I Was Wrong About Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom was far and away my least favorite park at Walt Disney World for the first decade-plus of its existence. Honestly, I was almost bitter at the park for squandering so much potential. It’s the most thematically-pure park, and had endless potential to leverage extinct and mythical creatures. (Updated September 21, 2025.)
Since becoming Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Floridians (for 4 years), we’ve spent more time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As a result, my opinion of the park changed as compared to our first few visits together as adults. Now that we’ve had more time to slow down and appreciate Animal Kingdom on its own terms, I’ll admit that I was wrong about it.
Phrases like “I was wrong” are not the norm on the internet. The standard modus operandi is to establish a position, entrench oneself in that, and refuse to relent no matter what countervailing reason and opinion are offered. Sorry, fellow internet commentators, if I’ve broken some sort of unspoken code of conduct by admitting that I was wrong.
In my defense, while I will admit that I was wrong, I’m not saying I was totally wrong. In fact, several of my specific points are valid. What I was wrong about were my general conclusions about the park, and my general demeanor and attitude towards it.
Let’s take a look at why I am now an Animal Kingdom fan. And to be clear, I’ve been a DAK fan for well over a decade–this article was originally published 12 years ago to the week and has been updated several times since as DAK has continued to evolve, opening Pandora and Rivers of Light, closing the latter and Dino-Rama, etc.
To that point, let’s start with the latest update, which is actually a rare step backwards for Animal Kingdom…
2025 Update
Animal Kingdom is the park most removed from its last development cycle almost a decade ago, and it has lost more than it has gained since March 2020. It’s hurt by its reduced offerings and construction, and is the park far and away most likely to lose attendance to Epic Universe at Universal between now and 2027.
The next few years will be tough for Animal Kingdom before Tropical Americas debuts in 2027-2028. Already this year, all of Dino-Rama has closed, as has It’s Tough to Be a Bug. The Boneyard play area just closed, and DINOSAUR will go extinct in February 2026. Thankfully, Zootopia: Better Zoogether will debut and pick up some of the slack, but not much.
Animal Kingdom will only have 5 traditional rides from February 2026 until sometime in late 2027 when the first Tropical Americas attraction opens. To be sure, there are stage shows, atmospheric entertainment acts, and animal exhibits that help round out things. But people go to theme parks primarily for rides, and Animal Kingdom is undeniably light on them.
Ardent Animal Kingdom defenders won’t like to hear this, but guests are already voting with their wallets. Animal Kingdom adherents and converts (like us!) argue that average guests just don’t “get” the park. And as we’ll discuss below, there’s truth to that! But there’s also the reality that Walt Disney World waited way too long to start expanding DAK, and there’s also validity to its shrinking attendance.
To this point, Animal Kingdom is the worst performing park at Walt Disney World. During the last year for which data is available, it was the only park at Walt Disney World not in the top 10 for worldwide theme park attendance. Animal Kingdom ranked #16, with 8.8 million annual visitors.
It’s the only Walt Disney World park that didn’t hit the 10 million mark, and it had less than half the annual visitors of Magic Kingdom, the #1 theme park in the world. So even pre-construction, Animal Kingdom was the most-skipped park at Walt Disney World, with half of guests who visited the flagship castle park opting to skip DAK.
There’s a reason for that, and it would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise and claim that DAK attendance is low simply because it’s misunderstood. It would also be inappropriate to not offer an update to this post acknowledging as much, as a lot has changed at Animal Kingdom since we last visited this topic in 2019, and all of it has been for the worse.
Even Animal Kingdom’s most passionate fans would not contend that the park is as good today as it was in 2019. That’s simply an indefensible position. It’s worth keeping that in mind while reading the following, as this is an article that I would not write today. At least, not in such forceful terms.
I still love Animal Kingdom, but anyone who visits in 2025 or 2026 and doesn’t love it is not wrong and is not simply misunderstanding the much-maligned park. Animal Kingdom was better; Animal Kingdom deserves better. And thankfully, Animal Kingdom will be better by 2028.
