who has been to conservation station?

[baileykelly]

is it worth it to take the train out there to visit? we usually spend about a half day at AK, leaving around 3:00. we've never been to conservation station, and don't really know what is there.

[q105birdman]

Conservation Station is a great experience. There are a TON of Hidden Mickeys out there if you are into searching for those and if you get there early in the day (usually before 11:00 am) you can see a live hospital procedure on one (or more) of the park's animals. The zoo education staff also brings out animals for the guests to meet, usually snakes, iguanas, skinks, etc. This is also a great place to meet Pocahontas and Jiminy Cricket later in the day. Ask guest relations for this information. Have fun!!!

[JPL]

Just be careful because we got trapped out there for quite some time since they only had 1 training running instead of the usual 2 and there is no other way back except for that train.

[DisneyGlutton]

Its basically a science as educational entertainment area. The train there and back is interesting because you travel sideways and not forwards like normal. Its probably worth a try once. I'd go back eventually, but its not a must do (esp if you get stuck in line for the train).

[CaptSmee]

We refer to it as "the train to nowhere!" and only visit every so often. There is a petting zoo that's kinda neat, but nothing special. The educational center is more interesting to us where they will exhibit live animals and often will showcase surgeries or other care being done to the animals.

[janebanks]

I loved petting the snake!

One of our favorite memories happened there: when a goat ate the park map out of my husband's back pocket.

If I were you, I'd go at least once, so you can see what it's all about.

It's more educational than entertaining, so it depends on the interests and ages in your party.

[Disney Doll]

I
If I were you, I'd go at least once, so you can see what it's all about.

It's more educational than entertaining, so it depends on the interests and ages in your party.

Exactly! I like it because it tends to be quieter out there and it's a nice little break in the action, but it's not a must do for us. We did see a surgery out there last trip which I could have watched for hours, but DH thought it was gross.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

If it's raining, it's a great place to find characters because the Oasis friends head out there.

Other than the animal shows in which you can pet most animals, it's kinda boring. Trust me, I'm there all the time.

[Diznee4Me]

We went there this past trip for the first time in about eight years. The DW, DD and I wandered around a bit reading exhibits and then petted a cow and some goats. It was a nice break from the usual and it is always nice to see the "behind the scenes" as the train takes you to and fro between AK and CS. Try it - you may like it.

[mrsgaribaldi]

We've been there and enjoyed it very much:mickey:

[DawsonAR]

We go there every visit. Our kids love it and everytime we see something different. It is a nice break from the crowds.

[baileykelly]

OP here, thanks for all the replies! one more question: regarding petting the snake, does a cm have it out in the open somewhere, or do you have to go into a show or certain area to do that? i ask because we are not very fond of snakes, and do not even want to see one, even from a far distance, so we want to totally avoid it. if a cm has a snake out, for example, as soon as you get off the train, we'll have to think about visiting conservation station.

[mrmcgiv]

We went this trip. I would not stress over getting there. we found the train to be very quick and efficient actually. It pulled away w/in 5 mins of us boarding. If you have the time it is a quick wlak thru. My kids liked the petting zoo and they got to brush the animals. It was the cleanest petting zoo EVER!!!

We did see pocohantas and rafiki and there was less than 5 minute line.

All in all it was pretty boring. If you have time go, if not do not stress over missing it!

We did see Captian Jessica there very briefly! 12/10. That was me who stopped really quick and said Hi. I think you were walking with Rafiki and my family had gotten a head of me.

MR

[BeccaO]

It is a nice place to get away from the crowds and it always seems to be quiet when we go, but I don't make it a must see everytime we go. We won't be going next week when we are there, unless DH makes a fuss about it. One that we do enjoy is Flights of Wonder, I think many people pass this one by and we did for many years, but now we go everytime. They have a beautiful Bald Eagle and many other beautiful birds.

[valjane]

It is okay for a visit if you don't have any other plans, but it's definitely not a headlining attraction. I don't like that once you're there you're at the mercy of a train to take you back to "civilization."

I do like the rainforest sound booths-- very relaxing!

