With development gear digging in Dinoland and a number of points of interest closed, many Walt Disney World trip planners are questioning whether or not they need to skip Animal Kingdom on their journeys between now and someday in 2027 when Tropical Americas opens. This publish covers what’s taking place, when tasks will probably be accomplished, and the way they’ll influence your expertise on upcoming visits.
With regards to radical Walt Disney World overhauls, there are two current ‘templates’ primarily based upon latest tasks: EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Each of those park reimaginings considerably impacted friends, albeit in markedly alternative ways. Animal Kingdom’s overhaul will likewise little doubt weigh on the park expertise for the following couple of years. The query thus turns into, do you have to skip Animal Kingdom?
Most followers will possible be acquainted with the Big EPCOT Grime Pit, which concerned a number of years of so-called progress partitions to switch a fountain, flex constructing, and dated design components with some planters and bushes, flex constructing, and barely much less dated design components. The fee in visitor burden, time or {dollars} was not “value it” for the top consequence–which is generally a lateral change with barely improved placemaking. However we’re not right here to relitigate the half-baked EPCOT overhaul.
Then there was the Disney’s Hollywood Studios enlargement. Throughout that, a number of points of interest closed to ensure that development to happen, together with flagship and opening day experiences that outlined the park, together with different less-popular choices. There have been fewer points of interest to expertise, however the development at DHS didn’t considerably influence the ambiance or visitor expertise.
Most development occurred inside buildings or out of the best way, with partitions up at dead-ends however not in principal thoroughfares or locations creating visible blight. You would see the development as you walked round Disney’s Hollywood Studios, however for probably the most half, it was not actually detrimental to the visitor expertise. Even the attraction capability that was misplaced was kind of offset by fewer friends voluntarily visiting the park throughout development.
The tip consequence was nicely value it at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as we received Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and a few improved placemaking. We did lose a few OG points of interest that old-timers (like me!) cherished, and I nonetheless lament the shortage of the Osborne Household Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Christmas. However on steadiness, I acknowledge that the overhaul was objectively a serious web constructive for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
For the report, we by no means suggested friends keep away from DHS throughout the development. We introduced it to readers’ consideration in a “do with this data what you’ll” method, however nonetheless advisable the park. Against this, we beforehand had a full article devoted as to if it is best to skip EPCOT. The reply was all the time “it relies upon,” however earlier iterations urged that possibly sure was the right reply for some friends.
This brings us to the Animal Kingdom development mission, which is like Disney’s Hollywood Studios in visitor influence however has (clearly) resulted in an analogous ‘do you have to skip?’ article. And since I don’t have a behavior of writing posts for zero cause in any way, you may surmise that (spoiler alert) the reply is not going to be “positively not–everybody ought to do DAK.”
This text ending in something however a full-throated, unequivocal endorsement of Disney’s Animal Kingdom goes to anger some Walt Disney World followers. Now that old skool EPCOT Middle has been gone for a few a long time, these purists (my folks!) have been changed by DAK diehards.
The important thing distinction between the Animal Kingdom and EPCOT fanatics is straightforward: cynicism. Or reasonably, an absence thereof. The latter are essential of virtually each change, whereas the Animal Kingdom advocates might be dubbed DAK defenders. And understandably so, because the park has been the topic of scorn, unfair ridicule and criticism. In a phrase, Animal Kingdom is misunderstood.
If this describes you, that’s high-quality–incredible, even! However you also needs to perceive that the audience of this publish will not be individuals who already love Animal Kingdom. If it’s your favourite park at Walt Disney World, you shouldn’t skip Animal Kingdom. For those who suppose it’s an exemplar of themed design, you shouldn’t skip Animal Kingdom. Not as we speak and never when development is as its crescendo in 2026. However you already knew that.
For everybody else, Animal Kingdom already was extremely skippable even earlier than the development started.
In line with Themed Leisure Affiliation knowledge (the gold commonplace for measuring annual attendance), Animal Kingdom is the worst performing park at Walt Disney World. Over the last 12 months for which knowledge is offered, it was the one park at Walt Disney World not within the high 10 for worldwide theme park attendance.
