife]

As Shania Twain once said...That don't impress me much...

I was very disappointed in AK and the over all time I spent at the park. I am glad it took me 22 years to get here because honestly, it was not at all what I expected. There were not many animals, and not many rides. While Avatar was my favorite land, even the river ride was boring. The food was terrible! Not sure if it was because of covid changes or what but it was bad.

The good's were it was a beautiful park, a lot to visually see, but man, WHERE, ARE, THE, ANIMALS? Like, no where to be found.

I would say its a great park to walk around it and have a nice stroll, but as far as everything else, very boring and not worth the price...

Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone else had this similar experience? I've been to Disney like 15+ times...

I'm assuming you didn't go on the Safaris, which is literally the whole reason to go to AK.

And I guarantee you 90% of people would disagree with you. Be prepared to be called out by many.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I like it, while I don't think it requires more than one day to enjoy all it has to offer, that's one of the nice things too, you don't have to rush all around it. It has a synergy and flow that HS can't match. While it lacks tons of rides it has 2 of the best in any WDW park and the shows are also quite good so not having them probably effected the experience. As for food I think it might have the best options, even beating Epcot, at least quick service wise.
I agree, I wish there were some more animal exhibits, but the safari does have a lot of animals and diversity.
You can't be everything to everyone.

 

[MonorailCoral]

It's far too large for what it offers.

The train should have circled the entire property and joined each area for convenience, becoming a true DAKRR like the WDWRR. Instead, it's a train in a far corner of the property to...a petting zoo.

The Tree of Life...who cares.

The pork sandwich was pretty good...how do I sign up for the paid backstage tour that shows how the meat was acquired?

Paper straws...nope. BYOS.

Lions, tigers, bears...oh my.

Endless sidewalks that seem like they all end up back...somewhere.

Wait...didn't we pass that tree already?

Where the...blank...are we?

Busch Gardens is a far better zoo with a vast number of rides and transportation options. Last time I checked, they even still had the remote-control boats which were long yanked out of MK Adventureland because...?

 

[NelleBelle]

I don't know how things are during covid regarding things that are open and closed? I think like the pp mentioned, the Oasis a ton of people rush through and miss a lot of the animals that are there. I could ride KS over and over and see something new each time. Last time we went, we were held up for 30 minutes by several giraffe that decided they wanted to hang out in the road--best up close photo ops we've ever gotten, especially of the baby they had then. We love the Gorilla trail. The monkeys in Asia are great to watch (can't recall their name off the top of my head). I can't imagine going for the first time though when there were no live shows--Festival of the Lion King is awesome! I know some can't stand it, but Nemo holds a nostalgic place for us. I guess all I can say is that you can't command animals to make appearances.

 

[Capsin4]

It’s top 2 for us. Maybe you should have spent some of those 22 years getting a clue of what to expect.

 

[Kram Sacul]

I don’t believe any of this.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

It's my family's least favorite.
We don't spend much time there.

 

[Little Green Men]

Paper straws...nope. BYOS.

That’s at every disney Park now...

 

[Tom Morrow]

It's probably my favorite park in Orlando and I believe its the most cohesively themed theme park in the United States.

There are lots of animals. Maybe slightly less than large famous zoos I've been to - but remember, it's nahtazu. They can mostly be found on the Maharaja Jungle Trek, Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (you didn't skip these like most folks, did you?), and of course, Kilimanjaro Safaris. I would say on 4 out of 5 visits to these attractions, I see plenty of animals. The animals do seem to be more lively in late afternoon.

There are also some on the Tree of Life trails. The bird show. The ape habitat in Asia (Gibbons and Siamangs). The small crocodile habitat in Dinoland. Rafiki's Planet Watch petting zoo. The Oasis is hit or miss with having animals out.

Either you got very unlucky, or, more likely, you weren't paying much attention.

 

[Tom Morrow]

It's far too large for what it offers.

The train should have circled the entire property and joined each area for convenience, becoming a true DAKRR like the WDWRR. Instead, it's a train in a far corner of the property to...a petting zoo.

The Tree of Life...who cares.

The pork sandwich was pretty good...how do I sign up for the paid backstage tour that shows how the meat was acquired?

Paper straws...nope. BYOS.

Lions, tigers, bears...oh my.

Endless sidewalks that seem like they all end up back...somewhere.

Wait...didn't we pass that tree already?

Where the...blank...are we?

Busch Gardens is a far better zoo with a vast number of rides and transportation options. Last time I checked, they even still had the remote-control boats which were long yanked out of MK Adventureland because...?

You mean the Busch Gardens "savannah" that looks like a golf course? The trails and exhibits at BGT look like standard regional zoo faire for the most part. Animal Kingdom is NOT that big - it has the smallest walking space in all four WDW parks. The paths are not that confusing, and most of them have very distinct theming. If all you noticed was trees... well then you, too, were not paying close attention.

DAK is a park that heavily rewards those who pay attention. If you want things to be loud, blatant, and in your face, go to Universal.

 

[Jon81uk]

The animal trails (Gorilla Falls and Maharajah trek) are some of my favourite zoo areas I've been to, plenty of animals to see. I can spend ages just watch the gorillas and tigers. Plus bats, loads of birds and plenty more. Yes outside of the trails and the safari there aren't too many animals but I don't think they are particularly lacking.

 

[MonorailCoral]

That’s at every disney Park now...

Thanks for the warning. I will pack appropriately.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Thanks for the warning. I will pack appropriately.

The reason they did it AKL and pretty much every zoo I have been to the last 10 years is that the animals could be injured should one find its way into their enclosure. Please refrain from bringing them into AKL.

 

[MonorailCoral]

You mean the Busch Gardens "savannah" that looks like a golf course? The trails and exhibits at BGT look like standard regional zoo faire for the most part. Animal Kingdom is NOT that big - it has the smallest walking space in all four WDW parks. The paths are not that confusing, and most of them have very distinct theming. If all you noticed was trees... well then you, too, were not paying close attention.

DAK is a park that heavily rewards those who pay attention. If you want things to be loud, blatant, and in your face, go to Universal.

What's wrong with golf courses?

I don't generally need to pay a hundred bucks a head to go on a canopied nature walk.

It's not that I "wasn't paying close attention"...It's that I'm on vacation and not at a theme park as a paying customer to do work, which is what Disney apparently themed DAK for. If I wanted to pay someone a hundred bucks for the privilege of doing my own work, I'd hire a...oh, nevermind.

Either way, both have a giant bush in the center.

 

[Jon81uk]

Thanks for the warning. I will pack appropriately.

If coming over here the EU & UK governments have started to ban plastic straws completely, so if they are a big deal for you then pack accordingly for a trip to Europe.