Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park First look at Avatar-land and other DAK changes

Shellheart said:
I think you may have reignited my interest :D I'm curious,how do you feel DAK holds up compared to other world-class facilities,such as the Bronx and San Diego,and do you feel it's worth the admission price?
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Yes. To get full value it helps if you like rides and Disney culture in general. Most people who visit it are taking an overall trip to Disney World so there is a lot more there in addition to Animal Kingdom. There is a decent aquarium at EPCOT. And of course wild Florida is all around you with alligators, water birds, manatees in winter, etc.
 
DavidBrown said:
Arizona Docent's criticism is valid, but you can ride the safari ride as often as you want.
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You'd have had to be very patient or have very deep pockets for express tickets if you wanted to ride more than once the day I went - the queue was best part of 2hr long! And that was on a Tuesday morning in October.

I liked DAK a lot, but it isn't going to break my top 10. Had a few particular quibbles:

- labelling. Personal bugbear but many of the exhibits were completely unlabelled or labelled vaguely.

- 'docents'. I've put this in inverted commas because part of me feels they must be paid (not volunteers) at somewhere as financially secure as Disney, but I have a horrible feeling maybe not. Anyway, someone has clearly told them all to stand right in the middle of the public viewing area, so that you have to crane past them to see the animals (okapis/duikers the worst example). They need to stand opposite or at the side. Particularly given the park was...

- so busy! So very, very busy. I had planned a full day, but cut it short to finish at 1pm and bring forward SeaWorld to get a few hours later in the trip to go back to Miami. I was glad I did - I was feeling rather claustrophobic picking my way through the crowds by the end of it and don't think I would have stayed much longer anyway.

- and - yes, why no 'overlook' for the savannah? Really feels like the biggest (and best) part of the park is perpetually being concealed from you. It would have been really nice to sit down for a bit and watch some animals to get a break from the crowd, but there wasn't anywhere you could really do that.


That said, the savannah ride was by far the best I've seen, the gorilla area was good, the Asian area was also good. The animals all looked good and there was a nice mix of species, including some good rarities for me (Bontebok!). So I would certainly recommend a visit. But a riot shield, an ID book and a lot of patience are recommended! :D
 
While this is a non-animal addition to the park it will benifit the park in general. The park will now be open later. They are going to do night tours of the savanah. This should be an amazing experience as many animals are much more active at night rather than during the warm florida days. Many people hate you can only see the safari for 20 minutes which is a valid criticism but the vast majority of animals you can see without getting on a ride. This new avatar land will help the park as it will reduce congestion as the people spread out. I know all of us zoo fans would like to see new animal exhibits but I am aure at some point in the future this will come. You may not like the park, but they have done a ton of captive breeding. They have breed many elephants and were one of the main donors to the national elephant center where 4 of there animals now live. They have massive herds of hippo, nile crocidile, giraffe and more which most zoos cannot hold. I know you can onky see the elephants and other species on the ride but thatvit is really not the case. You can see species such as okapi, giraffe, zebra, flamingo, red river hog and more over at the lodge which has public viewing.
 
Shellheart said:
I see. I've never been there ,but looking at the issues you've listed,I probably won't end up going at all.
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Well if it makes any difference, I think Animal Kingdom is the best. It has a lot to do though not particularly "rides." It has the best shows, amazingly detailed theming and is just a great place. Its why we have a site and podcast dedicated to it
 
Maguari said:
You'd have had to be very patient or have very deep pockets for express tickets if you wanted to ride more than once the day I went - the queue was best part of 2hr long! And that was on a Tuesday morning in October.

I liked DAK a lot, but it isn't going to break my top 10. Had a few particular quibbles:

- labelling. Personal bugbear but many of the exhibits were completely unlabelled or labelled vaguely.

- 'docents'. I've put this in inverted commas because part of me feels they must be paid (not volunteers) at somewhere as financially secure as Disney, but I have a horrible feeling maybe not. Anyway, someone has clearly told them all to stand right in the middle of the public viewing area, so that you have to crane past them to see the animals (okapis/duikers the worst example). They need to stand opposite or at the side. Particularly given the park was...

- so busy! So very, very busy. I had planned a full day, but cut it short to finish at 1pm and bring forward SeaWorld to get a few hours later in the trip to go back to Miami. I was glad I did - I was feeling rather claustrophobic picking my way through the crowds by the end of it and don't think I would have stayed much longer anyway.

- and - yes, why no 'overlook' for the savannah? Really feels like the biggest (and best) part of the park is perpetually being concealed from you. It would have been really nice to sit down for a bit and watch some animals to get a break from the crowd, but there wasn't anywhere you could really do that.


That said, the savannah ride was by far the best I've seen, the gorilla area was good, the Asian area was also good. The animals all looked good and there was a nice mix of species, including some good rarities for me (Bontebok!). So I would certainly recommend a visit. But a riot shield, an ID book and a lot of patience are recommended! :D
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The savanna is closed off for the "show element". They want the wow factor of the attraction itself. Its a different culture (theme park) then zoo. They would NEVER show the savanna

Those are not docents. They are paid employees.

