**Disney After Hours - Animal Kingdom** FAQ & Discussion Thread

[DisneyFamily123]

What have people experienced -- when can you really get on FOP without much wait during after hours? Animal Kingdom After Hours is 9pm-12 midnight during our visit (1st week of July) but the regular park hours are 9am-9pm. If the regular park guests all get in line before 9pm, I guess it could be 1 to 2 hours before they are gone and the guests who paid for after hours can get on FOP without a wait? Could be frustrating if I pay $400 for 3 people to go to After Hours and the benefit of not having to wait for FOP does not really start until around 10:30pm. I guess most after hours guests do the other rides and attractions first but I can get fast passes for those without paying $400. Thank you.

 

[mcurrence]

What have people experienced -- when can you really get on FOP without much wait during after hours? Animal Kingdom After Hours is 9pm-12 midnight during our visit (1st week of July) but the regular park hours are 9am-9pm. If the regular park guests all get in line before 9pm, I guess it could be 1 to 2 hours before they are gone and the guests who paid for after hours can get on FOP without a wait? Could be frustrating if I pay $400 for 3 people to go to After Hours and the benefit of not having to wait for FOP does not really start until around 10:30pm. I guess most after hours guests do the other rides and attractions first but I can get fast passes for those without paying $400. Thank you.

When we were at the event on June 4th, the park closed at 9 and event started at 9. By 9:35 FOP wait was listed at 25 minutes and shortly after it went down to 10 minutes ( I know that’s pretty unusual!) I think the wait time for the rest of the night was posted at 25 but it was shorter than that

 

[mcurrence]

 

[Star Wars mom]

Thanks for all the help planning our first DAH! My mother and I went on Tuesday while I was in Orlando for a work conference (not staying on-site and no magic bands). I took my confirmation email to the front gate at 7:00pm and a cast member used a handheld device to put our DAH tickets onto plastic cards that we could use to enter. (No need to go to guest services.) We had a fastpass to do the safari at 7:20-8:20 since that was going to close at 9:00. It rained while we were on the safari. We didn't get wet and the animals seemed to come closer to the ride path seeking shelter, so it was a great ride. After that we spent some time on Discovery Island exploring the carvings on the Tree of Life before it got dark (mom says she had always wanted to see them up close). We rode Dinosaur before the party started. Then we went to the 9:00pm Rivers of Light show. We ended up with the worst seats. Then it started raining again. Long story short, we gave up and decided to try again for the 10:00pm show. We went to the snack cart in Dinoland and got bottles of soda and mickey bars (there were other ice cream options there too). We had to ask a cast member where the cart was. Made our way back to the 10:00pm ROL show and had a much better experience. No rain and we had the best seats -- even though we walked in 3 minutes before the show started. After ROL we headed to Pandora. The wait for FOP was listed at 20 minutes so I went on. I think the wait was more like 10-15 minutes. Spent some time exploring Pandora and left about 11:45pm. Tram to the parking lot was fast and easy. I know our experience is different than most people's because I was focused on things my senior citizen mom would enjoy. We had also had a huge dinner at Art Smith's Homecomin' in Disney Springs so we didn't seek out many snack carts -- were just happy with 1 mickey bar and a drink.

 

[Haley R]

