This trip with these travelers, Disney's Animal Kingdom came in last place when it came to the rankings of the theme parks. Epcot came in third, and surprisingly Magic Kingdom came in second, leaving Disney's Hollywood Studios as the Number One favorite theme park. Your rankings may vary- as did mine, by quite a bit actually. But I'm an old school Imagineering fan where design detail, immersive environments and a wide variety of attractions play an important part of the overall experience. For this post, I'll begin with Animal Kingdom as we spent the least amount of time there.
Over the decades I have discovered that each trip taken to the same location is different than the ones I have had before. Our touring experiences and the rankings above prove this point once more.
To set up the stats for this trip, let me tell you our group was made up of two boys (8 and 7), one girl (5), their parents- my daughter and her husband (mid-30s) and my wife and I. Other than my daughter, no one else in her family had been to Walt Disney World before- and only her husband had been to Disneyland once. She herself had not been to Florida since 1999.
Pouring over the map in preparation
for a day of exploration.
We were set to depart knowing that we would probably experience some park closures or being restricted to our rooms at Pop Century due to the coming Hurricane Dorian. The parks were empty, including Animal Kingdom which fell on Day Two.
Unfortunately, this beautiful park was only a zoo
to this crowd.
Due to a very late night before, with the little guys beat, we missed both our 8:30am Kilimanjaro Safari and almost our Expedition Everest Fast Pass times. When it hit 8:00am and we were still in the room, I went on the app and gave up the safari for someone else to have. Wouldn't have mattered. Most everything was a walk on.
Arriving at almost 11, we reversed our initial plan and first walked straight to Everest. Only our littlest tourist couldn't ride, much to her disappointment as she likes to keep up with her brothers. My wife happily sat out with her. I've long described Everest as "Big Thunder on steroids" and my favorite ride on the property.
The reactions? My oldest daughter declared it a winner; her hubby wasn't thrilled, but the two boys loved it in spite of it putting the fear of God into them... and they immediately wanted to ride again. We stopped in the exit shop nearby to buy each of them an Everest T-shirt to commemorate them braving the mountain, just as I did last year with their cousin. Once again, they spoke up, sharing their desire to do it again. We could have done so easily as the line was up to ten minutes now, but we made a decision to take our youngest traveler on something she was tall enough for: Kali River Rapids.
Arriving at almost 11, we reversed our initial plan and first walked straight to Everest. Only our littlest tourist couldn't ride, much to her disappointment as she likes to keep up with her brothers. My wife happily sat out with her. I've long described Everest as "Big Thunder on steroids" and my favorite ride on the property.
Photopass was put to good use.
Her smile says it all.
Being Florida, we expected hot and humid and a larger group of people here, but the crowds were nil, leaving us to walk right through the empty snaking line all the way to the front and into our raft. Kali has a gorgeous queue, perhaps the prettiest in all of the park. Such a waste for a journey less than half the length of what was originally planned. No fire effects, no logging sounds, nothing. Just one big drop after a few spins, and it was over. Even our little adventurer asked if that was it. Kids say the darnedest things!
The Safari was next, and the experience landed with a collective thud. I miss the opening days when drivers from the African continent were present. I miss the days I couldn't see so much chain link fence, and being we rode around noon, we missed seeing most of the animals. An antelope doesn't cut it, but at least the lion was out. Looking back through our photos, none of us had taken one single shot of anything related to the park's centerpiece attraction! Gorilla Falls did not charm the kids either. This visit - our only day in this park- was going downhill quickly. Very, very quickly.
It was time for a new tactic, so I suggested the winning Festival of the Lion King. As we waited, the skies opened and a torrent of rain washed down drenching those under the portions of the line that were uncovered. Due to the direction it fell, we took a lot of water too, but not nearly as much as our neighbors. The kids wanted rides and not shows. Of course, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Disney Parks in Florida are filled with shows to round out the attraction list as these parks remained under built for decades. (Could this be one reason the Magic Kingdom is still the most visited?) The kids reluctantly went in, but once the giant character floats and especially the monkey gymnasts came in, they were infinitely more interested. It was a solid "B" rating, but it came back with a request from the boys to conquer the mountain once again.
We had dinner reservations at Boma in the early evening as our large group was on the Disney Dining Plan, so off to Flame Tree BBQ we went for lunch. Since the park opened in 1998, this place has consistently provided delicious meals of all those on the property without fail visit after visit. No different this time either.
