Anyone else Hate "fair" part of AK??

[Hidden_Mickey]

We thought it was OK. The rides are fine but I refuse to spend $ to play games. I don't understand how it fits in with the animal theme though.

 

[klofan]

Hate is a little over the top! Many people just don't get that whole area. We're from the mid-west so fair's are a big part our summers. I find it a very quaint through back. Tacky was the point! I agree choking us for more money to play games is a bit much. So everyone who didn't like the area also doesn't like Dumbo at MK? Same ride as TS... Put a roof on Primeval Whirl and you've practically got Space Mountain (minus the spinning). Now before I get flamed...I love SM and Dumbo and I am certainly not saying they are equal! I'm just saying Disney has something for everyone...and this isn't for you! Enjoy the rides and move on...Have a wonderful time at Disney!!

Haha, you are a very tough person for posting this! And you'll probably get yelled at for it. But I have to agree with you. WDW is my favorite place on Earth, but Dumbo is a carnival ride, and SM is a small roller coaster inside a dome, but I love them both, just like I love the "fair" part of AK.

 

[Mono~rail]

I'm definitely in the minority on this because I like Dinoland. It is supposed to be nostalgic like a 50's/60's roadside attraction. I think it is cute, and I like the retro feel of the area. The story about Chester and Hester setting it up to cash in on the recently built Dinosaur Institute (or something like that).

The first time we saw Dinoland, dh and I liked it. We had just recently watched a program on the History Channel about 50's roadside attractions so we thought it was neat that they had captured the feeling so well.

 

[inkkognito]

Yes, I get the whole "they set out to make it like a cheesy roadside attraction" theme, and I agree wholeheartedly that they achieved it. But the fact remains, what do cheesy roadside attractions have to do with an Animal Kingdom?! It so totally doesn't fit into a park with other themed lands like Africa and Asia. From safari ride to carnival games and a wild mouse...just doesn't compute for me.

But with that said, I don't really hate it. I think it's rather stupid, but I'm a sucker for carnival games (knew how to win quarter pitch and hula hoops, so I had a loft-fulll of giant animals won from Six Flags when we lived in Chicago), and I can tolerate the wild mouse once in a while. But if it all disappeared into a sinkhole tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear and I would see it as an improvement in the park's true themeing.

At least at DCA, the boardwalk theming is integrated in a way that makes a little more sense.

 

[DizHistory]

Yes, that area of AK looks like a carnival or cheap-o amusement park (especially when compared to other AK sections or any Disney theme park in general). Doesn't quite fit in. Almost looks temporary.

 

[abeyst]

When I say I hate it, I mean I hate it at AK. I'm not fond of all the midway stuff on the Boardwalk, either. The performers there are cool, though. But that crap at AK needs to go. It's one of the reasons I don't go to AK anymore.

 

[Rescue Ranger]

Boardwalk is different though, thats a resort dedicated to those days, and so on, it works. Animal Kingdom is a whole park which is kinda opposite. It would be like taking the Boardwalk games out of Boardwalk and putting them in AKL in the Savannah/Safari. Clash.

I havent been in a few years and when I was there last I never really went in that area other than into the Dinosaur ride, so maybe I was speaking too soon. Although I still don't think it really fits, this trip I'll actually spend a little more time there to check it out. But, at least its more targeted to Kids, so in that sense you can consider it a play area I guess if ti helps.

Some of that extra space, they should eventually use to bring some of their original Dragon themes back.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

There is alot to enjoy at AK...just bypass the carnival..it is easy to do
We did! Give it anothr try...at least to see the Yeti

 

[ZuZugal]

I won't say "hate" about anything Disney.

I think it's bad karma!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Hate is a little over the top! Many people just don't get that whole area. We're from the mid-west so fair's are a big part our summers. I find it a very quaint through back. Tacky was the point! I agree choking us for more money to play games is a bit much. So everyone who didn't like the area also doesn't like Dumbo at MK? Same ride as TS... Put a roof on Primeval Whirl and you've practically got Space Mountain (minus the spinning). Now before I get flamed...I love SM and Dumbo and I am certainly not saying they are equal! I'm just saying Disney has something for everyone...and this isn't for you! Enjoy the rides and move on...Have a wonderful time at Disney!!