Thanks for all the help planning our first DAH! My mother and I went on Tuesday while I was in Orlando for a work conference (not staying on-site and no magic bands). I took my confirmation email to the front gate at 7:00pm and a cast member used a handheld device to put our DAH tickets onto plastic cards that we could use to enter. (No need to go to guest services.) We had a fastpass to do the safari at 7:20-8:20 since that was going to close at 9:00. It rained while we were on the safari. We didn't get wet and the animals seemed to come closer to the ride path seeking shelter, so it was a great ride. After that we spent some time on Discovery Island exploring the carvings on the Tree of Life before it got dark (mom says she had always wanted to see them up close). We rode Dinosaur before the party started. Then we went to the 9:00pm Rivers of Light show. We ended up with the worst seats. Then it started raining again. Long story short, we gave up and decided to try again for the 10:00pm show. We went to the snack cart in Dinoland and got bottles of soda and mickey bars (there were other ice cream options there too). We had to ask a cast member where the cart was. Made our way back to the 10:00pm ROL show and had a much better experience. No rain and we had the best seats -- even though we walked in 3 minutes before the show started. After ROL we headed to Pandora. The wait for FOP was listed at 20 minutes so I went on. I think the wait was more like 10-15 minutes. Spent some time exploring Pandora and left about 11:45pm. Tram to the parking lot was fast and easy. I know our experience is different than most people's because I was focused on things my senior citizen mom would enjoy. We had also had a huge dinner at Art Smith's Homecomin' in Disney Springs so we didn't seek out many snack carts -- were just happy with 1 mickey bar and a drink.

I think that’s the great thing about these events is people can pick and choose what they want to focus on because there are so few people.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Hubby and I will be attending 7/8. He's traveling for a conference, so I'm using airline points and his hotel room to fly in, do this event, and fly right back out.

Agree with one of the PPs that it sounds like a snack cart map would be helpful. If there aren't any takers by then, I'll try to make one after our visit.

 

[kwdw]

Hubby and I will be attending 7/8. He's traveling for a conference, so I'm using airline points and his hotel room to fly in, do this event, and fly right back out.

Agree with one of the PPs that it sounds like a snack cart map would be helpful. If there aren't any takers by then, I'll try to make one after our visit.

I concur - we are partially going for the snacks! One drink, one ice cream bar, one popcorn - that's over 10 dollars. In three hours - we were hoping to consume twice that!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

If the regular park guests all get in line before 9pm, I guess it could be 1 to 2 hours before they are gone and the guests who paid for after hours can get on FOP without a wait?

FoP actual waits are generally not 1-2 hours at park closing. Yes there is day guest carryover at first and many opt not to head to Pandora until later on during DAH, but there's not 1-2 hours worth of carryover.

 

[TinkerTracy]

I just booked this for 8/5! I am so excited! I cannot wait for FOP over and over and over...

 

[ShadeDK]

Snack carts have moved around somewhat at this event over the past few months. I was at the 6/18 event and there were snacks carts in Pandora (by the drummers - in my opinion, this is the best snack cart of any DAH as they serve the exclusive Pandora popsicles) and in the Oasis outside Island Mercantile, as well as snacks at Thirsty River beside EE (which is a little confusing as this is a permanent location and not a cart -and it should be noted that this location only serves fountain and not bottled drinks). I don't recall if DinoLand had it's own cart. Food and adult beverages also were available for purchase at Thirsty River as well as a cart outside of Tiffins (which I did not recall at prior events). Earlier this year, there was a snack cart stationed at the intersection where the paths to Pandora, Africa and the Oasis meet, but that was not there on 6/18 (apparently replaced by the station by Island Mercantile, which was much bigger and better stocked).

Rode FoP twice on 6/18 - both about 15-20 minute waits. As I pointed out in another thread, the headliners at the AH events (FoP, SDD and 7DMT) all seem to end up with about a 20-30 minute wait average throughout the events. I do think that's too long for a 3-hour event - but it is what it is and comparable to the daytime waits with a FP.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I just purchased our tickets for 8/5 - see you in line for FOP, @TinkerTracy !

It's our arrival day and we should get in around lunch time, so we just plan on hanging around the pool for the afternoon. I've done DAH at both MK and HS. I'm looking forward to AK, although given how big AK is, it sounds like it can be tougher to adjust to setbacks and such. I'm definitely looking forward to avoiding the August heat and enjoying Pandora at night!

Hoping we can find the elusive snack carts! My son has some kind of internal radar for popcorn, so hoping he will zero in on it...