With that in mind, here’s the case in favor of visiting Animal Kingdom, and appreciating the park in its fully glory as a different breed that’s unique from the other three parks at Walt Disney World…
Park Style & Structure
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a substantial departure from the typical Disney theme park archetype, and this fundamental difference in tone and structure causes many people to misunderstand the park. Conversely, this same difference in tone and structure does give Animal Kingdom its own group of fervent fans who call it their favorite park, many of whom take great offense to criticism of the park. We definitely fell into the former group for our first several years visiting Walt Disney World as adults.
When traveling to Walt Disney World for fun, we’ve basically renounced the commando style, but my ‘epiphany’ that we might have been missing something with Animal Kingdom didn’t come until, of all places, we first visited Disneyland Paris.
Since we weren’t sure if we’d ever be back there, we made a point to soak up as much of that park as we could, doing a lot in the way of exploring, savoring details, and even reading signs or “historical” placards throughout the park. It was an incredible experience and gave me a deep appreciation for Disney’s most beautiful castle park. I later dubbed it a park that’s like a fine wine, and is meant to be sipped, not chugged.
I realized that there was a good chance that Animal Kingdom was the same way, so on our next trip to Walt Disney World, we opted to spend two days there–more time than we spent in any other park. This ‘fine wine’ analogy definitely applies there, too. Simply put, Animal Kingdom is an ambiance park.
Much like World Showcase at Epcot, you can’t go in expecting to do a lot of exciting attractions. Rather, the joy of the experience is in the atmosphere, and in discovering little things that make the theme park a place, rather than a collection of rides.
To me, the atmosphere and these details are a big part of what separates Disney theme parks from other theme and amusement parks. If all you care about is running from attraction to attraction, why do Disney parks at all? There are better options for that.
In terms of “Disney Details,” Animal Kingdom ranks as some of Imagineering’s best work. It’s staggering, really, and even seasoned Animal Kingdom fans are likely to notice new things with each visit. Whether that be new placemaking elements, atmospheric acts, or even quiet corners you’ve somehow missed in the past, there’s a lot that gets missed by casual visitors there for a single day.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park tone is manifested in the many winding animal trails throughout the park, some of which are listed as attractions on the park map, but many of which are not.
It’s going slowly through the Oasis (entry area) while arriving or leaving instead of racing on. It’s stopping to take a few minutes to watch a couple of animals play. It’s reading what one of the many posters plastered in Africa says, and thinking about how that relates to the theme of the area. It’s sitting back and watching a fountain flow while snacking. It’s all of these things and many more, all of which make Disney’s Animal Kingdom the most detailed and heavily themed park at Walt Disney World. What it lacks in nostalgia for most of us, it should make up for in character.
DAK Attractions
It’s safe to say that everyone knows about Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Finding Nemo: The Musical, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, and Festival of the Lion King. We think it’s fair to call these all moderately good to great attractions. In the cases of Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids, we think there’s some unrealized potential, but they’re still fun.
It used to be the case that we’d do these attractions (besides Kali River Rapids), eat, wander a bit, and call it a day. It wasn’t until this year that we did Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Feathered Friends in Flight, and Maharajah Jungle Trek. These changed our outlook on Animal Kingdom, as they provided additional hours of entertainment, and also contradicted the notion that Animal Kingdom didn’t do enough to distinguish its animal exhibits from a zoo.
Then there’s Pandora – World of Avatar. Probably not much need to fixate on this, as the expansion is a huge draw and what caused DAK’s attendance to surge back when it debuted. The Avatar area offers two new non-animal attractions that are the biggest draws in the entire park. It also helps tremendously that Avatar Flight of Passage is one of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World!
Turning to the hidden gems or overlooked highlights, our favorites of these are definitely Feathered Friends in Flight, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Feathered Friends in Flight is entertaining and engaging, with a bit of self-aware, cheesy comedy that works really well in the context of the show to balance out the serious conservationist message.
The intelligence of birds is on full display here, and it’s really quite impressive. It really is a great blend of Disney entertainment and wildlife, and a prime example of how conceptually strong Animal Kingdom is as a theme park. If you like that, be sure to not miss Winged Encounters in front of the Tree of Life.