Aggie fairs (which I love, by the way!) and roadside tourist traps are 2 different things, IMO. When you try to emulate creepy, tacky, and underhanded venues whose sole purpose is to separate rubes from their money...sorry, doesn't seem very Disney. Not that Chester and Hester's is exactly like those roadside traps...clearly it is not...but it is meant to evoke many of the same feelings. It cannot be compared to other areas of the park favorably just because some of the technology used is the same. Do I hate it? No, I avoid it. It creeps me out. Do I think it should be there? Not my call. If enough people feel as I do, I'm sure Disney will re-theme it. If enough people love it and spend their money there, I'm certain it will remain as it is.

 

[streudel423]

You are not alone. My DW and I avoid that area too. We don't really care for Dinosaur or Triceratop spin so the only time we are near that area is if we are heading to Nemo or eating at R.Saurous.

Wow, I think Dinosaur is one of the best rides at Disney!!

 

[kid-at-heart]

I do not like the fair section, however, I also do not mind it being at AK because it takes some of the crowd - elsewhere - and thus there is less competition for the areas I do like, which is all the rest of AK.

 

[kaybird]

I really tried to not post here, know my "pollyanna" views get others ire up, but here goes...

Love all of AK, including the campy dinoland. Dino's would be animals under the stricted definition, look at it sort of like Fantasyland in MK. There are only about 5 or 6 "games". We don't usually play games at WDW, this includes the Arcades that seem to be a big must for families. I love all of WDW, don't do all of it every time, and can skip something that is not my favorite; that has worked well for our multigenerational family, there is something for everyone, and it doesn't all need to be e-ticket. Personally, I like that there are parts of every park that aren't, always somewhere to go that there won't be a line!!!

To each his own!

 

[kimluvswdw]

I will also agree that it just doesn't look like it belongs there. My kids the the Primeval ride, but that is all we do there. I will not let my kids play the games, because I paid enought to get into the parks. I would rather them spend money on a memento to remember the trip.

 

[ransom]

To us, it does look like it belongs there. For the Safari, there's an African village. For Expedition Everest, there's an Asian village. And for Dinosaur, there's a dig site, a Dino Institute, and the leeches that set up shop next to them to make a quick buck off of the tourists. It all meshes.

That said, I'm no fan of midway games. If I were in charge of the parks, I would have stuck with a scientific encampment theme for the area.

But, then, if I were in charge of the parks, there'd be no Pooh's Playful Spot, no Toontown Fair, no Camp Minnie-Mickey, and definitely no Pleasure Island.

There would, however, be a Beastlie Kingdom in AK, the submarine ride in MK, more dark rides in Fantasyland, and a couple more pavilions in Future World with animatronics-focused rides that the whole family can enjoy. Oh, and I'd restore the Imagination Pavilion to its former glory.

And WDW would probably be out of business, because I obviously have no clue what people want!

 

[Feralpeg]

Alright..alright..I agree...hate is a strong word associated with Disney ..but I totally agree with the above poster...totally tacky and not at all like Disney.

You know, it's all about how you view things. I, personally, like carnival games. It isn't about the prizes. I just like playing them. So, I play them every time I go to AK (which is fairly often). I usually manage to win a couple of stuffed animals. Now, anyone who knows me realizes that the last thing I need is more stuffed animals. So, I walk around with my winnings until I see a family with the correct number of little ones. I quietly ask the parents if it would be okay for me to give the stuffed animals to their kids. If they agree, I tell the kids that Mickey had asked me to find them and give them the toys. It never fails to get huge smiles from both the kids and the parents. It also puts a big smile on my face.

The moral of the story is that any area can have a Disney feel to it if you look at it the right way.

 

[ticktock]

To us, it does look like it belongs there. For the Safari, there's an African village. For Expedition Everest, there's an Asian village. And for Dinosaur, there's a dig site, a Dino Institute, and the leeches that set up shop next to them to make a quick buck off of the tourists. It all meshes.

That said, I'm no fan of midway games. If I were in charge of the parks, I would have stuck with a scientific encampment theme for the area.

But, then, if I were in charge of the parks, there'd be no Pooh's Playful Spot, no Toontown Fair, no Camp Minnie-Mickey, and definitely no Pleasure Island.

There would, however, be a Beastlie Kingdom in AK, the submarine ride in MK, more dark rides in Fantasyland, and a couple more pavilions in Future World with animatronics-focused rides that the whole family can enjoy. Oh, and I'd restore the Imagination Pavilion to its former glory.

And WDW would probably be out of business, because I obviously have no clue what people want!

That's what I want! Also put the Tiki Room back the way it was (as long as we're dreaming).