Animal Kingdom ranked #16, with 8.8 million annual guests. It’s the one Walt Disney World park that didn’t hit the ten million mark, and it had lower than half the annual guests of Magic Kingdom, the #1 theme park on this planet. So even pre-construction, Animal Kingdom was the most-skipped park at Walt Disney World, with half of friends who opted to go to the flagship fortress park opting to skip DAK.
Our expectation is that this hole will proceed to develop. Animal Kingdom is the park most faraway from its final improvement cycle, and it has misplaced greater than it has gained since March 2020. It will likely be damage by its personal lack of choices and development, and is the park far and away more than likely to lose attendance to Epic Universe at Common. The subsequent few years will probably be powerful for DAK, which very nicely might find yourself within the 7 million vary earlier than it begins rebounding with Tropical Americas in 2027-2028.
That is exactly why we’ve been advocating for additions at Animal Kingdom for the final a number of years and a better sense of urgency from Walt Disney World management to make DAK a compelling vacation spot. The writing has been on the wall since March 2021 when Epic Universe resumed development. At that time, Disney ought to have began working to create new nighttime leisure and develop points of interest that would open by this 12 months, not 2027. That they didn’t is borderline dereliction of responsibility.
Level being, Walt Disney World friends are already voting with their wallets and ft and skipping Animal Kingdom. For those who merely need the consensus reply and never my opinion, it’s sure, Animal Kingdom is skippable–and more and more so. However you’ve learn this far, so hopefully you’re after commentary, and never simply statistics.
I’ve had conflicted emotions about Animal Kingdom because the park opened. My household went opening 12 months, and it was our least favourite park at Walt Disney World. When Sarah and I returned throughout school, Animal Kingdom had improved, but it surely was nonetheless the park we visited least usually within the aughts.
Sooner or later, Animal Kingdom began to “click on” for us. As we visited Walt Disney World extra usually, we had time to decelerate and take the parks at a extra leisurely tempo. We turned extra interested by Imagineering, design and particulars, which is the place Animal Kingdom actually shines. That led to the publish, “I Was Improper About Disney’s Animal Kingdom” again in 2013 (since up to date to account for Pandora – World of Avatar).
A powerful argument will be made that Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the very best theme park in Florida. If you emphasize the theme in theme park, we’d rank it #1 at Walt Disney World. Animal Kingdom is an exemplar of themed design, and arguably Disney’s most “pure” park on the subject of coherent storytelling. That is true even after the Avatar addition, which was weaved into the park’s overarching concepts masterfully.
The issue, because it’s ever been, is an absence of rides. Walt Disney World launched into an notorious Nahtazu advertising and marketing initiative following the debut of Animal Kingdom. For these unfamiliar with that, it was pronounced “not a zoo” and I’m certain you’ll be able to surmise from that what it entailed.
Friends had been skipping Animal Kingdom as a result of they seen it as not too dissimilar from their native zoos–why pay Disney’s costs and spend restricted trip time to expertise one thing they may at dwelling? The factor is, the advert marketing campaign was tacit admission of the problem. Friends had been proper, there have been too few rides and never sufficient daylight between Animal Kingdom and a very nice zoo.
This isn’t to say friends had been utterly proper. Once more, Animal Kingdom is miles above the typical zoo, or perhaps a standout one just like the San Diego Safari Park. Nonetheless, the trip depend was means too low and the park leaned too closely on animal displays and walk-through trails. These had been (and are) nice enhancements, however they had been (and are) known as on to hold an excessive amount of of the load. We’ve warned friends to house these experiences out to keep away from “animal fatigue,” and this is without doubt one of the explanation why there’s an early afternoon exodus from Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom’s lack of rides downside has by no means been absolutely addressed. Points of interest have been added over time, with Expedition Everest and Pandora – World of Avatar being big property, among the many greatest rides in all of Walt Disney World.
Even after these additions, Animal Kingdom has by far the lightest trip roster of any park at Walt Disney World. And that has solely gotten worse in 2025, with the closure of two conventional theme park type points of interest. The park is now down to six rides that publish wait occasions. Develop that to incorporate main exhibits and the attraction depend is 9 or 10.
