I feel like they are removing stuff for the younger kids and there is not a ton of stuff for younger kids there.
Where will you be able to meet Rafiki have they said?
Haha, so true. Living in South Florida I read that to mean closed in the summer and open late fall through Easter. Liked that spot. Looked forward to it this Christmas with my daughter. My son loves it so she probably will too.I know it's not your wording, but "seasonal" is such a vague term down here in FL.
I watched a Touring Plans video this morning about the best things at AK for little ones, and frankly there doesn’t seem to be much. They said: triceratops spin (fine, but my nieces are going to ride Dumbo at MK); Na’vi River Journey (which looks fine, but I’m just not enthusiastic about Pandora); the playground at DinoLand (I’m not buying park tickets just to play in a playground - they can do that at home!); Rafiki’s Planet Watch petting zoo (will be shut); and the safari.
I’m not sure the safari is enough to make it worth visiting AK with them. It’s a real shame that they have removed one of the few things for young kids. As someone who likes animals and is very excited about visiting AK, I think it’s also very sad that they are removing something that has educational value and something to do with actual animals.
Nowhere as of Sept. 30th.Where will you be able to meet Rafiki have they said?
It will reopen when they feel necessary. That could be never though.Does anyone know when it will reopen?
We too just watched a video with best things for little kids at ak.
Our daughter was looking forward to this.
I watched a Touring Plans video this morning about the best things at AK for little ones, and frankly there doesn’t seem to be much. They said: triceratops spin (fine, but my nieces are going to ride Dumbo at MK); Na’vi River Journey (which looks fine, but I’m just not enthusiastic about Pandora); the playground at DinoLand (I’m not buying park tickets just to play in a playground - they can do that at home!); Rafiki’s Planet Watch petting zoo (will be shut); and the safari.
I’m not sure the safari is enough to make it worth visiting AK with them. It’s a real shame that they have removed one of the few things for young kids. As someone who likes animals and is very excited about visiting AK, I think it’s also very sad that they are removing something that has educational value and something to do with actual animals.
I watched a Touring Plans video this morning about the best things at AK for little ones, and frankly there doesn’t seem to be much. They said: triceratops spin (fine, but my nieces are going to ride Dumbo at MK); Na’vi River Journey (which looks fine, but I’m just not enthusiastic about Pandora); the playground at DinoLand (I’m not buying park tickets just to play in a playground - they can do that at home!); Rafiki’s Planet Watch petting zoo (will be shut); and the safari.
I’m not sure the safari is enough to make it worth visiting AK with them. It’s a real shame that they have removed one of the few things for young kids. As someone who likes animals and is very excited about visiting AK, I think it’s also very sad that they are removing something that has educational value and something to do with actual animals.
There’s also both animal trails, the lion king show, which my kids both loved as toddlers, the Nemo show (long so questionable), and the bird show.
As well as the animal displays around discovery island and the trails around the tree of life.
Interesting...we took our son at 18 months last year, before Pandora opened. I’m surprised that Festival of the Lion King wasn’t on that list...it was his favorite thing in the park. We did both walking trails and the Safari. He really loves animals, so those were all hits with him. We did ride Triceratop Spin as well. The Boneyard was closed at the time or we would have let him play there. We also did a character meal at Tusker House. DH rose EE and I rode Dinosaur. We were there from park open until about 3 PM, I believe. I really thought there was plenty to do. This year, we are going to be adding the Pandora rides (FoP for DH and I and Na’vi for all of us) and hopefully some characters into the mix.
I think you are missing some things that many kids truly enjoy. Most kids enjoy Kali River Rapids (though it does have a height requirement of 38 inches), Festival of the Lion King, and Finding Nemo. There are two different walking trails that have plenty of opportunities to see animals up close. There is a bird show which is educational and entertaining. Navi River Journey is a beautiful ride, whether you like the movie or not. My kids enjoyed the safari ride as well. The awakenings on the tree of life are quite beautiful as well, though that may or may not be of interest for little ones.
It will reopen when they feel necessary. That could be never though.
This is a genuine question, as I have not been nor do I have kids: do you believe these plus the safari are enough to justify taking toddlers to AK? I will certainly go earlier in my trip, but when my young nieces are there, I’m not sure if it is worth the hassle, price, heat and crowds.
DS was 3 during our visit to AK back in 2014. He loved AK. The trails, the bird show, the safari, TH lunch, meeting Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, the Lion King show and, yes, the Triceratops Spin, made for a great day. We didn’t RD, but had a full day. The train was operating, but the attractions at RPW were closed for refurb, so we just rode the train up and back. We didn’t make it to Nemo or the playground before leaving for the day. We enjoyed it. It was a nice change of pace and definitely held DS’ attention.