 

[Aishaahm]

Heads up, just got an email that Disney changed my Kilimanjaro Safari fastpass due to a change in operating time. I had it from 7:45-8:45pm originally and they moved it to 4:45pm-5:45pm which is earlier than we can enter even by the lucky chance we could get in at 6/6:30....frustrating to say the least!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Heads up, just got an email that Disney changed my Kilimanjaro Safari fastpass due to a change in operating time. I had it from 7:45-8:45pm originally and they moved it to 4:45pm-5:45pm which is earlier than we can enter even by the lucky chance we could get in at 6/6:30....frustrating to say the least!View attachment 412086

Try calling or emailing. I've heard from others that had FPs changed similarly that you can get them to give you an anytime if the replacement time they gave you won't work.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Heads up, just got an email that Disney changed my Kilimanjaro Safari fastpass due to a change in operating time. I had it from 7:45-8:45pm originally and they moved it to 4:45pm-5:45pm which is earlier than we can enter even by the lucky chance we could get in at 6/6:30....frustrating to say the least!View attachment 412086

I had a KS FP for around the same time and received the same email. I was able to shuffle around and modify it to 6:30-7:30, so at least we'd be in the door for DAH at that point. I have a Kali FP for 7:30 so I couldn't check if I could go later. I might play around a bit more tomorrow but you might be able to modify!

 

[123SA]

Heads up, just got an email that Disney changed my Kilimanjaro Safari fastpass due to a change in operating time. I had it from 7:45-8:45pm originally and they moved it to 4:45pm-5:45pm which is earlier than we can enter even by the lucky chance we could get in at 6/6:30....frustrating to say the least!View attachment 412086

Me too. For 8/12. I’m going to call tomorrow as the new time they gave me is too early. I wonder why they needed to do this.

 

[22Tink]

Me too. For 8/12. I’m going to call tomorrow as the new time they gave me is too early. I wonder why they needed to do this.

That's curious. I have a 6:25-7:25 Safari FP on 8/12 as well before our DAH but I haven't received any emails and it's still showing correctly in MDE. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Kali is sometimes subject to closing before park closing, it looks like they adjusted Kali's operating hours starting 8/4 to close at 8pm, hence why they moved those FPs.

Usually when Disney moves/cancels a FP window like that, it has to do with an attraction operating hours change.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Kali is sometimes subject to closing before park closing, it looks like they adjusted Kali's operating hours 8/4 to close at 8pm, hence why they moved those FPs.

Usually when Disney moves/cancels a FP window like that, it has to do with an attraction operating hours change.

Yes, I hadn't been able to make a FP for Kali any later than 7:30, so I figured it was closing earlier than park close...but like I said, you can still modify the KS to later than what they assigned...

 

[123SA]

On 8/12, I had a 7:25 FP for safari and received the email switching the time to 5:20 (I have FOP at 6:20). I called today and said I couldn't do that time as I have only the DAH ticket letting me at 7. The agent gave me a 7pm FP. SO I now have

6:20 - 7:20 FOP
7:00 - 8:00 safari
8:30 Primeval Whirl (I'll move this up once I'm through the safari and my one crazy kid will try to use all 5 FP since no one else likes this ride)


However, I still wonder what's going on...is the evening safari not a thing anymore?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

On 8/12, I had a 7:25 FP for safari and received the email switching the time to 5:20 (I have FOP at 6:20). I called today and said I couldn't do that time as I have only the DAH ticket letting me at 7. The agent gave me a 7pm FP. SO I now have

6:20 - 7:20 FOP
7:00 - 8:00 safari
8:30 Primeval Whirl (I'll move this up once I'm through the safari and my one crazy kid will try to use all 5 FP since no one else likes this ride)


However, I still wonder what's going on...is the evening safari not a thing anymore?

I was under the impression that it often closes an hour before park close, meaning the last FP window is 7-8 with a 9 close.

What's odd is that I have a 7:15 FP for Safari on 7/8 which had been sitting fine. So, perhaps sometimes they run it straight until park close and other times they close it early?

Sunset is about 20 minutes earlier for your date than mine (8:07 v 8:26), so maybe that's why you're getting shorter Safari operating hours.