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is an excellent animal exhibit, as is the underrated Otter Grotto towards the front of the park. We tend to stop in the latter both upon entering and exiting the park since those little fellas can sometimes be tough to spot.
Maharajah Jungle Trek is a walk-through attraction, but it shouldn’t be dismissed as just a walk-through exhibit. Here, there are scenes that bring you up close to various animals, all while traversing through an elaborately themed Asian environment. While the animal encounters are great, as are the Cast Members here sharing information about them, the environments through which you walk (and even through which the animals roam) are the real star.
At one point it seems as if you’re going through the ruins of a remote temple that has existed for thousands of years, and details abound everywhere. Disney could have just let the animals be the show here, with utilitarian paths between them, but by going further and creating the environments, it feels like you’re an active participant in some sort of exploration. It’s difficult to articulate, but it works really well as an attraction and is very rewarding for guests who take the time to soak it all in.
Pick a half-dozen or so of these attractions, add in dining, roaming entertainment, and wandering around the park to enjoy its many details, and you have a day of entertainment that stacks up well to the other three theme parks at Walt Disney World.
Quietly Great Food Park?!
Speaking of dining, the case could be made that Animal Kingdom is sneakily one of the best food parks at Walt Disney World.
The consensus among Walt Disney World fans is that EPCOT is the epicenter of Walt Disney World’s culinary scene. And that’s probably true given the sheer number of its restaurants in World Showcase and beyond, plus the festival food booths that are present most of the year. EPCOT is probably home to a greater variety of good or better dining than any other park. I’m not going to be a contrarian and suggest otherwise.
But on a single visit, you cannot possibly eat all of that, and the argument can be made that Animal Kingdom has as formidable of a dining scene on a pound for pound basis. Satu’li Canteen and Flame Tree BBQ offer a better 1-2 punch for counter service restaurants than anything at EPCOT. Tiffins and Nomad Lounge are another exceptional 1-2 punch, arguably the best in-park Signature Restaurant and lounge anywhere.
Another under-the-radar pick is Tusker House, which offers the most diverse buffet spread of any character dining experience. Then there’s Yak & Yeti, which is sneakily great as a mid-tier table service. All of these picks are as good or better than their counterparts in EPCOT–and that’s not even the full restaurant roster!
The biggest (valid) criticism of Animal Kingdom’s cuisine scene is that it lacks the same level of snacking as EPCOT. No argument from me there, but DAK does have some underrated snacks, and again, more than any guest could eat in a single day (or even two!).
Start with breakfast at Satu’li Canteen after rope dropping Pandora – World of Avatar, schedule a table service meal (or two!) as a way to pace the day, and do some light snacking in between. With all of that, it’s easy to graze your way around the continents and turn DAK into a full-day park. Maybe a two-day park!
Half Day Park?
Just to underscore a point from the end of the last section: Disney’s Animal Kingdom is not a half day park. Despite the artificial limitation of shorter park hours, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is not inherently a half day park. There’s plenty to do to fill a full day…or two!
The misconception concerning this status is likely perpetuated by theme park commandos, who race from E-Ticket attraction to E-Ticket attraction and try to complete parks in almost a checklist fashion. Experiencing Animal Kingdom in this manner is, flat out, the wrong way to do it. The main reason–that it’s an ambiance park meant to be slowly enjoyed–is set out above.
The other main reason is sort of related to that, and it’s the attraction distribution of Animal Kingdom. If guests are working from a ‘checklist’ of sorts, once they complete the big name attractions listed in the first paragraph of the “Attractions” section, what is left for them to do? The walk-through animal attractions and meandering trails, while very well done, don’t cater to the commando type because there is no instant gratification with these experiences.
This is their fault for viewing a theme park as a list of items to accomplish as quickly as possible, and not Animal Kingdom’s fault.
However, even for more patient guests, the walk-throughs and trails are similar enough to one another that at some point it’s understandable if fatigue from similarity sets in and they grow restless.
