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

[cheshiregoofy22]

Attended the event last night (8/19/19). First time doing an After Hours event. Loved it! Wicked low crowds we thought, but it’s hard to tell because the attractions are so spread out and it’s quite dark in some areas! We went on the safari around 7:30 with FPs booked with the DAH tickets. Had a great ride, lots of animals moving around the roadway (and in the roadway) - looking at you Mrs. Giraffe. The cheetah was pacing, fun to see (him/her?) upright. Lions were spent. Headed towards Asia to Yak n Yeti for dinner (Landry’s Club card for the no ADR win!), and much needed a/c. Finished up about 9:00 ish and swam upstream to EE (RoL just letting out). No line, just the time it takes to walk the FP line. Rode twice and realized eating a big dinner just prior may not have been our brightest move. Totally different ride in the pitch black. Very cool. Second ride the train stopped on the big incline, and again midway through the mountain - that was a hoot. Not at all terrifying... Ride pics haven’t shown up in MDE yet though. Decided to skip EE rides three through twelve and instead got soft drinks and popcorn and an ice cream sandwich at the Thirsty River bar (event snack site...not real obvious). So much for digesting dinner. Walked over to Pandora. Road thru Africa is not an option. Everyone’s directed down past Tough To Be A Bug and around. Stopped momentarily to watch the Lion King projections on the Tree cause they were too darn cute, then continued into the dark, black-lit world of the Na’vi. Why is the path always soaking wet? Passed a snack cart and a beer cart on the way to FOP. It was about 10 PM I think? No line. Just the extreme hike to the beginning of the ride. Debugged and lectured prior to riding. Probably nice for those riding for the first time. Had a great flight and then hoofed it the 26.2 back out. Total commitment maybe 20 minutes entrance to exit..from an overweight, middle-aged, morning at EPCOT, afternoon at Galaxy’s Edge Disney-loving perspective. Not sure if they did away with the two “story development” rooms later or not as there was no way I was making it back up to find out! Got coconut bars and bottles of water and coke at the stand inside Pandora. Rode “It’s A Small Living with A Pandoran Na’vi River Land” next to give me a break. Short wait. Not a walk on for us. The drummers were really going at it and had gathered quite a crowd. Now it was really loud and really dark. Weeeeeee! Being totally atypical travelers we decided to eat more ice cream and popcorn and shop a little and watch more tree projections. We’re not really fans of Dinosaur (that loud thing again...) and we had to be up for a Tragic Express pick up at 4:15 a.m. So we left, leaving over an hour of event time behind. Pretty sure those with more determination could achieve 6 EE at least and depending on one’s walking/ramp/warp speed another 4 or so FOP. Mix in some Dinosaur and cut back on either of the other two I suppose. Bottom line; if you love these rides, free snacks, and you’re at least slightly well-rested; this event is your (dark and humid) friend! ETA we were let into the park at 6:45 p.m.

 

[Chickinvic]

Hoping against hope for one the week of Nov. 2-8....

You got your wish - there's one on the 5th of November.

 

[Chickinvic]

Admittedly, I don't know much about these events but I am considering attending on 10/30. DH and I have some free time in Orlando. We had decided against buying a one day park ticket because of how busy it will be at that time. So for those who have attended DAH at AK in the past, did you find the cost was worth it to not have to battle crowds? Did you get to ride the headliner attractions more than once? I'm hesitant to pay $129 for 3 hours when I can pay $88 for 9 hours.

You will get let in a couple hours before the party start time and can even make fastpass reservations for that time period when the park is still open. I would say YES it is worth the much shorter ride wait times.

 

[Chickinvic]

I may do this as it seems there won't be any MK DAH dates in October and most of November which frankly I don't get.

Halloween party and Christmas party time at MK.

 

[thptrek]

May look at the November 13 date at AK.

 

[Chickinvic]

May look at the November 13 date at AK.

Us too. We are there Nov 9-19. Not planning to do much other than a couple of the Christmas parties at MK and some Universal stuff. This could be fun to add on.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Halloween party and Christmas party time at MK.

Nope not the case as there were both Christmas parties and also a couple of MK DAH events while we were there in 2018. There are also MK DAH September dates this year the same time as the Halloween parties.

 

[Cinderella94]

FOP question- when the event starts at 9:00, are After Hours guest’s able to use the FP line? Or does it take a while to actually get the after hours benefit over there? Thank you!

 

[RolloTomasi]

FOP question- when the event starts at 9:00, are After Hours guest’s able to use the FP line? Or does it take a while to actually get the after hours benefit over there? Thank you!

You're better off waiting about an hour or so before hitting FoP. That'll give those not staying time to clear the lines. This was my strategy back in April and it worked great. I waited about twenty minutes each time but I was able to ride it twice, which I consider a win.

