This is our second time to Disney World. Last year we rode Kilimanjaro Safari and it was pretty good, I suppose… can you hear the enthusiasm in my voice? My family actually does love animals, but we’ve been annual pass-holders at our local zoo (Memphis - a pretty good zoo) for 12 years, and we go frequently, so maybe the whole looking at wildlife thing isn’t quite as thrilling to us as it might be to some. Additionally, we ARE staying in a Savannah view studio at Kidani Village for 7 nights because I really DO like the idea of watching wildlife in a relaxed state, on my balcony, with coffee or cocktail in hand.
SO… 1) Kilimanjaro Safari takes a decently long amount of time to do. 2) We see wildlife in a zoo setting on a very regular basis. 3) We’ll be watching wildlife from our Kidani Savannah view studio for 7 nights and mornings.
Not sure I want to waste the time on that ride… some of you will think I’m wrong, so… convince me!
I really enjoyed having a nice break to just sit and relax during the ride, and the animals were out and active so we really enjoyed it. We used a FP for it so did not have to wait to get on.
I liked it okay, didnt love it. If it fits in your plan and doesnt take away a FPP or time from something else, then do it. but dont do it out of obligation. or ask your kids if its a priority for them.
Yeah, that was me. And again, I’ll be sipping coffee in the early mornings and (hopefully) watching animals as they awake in “my backyard” while I’m at Kidani… for 7 days… seems like that will be enough.
No, but my touring plan doesn’t include nightime visits to the parks. Not really my family’s preference… we like to “chill” at night. Kids love the pool, and we love the drinks by the pool. I do have a Happily Ever After Dessert party booked, but I may not even keep that reservation.
Edit: Just looked at some photos and youtube video… that does look kinda awesome. Thanks.
While we’ve done it each time, it was for the benefit of our kids. Truth is, since we visit the Toledo Zoo (and others) a lot, the Safari wasn’t necessarily anything special. In fact, the Safari ride at Six Flags Great Adventure was significantly better.
It is nice to have a prolonged opportunity to sit for the length of the Safari, but the fake supposed adventure they portray where you’re trying to track down poachers or something was laughable. (Not sure if they still do that.)
I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from doing it who hasn’t done it before. But if you have, and felt similarly disenchanted with the experience, I see no reason to put the time into it again. There is plenty else to do.
No, I totally get that it’s far from a zoo. Just saying that I don’t get THAT much of a thrill from looking at animals on a ride. I’m really looking forward to seeing them from my room though. But also, @jflafond has me second guessing whether I want to take a night for AK… we normally stay at the resort at night, but you never know.
Edit: PLUS… you didn’t follow the rules… I told you to CONVINCE me LOL
Total side trip from the original post here, but believe it or not, Animal Kingdom is actually my favorite park at DW by a mile. Probably doesn’t sound like it because of my “meh” attitude about KS, but I absolutely LOVE the culture, music, greenery, food… just everything really.
Last time, we did the safari in the morning and at night and it was so different! Also, AK is gorgeous at night. Tree of Life, Pandora and the safaris are totally worth a night visit, in my opinion.
Funny. I misread the thread title. When I read “convince me I shouldn’t” I thought you were saying, “We might skip KS, so convince me I shouldn’t do it.” But re-reading it carefully, I see now you didn’t say that at all!
Yeah… my re-evaluation process has begun. I just checked FP+… last one I see available is at 6:45 PM during the second week of October. Is it dark yet then? I also kinda want to see the Tree of Life Awakenings
Right… convince me as to why I shouldn’t skip KS. Make me understand why I should be more excited about it. I didn’t think anyone actually could, but they’ve reeled me in a little bit with this nighttime option. Reboot. Processing.
I have your same issue. Exactly. If I skip a “walk on” KS during EMH, I doubt the fam would miss it at all. You know your fam - don’t give in to peer pressure. Time and $ are at a premium. If it doesn’t seem like the right thing to do, skip it. Maybe look at it this way. Maybe some other family with more enthusiasm will get on a truck earlier if you are not in line. Do what’s best for you. That’s a fastpass and about 40 minutes! I purposely didn’t grab a fp for it, and only have it as a maybe on an emh day.
I think if you need to be convinced you can do without the safari. Personally, I would never miss it. We did it three times over two days, once in a huge thunderstorm, so we obviously enjoy it. But everyone is different! And you do have that savannah view.