Yes it does get crowded. The annual attendance of the park is over 10 million people. That's a lot more than any zoo, and double Sea World. However, the animal trails are well designed to accomodate large numbers of people. And if you are only interested in the zoo aspects of the park, the trails are pretty quiet first thing in the morning when everyone is riding Expedition Everest and the like
 
uszoo said:
While this is a non-animal addition to the park it will benifit the park in general. The park will now be open later. They are going to do night tours of the savanah. This should be an amazing experience as many animals are much more active at night rather than during the warm florida days. Many people hate you can only see the safari for 20 minutes which is a valid criticism but the vast majority of animals you can see without getting on a ride. This new avatar land will help the park as it will reduce congestion as the people spread out. I know all of us zoo fans would like to see new animal exhibits but I am aure at some point in the future this will come. You may not like the park, but they have done a ton of captive breeding. They have breed many elephants and were one of the main donors to the national elephant center where 4 of there animals now live. They have massive herds of hippo, nile crocidile, giraffe and more which most zoos cannot hold. I know you can onky see the elephants and other species on the ride but thatvit is really not the case. You can see species such as okapi, giraffe, zebra, flamingo, red river hog and more over at the lodge which has public viewing.
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I posted in another thread there are some new animals coming to the trails at DAK. Notably sumatran tigers and Grevy's zebra
 
MJMcB said:
The savanna is closed off for the "show element". They want the wow factor of the attraction itself. Its a different culture (theme park) then zoo. They would NEVER show the savanna

Those are not docents. They are paid employees.

Yes it does get crowded. The annual attendance of the park is over 10 million people. That's a lot more than any zoo, and double Sea World. However, the animal trails are well designed to accomodate large numbers of people. And if you are only interested in the zoo aspects of the park, the trails are pretty quiet first thing in the morning when everyone is riding Expedition Everest and the like
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Is the figure of 10million visitors a fact? When I was there they wouldnt tell me because of the ramifications[shares etc]given that I may well print the figure as a writer - I guessed at less than that and was told "not far off",Animal Kingdom is excellent in many ways,but I hated the African Savanna because it fair races around and im there to LOOK AT ANIMALS! I could have also done without the faux poachers chase at the end being a)an adult[of sorts] and b)a cynical Brit...that said I hadn't experienced Busch Gardens safari ride then!
 
Tim Brown said:
Is the figure of 10million visitors a fact? When I was there they wouldnt tell me because of the ramifications[shares etc]given that I may well print the figure as a writer - I guessed at less than that and was told "not far off",Animal Kingdom is excellent in many ways,but I hated the African Savanna because it fair races around and im there to LOOK AT ANIMALS! I could have also done without the faux poachers chase at the end being a)an adult[of sorts] and b)a cynical Brit...that said I hadn't experienced Busch Gardens safari ride then!
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Yes the 10 million is correct, the numbers actually just came in not to long ago, the actual number is 10,198,000 which puts them at the 7th most visited park in the world and 4th in the USA. You can find the numbers here ="http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68130
As for the Savannah, yes it does seem to go by quickly however there are special tours you can take that get you even closer and more in depth time to see the animals and be out on the Savannah with keepers. They do cost extra but are worth the money. Another way to see it more is to go in the offseason, I always visit in first week of December when I go because crowds are the smallest all year and there is generally little to no wait because they still run all of the trucks just like the summer season. And they did away with the poacher ending years ago, they had changed it with a Zebra exhibit but I believe they did away with that as well, but I last visited in 2012 and they were there.
 
VERY interesting...thanks a lot.When I was a boy[a year or two ago now!]I was brought up on Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City being the most visited zoo,2012 figure was 5,165,089 - still massive but dwarfed by DAK.A few others for you-Zoo Berlin 2013[my favourite zoo]3,059,136,Chester 2013[UKs no.1]1,274,000,Moscow 2012 1,581,571 paid plus another 2,500,000 free of charge,Tokyo Ueno 2012 3,834,170,Beijing2012 8,030,000.
 
Tim Brown said:
Is the figure of 10million visitors a fact? When I was there they wouldnt tell me because of the ramifications[shares etc]given that I may well print the figure as a writer - I guessed at less than that and was told "not far off",Animal Kingdom is excellent in many ways,but I hated the African Savanna because it fair races around and im there to LOOK AT ANIMALS! I could have also done without the faux poachers chase at the end being a)an adult[of sorts] and b)a cynical Brit...that said I hadn't experienced Busch Gardens safari ride then!
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The figures are NOT published by Disney but by theme park review as not by CuseZooFan. It is generally considered a fair number by theme park insiders.

The poacher scene is now gone. There is a herd of addax at the end of the attraction now
 
MJMcB said:
The figures are NOT published by Disney but by theme park review as not by CuseZooFan. It is generally considered a fair number by theme park insiders.
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Yes I should have made that more clear, theme park review came out with that report, but they are a very credible group who has a lot of insight in the amusement industry.
 