[megustamex]

I think if you have small kids they'll love the unique train ride and the petting zoo. Other than that it takes a while to get there and there isn't a whole lot to do or see unless there is a surgery scheduled and you're into that.

[FenwayGirl]

If you head out there first thing in the morning, you might catch a surgery or some kind of procedure...they ususally treat sick animals early in the morning. The animal show is cute if you have young ones...as well as the petting zoo

[q105birdman]

The animal interaction area is in the middle of conservation station. It is easy to avoid but the more you learn about something you might be afraid of, the more you may learn to like it. I was not very fond of snakes about 13 years ago but a did alot of research on them, learned how to handle them safely, and now I am a bird/reptile keeper in Tampa. Give it a try...
OP here, thanks for all the replies! one more question: regarding petting the snake, does a cm have it out in the open somewhere, or do you have to go into a show or certain area to do that? i ask because we are not very fond of snakes, and do not even want to see one, even from a far distance, so we want to totally avoid it. if a cm has a snake out, for example, as soon as you get off the train, we'll have to think about visiting conservation station.

[faline]

What's there? Not much, in my opinion. We only go once in a while. We did go on our last trip but only because I wanted to see Jiminy Cricket and he appears at this location. If you go on a weekend and that's when we generally get there for some reason, there's little chance you'll see an animal examination (which I think would be quite interesting). Sometimes new baby animals can be seen here.

As mentioned, there is the petting zoo. I've never been in it but it doesn't seem to look so very different from any other petting zoo I've encountered.

On our last trip, we did go into a neat soundbooth experience on rain forests - those misquitoes buzzing in your ears will have you itching right away!

Overall, though, if I were short on time, I could easily miss this area and not feel badly.

Also, I just read trip reports by Brad and Jeff who traveled out here and got stuck in crowds trying to get back out. That's a piece of information I'd definitely tuck away for busy travel periods!

It's an okay visit - it's not a must-see, in my humble opnion.

[janebanks]

OP here, thanks for all the replies! one more question: regarding petting the snake, does a cm have it out in the open somewhere, or do you have to go into a show or certain area to do that? i ask because we are not very fond of snakes, and do not even want to see one, even from a far distance, so we want to totally avoid it. if a cm has a snake out, for example, as soon as you get off the train, we'll have to think about visiting conservation station.
The snake was in a building that housed a variety of exhibits - you don't have to stand anywhere near it if you don't want to.

[cindchan]

Personally, I love the place! I think the train ride is enjoyable, and gives you a feeling of really getting away from everything!

It's been a couple of years, but IIRC, that's where the naked mole rats are. Being a Kim Possible fan, that's a really cool thing to see! They are such cute little things!!

Last time I was there, there was construction going on, and they had to move the little things. The man working there, said that they were really stressed because they weren't in their home, but they couldn't keep them there, because the noise scared the poor little rats. I hope I get to see them in March!! :mjump:

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

It is one of the few places at AK that is air conditioned. In June that is quite welcome.;)
But, even w/ the A/C we only hit it every couple yrs.

[mom2morgan]

My kids were disappointed because they were looking forward to the petting zoo - but there were only 4 or 5 animals available - all goats. For us it wasn't worth the length of the trip out there.

[mermaidmarian]

It isn't a spot that we put on our itinerary every time we are at AK, but it is certainly worth it for, as others have mentioned, the opportunity for character interaction and finding Hidden Mickeys. The educational walking trails are an aspect that I really like at AK - Pangani Forest Expedition Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek - Conservation Station is a little bit of this and a little bit of Kilamanjaro Safaris, although I don't know if I really "like" seeing behind the scenes. I agree with the comment that the educational center is much more interesting than the petting zoo. I don't really like petting zoos to begin with, and something about all that hand sanitizer makes it that much less inviting! But go for the other stuff - at least once.

[Simba's Mom]

I love going in the morning to watch the veterinary procedures.

[d_m_n_n]

I don't mean to hijack the topic, but when you all say a petting zoo what kind of animals are included? Are we talking the typical cow, pig, sheep, goats or are there other, more interesting animals? :)

Thanks!!

