Animal Kingdom!

[allwritemel]

AK is my least favourite park but not for the normal reasons! Having said that, I'm trying to figure out how to go there anyway if I go in 3 weeks time ... I'd hate for either myself or my boyfriend to lose out! So ... I LOVE the safari, Kali River Rapids, finding nemo is a cool show (we found it by accident), Dinosaur and the beautiful walks through the animals. We stumbled upon a kind of aviary ... the interesting thing is that I told my friend I remembered one from the first time we went but she didn't remember it at all. I seem to remember it kind of being indoors (one bird stood out for me in my memory) However, we were meandering through and realised we were in an open air aviary ... now I'm really scared of birds but I LOVED it! Also, flights of wonder is a great show - that's coming from someone who has a real fear. I KNEW that my friend would want to do it and we stumbled on it when we saw a demonstration with an owl. Knowing how I LOVE to sit at the front, she suggested we headed there ... er, two hopes - one called Bob! At the end of the show I lost my mind and FOLLOWED HER TO THE FRONT! I actually stood incredibly close to two of the birds!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the girl who cannot bear a seagull to fly near her, or a pigeon! I was so proud of myself - I wanted to cry with fear but I kept telling myself no harm would come to me - and it didn't! So I would highly recommend that show! If I went again I'd be brave and sit in the front! Incidentally, my friend loves birds ... Lion King Festival is brilliant - so much better than I remember it ...

 

[tink9702]

We love AK & can spend more than one day there if we had the time. Our favorites are the Safari, Everest, the Panjani trail (gorillas), eating at Flametree BBQ - keep walking all the way down to the water if you do eat there, Lion King show. There is so much to do if you like animals!

 

[CounselorX]

Pretty much what everyone said but I will emphasize on what we love about AK:

• Expedition Everest (Probably my favorite ride at WDW)
• DINOSAUR (Among my top 5 favorite rides at WDW)
• Primeval Whirl (We love this and crack up the whole time, but if you're fragile then you might want to skip)
• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Pangani Trail (The gorillas are more fascinating than I would have guessed, especially because it feels like there is nothing between you and them)
• Maharajah Jungle trail
• Flights of Wonder is pretty entertaining and is a good chance to sit down
• All the indoor shows are good to get out of the heat if you need a rest
• Flametree Barbecue has great quick service ribs, chicken and pulled pork. Also, Harambe Market is new and it looks like it has several great food options.
• And most importantly: the atmosphere. AK is our favorite park and if you have the time to just enjoy the atmosphere then you will love it that much more.

 

[jolene63]

Festival of the Lion King, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safari are our favorite things to do. I have heard great things about Flights of Wonder. We plan to see that show this fall for the first time. My kids HATED It's Tough to be a Bug. It can be very scary for some children. Enjoy your first trip to AK!

 

[MataHari22]

I love AK. It's my second favorite park after MK.

I love the theming, details like tracks, leaf prints and fossils in the paths, the architecture and attention to detail. I don't have kids, and I cannot ride Dinosaur anymore because of my neck, so Dinoland is usually a skip for me now. This year, I'd like to meet Pluto, though. Anyway.... My must do list:

Tusker House Breakfast
Safari
Pangani
Maharajah
FOTLK (fav show at WDW)
DiVine
FoW
ITTBAB

I don't do Kali anymore because I hate getting soaked.

The Tam Tam drummers were also fun.

ETA: I also cannot ride EE because of my neck. Never got a chance to ride it.

 

[guinea pig]

Weird, I know, but I love the theming of the outdoor pavilions at Flame Tree. It's beautifully done and you would never know that all the pretty carvings and wind socks show animals eating each other!!! It's the circle of life!!

 

[wendydarling826]

My advice is to space out your fastpasses so that you can take your time getting from place to place. There are so many animals to see all along the way, and if you are a photographer, this park is sure to be a favorite. Ride the Wildlife Express train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. You can see veterinarians treating the animals, pet live animals and one time we were lucky enough to meet Jiminy Cricket there. The rides and shows here are wonderful, but there is so much more to see. I absolutely love this park!

 

[Linda M]

The Lion King show is definitely worth it. Very talented performers and lots of fun for all ages. Plus it's cool in there on a hot day! Expedition Everest is worth it for those who love exciting rides. I highly recommend doing the walking tours. You'll see lots of animals and there are CMs there to give you all kinds of interesting information. The safari ride is fun but very bumpy so if that bothers you, skip it. We had lunch at Rainforest Café which was pretty good. Fun for kids and the food isn't bad. Service was good and it was cool on a very very hot day. If you happen to be looking for a good place to eat dinner, I highly recommend Jiko at the AK Lodge. Excellent food, wine, and service.

 

[Parker Clan]

We love AK! And we were just saying this year we would love to spend more time there! Our current favorites are -
Expedition Everest - we make this our first FP+ on the morning we go & usually the line isn't too long so we ride it twice in a row! It's so fun!!
Kilimanjaro Safaris - last year it was raining a bit when we went on this ride and we saw so many animals!!! Apparently they come out more in the rain.
Kali River Rapids- it always seems to be the hottest day of the trip when we go to AK and this ride is perfect for cooling down.. You will get soaked! It's so fun tho!
Dinosaur- we don't FP this since the line is in the AC. So we FP the first three. This ride is super fun!