To avoid encountering this same fatigue ourselves, we’ve made sure to mix-in these walking and self-guided attractions with more “typical” theme park attractions. This definitely isn’t the most efficient way to experience Animal Kingdom, but it did nicely break up our days there. We think this is a good way to approach the park if you commonly find yourself ready to head for the buses around 1 pm.
So What Is Wrong?
I’m not suggesting Animal Kingdom is without fault. Far from it. The biggest thing that’s wrong is the aforementioned attraction distribution. This might seem to fly in the face of what I said above, as I described Animal Kingdom as a different kind of theme park and it being guests’ own problem if they skip the brilliant animal-centric attractions.
While true, these things don’t change the fact that Animal Kingdom could use more traditional theme park attractions that further distance it from a zoo and provide better balance to its slate. In short, the park needs more rides. It needs more to ‘meet guests where they are’, give them counterprogramming between all of the trails & exhibits so they don’t get “animal fatigue.” It needs more to keep them in the park late, so Walt Disney World can justify later operating hours–and a nighttime spectacular (RIP Rivers of Light).
Beastly Kingdom would have accomplished this brilliantly. Its attractions could not have been anything featuring actual animals, unless Imagineering pulled off some sort of Jurassic Park-type feat and found a way to bring to life beasts that have up until now been mythical. (In which case, I doubt many people would be complaining about more “animal”-centric exhibits.)
Tropical Americas will help with this mightily when it debuts in 2027-2028, but even after that, the park will still be a few rides short of comporting with reasonable guests’ expectations. It’s really unfortunate that dinosaurs couldn’t coexist with Encanto and Indiana Jones.
We’re happy to see Dino-Rama go extinct, as that carnival was an embarrassment to the rest of the theme park, and truly disappointing given how much potential there is for a land themed to dinosaurs. So that removal is a net positive that will eventually elevate Animal Kingdom as a whole.
But the solution was building a worthy dinosaur themed land in addition to park expansion featuring Tropical Americas. Dinosaurs are our greatest national treasure, and it’s time Disney started treating them like it.
Suffice to say, Animal Kingdom could use some attractions about mythical or extinct animals that use Disney ride systems found in other parks. Not necessarily dark rides, but some sort of rides.
A few attractions like this would bridge the gap between Animal Kingdom and traditional Disney theme parks. Animal Kingdom would still have its own, unique identity, and would also have better balance and more ways for guests to break up their time in the park. If not dinosaurs of non-Pandorian mythical creatures, perhaps the rumored Lion King ride will come to Africa in the 2030s.
This list of qualms and areas that should be addressed might seem so long that it almost “swallows” the rest of the praise in this article, but it’s not. If it’s any consolation, my list of what needs to be addressed to perfect Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be far longer.
Overall, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an excellent theme park that people under appreciate because it’s not what we’re used to experiencing. It is not perfect and it has clear room for improvement–but not necessarily any more room for improvement than Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even without improvement, it’s a park that many of us could stand to spend a little more time enjoying and exploring, as it has a great deal of beauty that many Disney fans have never seen.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is unquestionably the most divisive theme park at Walt Disney World…where do you stand on it? Are you a fan of it, or is it your least favorite park? Think you’ll give some of its “lesser-known” attractions a chance? Hearing from you is half the fun, so share your thoughts in the comments!
Indiana Jones is a 45 year old franchise. I could care less about the new ride. More than likely, it will be identical to the DL with some more modern visuals. At least with Dinosaur you get a photo. It would have been more exciting to update Dinosaur, but Imaginering is incapable of original thought.
Won’t waste one minute on it, I’ll just get my 3-4 rides in by 11 and head over to Epcot.
Animal kingdom needs more rides. I have a slightly controversial suggestion:
Wakanda
There is a bunch of space to the east of the conservation station and north of Maharajah Jungle Trek. Turn this into a new land: “Wakanda”. This would create a whole new world to explore, focussed on a combination of Africa, African American and advanced technology. I would suggest it could have:
– Vibranium technical demonstrator – an indoor/outdoor coaster (like test track does) that is built for speed. Rather than having lift hills, focus on linear accelerators, using barrel rolls rather than loops. There is plenty of jungle out there, so have something that goes out into the jungle and is not seen from the rest of the park.