This massively understates the totality of the visitor expertise at Animal Kingdom, because it doesn’t depend a number of main animal displays (like Maharajah Jungle Trek or Gorilla Falls) that will probably be among the many highlights of a go to. It additionally doesn’t consider characters, atmospheric leisure, or quite a few different issues that Animal Kingdom does so, so nicely.
We are able to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom and have an immensely satisfying and well-rounded expertise on par with any of the parks at Walt Disney World. You may too, as long as you go in with the proper expectations, know the place to search for the park’s hidden gems, and tempo your self in order to keep away from “animal fatigue.”
Personally, I don’t suppose the the attraction closures to this point in 2025–a spinner and a 3D present–transfer the needle on that. When it goes extinct in early 2026, DINOSAUR would be the a lot greater blow. However by the point DINOSAUR closes, Zootopia: Higher Zoogether will open. That’s positively not a 1:1 substitute, however the brand new 3D present will assist. And hopefully there’s extra leisure on faucet for 2026 to assist ease the rising pains.
With regards to development influence when it comes to visible blight or navigational points, there actually isn’t a lot of 1. Dino-Rama is the realm that’s walled off, and the cheesy roadside carnival contributed simply as a lot visible blight when it was open, if no more. The partitions are much less of an eyesore, should you ask me.
Even so, we’d proceed recommending Animal Kingdom to anybody with 4 or extra days at Walt Disney World that enjoys wildlife and needs an immersive theme park expertise that includes exploration and savoring the little issues, and never simply bouncing from trip to trip.
The truth that most friends deal with Animal Kingdom like a half-day park and attendance will additional lower by 2027 might be seen as an asset to savvy friends, particularly these with Park Hopper tickets. Go very first thing within the morning or in late afternoon, and also you’ll be capable of take pleasure in low to average crowd ranges ~300 days of the 12 months. No want for Lightning Lanes!
You may also simply spend a full day at DAK. In actual fact, the argument might be made that Animal Kingdom is rather a lot like World Showcase–mild on rides however heavy on surroundings and ambiance–and friends hardly ever complain about World Showcase. Most everybody views that space of EPCOT as an asset, and enjoys making their means all over the world. Animal Kingdom is similar to that, however grittier and fewer romanticized…plus animals!
Sarcastically sufficient, there are literally a number of promoting factors of visiting Animal Kingdom quickly…all of that are animals!
The simple all-star of Animal Kingdom proper now’s Bakso, the park’s lovely Sumatran tiger cub. Watch in awe because the cub and his mom, Sohni, playfully pounce and prowl collectively of their lush habitat stuffed with cascading waterfalls, bushes, hills and logs. Maharajah Jungle Trek supplies ample alternatives for the massive cats to conduct naturally–speaking, resting, hiding, and exploring. Above all else, the duo likes to play, and their conduct is heartwarming and acquainted to any dad or mum.
Extra lately, Kilimanjaro Safaris welcomed a towering addition to its household as Mara, the park’s beloved Masai giraffe, gave delivery to a fantastic child boy named Tucker! Mara, who joined the savanna in 2015, has proudly expanded her household thrice now! It looks like simply yesterday Walt Disney World was celebrating the delivery of her first calf, Jabari, in 2019. (Genuinely, that is the primary giraffe calf delivery at Walt Disney World since 2021.) As with Bakso the tiger cub, Tucker can be lovely.
Rounding out the trio is a trio: Butternut, Biscuit, and Potato (sure, Potato) are the latest Asian small-clawed otter infants to debut at Animal Kingdom! These otters and their dad and mom, Kevin and Mae, are actually showing within the Otter Grotto habitat on the Discovery Island Trails. Personally, I can’t wait to see Potato the Otter. (Significantly, don’t miss Otter Grotto–it’s one other of the incredible animal trails that’s usually ignored!)
To not disparage lovely animals, however none of that is actually that notable. It’s heartwarming, however not a marketable draw for vacationers. Animals are born commonly at Animal Kingdom.
With regards to different additions that’ll draw friends, Animal Kingdom is the one park with nothing deliberate in Summer time 2025. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting the Villains and Little Mermaid stage exhibits. Magic Kingdom is getting Disney Starlight Evening Parade. EPCOT is getting Take a look at Observe 3.0, GEO-82 Lounge Inside Spaceship Earth, and Goofy’s Takeover of CommuniCore Corridor.
