AK Awakening?

[cart-mom]

Has anyone been to the AK Awakening ceremony? Is it worth waking up four kids and four adults early? I've heard very little about it and I'm trying to convince DH that it's worth doing.

Thanks to those who will answer.

 

[TreeOfLife]

It is special, and emotional. The only trouble is you won't see anything unless you're in the front row, right against the gates.

Everything happens at eye level and on top of it you always have parents sitting their kids on their shoulders. There is nothing to stand on around you and people bobble side to side when you finally find a gap in the crowd to look through.

There are some floats, characters, African music, some words and then Rafiki declares the park opened with his "...It is time" statement.

 

[KHuntress]

Please -- give more information. I must have never arrived at AK early enough. What is the Awakening Ceremony?

 

[disneyvoice]

We make a point to get there early for the awakening. The only thing is to make sure you find out the "unofficial" AK opening time because if you get there at the official opening time you will miss it.

The song "The Circle of Life" is played over the loud speaker and the characters all come out of the "forest" while the music is being played. There is a float and some "tribal" people as well. It's nothing spectacular but we like it because it's one of those things that not too many people know about.

It's also a great time for character interaction. When we have done it, there have been very few people there and so we have been able to get all the pictures and autographs taken care of as soon as we get in the park.

It's a great way to set the mood for a day at AK. This park is so different from all the others and it really gets you ready for what you are about to experience.

 

[tink2]

I'm interested in this too. How far ahead of the official opening time should you arrive? Does the park open just after this for character interaction? We were there 2 years ago and arrived just at opening time and while we saw characters, we didn't see a float or anything. Thanks for the info.

 

[disneyvoice]

As far as unofficial opening time goes . . .

We have only been to WDW during the slower times so I can only speak to low attendance seasons. We always show up at the gate an hour before the official opening time. Sometimes they open an hour early, sometimes it's 30 or 45 minutes early, and sometimes they do end up opening at the official time. We just make sure that we have something to keep our son occupied in case we have to wait around for a while.

Take a peak at the section on official vs. unofficial opening times in the Unofficial Guide to WDW - that is the guide that we follow and have never missed an unofficial opening time yet.

During busy times I have heard that the parks open 90 minutes before the officially scheduled time. I think that you can ask the CMs at your resort but make sure you are specific about asking for the unofficial opening time. The CMs only answer the specific question you ask. If you say "Excuse me, I know that the official opening time for AK is 9:00, but can you please tell me what time the front gates will actually be opened?" they should be able to tell you.

 

[Tandyc]

What a great thing to hear about. I'm thrilled to do this, but we had planned on being there for EE. Will the Disney transport get us there in time? Should we drive that day. Is an hour prior to EE about the right amount of time to see the ceremony and get a good spot.

Sorry for all the questions, but this is just the kind of thing our family loves to do!

Thanks you all so much.

 

[disneyvoice]

I'm not sure how early entry affects things. We try to stay away from the parks that have early entry that day because there is usually a pretty big crowd waiting to get in. But, again, we only go to WDW during slow times, I can understand how early entry would be necessary during the very busy times. I'm sure if you ask a CM at the resort they can tell you what the real opening would be. The Unofficial Guide may also address this. I think if it was me I would plan on being there an hour before EE just in case - but depending on when you are going you might end up at the front gate at 6:00 am!!!