Rafiki's Planet Watch is Now OPEN - See Post #296

[PollyannaMom]

How awful! That was one of our favorite parts of the park. - Last time, we saw baby tamarins. They were so tiny and adorable!

I'm glad I know now, though, so I'm not disappointed on our trip.

 

[rteetz]

Has there been any statement or info on why they are closing it? It is just not a popular area and not worth the operating costs of the train and keeping it staffed with CMs? It seemed like an interesting and unique part of the park.

Cost cutting.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

Cost cutting.

That’s a real shame.

 

[rteetz]

That’s a real shame.

It’s the end of the fiscal year so they need to make their profits look better. Several cuts are going into place.

 

[Delirium]

It’s the end of the fiscal year so they need to make their profits look better. Several cuts are going into place.

So I guess the overnight parking fees at the resorts are not having the desired impact to profitability.

Attracting new and repeat customers by offering unique and entertaining products and services will ultimately help the bottom line more than trimming things that people enjoy.

Disney needs to be very careful. They seem to think that the expected interest in Galaxy's Edge gives them free reign to stop being 'Disney' and begin acting like every other business out there. There are opportunities for success while still being different. Disney has proven that over the years. Yet, now they seem to be moving away from that business model.

 

[rteetz]

So I guess the overnight parking fees at the resorts are not having the desired impact to profitability.

Attracting new and repeat customers by offering unique and entertaining products and services will ultimately help the bottom line more than trimming things that people enjoy.

Disney needs to be very careful. They seem to think that the expected interest in Galaxy's Edge gives them free reign to stop being 'Disney' and begin acting like every other business out there. There are opportunities for success while still being different. Disney has proven that over the years. Yet, now they seem to be moving away from that business model.

They don’t seem to enforce the overnight parking all that well at the moment.

Fiscal year end cuts happen every year. It’s very unfortunate but expected. The soft fall numbers haven’t helped anything.

 

[Jax1023]

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.



The Festival of the Lion King was definitely not on the list, though it was a “Top 5”, so not a definitive list. I would have thought that the show would not appeal to toddlers, so that’s really good to know.



As I say, it was a Top 5 video, but that’s interesting about the shows - it sounds like they would have been a good addition to the list.

These comments are all really helpful, as it does sound like there is still more to do there for the little ones than I’m imagining. I’m baulking at the idea of using a park entry day for a Dumbo knock-off and a playground, but it does sound like there may be plenty for toddlers to do besides that.

I’ve taken my children who are 6 and 1 to animal kingdom for multiple times on multiple trips for the older one.

I think we spent all of 30min at rafikis planet watch.

My local zoo has a petting zoo area if I want to pet her my goats and sheep. I wouldn’t be wasting my expensive Disney time on it.

We spent 1.5 days on our August trip at ak.

Rope dropped Na’vi river journey. My 6 year old loved it, we rode 3 times before the line built up.

Then we rode the safari with a fast pass.

Next we went to dinoland- rode triceratops spin. Met a bunch of characters

Then we went and rider swapped fop. The baby ate snacks in the stroller.

Had lunch, went back to rest at the hotel.

Headed back around 3. Saw lion king. Rode safari again. Walked the animal trails before they closed.

Had dinner. Saw pandora at night which is cool to look at.

Watched tree of light awakenings. Saw 8:30 rivers of light.

Went Home to bed.

It was a long full day. My older son said it was his favorite of the trip.

I don’t think there’s any less at all for toddlers than say Hollywood studios.

If I was buying a one day ticket, would I go to sl with small kids? No I’d go to magic kingdom.

But as part of a longer trip there’s plenty to fill the day.

 

[Jax1023]

That’s great to hear - thank you! I think I will really enjoy AK, but I had concerns about my nieces. However, it does sound like it may be worth going after all. For some reason I thought the trails would be too much like hiking for little ones, but from the various posts in this thread, it sounds like they will be fine.

The trials are paved sidewalks. They roll along in the stroller while you push, just like every where else

 

[Delirium]

They don’t seem to enforce the overnight parking all that well at the moment.

Fiscal year end cuts happen every year. It’s very unfortunate but expected. The soft fall numbers haven’t helped anything.

Which raises the question as to why the fall numbers are soft.

The economy is considered strong, so that's probably not the underlying factor. From my perspective, what is a factor is that Disney is doing the following:

• Pricing potential customers out of the mix with add-ons such as overnight resort parking fees. And, let's be honest. The food prices in the park are ridiculous.
• Having fewer park hours, especially at Magic Kingdom, which is the whole reason Disney World even exists. Without the MK, there is no Epcot, HS, or AK. Disney should be looking to INCREASE hours at MK to draw people in, not reduce them, which pushes people out.
• Becoming infatuated with up-charging for special events: Dessert Parties, After Hours, more hard ticket events, etc. These are great for those that can afford them. But, the average family with 2-3 children typically can't afford them, and those children are Disney's customers of tomorrow. And, things like After Hours and Hard Ticket Parties, cause us to circle back to point #2, which is that Magic Kingdom hours have been trimmed way too much, to the point that many days are so crowded because of the short hours, it's no longer a magical experience.

I think it's very likely that Disney ends up doing Galaxy's Edge so wrong that more people are going to say 'never again' versus 'I can't wait to come back'.