The park that wants probably the most is getting the least. It’s nonetheless completely baffling that Animal Kingdom isn’t getting a drone present, because the park badly wants to provide friends a cause to remain late. The entire cause why I waited till after Walt Disney World introduced its summer season slate is as a result of I hoped DAK drone present was the ace up its sleeve–{that a} blockbuster nighttime spectacular would put this entire dialog to relaxation.
Whereas we very a lot would love for everybody to understand Animal Kingdom as a lot as we do, we’re additionally realists. There’s a cause why the the park has decrease attendance, a day exodus, and provides friends “animal fatigue.” It’s additionally true that you would be able to routinely end each trip in Animal Kingdom earlier than 11 am! There’s a divergence between how hardcore followers and informal friends every understand Animal Kingdom, and that is value discussing, reasonably than simply pretending the overwhelming majority of informal guests are “doing it fallacious.”
Then there’s the elephant within the room: Epic Universe. After having had the prospect to expertise this brand-new theme park, I’m now of the idea that ride-oriented friends with restricted trip time desirous to “make room” for Common Orlando’s new theme park may wish to minimize Animal Kingdom from the plans. (See We’re Stay Inside Epic Universe for Paid Previews: Images & Video for extra–plus heaps extra protection to come back.)
On opening day, Epic Universe could have 11 rides and two main exhibits, plus atmospheric leisure, play areas, and extra. For these retaining rating at dwelling, that is extra rides than Animal Kingdom. When you broaden that to all points of interest and compelling choices (minus animal displays), the rosters are arguably comparable. I’m however satisfied that the common visitor will desire the attraction slate at Epic Universe to that of Animal Kingdom.
Mainly, the kind of one that felt the necessity to learn this publish (and never hate learn, however for planning functions) will most likely be higher suited by Epic Universe. Each parks have excessive factors and are extremely compelling in their very own methods, however there are extra main rides which might be must-dos at Epic Universe. And whereas I acknowledge recency bias might be coloring my opinion, I’d definitely reasonably spend time at Epic Universe within the subsequent couple of years over Animal Kingdom. It has a number of heavy-hitters with infinite re-rideability.
Sarcastically sufficient, that is the outcome-determinative issue. Not something about Animal Kingdom itself. From our perspective, the development partitions aren’t notably impactful, and the points of interest which have closed additionally aren’t the straw that breaks the camel’s again. The difference-maker isn’t something taking place at Animal Kingdom. In a vacuum, the park is kind of as worthwhile of a draw as we speak because it was throughout any of the previous few years.
It’s really an externality that gave rise to this publish and in addition makes the reply “sure” for some friends. That externality is Epic Universe, a brand new theme park that competes for the restricted trip {dollars} and time of vacationers. And whereas this kind of comparability has lengthy been attainable with Common Studios Florida and Islands of Journey–which most likely at the least partially explains why DAK has decrease attendance than the opposite Walt Disney World parks–it’s way more pronounced now with Epic Universe.
Once more, it didn’t must be this manner. Walt Disney World might have launched a brand new nighttime spectacular that includes drones, added leisure, enjoyable trip overlays or seasonal occasions–something to assist buoy Animal Kingdom and make it extra aggressive for the following couple of years. That wouldn’t have made the reply to this publish an across-the-board “no,” however it might’ve made “no” a extra frequent reply. Staying on-site and visiting all 4 of the Walt Disney World theme parks is the cheaper and simpler choice–the trail of least resistance. Puncturing the Disney Bubble is extra of a trouble that will increase prices and logistics–but it surely’s an choice that’s worthy of consideration for a lot of friends in 2025 by 2027 for the sake of seeing Epic Universe.
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Your Ideas
Will you be visiting Animal Kingdom within the subsequent couple of years? For those who’re skipping DAK, are you doing so to keep away from development and closed points of interest, and ready till new rides and Tropical Americas opens? Or are you taking your restricted trip time and reallocating the day from DAK to Epic Universe? Every other suggestions on upcoming modifications and the way they’ll influence the expertise? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!