The Safari was next, and the experience landed with a collective thud. I miss the opening days when drivers from the African continent were present. I miss the days I couldn't see so much chain link fence, and being we rode around noon, we missed seeing most of the animals. An antelope doesn't cut it, but at least the lion was out. Looking back through our photos, none of us had taken one single shot of anything related to the park's centerpiece attraction! Gorilla Falls did not charm the kids either. This visit - our only day in this park- was going downhill quickly. Very, very quickly.
It was time for a new tactic, so I suggested the winning Festival of the Lion King. As we waited, the skies opened and a torrent of rain washed down drenching those under the portions of the line that were uncovered. Due to the direction it fell, we took a lot of water too, but not nearly as much as our neighbors. The kids wanted rides and not shows. Of course, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Disney Parks in Florida are filled with shows to round out the attraction list as these parks remained under built for decades. (Could this be one reason the Magic Kingdom is still the most visited?) The kids reluctantly went in, but once the giant character floats and especially the monkey gymnasts came in, they were infinitely more interested. It was a solid "B" rating, but it came back with a request from the boys to conquer the mountain once again.
Kevin from "Up"
brings the biggest smiles of the day.
As we edged so much closer to our last ride time of the day, Flight of Passage, we ran into Kevin as we circled back to Everest for another ride. I made it to the last seat, my favorite. We rounded the bend to Dinosaur while it was raining hard again. In the preshow area, so many people were talking and yelling that we couldn't hear the set up for the jeep ride, and we were right up against the screen. This kind of stuff is irritating, as for most people, I bet Walt Disney World is a once in a lifetime trip. The same kind of discourtesy happens at Disneyland as the regulars tend to speak all the lines of the attractions as if these were sing a long shows. Annoying! But the ride was another average hit with the kids. They wanted Everest again. Are you sensing a pattern here?
The Valley of...
I can't remember much anything specific about this movie.
Finally Pandora! It was a mere 15 minutes to take the boat ride. Good thing, as it was another "meh" rated experience. As for me, I think the environment is beautiful, but the attraction needs a bit of a story, a slightly longer length, a few real Audio-Animatronic Na'vi hunters and a few robotic animals to bring the experience up to where it should have been. Gotta say though, I love Disney dark rides cruising in a boat.
As our very last attraction, it pleased me that Flight of Passage was an overall home run! The boys loved it. We needed the baby swap option, so some of us rode twice. I discovered my immediate second ride was as thrilling as the first. Boom, it hit me. I had a huge smile on my face. Until Disney Imagineers wow us again, I now have to say Flight of Passage is my new favorite ride on the property.
On our way to the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner, I asked my daughter and son-in-law what they thought of the park. It was "pretty but really just a zoo". They were glad it was only one day of our trip. They told me they wouldn't even go back next visit if they were short on time.
Another lesson learned: Each guest experiences the Disney theme parks in very different ways. We come with very different tastes and a large variety of expectations. For some like me, this lush giant Adventureland is worth an entire day exploring and stopping to soak in all the details as well as enjoying the rides and shows. For others, if it's not a roller coaster, it's not worth the time. And still for others, if you're under some height restrictions, it could be a very frustrating day where you often feel left out.
----------------
Next up might be the Magic Kingdom. We'll see.
(I guess it's time for that next part in my detailed look at the history, creation, and evolution of Disney's Animal Kingdom...Part One of Eight - so far- starts here. It's also full of rare concept art, plenty of information on unbuilt attractions, and trip reports through the years.)
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
As our very last attraction, it pleased me that Flight of Passage was an overall home run! The boys loved it. We needed the baby swap option, so some of us rode twice. I discovered my immediate second ride was as thrilling as the first. Boom, it hit me. I had a huge smile on my face. Until Disney Imagineers wow us again, I now have to say Flight of Passage is my new favorite ride on the property.
On our way to the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner, I asked my daughter and son-in-law what they thought of the park. It was "pretty but really just a zoo". They were glad it was only one day of our trip. They told me they wouldn't even go back next visit if they were short on time.
Another lesson learned: Each guest experiences the Disney theme parks in very different ways. We come with very different tastes and a large variety of expectations. For some like me, this lush giant Adventureland is worth an entire day exploring and stopping to soak in all the details as well as enjoying the rides and shows. For others, if it's not a roller coaster, it's not worth the time. And still for others, if you're under some height restrictions, it could be a very frustrating day where you often feel left out.
----------------
Next up might be the Magic Kingdom. We'll see.
(I guess it's time for that next part in my detailed look at the history, creation, and evolution of Disney's Animal Kingdom...Part One of Eight - so far- starts here. It's also full of rare concept art, plenty of information on unbuilt attractions, and trip reports through the years.)
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
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