– The Black Panther – a dark ride using something like a doom buggy clamshell, that tells the story of the black panther and take you through scenes in the first movie.
– A 2x size statue of Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther form. It should have fiberoptics embedded in the material so it has the glow of vibranium
– The usual dining and gift shops
The controversial part is that all cast members should be black, as that is how the land is in the movies. May not be popular with the current florida administration.
When Black Panther came out, it had a big impact with my black friends and colleagues. I think having a land could bring that to the fore.
There is a licensing problem as technically Universal owns the rights to marvel east of the Mississippi. However they haven’t used black panther, and are unlikely to. Some exchange can probably be done for theme park rights to the Simpsons which Disney now owns.
I adore AK for all of the reasons you’ve stated, and always have. One of my favorite things about EEH there back in July was getting to walk around in a practically empty park, really getting to soak up the details without people in the way. This is also why AK is my favorite park by far on solo trips–I wonder if a lot of people find themselves not “getting” it because they’re with people who won’t allow them to slow down, and so even if they want to sip they’re having to chug so to speak, and so they can’t really appreciate it as much. For me AK is almost a “rest” day during a trip despite the ungodly early EE rope drops, because so much of the park is about chilling and vibing and as a neurodivergent person my brain appreciates the breather from all the overstimulation in the other parks. Just getting a drink from Joffreys and hanging out behind the Tree of Life is special to me.
Still, I agree that it’s in rough shape, and I can’t wait for Tropical Americas.
Loved the fine wine viewpoint. I do really enjoy this park. I have a hard getting my commando family to slow down here it’s my fault I trained them. There is also a badge program for kids that seems very popular. And if with kids don’t miss planet watch finally near front of park check out the anteater!
On your next trip be sure to board the Wildlife Express Train for a free ride to Rafiki’s Planet watch. On the train ride, you’ll pass the large animal holding pens (elephants and rhinos) – very cool. Then, you’ll disembark for a short walk to RPW which has an active vet clinic with viewing windows, a petting zoo, a small theater, and cast members who provide short info presentations and answer questions.
Great recommendation! One of my all-time favorite Animal Kingdom experiences is actually watching an animal procedure (a bird put under and x-rayed to determine why it wasn’t eating) at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Next update, I’ll need to include reference to that and add photos!
Admittedly, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Definitely something we did more often as locals.
Interesting to see this article and comments in 2025. I didn’t fall for DAK until I became a local, now I truly love the park for what it is and view it as a gem for locals. I genuinely hope it gets skipped by most visitors while under construction so it can keep its local allure.
I get what you’re saying, but lower attendance typically results in shorter hours, reduced entertainment, and other budget cuts.
One of our favorite things as locals was the nights DAK was open until 7 or 8 pm. Crowds had usually thinned out by then regardless of the season, and it was nice spending those cooler evening hours in the park.
There are a couple of things I would also love to mention: my family considers Satuli canteen to be the best quick service in Disney World.. That’s probably overstating its place in all of Disneyworld, but we love the offerings and the ability to customize your choice for lunch (our general go to). Also want to indicate the our favorite live shoe remains The Lion King Festival. It’s a fun show with many elements that keep it relevant for us. The last item I wished to mention is that Disney does an incredible job providing a habitat that gives the animals a better comfort level than any typical zoo. There is a series on how Disney takes care of their residents on the Disney channel that is worth watching before you visit this park.
I do understand that many visitors prefer the rides that thrill versus looking at a gorilla eating lunch, but my family is all older and we have learned to appreciate the more subtle forms of entertainment over the years. We spent our first trips running from thrill ride to thrill ride with our children, so we understand the criticism.
Our now favorite Disney resort to stay at is the Animal Kingdom Lodge where the animals from your room balcony – safari view is a must!
I hope Disney continues to support this theme park for the different values it brings to entertainment!
