I’m going to keep it absolutely real – I LOVE when Disney offers special, limited and/or seasonal events. I am all for anything that offers an experience outside of a typical park day. Special events are one of the ways that my family keeps our trips fresh and exciting after countless visits.
As you can imagine, I was very excited to attend Disney’s Animal Kingdom After Hours event. Below is an event description as well as my review and recommendation as to whether this is best use of your vacation dollars and time based on your individual circumstances.
What is After Hours Animal Kingdom
Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom is a special, hard-ticket event offered on select nights throughout the year. In non-Disney nerd, a “hard-ticket event” is one that requires a separate ticket to attend. In other words, a regular admission ticket does not grant you entry. In this instance, Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom begins after the park officially closes to the public.
If you are anything like me, waiting in line is not your jam. Seriously. I just can’t. What I love about Disney After Hours events is that the lines are short to non-existent due to limited attendance. If you’ve got your heart set on a particular ride and are short on time, an After Hours event may be your best bet to accomplish your vacation goals.
Event Details
Cost
Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom tickets are as follows:
- Advance Purchase – $129 plus tax
- Day of purchase – $139 plus tax
- Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club Members – $99 plus tax
Dates
Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom events are only offered at certain times throughout the year. For 2020 the dates are as follows (updated May 4, 2020):
- Tuesday, May 26
Event Time
Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom is held from 9PM-Midnight. Ticket holders can enter the park beginning at 7PM.
Tip: Use the two hours before the event to your advantage – especially if you do not have a general admission ticket to the park. Get on a ride that will not be open during the event, familiarize yourself with the park, or just get there early for good measure. The night I attended, there was a huge traffic back up due to construction and the ride sharing service lines merging with through traffic. It was a mess. I’m glad that I wasn’t trying to get there right at 9PM or I would have been late.
What’s Included
Rides
As mentioned above, a major benefit of After Hours is the reduced wait time in line. It’s important to note, however, that not every ride is operating during the event. Please take note of the list below to ensure that your preferred rides are operational during the event:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- Pandora Drummers – Swotu Wayä
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- DINOSAUR
- Mickey & Minnie Greeting at Adventurers Outpost
- Rivers of Light: We Are One
- Tree of Life Awakenings
- It’s Tough to be a Bug!
- TriceraTop Spin
Complimentary Snacks
There is something so fun about munching on a Mickey Bar – particularly if you don’t have to pay for it! A perk of Disney After Hours events is that complimentary snacks are available throughout the night. Even though they are “included” and not free, I get such glee out of walking up to a snack cart, requesting a treat and not being charged for it!
The following snacks are included during Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom:
Food:
- Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich
- Mickey Premium Bar
- Popcorn
- Strawberry Fruit Bar
Drinks:
- Barqs Root Beer
- Coke
- Diet Coke
- Fanta Orange
- Mountain Maid Lemonade
- Sprite
Available for Purchase
If you’d like something a little more substantial on the food or drink front, fret not. There are additional items available for purchase. Bars throughout the park are open. Food is available at the following locations:
- Dino Diner in Dinoland U.S.A.
- Pongu Pongu in Pandora
- Snack cart near Tiffins
- Thirsty River Bar in Asia
Tip: In all honesty, the food options are so limited that it would be best to eat before you attend the event. You could schedule a dinner reservation at Animal Kingdom restaurants Rainforest Cafe, Tiffin’s, Tusker House or Yak & Yeti prior to the start of the event.
Tip: In all honesty, the food options are so limited that it would be best to eat before you attend the event. You could schedule a dinner reservation at Animal Kingdom restaurants Rainforest Cafe, Tiffin’s, Tusker House or Yak & Yeti prior to the start of the event.
My Itinerary
So, how much was I able to accomplish in three hours at Animal Kingdom? Let’s take a look below.
Park Arrival
I arrived at the park at approximately 7:30PM with the intent to enter the park by 8PM. For whatever reason, parking directions weren’t as clear as they normally are. In fact, I ended up exiting the park and having to re-enter. *face palm* There was also a traffic backup due to construction in the parking lot. Long story short, it took much longer than expected to enter the park.
The good news is, because I arrived early, I was still able to enter the park at 8PM.
Tip: Show up earlier than you think you should in case unexpected delays occur.
Upon arriving at the park entrance, I was directed to the right entry gates. From there, my magic band was scanned and I was given an After Hours wristband.
Animal Kingdom is the one park I don’t know like the back of my hand, so I grabbed a park map and familiarized myself.
