RUMOR - Jungle Book Alive to close Sept 5th (Mel730 has an update on pg. 5)

[John Byers]

We saw Jungle Book back in June and DW and I absolutely loved it. The audience interaction and singing/dancing was the best part!

 

[michelleiada]

I am looking forward to seeing this in December. I hope I can get a fast pass.

 

[crazymomof4]

If it is true, I know what park I'll be avoiding on Labor Day. Everybody and their mama will probably be there.

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Our AK day is scheduled for Sun before Labor Day. I hope they DON'T get ROL up and running by then. I'd much rather have a non-crowded AK w/o ROL than a mob-scene/shoulder to shoulder AK with ROL! I've always enjoyed AK as a peaceful, move through it slowly and take it all in kind of park.

 

[CounselorX]

Our AK day is scheduled for Sun before Labor Day. I hope they DON'T get ROL up and running by then. I'd much rather have a non-crowded AK w/o ROL than a mob-scene/shoulder to shoulder AK with ROL! I've always enjoyed AK as a peaceful, move through it slowly and take it all in kind of park.

We also have our first AK day on Sunday the 4th. Looking forward to the 11:00pm closing time! We'll be back at AK on the 9th and the 14th so I'm hoping the hours get extended.

 

[crazymomof4]

We also have our first AK day on Sunday the 4th. Looking forward to the 11:00pm closing time! We'll be back at AK on the 9th and the 14th so I'm hoping the hours get extended.

Yes, I saw your post earlier in the thread! We also are arriving on the 3rd and for the past 3 visits our 1st park day, the "recommended" day has been AK So now it's kind of become a tradition! We were happy to see that the 4th was an 11pm closing! Can't wait to stroll through the park at night! Going to be so different! Got a FP+ for the safari right at dusk!
Kind of wondering why the other nights were not also late closings (???)..... but for us it's OK bc the 4th is our only day at AK. We leave on the 12th.

 

[graychef]

Kind of wondering why the other nights were not also late closings (???)..... but for us it's OK bc the 4th is our only day at AK. We leave on the 12th.

I can answer for September 6. That's the first of several DVC events taking place at Animal Kingdom. For the other nights, I'm not sure why the closing times vary.

 

[CounselorX]

I can answer for September 6. That's the first of several DVC events taking place at Animal Kingdom. For the other nights, I'm not sure why the closing times vary.

It's because they don't know if RoL will be ready by then. I don't think they will extend the hours past Labor Day until they know RoL is ready to roll.

 

[crazymomof4]

It's because they don't know if RoL will be ready by then. I don't think they will extend the hours past Labor Day until they know RoL is ready to roll.

I guess this means that the Jungle Book show is not drawing in enough people to make it worthwhile to keep the park open late.... until ROL rolls out (??)

 

[CounselorX]

I guess this means that the Jungle Book show is not drawing in enough people to make it worthwhile to keep the park open late.... until ROL rolls out (??)

I think that's the general consensus. Jungle Book as gotten mostly poor feedback and from what I've heard, the park has been pretty empty in the night. It's doubtful they'll extend the hours past 8:00 until they can offer more night-time entertainment. It's unfortunate, because AK being open at night is big enough reason for me to be there at night. We just like the atmosphere.

 

[rteetz]

I guess this means that the Jungle Book show is not drawing in enough people to make it worthwhile to keep the park open late.... until ROL rolls out (??)

The park will stay open late and the jungle book actors and singers are signed until November. RoL is said to possibly be ready for September but they have jungle book still there in case.

 

[CounselorX]

The park will stay open late and the jungle book actors and singers are signed until November. RoL is said to possibly be ready for September but they have jungle book still there in case.

What's your prediction on what is going to happen after September 5th if RoL isn't ready? I'm torn between thinking they will discontinue Jungle Book vs. continuing Jungle Book and losing money by keeping the park open. I'm leaning toward the former but hoping for the latter...

 

[rteetz]

What's your prediction on what is going to happen after September 5th if RoL isn't ready? I'm torn between thinking they will discontinue Jungle Book vs. continuing Jungle Book and losing money by keeping the park open. I'm leaning toward the former but hoping for the latter...

I'm thinking that if they know RoL can't go for sure Jungle Book will be extended for at least another month. I can't see them closing the park earlier again.

 

[CounselorX]

I'm thinking that if they know RoL can't go for sure Jungle Book will be extended for at least another month. I can't see them closing the park earlier again.

So you're speculating that they will extend hours from 8:00 to 11:00? Or, start JB at 8:00 and close the park afterwards? Purely speculation, I know

 

[rteetz]

So you're speculating that they will extend hours from 8:00 to 11:00? Or, start JB at 8:00 and close the park afterwards? Purely speculation, I know

Since it starts getting darker earlier it's possible the park is only open until 8 and they run the show at 8. Maybe they'll extend the hours to 9. However I can't see them going back to a 5 PM closing.

 

[crazymomof4]

...... from what I've heard, the park has been pretty empty in the night.......It's unfortunate because AK being open at night is big enough reason for me to be there at night. We just like the atmosphere.

Agree! When I read how bad the reviews were for JB show, I was only mildly disappointed. We watched youtube videos of it and decided we'd much rather spend the time taking in the uniqueness of AK after dark! We love AK and are really looking fwd to how the effects of darkness/lighting, new street entertainment, etc affects "the feel" of AK.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

So is Jungle Book a kind of fill in until ROL comes online? Have I understood that correctly? I assume then it will disappear?

 

[rteetz]

So is Jungle Book a kind of fill in until ROL comes online? Have I understood that correctly? I assume then it will disappear?

Yes jungle book is temporary.

 

[ElyseInWonderland]

Rteetz, I agree. Closing the park at 5PM now that everyone has had a taste of AK after dark would be a mistake, and I doubt they'd go back to that. It would be a tough sell to push people out of the park starting at 5-6PM again when they've conditioned us to spend all day & night in their other parks. I think they've done a pretty good job of marketing the "Safari After Dark" and the Tree of Life as new & unique things to see even if JB isn't your cup of tea.

 

[rangerxenos]

Am hoping RofL will be up and running in November; if not, I still hope that they leave the park open after dark, the new light show on the tree looked pretty cool as well. We love AK, it's one of our favorite parks.

 

[TikiMan0228]

I could be totally off base here but there are 4 DVC free events from 9:30pm - 12 midnight in September at AK. What are the chances of them doing soft RoL openings on those 4 nights in September as a test. It is a free event so you don't have to worry about people complaining if things don't go off as expected. DVC members tend to go often so they are less likely to be critical if the show is not perfect. They will see it when it officially opens on a future trip. It is the perfect venue to test it out. Just speculating (and hoping since we are going to the first one in Sept).

31 days!!!