We have Satu’li Canteen ranked #2 overall behind Polite Pig, but there’s a pretty significant price disparity, so I think there’s an easy argument for Satu’li being #1–especially now that breakfast is back!
I think there’s a great opportunity for Animal Kingdom to be both a great park for rides and animal experiences, with the former providing balance to the latter. Animal fatigue is a real thing for many DAK guests, so if you give people more rides to do in between the animal encounters/trails, they’re likely to stick around and do more of the latter.
Totally agree about AKL, too!
Me and my wife both agree that AK is our favourite park. and the reason being is that ‘fine wine’ analogy you used. It’s quite simply a fantastic place to just hang out. As UK guests who always come for the traditional 14 days due to the distance we never sign ourselves up to one day itineraries or anything like that. We want to enjoy the parks and the atmosphere they provide as much as possible. On our last visit we spent two whole days in AK.
On our very first Florida visit was back in 2022 when you still had to make park reservations due to COVID we were conflicted on whether to do MK or AK first. We went with AK due to it opening earliest and the fact we could capitalise on the early entry and jet lag, It was the best decision we ever made and was the best introduction to what a magical place Disney can be for my two children. It also helped that we were staying in AKL. Our first meal was lunch in Tuskers House which is still probably my favourite character meat and greet meal.
As a family we all enjoyed getting on the train to conservation station and learning to draw a Disney character. We did all of the walks, tours and safaris. Even talking about it makes me wish I could beam myself there right now.
I could quite happily spend a day there walking around the different continents sampling a few beers and different foods just soaking up the atmosphere without going on a single attraction.
You’re right though about Dino Rama, I just didn’t get that area at all. It was like a traveling carnival had decided to rock up during the night and squat on Disney land.
We can’t wait to return when tropics of America is open.
I feel like location impacts AK a lot, and probably creates a feedback loop (ie if it was off the Skyliner and people could just zip over on a whim, Disney would have noticed that they needed new offerings to occupy guests or at a minimum places to sell things to guests.) It’s not just the bus ride, it’s the way the distance means it’s hard to fit into a schedule. It’s easy to plan a resort breakfast, skyliner or monorail to a park, maybe back to the pool for midday and then Disney Springs before fireworks… AK is just so far removed from everything it makes a quick trip over difficult. I honestly don’t think it has much to do with the park itself… if AK and HS swapped places I think AK would have even higher attendance than HS.
Two other things I love about AKL- how early the park opens for us early risers, especially taking advantage of the 30 minute early entry and one of my favorite things about the resort is taking a long break at Nomad Lounge. Our son takes a sensory break with his iPad and Mom and Dad can have a cocktail and pretend we are getting table service abroad!
I think Animal Kingdom is also hurt by the lack of nighttime hours during certain parts of the year….while I understand they don’t have a nighttime show (crossing my fingers for an eventual drone show) and the animals exhibits aren’t visible at night Pandora is beautiful and it makes me sad that people don’t get to experience that. I wish that Disney would offer free hopping to AK on party nights for on-site guests or admission after 4 PM on arrival day during winter months instead of water parks.
We had been planning our visit to the park for several months, eagerly anticipating the moment. Arriving at the park at 10:30 in the morning, we smoothly went through the registration process, which pleased us. We had purchased our tickets online, priced at $169 per person on January 2nd. Be attentive – online ticket purchases don’t provide an express feature. While the park was clean inside, the overall infrastructure appeared quite dated for the considerable amount charged per person. There’s room for significant improvement!
The vast queues for attractions were disheartening. For instance, the wait for Avatar exceeded three hours, and nearly two hours for the River Avatar. Even with an express ticket, don’t assume immediate access; you’ll still find yourself standing in line. Restaurants had daunting queues too. The safari ride left us disappointed, with a wait time exceeding 90 minutes and a sparse population of animals, rendering the park seemingly empty and unengaging.
If you believe the dinosaur attraction is captivating, think twice. After enduring a two-hour wait, the interior reveals very little of interest – it’s dimly lit, and visibility of the few dinosaurs is quite poor.