[mermaidmarian]

My recollection is the petting zoo is mostly lots of different varieties of goat. I can't really recall anything else.

[alilprincessmom99]

I personally think it is worth the train ride to take a look! There isn't much out there and it isn't really an "attraction", but it is interesting to say the very least. It isn't like you have to stay for hours on end, just a quick train ride, a few minutes to see what's going on inside, and a few minutes at the petting zoo. Plus they do some meet and greets out there, so that may be worth the train ride itself!

[AXOAlum]

We always seem to wander out there and then say "why did we come back out here??" - its really not that great in my humble opinion. We are fortunate to have a state-of-the-art science center in our town, and they have a petting zoo section that offers more animals to pet. IIRC, CS has some goats and a cow. I think I remember a donkey being there once. They may change the animals out, however. I do think it may be a good diversion for the little ones, especially after riding KS, because this is the only area of AK that you can pet an animal.

As for the conservation aspect - I commend AK's efforts to raise conservation efforts, but I don't think that someone will go there and have a major shift in their way of thinking if they don't already practice green living habits in their life.

And speaking of conservation and green living, I'll just get on my soap box here and complain that AK is the WORST park for offering vegetarian selections. My choices are limited to a cheese pizza or a veggie burger if/when Restaurantasaurous (sp?) decides to have them. (Okay, I'm done for now) :thedolls:

[Roland]

I find the Conservation Station to be a very nice treat in the midst of chaos from Animal Kingdom.

The wife and I usually go to the Safari, then head to the Pangani Trail and then to Conservation Station.

I like going there because there are animal exhibits and shows that run throughout the day. Now, the animal exhibit, the show that takes place in the building has set times but the cuteness of the animal feature varies.

Sometimes there are birds, some weird animals and sometimes just a turtle.

Different shows will float your boat in different ways and there are outdoor shows which are better tailored to the young rangers in the crowds but I often attend the show.

The petting zoo is a huge hit with just about all kids including me. I need a cane to walk and sometimes the sheep would knock it out of my hand but it was still fun.

Conservation Station is more of a way to still enjoy animals, shows, educational displays and isolation in a manner not offered in the park itself.

[comicguy]

We go out to Conservation Station every couple of trips.

1) It is a nice little train out and back

2) There are some characters to meet (Pocohantas)

3) You can get a nice view of really big snakes(if you like snakes)

4) As others have said, you can watch some of the vet procedures. (sometimes you can actually talk to the vet's)

5) The sound rooms. These are nice as you can sit in the dark and listen to rainforest noises(animals,weather,destruction). Plus you get to sit down in a nice AC place.

6) The petting area is nice if you have little ones. The last time we went to CS, they had: goats, sheep, pigs. This is neat as many children do not get to see them in real life.

Plus the hot dog stand is not too bad for a quick snack.

[Dsnygirl]

We went for the first time in December, and honestly, expected more for what Disney could do with it out there. But, we were also there early in the afternoon and missed the surgeries/exams, which would have made in much more interesting, esp. to my "I wanna be a vet when I grow up" girls. ;)

The exhibits are okay, the petting zoo is just like your neighborhood one (goats, cows, llamas, donkeys) and the train ride isn't much to talk about, although it is kind-of neat to see where the safari animals are brought at night.

The best part for our girls? They got to see 3 characters they've never had the chance to meet before -- Pocohontas, Rafiki and the biggest thrill -- Jiminy!! I've heard the characters change out there a lot, so we must've just hit it on a good day, but that was absolutely their favorite part.

So -- I'd say it's worth it, just to see what's out there, but you probably won't go back for another few years. :)

[heatherb]

My 3 1/2 enjoyed this, esp. the hands-on time brushing the goats in the petting zoo. We had to beg/brib her to leave. It was a calm and quiet place. Good in the afternoon, after a busy morning for the little ones. Also, they had a small kids show featuring a variety of small animals, and the kids were able to touch a real snake, and a few others. We met Pocohantus and J. Cricket, and they signed her signature book with no line at all. Teenagers may not enjoy this as much as preschool-elemenatry school children.