 

[Mainemama]

A couple underrepresented recommendations: the boneyard (if you have kids and it is not sweltering) and jalapeño cream cheese pretzels! We have yet to see an animal surgery, but we always try and have seen some gory post op scenes at Rafiki's planet watch. With a child (or adult) interested in veterinary procedures, even this was considered "cool".

 

[*Experiment626*]

Everest for sure. Loved Festival of the Lion King. Dinosaur scared the pants off of me and I have the ride photo to prove it (but I really did like it)! Tusker House has a great breakfast buffet. Seeing some really rare animals on the Safari was incredible too! Animal Kingdom seems to be underrated, but for me it was a nice change of pace. Don't know if you have any princess lovers in your family, but meeting Pocahontas was one of the highlights of the trip for our daughter!

 

[agavegirl1]

First off, ages and stages? Who is going? What is their ride tolerance?

Good for Everyone: Festival of the Lion King, watching DeVine when she performs, African Drummers in Harambe, Finding Nemo the Musical, Flights of Wonder (a personal favorite).

Good for Everyone without a back or walking problems: Kilimanjaro Safari, the two animal trails, Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (used to be Conservation Station) and the area itself.

Good for Kids: All of the above plus Triceratops Spin and the Dig Site play area.

No Limits: All of the above plus Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and the Dawa Bar in Harambe.

 

[tony609]

My favorite park! My must dos are safari,it's tough to be a bug,dinosaur, festival of the lion king and I enjoy the Nemo show for a rest and a/c and meet Mickey and Minnie and meet Donald ..sometimes I like primevil whirl!!!also do breakfast at Tusker house too!!!! Love the trails too!!!!

 

[mhowens]

If you enjoy the thrill rides arrive early to hit EE and Dinosaur. You might want to do the safari more than once, it is always different. Don't miss the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo is a great show as well. Take your time and don't rush through this park, the highlights are in the details.

 

[Patsydust]

First off, ages and stages? Who is going? What is their ride tolerance?

Good for Everyone: Festival of the Lion King, watching DeVine when she performs, African Drummers in Harambe, Finding Nemo the Musical, Flights of Wonder (a personal favorite).

Good for Everyone without a back or walking problems: Kilimanjaro Safari, the two animal trails, Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (used to be Conservation Station) and the area itself.

Good for Kids: All of the above plus Triceratops Spin and the Dig Site play area.

No Limits: All of the above plus Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and the Dawa Bar in Harambe.

Agavegirl! Thanks for breaking it down! Really appreciate it! We're two college besties and we won't have kids! And I'm a ride weenie! Ha ha ha! Thanks bunches!

And thanks everyone else! I drew up a sheet of paper and calculated the favorites! So i'll prioritize the favs and then fit everything else I can!!! I am so excited! It seems AK has nothing but great things to offer!!!

 

[VeeHam]

Festival of the Lion King is a must see. Our whole family loves it. Best show at Disney.

 

[karly05]

You can't visit AK without doing Kilimanjaro Safari. I think it's pretty much agreed you'll see more animal activity first thing in the morning (or maybe at the end of the day?).

Festival of the Lion King is a must-do; I'm not even a Lion King fan, and I think it's great. Flights of Wonder is a neat bird show, I think it's probably one of the most underrated attractions (I skipped it more than once until I finally read the recommendations on here). I LOVE the Nemo musical, but you'll get split decisions on it; it's not everyone's cup of tea. You might check out some clips on You Tube and see if it looks appealing.

My ideal day at AK is the Safari, those 3 shows, and a visit to the bats and tigers at Maharajah Jungle Trek.

One heads-up: I can testify that Kali River Rapids can get you so drenched, you'd might as well have jumped in the river and swum around. Just sayin'.

 

[Newsies]

- Festival of Lion King!
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Mickey and Minnie. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but as far as I know, AK has the only meet and greet spot where you can take a photo with Minnie and Mickey in one frame. Except for maybe the Visa M&G at Epcot.
- Meet Russell and Dug! Very fun.
- Have lunch at either Flame Tree or Yak & Yeti

Have fun!!!

ETA: Also, have you considered a meal at Tusker House? Breakfast is my favorite!

 

[MNash87]

Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Safari, Flights of Wonder, and Lion King. Those are our favorites.

 

[Chipmunks2271]

Pretty much what everyone said but I will emphasize on what we love about AK:

• Expedition Everest (Probably my favorite ride at WDW)
• DINOSAUR (Among my top 5 favorite rides at WDW)
• Primeval Whirl (We love this and crack up the whole time, but if you're fragile then you might want to skip)
• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Pangani Trail (The gorillas are more fascinating than I would have guessed, especially because it feels like there is nothing between you and them)
• Maharajah Jungle trail
• Flights of Wonder is pretty entertaining and is a good chance to sit down
• All the indoor shows are good to get out of the heat if you need a rest
• Flametree Barbecue has great quick service ribs, chicken and pulled pork. Also, Harambe Market is new and it looks like it has several great food options.
• And most importantly: the atmosphere. AK is our favorite park and if you have the time to just enjoy the atmosphere then you will love it that much more.

Pretty much all of what CounselorX said. I'm a big animal person (probably should have been a vet or zoologist) so I can spend hours there and not get bored. FOLK and Nemo are possibly two of the best done shows on property, but they are a time sucker. Nemo is nearly 45 minutes, not including waiting in line and seating. IMO, you can get some of the most unique merchandise at AK. Plus, I used to live in SE Asia, so it's like going back, without actually traveling halfway around the world- the theming is THAT GOOD.