Hello, this coming September we will be travelling from England for our 7th Florida vacation.
As yet we have not visited Animal Kingdom and have had a lot of negative feedback from different sources. As we have a 4 year old child can anyone give me an opinion as to whether it is worth a visit? I do appreciate that sometimes you have to just go and make your own mind up but any advice would be appreciated.

Personally I liked Animal Kingdom. Granted, you may not spend as much time there as in the other WDW parks, but there's lots of fun things tehre. I think your 4-year old would like the safari and other things.

Also -- if you've been there 7 times, what's there to lose?

My husband and I have been to Animal Kingdom twice and loved it. If you have never been there, then you should not miss it this time around. There are plenty of things a 4 year old can enjoy. Camp Mickey and Minnie is devoted to children your kid's age. The Lion King show is fabulous. Your 4 year old will also like digging for bones in Dinoland and going on the safari. There is also a petting zoo at Conservation Station. Be advised that Disney does a fairly good job at recreating an African safari. Just like on such a safari, there is no guarantee that all the animals will be visible. Your best bet is to go later in the day or early in the morning. Also be advised that Animal Kingdom is not intended to be a zoo; you will be disappointed if you go thinking that it is. Kali River Rapids are great fun. However, you get soaked, so you may want to consider taking ponchos. My husband and I laughed at people wearing rain gear on the ride. Well, the joke was on us because we ended up going back to the resort to change. Tree of Life is wonderful, but the It's Tough to Be a Bug Show can be very frightening for little children. Use your discretion. Animal Kingdom is not that big, so you can probably do it in half a day or so. Email me if you have any more questions and have fun!

I also responded to your IOA post. My daughter LOVES Animal Kingdom, we went when she was 4 & 5, & will be back next summer. Ride the train to Conservation Station & there is a petting area kids love. The safari ride is fun. She & I LOVE the Lion King show & the Tarzan show. She loves the boneyard Playground too, and just walking around and looking at all the animals. DEFINITELY take your 4 yo here. Another park you can do in one day, & that your child would enjoy, is Sea World.

Johnny,
We are off to Orlando again this Easter for the fourth time. We too go from England. It is difficult to gauge wether a trip to Animal Kingdom is worth it if you have never been. We went Two years ago and we loved it.

The press it has got since it opened has not been great but it is definately not a flop. It was interesting and great fun when we went and they still hadn't finished it (we had a sneak preview as we stayed in Disney Accomodation).

The suggestions already put forward I would agree with. Conservation station is worth a visit, but with a four year old I would give "It's tough to be a bug" a miss. Too scary for one so small.

In a nutshell. Give it a go. I don't think you will be dissapointed.

My husband and I took our 3 year old (almost 4 now)to Disney in October 99. We all loved Animal Kingdom. She loved all of the animals. She especially loved the petting zoo at Conservation Station. We were at the petting zoo almost an hour. Another thing she loved was having her face painted. She had her face painted as a bug princess. They have a place set up and they will paint faces for a small fee. You get to pick your own design. Also, the day we went the gorillas put on quite a show. If you have any questions please feel free to email me with any questions. I think your little girl will have a great time.

I recently visited Animal Kingdom and have to answer this with a no its not really worth the $46 to get in and whatever else you will spend there. It is OK and you can see some elements of Disney charm but it is far inferior to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The Safari is good and the exploration trails are interesting but there are many US Zoos that outclass AK as far as seeing animals and many theme parks that outclass it for entertainment value.
If it is part of a multi-day pass and you dont have to give anything up to go then it would be OK otherwise I would go to Sea World - much more complete and interesting experience.

I agree with the above post that if A.K. is part of a multi-day pass, go! It's fun, interesting, and doesn't take TOO much time. But if I didn't have the time, and if I was tight on money, my priorities would definitely be Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. (haven't been to SeaWorld, but everyone says it's great).
Have fun!

I went to AK in Summer 1999 with kids ages 7, 4, and 2. It wasn't my favorite way to spend $46. It is smallish, so it feels very crowded even when it isn't. There weren't enough mild attractions. None of my kids survived "Tough to be a Bug" or Dino-whatever. Lion King show was middling. On the whole, I think I like the greater number and variety of things for kids at the Magic Kingdom. If one thing looks too intense, there is always something else better around the corner. Have you thought about Blizzard Beach? We just LOVED it there.

I've been to AK each of my previous 3 trips to WDW; I'm very positive on AK & always look forward to re-visiting it.

The "Asia" portion has opened up in late 1998, and adds to the park's variety.

Some of the headline attractions do have a height limit, I think, and your 4yr old may not be able to ride ("Kali River Rapids"; "Countdown to Extinction", which I heard is now being renamed "Dinosaur", presumably to tie in to the new Disney film of the same name).

The look, feel, & detail of the park is wonderfully executed, and is a fascinating contrast to the other parks.

To come all the way from the UK & not see it, would be a shame.

We took our 4 year old to Animal Kingdom in the spring of 99 and we had a very good time. She loved the
Safari and the Lion King show. We didn't make it through the Bugs Live 3D show either - a little too intense for young kids. Would agree w/ the comments about the park feeling small and crowded, but would go again.
I would recommend AK over Epcot for a 4 year old.

Thanks for everybody who took time to respond. In answer to some of the earlier messages , we have already visited Sea World several times and are very familiar with most of the parks.
We are still undecided about AK,I reckon we will decide when we arrive in Orlando.

Animal Kingdom is worth the visit!..it may take two days, to see it all..but its definitely worth the trip...also for you...to catch all the nuances of it being a disnye park..youll enjoy it

Johnny,
My boyfriend and I went to Animal Kingdom this past June and loved it! I understand that they have changed some things over the past year to improve it. The safari was fun and we saw alot of animals. I'm not sure your 4 yr old would like 'It's tough to be a bug' or the Dinosaur ride. They are very intense for young ones. I don't have kids but Camp Minnie looked fun and the kids seemed to enjoy Dinoland.