To go or not to go - Animal Kingdom

[sethschroeder]

You didn't outline your trip. If you skip AK what are you replacing it with and why?

I would always go to AK but we always go for over a week.

 

[dsnymnkyuncle]

I have never figured out why but AK always seems like double the walking of other parks.

 

[OKW Lover]

I have never figured out why but AK always seems like double the walking of other parks.

Perhaps because its much bigger than the other parks?

 

[Erzengel]

Personally, I think it can be argued that Flight of Passage is one of the top rides in WDW. The only issue with AK at the moment is you can probably bang out FOP, Navi', EE, Safari & Dinosaur by early afternoon unless you plan on doing things twice or adding the Rapids, Treks and Trails.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

To be honest, AK used to be my "easy to skip" or "just a half day" park. And when did a big family trip in Jan 2020, we didn't go til after everyone else left. But my opinion changed back in October.

I did a solo day there before friends arrived the next day and it was an AMAZING day. I arrived at open, did everything I wanted to do except Pandora by 10:30 AM, had a wonderful leisurely lunch at Nomad Lounge as I watched all the floating cavalcades, and then finished my touring. I left the park by 3 PM as it was getting hot and I was tired (it was my 1st park day after a 14-hour drive) .

it was the first time I felt hopeful about a return to some normalcy in the future as I sat here, ate my lunch, watched the characters float by. (And honestly, I brought my Kindle and read my book, too)



I'm heading back in a couple of weeks and have another solo day before my friend arrives (her flight gets in at 10 PM) and I was giddy planning my solo day back at AK. There are just so many nooks and spots to pause, to relax, to enjoy.

 

[LauraLap]

It's probably my kids' least favourite park, but I do really love it especially if you've never been. I love that it is not all about rides, but that you can take the time to walk around and enjoy animals and also the shows. I wouldn't miss it, but if you asked my kids they would give you a different answer. Aside from Flight of Passage they would skip it altogether.

 

[Shellbells]

We would never skip AK. To us, it's the best park. We enjoy the rides but the animals are our favorite. We can spend hours on the trails and have been known to ride Safari twice in a day so we can see everything. We also love Pandora after dark. While the shows are closed right now, we did enjoy the bird show. Sorry, I can't remember the name. We love Yak and Yeti, Satulli Canteen and Flame Tree. Oh and all of the snacks around the park. We had a lot of fun doing the carnival games in Dinoland.
It's simply beautiful and so much more relaxing than the other parks.
If I had to pick a park to skip right now it would be HS. The lines were just too long and it was so crowded. All the shows except the Frozen sing a long were closed and the line was too long to get in. We just didn't enjoy ourselves there.
Our DS13 loves AK too. Mostly for the rides but he enjoys the animals too.

 

[kylenne]

To be honest, AK used to be my "easy to skip" or "just a half day" park. And when did a big family trip in Jan 2020, we didn't go til after everyone else left. But my opinion changed back in October.

I did a solo day there before friends arrived the next day and it was an AMAZING day. I arrived at open, did everything I wanted to do except Pandora by 10:30 AM, had a wonderful leisurely lunch at Nomad Lounge as I watched all the floating cavalcades, and then finished my touring. I left the park by 3 PM as it was getting hot and I was tired (it was my 1st park day after a 14-hour drive) .

it was the first time I felt hopeful about a return to some normalcy in the future as I sat here, ate my lunch, watched the characters float by. (And honestly, I brought my Kindle and read my book, too)

View attachment 548992

I'm heading back in a couple of weeks and have another solo day before my friend arrives (her flight gets in at 10 PM) and I was giddy planning my solo day back at AK. There are just so many nooks and spots to pause, to relax, to enjoy.

AK is far and away my favorite park on solo trips. My partner is also an Imagineering geek that loves the details and immersion too, so she loves to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere as much as I do. But there's something so relaxing and tranquil about that place when I'm by myself. Like you I can sit with my Kindle at Nomad Lounge reading and watching the world go by with a drink and snacks and it's the best time ever. Last time I hung out with my porg buddy while I was waiting on my FOP FP+.

