We don't talk about Animal Kingdom enough...

[DfromATX]

I admit AK is/was my least favorite park, but we went in July and it was much better! We got there first thing in the AM and left after lunch to take a break, then returned in the evening and closed it down. It was really neat to be there at night and was a totally different atmosphere. When the new land is completed and Rivers of Lights finally opens, it will be even better! I can't wait to go again when ALL the new lands are open! (When will that be btw... 2020?)

 

[DfromATX]

My favorite park, and I'm not really into animals. Tusker House, Everest, the music, beautiful pathways, even Dinoland!
To each his own. Walt Disney World pretty much has something for everyone. Of course, I love most everything at all the parks.

Agreed. AK is not my favorite, but I could never skip it or any other park on a trip to WDW. There's something at every park for me to do.

 

[danyoung56]

(When will that be btw... 2020?)

Disney is now saying that Avatar Land will be open in 2017. And they're doing CM previews of Rivers of Light this weekend, which means the show may be opening soon!

 

[UpAllNight]

I love it but it could/should be better by this point.

The next level parks are the ones where you want to return the next day because you haven't fit it all in. Animal Kingdom is without question a full day park, allowing time for rerides, shows and exhibits, but it doesn't elicit a need to return after you've visited the once.

 

[JohnD]

If all you want to do is go from attraction to attraction then AK will never be a full day park for you.

AK is not meant to be an attraction commando park. AK is mixture of attractions, shows, and trails. It's the slow down and meander park. One thing I love to do is grab a drink or two at Dawa Bar, veg out, and listen to the African music whether piped in or from the live group nearby. Bliss

 

[JohnD]

Except I knew dinosaur would be down the first week I was there and planned accordingly . But then they extended the refurb and it ruined the second day I planned there.They expect us to plan 6 months in advance but can't commit to their own plans .

I went to AK on 10/30. Yes, the Dinosaur refurb was extended. My day wasn't ruined. I re-worked my schedule, rode Everest more than once, watched Nemo, took in the park. I enjoyed my day because I wanted to.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I can't wait to go in May. I hope I have a chance to check out Animal Kingdom at night.

 

[mergatroid]

True ... The lion king is an amazing show. And it saved my afternoon when we had nothing left to do. But it and Safari aren't really repeatable ... They can only be done once every year/two years IMO.

Well it's all subjective of course but that's one of the things I've seen posted on here that I disagree with most. Kilimanjaro Safari can be enjoyed more than once per visit unless you have a very low attention span or interest in seeing wild animals. Each trip can present so many new surprises and sights, especially in the elephant and giraffe segments for instance where they are very often doing different things. Even though it's a relatively long attraction, I often find myself wanting it to last longer and we nearly always do it twice per visit time permitting, it's what defines the Animal Kingdom for us.

 

[mergatroid]

AK is not meant to be an attraction commando park. AK is mixture of attractions, shows, and trails. It's the slow down and meander park. One thing I love to do is grab a drink or two at Dawa Bar, veg out, and listen to the African music whether piped in or from the live group nearby. Bliss

Have to agree, so much to enjoy if you take your time. We often talk to the cm's who really love talking about the animals they work with. They're really knowledgeable about them and always seem happy to talk about them to us. In September we chatted to a lovely guy outside the bird show and after the show had finished he invited us to meet one of the birds as we left as he recognised us, take your time to talk to them and you'll be rewarded greatly.

 

[JimW]

Well it's all subjective

THIS. There's no standard by which attractions are judged. While there are those who think that the Safaris aren't worth re-riding every one-to-two years, my wife and I who have annual passes try to try it once very month, or at the very least every other month.

While I understand that there are favorites in each park, I don't understand why people choose to bash what other people like. It's not a competition, and there certainly isn't a sliding scale of which attractions are best. Heck, be glad that others like something you don't; they won't be in your line and vice-versa.

 

[Communicore]

It's the Rocky V of WDW. DHS is the Godfather III.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What I will say about AK is that it's the one WDW park that has had the proper kind of care put into it in recent years. Whether it's adding real capacity (Africa expansion), repairing broken show elements (Dinosaur), or adding new offerings that fit the park's original theme (Rivers of Light), the park has some kind of clear focus with quality additions.

It's a shame the same approch can't be taken with Epcot, MK or DHS, where the solution more often than not is to simply replace the old with character based offerings.