I sort of expected Animal Kingdom to have more things to do. Was a little disappointed in it's size. We loved the rapid ride (although should be longer and have more "rapids") and loved the safari. Parking was $$$ - $11 and the park entrance was too.

My family and I love to come to Disney. We know our way inside and out around the parks, and went to the Animal Kingdom when it opened in 1999. Since then, we've been back 4 times and are headed back a sixth this fall. Let us share with you some tips for your day at the Animal Kingdom.

1. Expedition Everest is NOT to be missed - it's a great coaster with fantastic special effects. The whole family will love it. It gets very crowded though, so I'd advise obtaining Fastpasses right away in the morning.

2. Animal Kingdom is HOT. Heat abound at Animal Kingdom. It's always hotter than at the other parks, mainly more humid. We're not sure, but maybe because of all the water and animals, etc. Be sure to drink lots of water. We like to put ice in our caps and put it on our heads.

3. Don't miss Festival of the Lion King. Yes, you must wait outside for almost an hour before showtime, but it's very worth it. Grab some water bottles and wait. You won't regret it.

4. Skip the safari and take the animal trails instead. Kilimanjaro Safaris is overrated, we think. If you can walk a little extra, take the Pangani Exploration Trail and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. You can get close to the animals, learn about them, and spend as much time as you like! Also, there's never a wait! The safaris are VERY crowded, and waits of an hour or more are not uncommon.

5. Favorite fast-food restaurant in the park - Pizzafari!

6. Favorite sitdown restaurant in the park - Rainforest Cafe. It's better than you'd expect! A lot of fun...

7. Don't let the little ones go on Dinosaur. I'll tell you, Dinosaur is a pretty rough ride. It jostles you and giant dinosaurs come out at you. It's very loud and sometimes dark. I've seen several very frightened children on it. Take 'em to the Boneyard playground instead.

8. Get to this park right at opening so you can finish touring by the hottest part of the day. Utilize morning extra magic hours if you're a Disney resort guest.

We had one day to visit Animal Kingdom and eveyone told us to heard right for the Safari Jungle Ride. We did just that and it was a great adventure. If you have a chance in the later afternoon, ride again as there are different animals out in the wild at different times. Our second ride was more interesting than the first. The "roller coaster" ride Experidention Everest was very good. Not worth the 90 minute wait, so do a Fast Pass on that one. We had time to ride it twice. Park is not too large that you can't conquer every attraction in one day. Park closes at 7, but there is plenty of time to see it all, most wait lines were 20-30 minutes, but like all Disney attractions, they keep the line moving.

Animal Kingdom tops my list as the worst attraction I've ever visited. What do you get when you take a mediocre amusement park + a mediocre zoo + terrible customer service + an outrageous ticket price? The perfect storm for the worst vacation ever...

I'll start with the good though:

The safari was pretty cool even if it was staged, and we were able to get close to the rhinos and giraffes to snap some good pictures. We actually got stuck midway through due to 5 rhinos blocking the road and investigating the vehicle. Also the bird show was a great introduction to the purpose of wildlife conservation and the wonders of birds around the world.

Now for the bad:

It all started while we were parking and the parking attendant cursed at my girlfriend because she was having trouble with the rental car. That really didn't go well with us. Next the unenthusiastc tram operator consistently yelling at us like we were entering bootcamp rather than a theme park. After arriving at the entrance, I felt like I had been wisked away to Alcatraz while watching everyone get fingerprinted for tickets and bags being searched. (I realize this is for safety, and I'm not opposed to it, but after the run in with the attendant at the beginning I was already getting a bad taste of the place).

The rides themselves were worthless. The river rapids had no thrill to it at all and reminded me of those little yellow ducks in carnival games that just go around endlessly in a small circle. The dinosaur ride was so contrived with cheap gimics it was harldy worth the time (again it reminded me of a shoddy carnival fun house). We cut our trip short so we didnt try any of the others.

The animal exhibits (aside from the safari) were absolutely pathetic. If it's animals your looking for, I'd say just save your money and go to a real zoo or take advantage of wildlife tours to the swamps that Florida is renowned for. The animals were a small collection of your typical zoo fare with a plethora of goats to pet and a whole lot of pictures of animals (cartoon along with real). Additionally the place was packed, so you also had to wait in line like you would for a roller coaster just to see an animal for a moment before you were pushed out of the way from other visitors. All the while, you had Disney employees either barking orders like drill sargents or repeating the mantra of "You're having fun..." (which Minnie Mouse was shouting from a loudspeaker during the parade over and over again.)

Lastly, everything was outrageously overpriced (although that was to be expected), and I am very, very ashamed I bought into the Disney hype and fell head over heels into a shameless tourist trap. I had been warned yet decided to believe in Disney's rock solid reputation (or iron grip of marketing) they have. It's sad because I actually liked Disney alot until this experience. Now being forced to vow to my girlfriend, we'd never come back, my whole opinion of their customer service (which needs a complete overhaul) and imaginiative creativity is torn to pieces.

-Side note- If you are bringing kids with you to Disney--bring a couple because the toll roads to and from will force you to give up your first born just to get through. We ended up paying about 15 dollars in tolls, and if you dont have exact change in quarters on the highway entrance and exits, God rest your soul.