It's funny AK has some of my favorite rides on all of property (FOP & EE) but if someone's touring style is go go go from ride to ride it's really not the park for them and they'd be missing out on what makes it so great imo.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

AK is far and away my favorite park on solo trips. My partner is also an Imagineering geek that loves the details and immersion too, so she loves to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere as much as I do. But there's something so relaxing and tranquil about that place when I'm by myself. Like you I can sit with my Kindle at Nomad Lounge reading and watching the world go by with a drink and snacks and it's the best time ever. Last time I hung out with my porg buddy while I was waiting on my FOP FP+.

It's funny AK has some of my favorite rides on all of property (FOP & EE) but if someone's touring style is go go go from ride to ride it's really not the park for them and they'd be missing out on what makes it so great imo.

SO glad I am not alone with my Kindle A guy at another table told me I was a happy little clam over there with my drink and my book

 

[oompa_lumpia]

AK is hands down the best themed and immersive park. Do not miss it, especially if you like animals.

 

[MBTigger]

As others have said, if go-go-go from attraction to attraction is what you are after DAK is probably your least favorite park. But if you get there early, knock out your 2-3 must do's and are happy walking around the animal trails and taking in the sights, then it is the BEST park for a relaxed day...
And if Kilimanjaro Safari is not on your must do list, then I would say you are doing it wrong

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Depends on when you are actually planning on going. Its my favorite park as well.

Right now alot of the shows and entertainment is closed.

This spring and summer? Maybe thats back

Either way I would definitely go

Fast pass spoiled us all, including myself. Walking different rides within 20 mins the whole trip

Things are different at the moment though without them so i'll wait an hour on a line if I need to

 

[DL1WDW2]

We found we really enjoyed the version of the bird show that they have now. I would definitely recommend taking that in!

Good to know!

 

[DeutscherDon]

We love AK for its overall beauty, Animals, wonderful rides, and of course the Food. It is also a great park to go to early at rope drop and once you’ve done all you want you could hop to another park. But my daughters love this park for Pandora flight of passage, expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro safaris, tusker house food, tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur, Great bird adventures and when darkness comes pandora is more spectacular. Come to think of it you could be here all day.

 

[Blondie58]

I personally love my time at AK. I so enjoy watching the gorillas, other animals, and the Kilimanjaro Safari. For me Animal Kingdom adds a different dimension to a WDW visit. Yak and Yeti is our favorite place to eat. Africa Trek is one of my favorite tours ever at WDW. (However, I do think the Lion King is in hiatus and Kali River is closed at this time.)

 

[bakerworld]

We stayed at Kidani in November '20 and we used the MDE app to track wait times. When we arrived at AK Navi River was a lower wait than FoP. When we came out of NR, we notice FoP had dropped to a 50 minute wait. The Safari said it was 20 minutes and basically we walked on while maintaining the 6ft disatancing. Ditto Everest. We found all the wait times were about 15 minutes, or more, shorter than stated. As people who usually do their FP's and leave, it was neat seeing all the detail in the standby lines that we usually miss - not that you have too much time to see everything because the lines a moving constantly. We stopped for a break and finished with Dinosaur and Tough to be a Bug. Dan always gets drenched on Kali River so we avoid that and we're not big on the 'carnival' ride section.

 

[cjlong88]

Even with the shows closed at AK, I still think it's a great park to visit. We usually didn't do any shows during our visits to WDW pre-COVID, yet we still were able to make AK a full day park.

As others have said, I think AK has greater food options as a whole when compared to MK or HS. Nomad Lounge is my favorite place to unwind, drink, and enjoy some AC or relax on the patio.

 

[Dean Kennedy]

Would love opinions on Animal Kingdom! I heard it was great however have not gotten to go there yet!
Recently some have said not so great! Please share what's great about it and the things we shouldn't miss if we go!

 

[Dean Kennedy]

Would love opinions on Animal Kingdom! I heard it was great however have not gotten to go there yet!
Recently some have said not so great! Please share what's great about it and the things we shouldn't miss if we go!

It’s great because where else are you going to see nature’s magnificent creatures up this close. Not to mention Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, floating mountains and Flame Tree Bar B Que!!

 

[chaboyd]

I only go to Disney every 3 or 4 years and we usually only can afford to stay 3 or 4 days. I had NEVER gone to AK until last month and we had such a great time. Partly I expect because it was all a new experience for us. It was fun to us to take our time and watch the animals and we definitely LOVED EE, the safari, and the Avatar ride.