 

[NikkiDP]

Attended the event last night (8/19/19). First time doing an After Hours event. Loved it! Wicked low crowds we thought, but it’s hard to tell because the attractions are so spread out and it’s quite dark in some areas! We went on the safari around 7:30 with FPs booked with the DAH tickets. Had a great ride, lots of animals moving around the roadway (and in the roadway) - looking at you Mrs. Giraffe. The cheetah was pacing, fun to see (him/her?) upright. Lions were spent. Headed towards Asia to Yak n Yeti for dinner (Landry’s Club card for the no ADR win!), and much needed a/c. Finished up about 9:00 ish and swam upstream to EE (RoL just letting out). No line, just the time it takes to walk the FP line. Rode twice and realized eating a big dinner just prior may not have been our brightest move. Totally different ride in the pitch black. Very cool. Second ride the train stopped on the big incline, and again midway through the mountain - that was a hoot. Not at all terrifying... Ride pics haven’t shown up in MDE yet though. Decided to skip EE rides three through twelve and instead got soft drinks and popcorn and an ice cream sandwich at the Thirsty River bar (event snack site...not real obvious). So much for digesting dinner. Walked over to Pandora. Road thru Africa is not an option. Everyone’s directed down past Tough To Be A Bug and around. Stopped momentarily to watch the Lion King projections on the Tree cause they were too darn cute, then continued into the dark, black-lit world of the Na’vi. Why is the path always soaking wet? Passed a snack cart and a beer cart on the way to FOP. It was about 10 PM I think? No line. Just the extreme hike to the beginning of the ride. Debugged and lectured prior to riding. Probably nice for those riding for the first time. Had a great flight and then hoofed it the 26.2 back out. Total commitment maybe 20 minutes entrance to exit..from an overweight, middle-aged, morning at EPCOT, afternoon at Galaxy’s Edge Disney-loving perspective. Not sure if they did away with the two “story development” rooms later or not as there was no way I was making it back up to find out! Got coconut bars and bottles of water and coke at the stand inside Pandora. Rode “It’s A Small Living with A Pandoran Na’vi River Land” next to give me a break. Short wait. Not a walk on for us. The drummers were really going at it and had gathered quite a crowd. Now it was really loud and really dark. Weeeeeee! Being totally atypical travelers we decided to eat more ice cream and popcorn and shop a little and watch more tree projections. We’re not really fans of Dinosaur (that loud thing again...) and we had to be up for a Tragic Express pick up at 4:15 a.m. So we left, leaving over an hour of event time behind. Pretty sure those with more determination could achieve 6 EE at least and depending on one’s walking/ramp/warp speed another 4 or so FOP. Mix in some Dinosaur and cut back on either of the other two I suppose. Bottom line; if you love these rides, free snacks, and you’re at least slightly well-rested; this event is your (dark and humid) friend! ETA we were let into the park at 6:45 p.m.

Thanks for the awesome review! Sounds like you had a really great time!

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

Thanks for the awesome review! Sounds like you had a really great time!

Thank you!! We really did, despite the tiny ride count!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi y’all. Jumping in on this thread. We are doing a Disney cruise then heading to wdw for 6 days after. We’re doing mnsshp as well. I have a 4,9,12 year old. So for us to also do After hours for AK will cost us $650 which is a hard pill to swallow. I know this is subjective, but is this extra expense worth it? Any input would be great!

So hard to say as we all value things so differently. I’m a fan of the DAH events, but I only have 2 kids so easy for me to say!

If you haven’t seen Page 1, this post links to all “DISer review” posts in the thread. I find it’s helpful to sit down and read a variety of reviews just to get a feel for different viewpoints, experiences, etc: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...ded-oct-2019-march-2020.3715424/post-59931754

I know with us (mine are currently 9 and 5), we’re good with one late night (eg, midnight) per trip for something special like MNSSHP or a DAH, but any more is really pushing it / asking for trouble, so that would probably influence us more than the cost or desire to do the event, to some extent.

Good luck deciding, and enjoy your cruise/WDW trip!

 

[Chickinvic]

Nope not the case as there were both Christmas parties and also a couple of MK DAH events while we were there in 2018. There are also MK DAH September dates this year the same time as the Halloween parties.

They are having a few after hours parties this year. They have one at MK during our trip (Nov 9-19). I would be tempted but we are going to 2 Christmas party nights.

 

[briggscreek]

I bought tickets for October 26, it'll be our first after hours event. I had to add a day to our trip to make it work, but AK is our favorite park. Can't wait!

 

[tamlav]

Is there anything during this event that you cant do during regular hours? It sounds like it mostly just for low crowds for rides.

The park closes at 9 pm. So this would only be three hours. That being said I still want to do it. LOL

 

[disneydreamer781]

They are having a few after hours parties this year. They have one at MK during our trip (Nov 9-19). I would be tempted but we are going to 2 Christmas party nights.

Yeah that would be great but unfortunately not a one during October. I was thinking of doing the Halloween Party Pass but I think my limit would be only 2 parties during our 9 day trip. I'm still considering DAK DAH (a 9-12 night) but not too many attractions open and no shows and of course no Safari. I have to make the decision between 2 MNSSHP or 1 MNSHHP and 1 DAK DAH. I would love to do all but I have to drawn a line somewhere. If Disney had some seasonal stuff going on at DAK for this, it would be a no-brainer just like it would be if it were December where they will be decorating the park more this year.