I’m going to pause here and say it is apparent that Animal Kingdom was not built for nighttime traffic. After all, the animals are asleep! That being said, it is DARK in the park. For me, it was a bit off-putting because I don’t know the park as well. Don’t get me wrong, After Hours Magic Kingdom is dark as well but there is ample pedestrian lighting. Not the case in Animal Kingdom.
In the Park
First on the agenda was to meet Mickey and Minnie at the Adventurers Outpost. There were only two groups in line ahead of us. The meet and greet was cute and there was time to take in the cute decor in the queue.
Next, I grabbed free popcorn and Sprite from and attended the 9:30PM Rivers of Light performance. Please note, there is a nightly Rivers of Light showing prior to park closing. I highly suggest you arrive at 7PM and attend that showing. Normally, I would not waste time using special park time watching a show. For the sake of this post, however, I wanted to comment on crowd attendance. The show was amazing and not cramped at all and very enjoyable.
Tip: Do not watch the Rivers of Light performance that occurs during the After Hours event. Instead, watch the show prior to park closing in order to maximize your event time with high demand rides.
Following the show, I grabbed some popcorn and a Sprite (you’re going to see a pattern here) and headed to Expedition Everest.
As you can see, there was no wait and very few people in line. I rode twice. Another
Afterward, I grabbed another yet another snack and headed to Pandora.
Looking at the time stamps on my pictures, I was able to ride Expedition Everest twice and get to Pandora by 10:30PM.
I stopped to take photos and watch the Pandora drummers.
From there, I head to the Navi River Journey.
After exiting Navi River Journey, I took some more pictures.
Finally, I headed over Flight of Passage at 10:56PM. This is the ride that I was most excited about so it probably seems a bit odd that I waited so late in the evening to do it. There’s a few reasons for my choice. First, having been to other After Hours Magic Kingdom and, when they were doing them, After Hours Hollywood Studios, I know that the most popular rides have the longest wait times at the beginning of the night.
Tip: Don’t rush to the headliners at the start of an After Hours event. The lines will be longer at the beginning of the night then they are to the end.
I also attended the event with my mom who isn’t a thrill seeker. I wasn’t sure if she’d want to get on Flight of Passage. I wanted to enjoy the event with her before riding solo on a ride with such a long queue.
There was pretty much no one in line.
Tip: Customize any of these event to you and your party. Yes, you will read blog reviews telling you how they rode Flight of Passage 800 times AND ate 300 Mickey bars. But, guess what? They’re not you. And while a review will give you an idea of what’s possible, your vacation is yours and a perfect day in the parks is based on your party’s needs.
Following Flight of Passage, I rode Navi River Journey again.
By this point, it was midnight, so I made my way to the exit while taking pictures.
Tip: Have a plan. Three hours goes by fast! You will be able to do a lot without a plan but you will be able to do so much more in a more efficient manner if you have a plan.
Final Tally
- Meet Mickey and Minnie
- Rivers of Light
- Expedition Everest x 2
- Navi River Journey x 2
- Pandora Drummers
- Flight of Passage x 2
So that’s 8 experiences (not including watching the drummers) in three hours. Even more impressive considering the pre-show for Flight of Passage is about 15 minutes.
Could I have done more? Absolutely. I could have skipped the special showing of Rivers of Light. Or I could have walked faster. Or not taken a million photos or eaten a million snacks. But I think that’s pretty darn good for a leisurely night.
Is Disney AFter Hours Animal Kingdom Worth it?
So, is Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom worth it? Like everything else, it depends on your budget, schedule and desires.
After Hours Animal Kingdom is not for you if:
- You are not a night owl
- You don’t mind waiting in line during the day for your favorite attractions
- You do not want to spend vacation dollars on a special event
- You are not interested in anything that is offered
- Your favorite attractions, like Kilimanjaro Safaris, are not open.
- You already have vacation time dedicated to Animal Kingdom and don’t think you need any more
After Hours Animal Kingdom is the perfect event for you if:
- You have limited vacation time
- You have a must do experience but don’t want to wait in line* Please note though that sometimes rides go down. When I was at After Hours Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was down the entire event. So, if you ONLY want to ride one ride, knwo that sometimes things don’t go according to plan
- You like special experiences
- You want to see Pandora at night
- You value minimal crowds
- You want to enjoy experiences and shows with minimal distractions
Conclusion
I really enjoyed Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom. For me, it was definitely worth the time and money even as an Annual Passholder. I look forward to going again to ride fan favorites, eating Disney snacks, see Pandora at night, and get pictures of a relatively empty park.