Eliminating things like the Move it Shake it Parade, Rafiki's Planet, and the Street Performers at Hollywood Studios simply moves more people into other areas of the park, many of which are already too crowded. Disney should be looking for ways to disperse the crowds better, not eliminating some of the very things that help with that problem.

 

[rteetz]

Which raises the question as to why the fall numbers are soft.

The economy is considered strong, so that's probably not the underlying factor. From my perspective, what is a factor is that Disney is doing the following:

• Pricing potential customers out of the mix with add-ons such as overnight resort parking fees. And, let's be honest. The food prices in the park are ridiculous.
• Having fewer park hours, especially at Magic Kingdom, which is the whole reason Disney World even exists. Without the MK, there is no Epcot, HS, or AK. Disney should be looking to INCREASE hours at MK to draw people in, not reduce them, which pushes people out.
• Becoming infatuated with up-charging for special events: Dessert Parties, After Hours, more hard ticket events, etc. These are great for those that can afford them. But, the average family with 2-3 children typically can't afford them, and those children are Disney's customers of tomorrow. And, things like After Hours and Hard Ticket Parties, cause us to circle back to point #2, which is that Magic Kingdom hours have been trimmed way too much, to the point that many days are so crowded because of the short hours, it's no longer a magical experience.

I think it's very likely that Disney ends up doing Galaxy's Edge so wrong that more people are going to say 'never again' versus 'I can't wait to come back'.

Eliminating things like the Move it Shake it Parade, Rafiki's Planet, and the Street Performers at Hollywood Studios simply moves more people into other areas of the park, many of which are already too crowded. Disney should be looking for ways to disperse the crowds better, not eliminating some of the very things that help with that problem.

Disney is expensive, crowds, and heat. Disney also doesn’t have anything enticing right now. People are waiting for Star Wars.

Disney knows it has to do Star Wars right. This is the more ambitious plan anyways. The first plan was not nearly what we are getting.

Also move it shake it going away in December not related to these cuts. It will then be replaced by a new show thing in 2019.

 

[RachaelA]

This is so sad. They just keep taking away stuff

 

[AngieInOH]

Cant say I'm that disappointed. One less thing to fit in the schedule. I never did like spending all that time going out there for a petting zoo. We never timed it right to see any of the vet activities. Thanks for the info.

 

[CarolynFH]

I’m hoping that RPW ends up being like Carousel of Progress, which went seasonal for a few years and then rebounded.

 

[NavyDad]

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 am also very sad to see them limit or close RPW. Very cool, relaxing place.

That said - AK is still a great park and a very good day for kids IMO.

The Safari is very special. You can (and should) do it multiple times per day at different times. Morning, afternoon and evening can be completely different experiences with the different animal behaviors. The Africa and Asia wildlife tours are top notch exhibits that rival many of the best zoos in the world.

Pandora and the River Journey are very rich, immersive experiences for kids. Even if you have never seen the movies that area is still pretty amazing.

The shows: Lion King is an amazing Broadway quality production IMO. Very fun and interactive for kids. I don't personally love the Nemo show but most people do especially kids. I can't remember what is replacing the bird show but my guess it is very family friendly. Bugs Life is very cool and very interactive if your kids can handle a bit of scariness.

The Dinoland area is very cool and should not be dismissed as just another playground. My kids absolutely loved it when they were young. Very cool area. Other than the playground that area is almost ideal for families with young kids. Very over the top and entertaining for kids.

There are tons of unique character experiences if your kids are into that. Tusker House breakfast is a great place to see the Safari characters or visit the outpost to at least see Safari Minnie and Mickey. Some good opportunities to see some other characters you won't see anywhere else like Jungle Book characters and some others.

The atmosphere in Africa is amazing with the street performers, music and all kinds of cool stuff. On Discovery Island we have had large tropical birds come and land very near to us which is very cool.

If you are just looking for traditional kids rides and attraction then MK is the best place. If you love animals, and want some very cool, educational and unique things for your kids to experience than AK is still a great park even if RPW is closed.

 

[k5thbeatle]

Hmm...interesting.

 

[KrazeeK120]

That’s great to hear - thank you! I think I will really enjoy AK, but I had concerns about my nieces. However, it does sound like it may be worth going after all. For some reason I thought the trails would be too much like hiking for little ones, but from the various posts in this thread, it sounds like they will be fine.

I think most people with kids young enough to be in a stroller just leave them in the stroller to go on the trails. That’s what we did.

 

[DisneyPigFan]

I loved visiting the pigs at the petting zoo and seeing Charlotte perform in the "It all started with a pig" show. This is terrible news. I'm going again in April -- think it'll be open again by then? Also, do they ever let adults do the pig painting? Suppose it's too late now anyway

 

[Katie Dawn]

So I take it this hasn't been officially announced? All Ears . Net's Facebook page did a post talking up Rafiki's Planet 3 hours ago.

 

[rteetz]

So I take it this hasn't been officially announced? All Ears . Net's Facebook page did a post talking up Rafiki's Planet 3 hours ago.

Disney is not going to officially announce this. They didn't with Stitch. The hours past Sept. 29th have been removed from the website. Allears writing something up means nothing.

 

[MonaMN]

Cant say I'm that disappointed. One less thing to fit in the schedule. I never did like spending all that time going out there for a petting zoo. We never timed it right to see any of the vet activities. Thanks for the info.

This is what I was thinking. All we did was see a few goats the time we were there, and I see plenty of those here at home.