 

[kwdw]

We did this event on 8/12 - and for those looking to save the stress of trying to get on FOP - I highly recommend the event. We entered about 6:45 pm - and as it was drizzling - we headed to It's Tough to Be a Bug to avoid the rain. We then browsed the shops (this was planned for us). Next - we headed to Safari - which was shockingly walk-on in the stand-by line about 8:20 pm (it said 25 minutes)! I think earlier rain had scared alot of folks out of the park. We had PLANNED to be low-key between 7-9 - so honestly - catching Safari before the event started without a FP was a bonus for us. By the time we were done with this (and some shopping in the store/restroom break in Africa) - we headed to Dinoland - and stopped by Character Outpost to get a picture with Mickey and Minnie. It was about 5 minutes to 9 pm - and they already closed the day folks line to enter the queue - so we waited the 5 minutes with a couple other families with after dark tickets purchase. About 9:03 - we were done with the picture and picked up soda (in cups) and popcorn from the food stand by ITTBAB on the way to Dinosaur. Dinosaur was walk-on. Had an ice cream sandwich and a soda from that stand in Dinoland - and my niece rode the TS ride twice in a row - they didn't make her get off. We did tell her to get off and not ride it a third time as we wanted to watch ROL at 10. After ROL - on way to Pandora - picked up more soda and popcorn on Discovery Island.

It was about 10:30pm by now - and the walk through the queue was longer than the wait for FOP. We waited for 2 groups of 16 before us to ride. So - it was maybe a 5 minute wait to get to room 1? The walk took longer!!! LOL. Headed to Navi - which was walk-on. We were disappointed that the overhead lights seemed to be on for about half of the ride. After this - headed back for another FOP ride. I didn't time this wait as good - but it was still a single digit minute wait after walking through the queue. COULD have just made getting in line a third time - but everyone was tired - so we picked up a frozen fruit bar and soda on the way out of Pandora - but by the time we got through that line - and to Discovery Island - it was just past midnight and the popcorn stand was shut down.

Things I was pleased about - while I did not want to watch ROL during this time (the other two in my party did, though) - I do have to admit it is a much better show when sitting the front-row center. I rarely make the time to get a good seat for this - and I do think having probably the best seat in the house on a non-windy night improves my opinion of this show. For folks who are familiar with the show - and it's not a must-do - I still really don't recommend watching this during an after hours event. Takes too much time. I was surprised to see probably a couple hundred folks in the theater - I thought there would be even less. It was relatively clear on the Guide where to find snacks and what you would find there. I personally really wish Pandora itself also had popcorn or ice cream sandwiches - I can still say my expectations were meant based on advertisement of what to find and where to find it. They were briefly out of water in Dinoland (maybe 10 minutes)? Crowds were low. I expected to WAIT more in the queue at FOP - but that wait was really minimal - not quite walk-on - but given how many folks flock there - I think it was a fair time for the price.

I think this event would be even better for groups with teenagers through 30-somethings excited to hit the rides, walk fast, and eat on the go more than we did. Our little group - who opted not to head to Everest (would have been the first time for my niece - and she just wasn't sure) - and did watch ROL - and is slow to eat food and slow to walk between attractions - still had a great time. I was personally surprised by the number of folks who were sitting around during the event - non-riders - and even a fair number who paid for the other limited food options available. We got the experience that was advertised - and hence - felt special and like the experience was worth it!

 

[Cinderella94]

Are photopass photographers out during this event? Thanks!

 

[YawningDodo]

Booked this for the last night of my January stay!

Not having seen any version of RoL before, I want to try to fit it into this trip. I might have an evening earlier in the trip when I can see it, but I'm going to be trying to divvy up my evenings to catch multiple evening shows at different parks and things are looking a little tight. I'm afraid that watching it during DAH will feel like a "waste" of that empty park time, for all that it'll be easier to get a good seat. Right now RoL is being offered for daytime guests at 6:30 on the night when I'm doing DAH, and I've got a 7:00 entry for a 9:00-midnight event. I'll have a park hopper good for that day so going early won't be a problem in terms of getting in, but my initial plan had been to show up right at 7:00 so I wouldn't have to backtrack to get my event credentials. If I want to do the 6:30 show, how early do I have to get to AK? And the first post says if you're already in the park you can pick up your badge at Discovery Trading--looking at the map, am I right in thinking I can sit in the section of the amphitheater near the Finding Nemo show building (rather than the section near EE) to have a shorter walk back to Discovery Island? I honestly don't even know where to go to line up/get in for the show; are there multiple entrances?

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Also contemplating the 1/30 date. We hadn't planned on doing AK this trip, but now the release of these after hours dates coincide with our trip and I am sooo intrigued. Does anyone think it'll be worth it in January? (read: possible cold weather, safari likely closed by the time you can enter, etc) Or have you gone in January and had a good time? We have not seen Pandora at night. The one time I rode FOP I waited 3 hours in line. So to be able to ride it in less than 30 minutes really has me considering. Also we've never seen Rivers of Light.