Do crowds thin out at Animal Kingdom later in the day ?

[maryj11]

We will be going in August and AK will be open until 6:00. Do the crowds thin out any later in the day ? We were thinking of going in the afternoon. We wont have to ride everything because have been there a few times but we have always left by 3:00.

 

[Jdismom]

Crowds definitely thin out, especially after 4pm. But beware that the animal exhibits, including the Safari may close earlier than rest of the park. We made the mistake of arriving at 4 on a day AK was open til 7, and went right to the thrill rides. By the time we went across to the Safari at 6:15 we were disappointed to learn that it had closed at 6.

 

[Crystal824]

Yes, crowds will thin out as the day goes on, but because AK (at least now) closes fairly early, it might not make sense to arrive too late in the day depending on what you want to do. The animal attractions, including the Safari, all tend to close at dusk.

 

[mrzrich]

We frequently go after 3. The park really does empty out.

 

[tink9702]

Yes. AK thins out after 4pm. The Safari & animal trails close at dusk though so do those first if you are heading into the park late afternoon. I bet Everest would be a wild ride after dark!

 

[disnut8]

But beware that the animal exhibits, including the Safari may close earlier than rest of the park.

I agree with this. Do the Safari and Rafiki's Planet Watch when you get to the park. Also, the waking trails. Save anything inside until later.

 

[Robo]

I bet Everest would be a wild ride after dark!

You are correct!

 

[mrzrich]

We used to love when they had Ak evening Emh. EE and Kali are both awesome after dark.Plus Dino land looks cool with all those round lightbulbs glowing.

 

[goofy4tink]

There was the one time my friend and I arrived at AK around 4:15. It was a cloudy day and it had just started to drizzle. The number of guests flowing out of that park was incredible! We felt like salmon swimming upstream trying to get into the park! We really wanted to ride EE, so headed there directly It was probably 4:45 by the time we got there...due to the number of people heading against us! We got to EE and managed to ride it 15 times in a row before they finally closed the doors behind us!! Just kept riding, walking back and getting back on with little stopping!
But, if you want to do the Safari or see any of the presentations, you may want to do those first then head to the rides...if you're arriving within a few hours of closing.

 

[Reddog1134]

In the past the park cleared out around 4pm, just after the parade. Now that the parade is gone, are people still clearing out at that time? I would assume they probably leave earlier now. If not, it seems like they may have been "conditioned" to leave at 4.

 

[DebbieB]

They sometimes reduce ride capacity. I was at AK late in afternoon last May, the safari was only filling one side of the platform and the trucks were arriving far apart.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Crowds thin considerably late in the day at MK.

One thing I learned last summer: They don't like to send out Safari trucks less than full capacity. We walked directly on to the ride, then had to wait almost 10 minutes for enough guests to arrive to fill the truck. That was at about 6:30 pm with a park closing time of 7. We had arrived at 4 pm and that was the longest wait that we encountered.

 

[hakepb]

You are correct!

Best attraction in WDW after dark, seriously

 

[maryj11]

Thanks all !

 

[maryj11]

Best attraction in WDW after dark, seriously

Is it ever open after dark ? I know when we go in August it says it closes at 6:00. I would love to go after dark especially in hot August.

 

[hakepb]

Is it ever open after dark ? I know when we go in August it says it closes at 6:00. I would love to go after dark especially in hot August.

Not enough, no where enough dark EE opportunities.

Christmas week had a few 9 and 10pm closings. So I lucked out with a dark, 8:30p EE one day

It's really too bad they stopped the evening EMH at AK before EE opened.

 

[scoobydooby]

Me and my DD were leaving the park about 45 minutes before it closed in May 2014. Walking past EE on our way out we noticed a very short 5 minute line. My DD loves EE (I hate it) so I suggested she had a last ride. She then proceeded to ride it 4 times just walking the queue in a loop with no wait. This is the only time I have ever been in AK for the last hour and I can't report on the lines at any other attraction, but can say that was a great last hour at AK for my daughter

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We did AK during PM EMH in 2009. It was absolutely gorgeous and really opened my eyes to how gorgeous AK is. Riding EE in the dark was awesome. I can't wait until they are open late again.