CuseZoofan said:
Yes I should have made that more clear, theme park review came out with that report, but they are a very credible group who has a lot of insight in the amusement industry.
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There was a type in my last post. It should have said "noted" not "not"
 
MJMcB said:
The savanna is closed off for the "show element". They want the wow factor of the attraction itself. Its a different culture (theme park) then zoo. They would NEVER show the savanna
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Which I still think is a huge mistake. Even (to compromise!) a couple of view points as you exit the ride, even if not accessible any other way, would be very welcome. Surely Disney visitors, even if not so excited by Bontebok and Sable Antelope, would like a little more time with species like giraffe, rhino, lion, cheetah, hippo and elephant? It just feels arbitrary - you can watch gorillas, tigers or Komodo Dragons for as long as you like, or, for that matter, Blackbuck, Angolan Colobus or Okapi, but not lions or Bontebok. Frustrating.


MJMcB said:
Those are not docents. They are paid employees.
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Thanks for confirming. Even more reason to tell them to stand to one side, though! :D


MJMcB said:
Yes it does get crowded. The annual attendance of the park is over 10 million people. That's a lot more than any zoo, and double Sea World. However, the animal trails are well designed to accomodate large numbers of people. And if you are only interested in the zoo aspects of the park, the trails are pretty quiet first thing in the morning when everyone is riding Expedition Everest and the like
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When I went, I went straight to the savanna ride, on very good advice from a friend-of-a-friend in management there, as the queues later would have been very frustrating. I've certainly seen worse places for overcrowding than the 'trails', but even the main pathways around the Tree of Life and between the main sections were almost unbearable to me by lunchtime.


I certainly don't mean to unduly do down DAK - I did enjoy it a great deal (until the crowds started bothering me) and of that style of zoo it is certainly a very fine example in many ways - but I just feel the animal viewing experience could be so much better with relatively minor differences.



Tim Brown said:
Animal Kingdom is excellent in many ways,but I hated the African Savanna because it fair races around and im there to LOOK AT ANIMALS! I could have also done without the faux poachers chase at the end being a)an adult[of sorts] and b)a cynical Brit...that said I hadn't experienced Busch Gardens safari ride then!
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The 'poachers' chase' element seems to have been dropped - certainly on my visit it was just the very well-done and nicely-stocked but frustratingly-swift and unviewable-on-foot safari ride, without fictional ne'er-do-wells, thankfully! That said, I ended up rather enjoying the slidy ride before the penguins at SeaWorld, against my better judgment! :D
 
Maguari said:
Which I still think is a huge mistake. Even (to compromise!) a couple of view points as you exit the ride, even if not accessible any other way, would be very welcome. Surely Disney visitors, even if not so excited by Bontebok and Sable Antelope, would like a little more time with species like giraffe, rhino, lion, cheetah, hippo and elephant? It just feels arbitrary - you can watch gorillas, tigers or Komodo Dragons for as long as you like, or, for that matter, Blackbuck, Angolan Colobus or Okapi, but not lions or Bontebok. Frustrating.
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One thought would be to go over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a little relaxation. You can sit on the overlooks and watch giraffe, zebra, antelope, etc

Its an amazing hotel
 
That's sound very interesting.

If you want my two cents, I'd like to see areas themed after the following Disney movies:

"Aladdin" with animals from Saudi Arabia and/or other Middle Eastern countries like Arabian oryx (I smell wonderful breeding opportunities akin to Phoenix, AZ!), hyenas, jerboas, and eagles. Camel rides (and perhaps races) can be done here.

"Bambi", "Pocahontas", or "Brother Bear" with animals from America's forests like bears and deer (as much as I/others would love to see moose, Florida's muggy climate may make it difficult at best. Disney is known for having cultural representatives (I think that's what they're called...) to show how people of other cultures live: perhaps they could do the same with Native Americans.

What do you all think?
 
Those would be nice ideas, however there's not really anyway for them to add these areas, except maybe the Middle East stuff. The former Camp Minnie Mickey is becoming the Avatar land so that whole section is taken. The only real location would be a small patch or land between Africa and Asia where the Middle East could be a good bridge between the two like in real life. However they just opened a new market in Africa that ate up some space so it may not be doable ever now. The only way anything like these suggestions could be done is if the further expand the park beyond its current boundaries.
 
iluvwhales said:
"Bambi", "Pocahontas", or "Brother Bear" with animals from America's forests like bears and deer (as much as I/others would love to see moose, Florida's muggy climate may make it difficult at best. Disney is known for having cultural representatives (I think that's what they're called...) to show how people of other cultures live: perhaps they could do the same with Native Americans.

What do you all think?
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There was a Pocahontas show with live North American animals that covered pretty much what you are imagining. It ran from 1998-2008. Here is a description of it:

Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends - Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
 
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