The park left a highly negative impression; the price did not align with the experience. Consider twice before visiting this park. I would describe this place as a disappointment rather than an amusement.
Condensed fix action for A.K (a park that needs to carry its attendance responsibilities to WDW)
1)Condensed (cost effective safari) version-sorry.
2)Re- theme- add rides/attractions to Dino-Land (upgrade DINOSAUR’ ride asap)
3)Add 3rd Pandorian attraction, and add a live action stage/amphitheater show about Shaman/Blue people)
4)Continue Zoo/Conservation/Green stuff, but do it w/exciting new RIDES!!! Lol.
I haven’t been to Animal kingdom in years and years and years but I always liked it. It is a lot of walking but the trails and shows are amazing. It’s funny reading these 9 year old comments fighting over whether Avatar will happen. I guess the rides are cool and all but does anyone care about those movies? Movie?
I think DAK is a big missed opportunity for an Emperor’s New Groove attraction or two with South American animals. A dark/water ride based around Yzma, Kronk’s restaurant, a llama petting zoo, and an Incan temple walk through or ride attraction. It would fit in thematically and stylistically, add some levity, and some animals and ease congestion in other areas of the park
I am considering my first visit to Disney World. The ONLY places I want to see are Animal Kingdom and Epcot World. I hope Animal Kingdom does not add more rides and attractions in an attempt to rev up so-called “excitement .” From my reading, it sounds perfect just the way it is!
Animal Kingdom remains my favorite park, mainly for many of the reasons people dislike or under-appreciate it. I like the restfulness, the quiet and green environment (lots of shade for hot temperatures), and the learning opportunities. I am 64 and a permanent spinal injury does not allow me to do most rides. I love Disney shows and AK has some great ones. AK’s shows, slow rides, and the rambling walks, with the different plants and animals, signs to read, and the opportunity to learn and see things I’ll never see in the real world are simultaneously my de-stress therapy and a joyous celebration of life.
I do agree that Disney needs to trash most of Dinoland and replace it with a state-of-the-art dinosaur adventure. Surely the company that created Pandora can come up with an impressive land of animated dinosaurs to impress the kid in all of us. Hunting for fossils and, for adults, the opportunity to work on a “real” fossil dig would be amazing. Don’t misunderstand, I love Pandora, but imagine what Disney could do with dinosaurs.
I visited again this year for the first time in a long time and was pretty disappointed in the shear lack of attractions after all these years (it’s been about fifteen years since my last visit). I was surprised how short the safari expedition ride was – great adventure’s is actually much longer and has more animals than Disney’s, go figure. Everest was great, but not as much fun as Big Thunder, not even close. Pandora land was very well themed, but we were grossly disappointed with both rides and didn’t realize the signature attraction would be just another simulator like universal rides, meh. I had missed riding the rapids ride on both previous visits so I was looking forward to that the most, but was also disappointed how short the ride was – Grizzly rapids in CA adventures was way better. Also disappointed when we went to take the train to the attraction at the midway point of it, only to find out it closes early each day around 4 or 5 (signs should be posted at the entrance of the park warning people about that). We managed to fill a whole day with the trails and shows, but even my kids were underwhelmed. Biggest beef with the massive park is lack of transportation system between the lands, please add a train, skyride, monorail, something to save our legs!!!
We thought the same thing! Our first visit to WDW was in 1999. We did a full day at all the parks, and Animal Kingdom was our least favorite. It was nice once, but we had no desire to go back. It just seemed like the zoo that we could visit in our hometown. It was a one and done for us, with the exception of Everest – it was our favorite ride.
So for years after, we would buy park hopper tickets & head to AK first thing in the morning to ride Everest then leave.
It’s only been within the last 6 years or so that we started going back & now we love it!
(with the exception of Dinoland – that still needs a replacement imho)
But regardless, It’s now one of our favorite parks. We love the ambiance & theming. And Everest is still our favorite ride, even with Disco Yeti lol.
It’s funny how things change, now Hollywood Studios is our half day park.